Perez Hilton has decided to follow Oprah’s lead — not on some faddish diet, but in speaking out against puppy mills.
Um, except he bought his dog Teddy from a breeder in October.
How’d we stumble upon a Goldendoodle?
We typed in “small” “cute” and “smart” into Google and they popped up!
Teddy will grow up to be about 20 lbs and even more adorable than he already is.
We got him at Southern Cal Kennels, Grade A mini Goldendoodle breeders.
We are just so in love.
Our little Teddy bear!
Just so we’re straight… Perez can drop $1,200 on a designer pup — and the kennel will even ship your dog to you! — but he wants you guys to be sure not to do that. “Do it for the doggies.” Got it?
What’s that? Mr. Dicky “don’t talk meansies about me or I’ll sue you!” McJizzface is caught in a contradiction again? I’m shocked, I tell you. SHOCKED!
I’ll betcha he eats that little dog.
Except that breeders aren’t the same as puppy mills. If you buy from a pet store, you’re probably supporting a mill. Buying from a registered breeder is the much more ethical choice.
Oh shut up sugartits - and, while I’m at it, what’s with that name - puhleeeze. Ya wanna be ethical, go to the local SPCA and adopt an otherwise-headed-for-the-gas-chamber (ok, lethal injection) dog.
Nice, fedupwithstupids. Stay classy. sugartits is right (although I agree that the name is ridiculous). Breeders are where you’re SUPPOSED to buy your dogs, if you want to *buy* a dog and not go get one from the shelter. Stores don’t get their puppies from breeders, they get them from puppy mills. Huge difference.
Suggartits (which would have been more amusing around the time of Mel’s rampage) is definately right. Reputable breeders frequently limit their breeder bitches to a litter a year or even less. Puppy mills keep the poor things pregnant as much as possible. While both are known to inbreed dogs, breeders are more carefull about this too.
Yeah you *should* get a dog from a shelter or breed rescue, but if you’re so inclined to buy something young and specific (there is something to be said for knowing what you’re buying and buying them young), the pudgy scumsucker took the right path.
Preach it, Fedup.
I have never felt the need to comment on any of this site’s post, but the info about dog breeders is flat out wrong.
I buy my dogs from a reputable breeder who gave references, and whose references I checked. She not only is utterly concerned about the health and welfare of her dogs, but she also has a strict clause in her agreement with a potential customer that says she wants the dogs back in ANY condition, if the customer decides to get rid of his or her pet, for whatever reason. Meaning, she’ll take a sick dog, a malnourished dog from a customer who didn’t take care of it, etc. She also does not sell her leftover pups to pet stores. She keeps them, or donates them to local facilities. (She recently donated a German Shepherd to her local police station) She has a large property area, and cares for her animals like they are family members. This is impressive, considering the number of bozos out there who want a certain kind of dog after seeing it glamorized in a Disney movie, and then realizes a pet is too much responsibility. I appreciate her integrity and her love for animals.
Sorry, but a breeder and a pet store/puppy mill are two totally different things. Shelter animals are in terrible shape, and I have total sympathy for the situation. But like I couldn’t adopt every orphaned child, and longer for a biological one of my own, I also can’t solve the problem of the millions of unwanted dogs and cats. I’ve never turned one away from my doorstep, and I never will. But deciding I want to have a certain kind of animal that is right for my lifestyle and my family, thus going through a breeder, is not the same as enabling pet stores and puppy mills. It’s a different choice for different people, just like for the issue of adoption.
I usually buy my dogs in “hot” form. Usually in Koreatown. OMG ONYDINT!
Considering the pet overpopulation crisis, bringing MORE animals into a world where there aren’t enough homes for the millions of shelter pets who are euthanized daily is irresponsible at best. And those who insist on a Disney dog or designer pooch are only about status and shouldn’t be having an animal in the first place.
So according to the dissenters, the puppy math works out like this:
Shelters > breeders > pet stores
But Perez in essence is saying, “Support the Humane Society of the United States — unless you can afford a designer pooch. But yeah, you should otherwise do the right thing and get your dog from a shelter.” Why make the second-best ethical choice?
Also, I just don’t buy the pet adoption/baby adoption analogy. Regardless of its pedigree, you are not biologically related to your dog.
I think it comes down to “I want a dog”…you go to a shelter and find one you fall in love with. “I want a specific dog”…you find a breeder.
I personally would prefer to go the shelter route but I also have much more flexibility in terms of appearance, temperament, allergy-rating, etc. A lot of people have very specific wants and needs. But don’t want to contribute to something flat out cruel. That’s when the breeder is a more usefull option. Is it the “kindEST” option? No. But sometimes we find ourselves settling for kindER because of what fits in our lives.
Oh, sugartits is a stupid name, but fuzzbutt and fedupwithstupids are perfectly normal? Pfft!
The only thing you can come back with sugartits is about your name?
What happens in THIS debacle:
Person A buys puppy from PetStore. Person A decides that they can no longer take care of puppy. They dump puppy, and puppy ends up at shelter. Person B goes to shelter and adopts puppy that was ORIGINALLY from PetStore. What now?! Oh no!
Yes, pet stores get their dogs from puppy mills. I worked in one for about 2 days and couldn’t take how they treated the animals. I then turned around and volunteered at the shelters, but found myself wanting to take every little guy and gal home with me! I support getting your dogs from the shelter, but I have also owned ‘mistakes’ (which now apparently are designer dogs?) from breeders as well. One of my current dogs is a black lab/golden shepard mix - Mommy was a golden, Daddy was a black lab. They lived next door, got out one night, and boom, out came puppies!
I think what really matters here is that Perez takes absolutely amazing care of his pup. And no, you may never be related to your dog, but last I checked, you’re not related to your adopted kid biologically either. I love my animals as if they were my kids - and I refer to them as my children. I would do anything for any of them, and I think most animal lovers are the same as me. They’re a part of the family, and always will be. Good for Perez for creating awareness on his website (because that awareness gets the kids talking) - and for taking great care of his pup too. I don’t always agree with Perez, nor do I always agree with this site, but I will support either when I feel they are correct. And deciever, 90% of the time, you’ve got it right. This one I just don’t 100% agree with. Sorry.
I’m drunk and here’s the deal… everything I wanted to say has already been said. I am an owner of a purebred English Mastiff from a wonderful breeder whom I still keep in touch with and would buy from again. I know how she keeps her dogs and I know where they come from and I have a family with which I wanted to introduce a puppy that would grow up with my young daughters. My husband and I felt that rescuing a dog may be dangerous for our young girls. God bless those who rescue dogs (and cats) from shelters, animals who are a result of irresponsible people and deserve a chance, but the option is not always the best for everyone. The next best thing is a breeder who is responsible and cares about the dogs they breed and the pups that result.
I believe that adopting from a shelter is a wonderful thing, I hope that someday when our children are older, we can take a dog home that has had an unfortunate life. And we are both absolutely against puppy mills and pet stores that sell puppies from these places.
Deceiver: while Perez is a total dick wad, you are slightly off here. I have volunteered with dog rescue/at dog charities for over 15 years and went undercover researching puppy mills in the UK in 1997-1998 so I know my stuff. As far as I can tell the kennels he got the pup from is not a puppy mill. While they are plainly a commercial operation with litters consistently being available (not great), folks are allowed to visit and most importantly they discuss spay/neuter, they have a policy should the dog turn out to have genetic health problems and most importantly they have a return policy “we are happy to take the puppy or adult dog back until a new home can be found”. In an ideal world he would have adopted a pure bred or mutt from a shelter or rescue group but at least he didn’t impulsively buy a pet store puppy. If anyone here is thinking of getting a dog please check out Petfinder - a great site with dogs of all breeds and mutts that need to be adopted that you can search by zip code.
Holly Won’t is just getting owned in the comments section for this one. The general feeling I get from this story is that puppy mills are bad. Breeders are not the same as puppy mills. Therefore, Perez condemning puppy mills is still valid and not hypocritical. He’s also not saying that supporting the Humane Society to rescue their dogs is the only option to puppy mills. If what you want is a goldendoodle, and they have none at a shelter, I say go out there and get one! Oh, and not all breeders are that expensive. I got my jack russell for $300 from a breeder in Marin County.
In all seriousness, keep it going. I welcome the debate. It’s the first time I’ve heard a defense of breeders as the best alternative to pet stores in selecting an animal (as my pets over the years have all been adopted from shelters), so it’s been educational in a way.
I maintain that it’s hypocritical for Perez to advocate donating to the Humane Society of the United States, a group that says opting to go the breeder route should be a last resort for prospective pet owners (click here to read). Because from what Perez posted, it certainly doesn’t seem like his first stop was a shelter.
Well, what can i say? perez is as thick as a whale omlette.
like they say, you can’t polish a turd can you?
You and most of your readers have no idea what a Puppy Mill even is.
So why don’t you get educated on a subject before you write about it! Don’t just throw around the word Puppy Mill without even knowing what it means!
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