Maybe you have your heart set on a Golden Retriever or a French Bulldog.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been visiting your local shelter and shelter websites with no luck.\u00a0 In fact, there\u2019s not as many pets to choose from as there were a few years ago and you wonder how you\u2019ll ever find your new furry family member.<\/p>\n
Animal transports are not a new thing, but with so few pets locally surrendered to shelters here in New England, the practice has greatly increased.\u00a0 How do you know that the pet you are getting is not from a puppy mill?<\/p>\n
As with everything, opportunity sometimes fosters a negative side.\u00a0 Transporting pets from overcrowded shelters where they are at risk of euthanasia to shelters in areas where families are waiting to adopt is a wonderful thing.\u00a0 It saves so many lives.\u00a0 Local pets should always be the first priority, but when that number has declined to a point that a shelter or rescue has room to help pets from other states too, it is a good way to save more lives.<\/p>\n
Prospective pet owners need to be careful though.\u00a0 There are people out there posing as rescues when they are not.\u00a0In animal welfare, there are lots of names for them like \u201cpuppy flippers.\u201d\u00a0 There are flags to watch out for and alert you to do further investigation.\u00a0 If you live in Massachusetts and you find a pet online that you want to adopt, beware if they will only meet you in Connecticut or somewhere else over the border.\u00a0 That tells you that they are not registered in the state of Massachusetts.\u00a0 There is a mandatory 48-hour quarantine requirement for all pets entering Massachusetts from other states.\u00a0 They may be trying to avoid that and once they leave the drop off site, you can be left on your own if the pet gets sick.\u00a0 You can find legitimate, registered organizations listed on the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources website.<\/p>\n
There is also a growing trend of people bringing puppies into the state without health certificates and claiming that they raised the puppies.\u00a0 These pets may actually be from puppy mills.\u00a0 You should always ask to see the parents of the puppies, or at the very least the mom.\u00a0 If they refuse, beware.\u00a0 If they have several different breeds available, that should also be a red flag warranting further investigation.\u00a0 Reputable breeders usually only breed one or two breeds.\u00a0They do it to further the bloodline of their beloved breed.\u00a0 They care deeply about the offspring and will often require a contract before you can take one of their pups home.<\/p>\n
We all need to be sure that when we are adopting a pet that we are helping that pet and not supporting a puppy mill.\u00a0 We need to be sure that transporting is done safely for the pets and not putting them at risk.\u00a0 There are best practices that all shelters and rescues follow when bringing pets in from out of state.\u00a0 A truck on the side of the road, tightly packed floor to ceiling with crates and poor airflow who are handing out pets to those that have cash is not one of them.\u00a0 Let\u2019s all work together to ensure that all pets are safe and that we don\u2019t unknowingly support the practice of puppy mill operations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Advice from Second Chance Founder & CEO Sheryl Blancato Maybe you have your heart set on a Golden Retriever or a French Bulldog.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been visiting your local shelter and […]<\/p>\n