I have always been a firm believer in not buying pets from pet stores because of where they come from...PUPPY MILLS! We had just started researching breeders in the area. However, it was your basic story...My boyfriend and I went into a pet store where we fell in love with the cutest English bulldog puppy we had ever seen. Our eyes lit up when we saw this little baby who we later named "Scout." I could not bear to leave him there, knowing that he probably came from a puppy mill, and God only knows how he was treated there. Even though we were against the idea of buying from the pet store, we were gonna be the hero's who saved a puppy from a potentially bad situation. Having Scout was a great experience. He was full of life and just full of love.
However, 3 days later Scout fell slightly ill with kennel cough. Being the cautious puppy parents that we were we rushed him right to the vet to get him medicine right away. When we thought he was doing better, he suddenly fell even more ill. His basic kennel cough (what the pet store told us was "expected") grew to severe pneumonia. Our angel was taken from us and put in the pet hospital in a mini glass oxygen cage. It was heartbreaking. We went to see him a couple days later and felt better after our nerves were so shot worrying about the little guy! Thinking he would come home in a few days, considering that the vet assured us Scout was "clinically" doing better....we bought him a new little toy and were on our way to bring it to him, when we got the phone call. Scout's little heart could not handle his sickness and he passed on just days before his 3 month birthday. We were devastated. We know in our hearts that the vet did everything that they could. The pet store on the other hand, offered no sympathy and were more concerned in making sure that we did not have an attorney and that we would get our money back to ultimately avoid a law suit and bad publicity.
The only good thing that came out of this was that we gave Scout a lovely home filled with lots and lots of love and spoiled him to no end, if only for a few days, he new that his Mommy and Daddy loved him very much! I hope that others think twice before buying from pet stores which usually get their dogs from Puppy Mills. I had just found your site and I think its great! We are know looking for an English bulldog breeder in the area. We will give a new puppy unconditional love while our little angel Scout watches over.