NACH BHFUIL AMADAN MISE!

Amn't i a fool?

Do i live under a rock or not?

Isn't Harry O'Donoghue the man who judged Glens over the states a fair bit this year, don't tell me you Glen Folks didn't know about his petshops in the North East of Ireland, where pedigree and non-pedigree pups have been sold for years.

Now i'm out of Dundalk about 3 years now so i don't know if it still goes on, but i can easily check.

You see the hypocrisy of it gets me, that breed club ethics and kennel club ethics advise against puppy sales from pet shops over and over, AND as an ex pet shop owner who DID sell puppies from my own shop i can tell you why it really is a bad thing.

The pet shop puppy is more likely than not to be an impulse buy, not thought through, a pity purchase... because there is something absolutely wretched about seeing puppies in a pet shop.

Now the puppies i sold were bred by myself and taken home each night to their mums and often spent a fair amount of time loose around the shop with us, but that doesn't excuse us from doing what is not good practise.

Because as you good dog owners and breeders know out there getting the right home for your dog isn't just a matter of getting the money out of someone, you have a lot of matching up to do between your dog's requirements for a happy, healthy well loved life and what this person can offer the dog.

This CANNOT be done in a petshop where you are pressed for time no matter how sincere you are about doing right by the pups. So yes it more than likely goes wrong, a puppy bought out of pity in a petshop, it is more likely to not work out, to be sold on, passed on, end up in a pound.

And oh deary me, you didn't know this is what Harry O'Donoghue had been doing for years and now his sons continued doing in the 3 shops across the northeast up to 3 years ago at least. Harry was well known as a bulk buyer of litters across the area and believe me the pups were often sold at very high prices compared to the going rate of the times.

Well we live and learn but i'm glad i'm out of the petshop game, its not what you think, its all about money and if you are honest, sincere and genuinely care about pet welfare, you won't last in pet retail, its a jungle out there!