Grace Collins

"How much does that little dog REALLY COST in the window"

Well I definitely wouldn't compare my spending habits on my pets to Paris Hilton carrying around her many teeny dogs, in a designer expensive dog purse. eg.) Luis Vuitton bags go for $4,600 But according to Forbes 10/18/18 article on the Pet Fashion Retail Market is growing exponentially.  Their research trends show millennials (23-38 yo) are anthropomorphizing (ascribing human characteristics to non-human beings) their fur babies more and more. There are now more Pet parents then there are parents of Children households, 84 million vs. approximately 46 million in America. The Pet industry is a 72 billion dollar industry and survives because furbabies mimic their owners own lifestyle and taste. (International Business Times) and is expected to grow to 202 billion by 2025 worldwide (Grand View Research, 3/18). 

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I've noticed some people love to boast about how much they paid for their dog, doggie daycare, doggie spas, birthday/holiday parties, blueberry facials, yoga, walkers, trainers and even very colorful manicures. From millennials to the extremely wealthy (those that already have their mansions, Lamborghinis, yachts and private jets) wanting the next status symbol is owning a teeny weenie dog as a means to celebrity status. I've listened to executives and celebrities who haughtily say they taking their dog to the best dog groomers (there is even a TV show called Top Dog Groomers contest like the show Top Chef) as if they are talking about their own hair stylist. They even have handlers and private concierge services for their dogs when they travel. (much services are now ordered through smartphone apps). One executive even told me they would never fly their dog economy but of course only fly their dogs first class. I think things are getting a little extreme for those who can afford such expenses and enjoy talking about their indulgences.

14 years ago people thought I was that “crazy cat lady” making clothes for my cats but now its more of the norm for dogs and cats to have some type of fashion ware. A disturbing trend which I admit I fell for is wanting a cute pocket size dog too.  And when I moved away from being a Show Cat person because its so political and sometimes rigged to just being a Hobbyist Breeder status of Exotic Short Hair cats (only had 9 kittens in a 10 year span). I decided to try my hand at breeding xs Maltese puppies too. It was a 10 month hunt and I embarrassingly fell for at least seven online puppy scams. I noticed if a breeder was really reputable the dogs were starting at minimum of $4,000+ which was too expensive for my budget. The smaller the dog the higher the price. 

Anyway, I bought my first Maltese two years ago in Brooklyn, NY at a store called the “Puppy Boutique”. Big mistake. Their website had cute puppies which seemed more affordable and bought a Maltese puppy which I named, Penelope.  BTW: Don't fall for the teacup trick they often put a 6-8 week old puppy in a teacup and call it a “Teacup”  dog.  Buyers please be aware of course a puppy that is less then 8 weeks old can fit in a teacup but later they may grow way more larger than the salesman told you. I believe if you buy a dog you need to physically see the dog. One big red flag that a breeder is not reputable is if they will not let you come to their home and they say they only will ship you the dog and ask you to pay an upfront deposit with PayPal or Western Union.  There is a website called ipata.org which has a list of scams of at least 700 puppy sellers emails and websites. It also has a great overview of the many different type of puppy scams which are becoming more and more sophisticated.
I also found out during my decision to breed small Malteses, there is no such recognized dog called a “Micro” or “Teacup” breeds. There are only “Toy” and “Standard” sizes according to the AKC. I found out these breeders are mating runts to runts in hopes of having a tiny dog.  And in many cases this is incredibly dangerous for their health. The runts of the litter still carry the genes of a standard size dog and if your female is small dog and even mates with another small male dog it doesn't guarantee the dog will be small. The next thing you know you'll be in a veterinarian's ER room doing a c-section (at least a $3,500 operation) on your already tiny dog that has a big puppy that cannot naturally go through the birth canal putting both the mother and the puppy life at risk. The smaller the dog the increase of risk to their health eg.) like hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) which can cause seizures, liver shunts, hydrocephalus (water on the brain) all if not monitored can cause death. Their organs are too small to develop properly like their lungs, liver and kidneys.  I do have a sense of health justice for animals and feel there needs to be breeding boundaries as our pets are animals first and not a fashion accessory or a status symbol.

If you go to some of these high-end luxury boutique pet stores outfits can range from $200 to thousands of dollars. Many brag about buying their pooch a silk satin taffeta gown which frankly is absolutely nonfunctional and only for a photo op. That to me is ridiculous because “dogs will be dogs” and roll in the the grass, chew their clothes, drag their gowns with a train and the outfit becomes nothing more than a dust mop for your floor or you or the dog will end up tripping on their clothes. Dogs are becoming too objectified as showpiece status symbols and their owners are spoiling them so much they become not properly trained brats.

​I do have my own clothing line called​ Penelopes Boutiques and enjoy making my pets comfortable and look cute, but they are designed to be casual play clothes made from breathable cotton made from re-purposed baby clothes which extends the memory of my clients own children (special order). Clothes designed for xs small short haired dogs can be especially useful in the winter time and can have a calming effect for high anxiety dogs. Pet clothing is often an extension of the pet owner expressing their own clothing style and lifestyle through their dogs apparel and accessories.

​I maybe sounding judgmental but whether you buy a show quality animal or a pet quality one they still are living breathing creature and are not an inanimate object like a Ferrari. I learned a lot about breeding cats over my ten years as a breeder and also noticed this parallel trend of  “Designer Dogs”.  People are paying a lot for purebred mixed bred dogs with another  eg.)  puggles, cockapoo, labradoodle, goldendoodle and morkies etc.  The truth is people you are just buying a “high priced mutt”.  In the long run people should just want a healthy obedient dog, not a trophy dog with ribbons they can display on their mantle. Over spoiling dogs encourage territorialism, jealousy, possessiveness, biting, growling, yapping, jumping on people, destructiveness, being an escape artist, housebreaking problems and with the smaller sized dogs there is more potential for very expensive health issues. These are all of the main reasons dogs are given up at shelters. To me after all my years having a menagerie of different types of pets and loving animals since I was six years old, I realize temperament and character is the most important quality in buying a household pet. I now only want a healthy, loving companion that is a well socialized pet that gets a long with people and other animals.

Attorney General's Letter

During my search I uncovered another very horrifying thing and that is 90% of all puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills. Maryland thank God is one of only two states that has actually passed a law that you cannot buy a dog from pet store if their puppies came from a puppy mill ( actually just last month the Baltimore Sun reported on a lawsuit from some MD pets stores which are trying to reverse the bill saying its ruining their business and suing the Attorney General saying it is unconstitutional. California is the only other state that passed the bill so far. Perhaps that is why I  couldn't find a Maltese which forced me to look for a puppy out of state. I must admit I never bought a dog from the pet store before and I am saddened and angry to learn what I thought was a top notch pedigreed dog comes from a puppy mill and most likely the pet store gets a big brokerage commission which substantially increases the price of the dog.

What really is a puppy mill dog you ask? The legal definition of the term Puppy Mill is a large scale commercial dog breeding program where the bottom line is given more priority over the welfare of the animal and unlike responsible breeders who place the utmost on keeping the integrity of the best of genetic qualities of a breed they are viewed nothing more than life stock and treated with a very bare minimum of care. The animals are kept in small cages 24/7, most do not have protection from the heat or cold or inclement weather and receive little to no veterinary care. Most adult breeding dogs are never let out of their cages unless they are rescued and once the female dog can't produce anymore puppies they are are left to die. ​

​According to the Human Society of the United States there are about 10,000 puppy mills in the United States. Less then 3,000 are licensed by the USDA. 40% of puppy mill dogs suffer illnesses, 34% have congenital defects and are so traumatized it affect their health and temperament for life and/or need retraining. Over 2.11 million puppies are bred each year while 2.4 million healthy and adoptable dogs are euthanized in shelters annually.

I fell for this scam because the owners of the Puppy Boutique told me they only work with USDA licensed approved animals.  Well I found out just because a pet store sells dogs from USDA approved breeders USDA doesn't mean they don't come from puppy mills. Its like saying a drug is FDA approved and we all know that doesn't necessarily mean that a drug is safe

Many people are buying sick dogs with genetic defects that may come out years later and/or some buyers maybe lucky and get a healthy one.  I bought a Yorkie this past June and was told the dog would be no bigger than 5-6 lbs and the saleswomen wouldn't let me buy any of the three male Maltese saying it would be too big to breed with my 5lb. Maltese. The male dog must be smaller than the female to breed especially dogs under 5 lbs because it is extremely dangerous for such a dog my size. Now I found out the Yorkie I bought is going to be even bigger than my Maltese and could potentially kill her if I bred them together. 

Please look up the “Puppy Boutique” in Brooklyn on Yelp and read all the tragic stories of people buying very sick animals from them and their poor customer service. Even the Better Business Bureau gave them a “F” rating and Channel 12 Brooklyn  did a story on them this past March. http://brooklyn.news12.com/story/40074841/customer-claims-puppy-boutique-sold-him-a-sick-dog.   There is also a petition to stop pet stores from selling puppy mill dogs to pet stores in that news show.  The bill hopefully will be adopted by every state in America. Animal abuse now is a felony across almost all 48 states and Puerto Rico. ​

​Anyway the day I bought the Yorkie, with all the frenzy of this packed store people were fighting over these dogs because they are half the price then buying from a small reputable breeder who usually have Show Quality intentions so I too bought on emotion an adorable Yorkie.
The next day I excitedly took my new puppy to the most professional vet I knew in NYC, a Dr. Lawrence Putter, Chief Medical Director of Lenox Hill Vets on the Upper East Side. I was very upset to learn that he discovered my dog had a virulent and contagious parasite called “Coccidia”. This parasite is commonly found in puppy mills where puppies are reared in very unsanitary conditions eg.) unclean water, food and feces and stuffed in small cages.  I later realized the medication “Albon” used to heal him was already on the his vaccination medication list at time of purchase meaning the breeder and pet store knew the dog already had this parasite and sold me a sick dog. I was now in a quagmire about what to do.  I had already brought the puppy back to Maryland and noticed my female Maltese was having unusual bleeding and gelatinous stool too.  My perfectly healthy Penelope was sick for the first time ever.  After numerous attempts to contact the store with no response (which lines up with the 100s of the Yelp complaints). I had no choice but to contact the Attorney General of NY and they are mediating my situation and a staffer told me the Puppy Boutique has been under their radar for a long time. (See letter insert here).  They were very responsive and I encourage anyone else who has problems with irresponsible pet stores and breeders to call their Attorney General to intercede.  I hope this particular store as well as other stores who pass their dogs off as micro or teacup breeders get further scrutinized and if found out that their stock of puppies come from puppy mills they should be shut down.

After two months of having to boil rice and chicken and hand feed them and nearly $500 worth of vet bills to get both my dogs healthy again, praise God he blessed me with a very happy ending to my Yorkie story.  I recently met a very elegant lady at a birthday party who listened to my situation. Turns out she also happens to be a veterinarian. Dr. Jo Anne Carey of Takoma Park Animal Clinic, www.takomaparkvet.com. I never have been to Takoma Park, Maryland before but I now love it's small town quiet and friendly “Mayberry" feel nestled in between the border of Maryland and stressful overcrowded District of Columbia. Sakkai, (his new name) has a new home with one of the leading experts in veterinary medicine, is a very kind human being and her clinic is very fair priced in relation to other DMV veterinarian offices.  

​Dr. Jo just so happened to be looking for a Yorkie and agreed in the end of the day all one needs is a healthy well tempered obedient pet. I watched with contentment in my heart when Sakkai met Dr. Jo for the first time at my home and looked up to his new mommy with awe. He instinctively bonded to her gentle intuitive fur baby healer vibes.  Whilst I was very torn and heartbroken to re-home him I also feel incredibly lucky that Sakkai will have the best of health care for the rest of his life. I know no one could ever take care of my baby better than a veterinarian.
If you are looking for a very seasoned veterinarian, 40+ years in practice and who will take her time to really understand your pets needs, please consider visiting Dr. Jo's quaint cottage storefront clinic equipped with the latest in technology and staff of 13, four of which are also veterinarians. She does old fashioned house calls for chronically ill pets and end of life care for elderly animals which is a very special niche service in today's busy world.

​My story is just one example of what can happen if one is uninformed and even though my Yorkie story has a Hollywood happy ending, I mourn for all pet buyers who too have been victims of this whole pet industry which is riddle with so many different types of scams. But mostly for the dogs that are inhumanely treated in puppy mills. Hope this article helps you make informed decisions and you will consider signing the bill to shut down pet stores that sell dogs from Puppy Mills now!