I am thrilled to read about this new store in Bel Air. I hope the information about "puppy mills" and "back yard breeders" is spread near and far. Also the fact that little dogs are not "fashion accessories" to be draped over the arm.
I also rescued two chis, one 3 lb. and the other 5 lb.. The 5 lb. dog's jaw has been broken and she has no teeth. It took two years to socialize her and she is still terrified of stepping out of the house. I was part of greyhound rescue for 12 years and every weekend we had the dogs at different places for adoption. The wonderful people and the experiences we had were so gratifying.
I congratulate you on your wonderful way to run a pet store and I am ecstatic that Dogtown will begin tomorrow night. One of my very favorites. "Best Friends" your work is superb! Thank you.
Posted
March 20, 2009, 2:1AM
by
bombadil
I have visited shelters in California and I have friends who have visited others. Puppies are rare in most of them, let alone purebred puppies. Most that are there are pitbull mixes. So where is this store going to get a supply of wonderful, healthy, purebred puppies. Local shelters? Not likely.
This is a wonderful idea & I wish the store much success. I only hope in the future they include mixed breed dogs. I have a 'purebred rescue' dog & a mixed breed 'found on the street' rescue dog. Of the two, the mixed breed has been the healthier one & she is pretty much a perfect dog :-)
This is not about pure breed dogs, it's about a pure breed Russian Blue cat I bought "from a breeder.' Five month later my sweet little kitten died and the breeder told me 'S--t Happens." The year was 1992. Since then we just rescue :)
She was cold hearted thru my painful ordeal
Thank you for reading my sad kitten story
This is the greatest news I have heard in a long time! Finally we have a responsible, compassionate pet store!
Our local Humane Society opened a store up at the mall where they have products to buy and shelter cats up for adoption (called Meowza! cat boutique). It's a great idea that I hope spreads!
Posted
March 22, 2009, 1:10AM
by
Maresbar
Most of the dogs in the two rescues I work with are purebred. Their health is evaluated and appropriate vet care is given. If there is a health issue like the heart condition in my foster mill momma the rescue lets the potential adopter know about it and what a vet's evaluation of future potential problems might be.
We have gotten dogs through owner surrender, breeders going out of business and auctions (yes, I know that's controversial). In every case the dog - and we do get quite a few puppies - is brought up to date on vet care and spayed/neutered BEFORE they are adopted or with a requirement of proof it was done if the puppy is too young. I have a dog that I bought from one of those responsible breeders and it cost me more to have the first year vet care done plus the purchase price than it would have cost me for an adoption fee for a rescue animal. BTW, I have since adopted two pure breds and two mixed breeds through rescue. I have not had any problems with my own but the mixed breeds from my experience and other people I've talked to do seem to have less health issues.
I didn't realize that Woof Works is selling only purebred puppies from local shelters. Don't get me wrong, it is certainly a step in the right direction and I applaud their forward-thinking business model, but what about all the wonderful mixed breed puppies that need homes? Are they out of luck in Bel Air?
What a fantastic idea! I hope that this will succeed. With all the foreclosures & pet abandonments, I hope that the owner will reach out to Animal Control to be notified when abandoned pups are found.
Posted
March 19, 2009, 8:11PM
by
Maresbar
As a volunteer foster for two small rescues in my area I am painfully aware that rescues DO NOT "make a buck" off the animals they rescue! In most cases the vet care and other expenses (beds, toys, training, etc.) are much greater than the adoption donation that rescues request. Frequently the foster ends up absorbing those expenses because the rescue lacks the funds. I can only assume that the person who made that comment has never volunteered with a rescue. Try it - it could be a real eye opening experience for you!
It saddens me that the LA Pet Store is focusing on purebred dogs! I have 3 dogs from shelters, all mixed breeds and I couldn't ask for better companions. I'd like to see more focus on the majority of shelter animals that are not special in breed but special in every other way!
Posted
March 20, 2009, 1:18PM
by
kamren
Great to hear about the existence of this type of store. I hope all the other typical pet stores convert to your type of store.
I have a suggestion to draw both attention and more people to your store: get a celebrity chef to come in and cook up some kitty/doggie food to teach people who want to make their own food at home. Maybe someone like Gordon Ramsey. And on another day get more than one chef to come in and create a contest with kitty/doggie audience members judging who made the best snack/food, etc. You are in LA and there is probably a celebrity chef on every corner so it shouldn't be too difficult to get one, especially an animal lover, to come in and put on a show.
Posted
April 05, 2009, 3:4AM
by
Jenessa
I've noticed a few comments that I think should be clarified. I don't know why this article claims the dogs being sold are purebred, because some of the dogs there at the grand opening were mixes. They were all adorable little dogs but definitely not all purebred. Information about them was posted for customers to read. The dogs there that day were from LA County shelters in Los Angeles and Baldwin Park. I know that Best Friends LA works with all sorts of rescue groups and shelters in the LA area so I'm sure they will get dogs from a variety of places. For those of you downers, why don't you go check out the store before leaving negative comments? It's a job well done and a very nice store. The turnout was HUGE and I wish them much success.
Posted
March 17, 2009, 11:55PM
by
ruthy92
I hope everyone in the area will support Woof Worx.
The economy is down, but with some support through this I just know there will be greater things to come.
Posted
March 19, 2009, 3:4AM
by
MMCTAQ
Brilliant! Assuming that puppies produced by reputable breeders go back to those breeders if they need for whatever reason to be re-homed, then these are used commercially produced dogs for sale. The puppy farm made a buck off them, the broker made a buck off them, the store made a buck off them and now "rescue" makes a buck off them... what a great commodity!
The puppy store free LA BF staff & volunteers are our heros in Vegas!! We're so proud of what you have done and our prayers continue to be with you all. Keep up the good work and way to go WOOF WORX!!
Posted
March 23, 2009, 5:52PM
by
nicol
Below is a letter from a Shelter Manager. While most BF members are aware of this, the general public (and some who have posted here) are not. Please print out and post in your local library, gym, school, cafe, shop, etc. Please send to your local newspaper, community magazine, TV station, etc. And please e-mail to everyone you know. Only once everyone knows the truth, will the senseless slaughter of homeless pets stop. The letter from the Shelter Manager reads as follows:
"I think our society needs a huge " Wake-up" call.As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all. ..a view from the inside if you will.
First off, all of you breeders/sellers should be made to work in the "back" of an animal shelter for just one day.
Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling. That puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore.
So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays" that come into my shelter are purebred dogs.
The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat). " Really? Where are you moving to that doesn't allow pets and why did you choose that place instead of a pet friendly home?
Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would". How big did you think a German Shepherd would get?
"We don't have time for her". Really? I work a 10- 12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs!
"She' s tearing up our yard". How about making her a part of your family?
They always tell me: "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog."
Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies.
Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps.
It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it.
If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose.
If your dog is big, black or any of the "Bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door. Those dogs just don't get adopted.
It doesn't matter how 'sweet' or 'well behaved' they are. If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed.
If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long.
Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment.
If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment. Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly
so, this is great news! the fact that best friends was able to shut down the puppy store in the first place was great- and now, shelter and rescued animals will find new homes!
in response to some peoples comments about not working with mutts/mix breeds etc... (mind you, i am a HUGE mutt person- to me they are better then any purebred, and my sheppy mix is the best fluff ever!!!!) i think theyre focusing on purebred to "feed into" that LA mentality... or the "upperclass" mentality.... people WANT purebreds. so if they can satisfy these people by providing purebred dogs, while at the same time saving the lives of purebred dogs, why not!? i mean, if it were me, i would focus on the mutts because they tend to get overlooked more often. but still- if this is saving pups lives, im all for it. and if this prevents some of those "shoppers" from going to another pet store to BUY a dog, then i think this is a super great idea. thanks best friends, and good luck Woof Worx!!!!
Posted
March 20, 2009, 2:47AM
by
linzzzz
Well I don't know what shelters 'bombadil' visited in Cali, but at the store opening that night, there were at least 3 pure breed puppies that had been rescued that very day from a local shelter. Plus another local store who is going humane just rescued 100 dogs (most of them pure breed dogs) from an LA area shelter. Now, who says you can't get pure breed puppies from shelters?
Perhaps Best Friends could post a follow up article on where the puppies are coming from to be adopted out of Woof Worx. So people like "doglover25" and "MMCTAQ" wouldn't feel compelled to post such negative, sour comments. I think it's a great idea and hope it catches on all over the country. The article stated that the puppies are coming from shelters AND rescue groups. People who volunteer for or have adopted from purebreed rescue groups know that these dogs are coming from various situations. They are abandoned or given up because of death, divorce, moving and often because the owners are not capable or bought a breed that is not suitable with children or a certain lifestyle and the poor dog is either left tied up outside or locked in a laundry room all day. Many of these dogs are under 1 year old. Many rescue groups have dogs and puppies siezed from shut down commercial breeders. Some are from hoarding situations like my own adopted, rescued Scottish Terrier who was pregnant when rescued and had 7 puppies while in foster care. All the puppies have been adopted out. Of course mixed breeds are wonderful but there is no shortage of homeless dogs, purebred or mixed. But for first time dog owners, who think they have to have a purebreed, and have no knowledge of adopting through shelters or rescue groups, and think the only way to get a puppy is to walk into a store and take out their credit card, it's great. It educates more people about the pet trade. It is another humane option. We have a pet store here in Westport CT that has a sign in their window "No Puppy Mill Dogs". And there is a group of people that have been peacefully protesting in front of his store for the past 2 years. They have documents on hand that prove that his puppies come from licensed commercial breeders with a list of violations. It has been suggested to him that he should keep his store, sell all the pet supplies he wants but that he sponsers adoptions and not sell puppies. Well guess what his reaction was? Nobody had the right to tell HIM what to do. Big surprise. You could die from a heart attack from that surprise. What is surprising is the conversion of any store from selling puppies to adopting out homeless pets. "doglover25" talks like a pet store owner and as for "MMCTAQ", if you don't actually do something to make a difference for homeless pets then you shouldn't trash people who do. Rescue groups don't make any money. The adoption fee for my Scottie was $250. I have copies of all her vet bills while she was in foster care that total $480. So to group rescue with breeders, brokers and pet store owners is ignorant.
Way to go, this is a lovely store and a model for others to follow. I wish Jaime a smashing success. I hope that everyone looking to get a dog in LA either go to a shelter, a rescue or of course WOOF WORX!
quoting the article.. "Best Friends has been hard at work to find an alternative, and collaborated with Woof Worx (formerly Pets of Bel Air) on the idea to sell wonderful, healthy, purebred puppies that come from local shelters. For a mere fraction of what it would cost at a traditional pet store,"...
I'm just curious where they're going to find healthy , purebred puppies? Healthy, purebred puppies come from responsible breeders.
Responsible breeders insist on first rights of refusal in their adoption contracts. In the few instances where some might slip through the cracks and end up in breed rescue, the breeder is contacted first and they generally insist on having their puppies returned for rehoming.
So that means the only puppies available for places such as woof worxs are the poorly bred puppies from mills and BYB's that don't take the time to do health testing and are unconcerne d about breeding healthy dogs.
Dumb question here... but if they're sick when sold through a pet store for regular retail sale, what makes them suddenly healthy purebreds when sold through a rescue such as Best Friends, et al.?
And as for cost, regardless of whether $1500 is spent at a retail store or a lesser amount through rescue, rescue dogs whether purebred or not inherently come with health issues that generally cost well beyond the initial sale or adoption price.
Thus the reason to get a purebred from a responsible breeder in the first place!
Posted
March 20, 2009, 2:5PM
by
ahug2000
Addressing the comments left by DogLover25, why take such a wonderful event and tear it apart if you are truly a dog lover. Yes, there are some responsible breeders out there, but I have personally seen many purebred puppies and dogs in shelters and foster programs in my area. Many breeders will not take them back - and you certainly cannot generalize the situation anyway. Why not make a safe, healthy environment for these rescue dogs and give them the best chance at a happy life? As far as healthy dogs only coming from responsible breeders, that's completely untrue...healthy dogs come from loving families and caregivers, and if this establishment is providing adequate vet care, attention/socialization, and quality dog food, their rescued pups should be very healthy. I'm sure they would be treated for any illnesses and fully recooperated before being adopted out, that's what responsible dog lovers do in any environment.