Letter to the Editor
Union Leader
May 26, 2023
RATHER THAN BUY, ADOPT YOUR NEXT FAMILY DOG
A puppy store chain recently opened a location in Manchester and, unfortunately, business has been brisk. Inside the store, rows of stark aquarium-style cages contain puppies of every “must have” breed commercialized by the American Kennel Club (AKC).
Cage labels indicate that the puppies come from Missouri, Iowa, and other parts of the Midwest. At about eight weeks old, they are put on a truck and driven halfway across the country to New Hampshire, where — unlike our neighbors New York and Maine — there is no law that prevents treating puppies like merchandise.
Eager puppy store customers take out their credit cards or sign up for 100% financing for these dogs, which cost between $3,000 and $6,000. Meanwhile, across town at the Manchester Animal Shelter — and at humane societies around the state — lovable animals, many who are good with children, wait for homes.
Please stop and think before taking the kids to the pet store to buy your next family dog, thereby perpetuating the demand to “manufacture” yet another batch of purebred puppies at some faraway breeding operation.
Instead, why not make a family project out of visiting animal shelters, rescues, and sanctuaries in search of the “perfect” dog? Those who adopt will tell you that nothing is more rewarding and rescuing a homeless animal is a great lesson for the kids.
JOAN O’BRIENAmherst