Has anyone read the article about Ikea and gap selling puppies?
They will be selling purebred puppies in stores across the US
It beggars belief ! :(

yes read it once and then i had to read it again to make sure i had read it right the first time.
Hope they never do that hear, and wonder what we can do to try and stop it over there.
Amy

Scarey to think there would probably be lots of interest in the pups simply because they are being sold by a well known name - the public thinking they must be of good quality and well bred simply because of the brand name selling them. :(
Unfortunately to get pups on such a massive scale we all know it can only be done by farming :(
I really hope the anti -farming establishments in the US manage to get themselves heard loud and clear. And we should lend our voices if need be !!

How would we be able to help from over hear, has anyone got and adress we can email to.
Carol

Wonder if they are flat packed, with the usual few screws missing :(

If this is the same thing I read it is not actually these companies, but ex-management from them, opening a new chain called "Woof"  I think the first is to open in a Boston mall.  they have said they are only going to sell quality pups, but then named the supplier as the large puppy mill/dealer company in the US which supplies loads of puppy  shops!
bye
Gwen

Did a search and this kept coming up....

"A group of IKEA and Gap veterans are trying their hand with puppies. Woof & Co. has opened two stores in Boston malls, with plans to add six stores in 2004 and roll national in 2005. The chain sells purebred puppies and upscale accessories, a distinct niche in the $30 billion-plus U.S. pet industry. It competes with private breeders, not big-box chains like PetsMart or Petco. "We're not interested in going head-to-head selling dog food," says Linda Povey, partner at consultancy Kanter International, which created Woof & Co. "Their strategy is high volume, low prices. We're a lifestyle store."

"The Edison, NJ-based start-up gets its puppies from Hunte Corp., a Goodman, MO-based broker for U.S. breeders. Prices range from $750 to $1,800, comparable to private breeders, with a 50%-plus profit margin. Each pup has a three-year warranty against congenital and hereditary defects. Puppies travel by air-conditioned truck to stores, where they get 75% of retail space (for 80% of sales); high-end accessories get 15%; basics get 10%.

Former IKEA U.S. president Steen Kanter took a request from Meridian Venture Partners to save nine Family Pet Centers from Chapter 11 in 2002. IKEA and Gap veteran Don Jones became Woof & Co. CEO in October; Baby Gap alum Karen Oden took on operations in November.

Woof & Co. is building a database on owners and their puppies. For now, marketing is in-store only, with grand opening info mailed to pet owners within five miles. Marketing will ramp up when markets get a critical mass of stores".

Kath.

Shamefully, pet stores selling puppies is very common in the U.S. 

Guarantees that come with puppies I suppose are an attempt to reassure the public they are healthy specimens.  They could give 10 year guarantees if they wanted, because they know almost know one ever returns a puppy. And certainly no one would return a dog after they've had it for three years.  Once the bond is there, forget it.  And these guarantees say that you return the puppy and the retailer gives you another one, so even if someone wanted there money back they would not get it.  The pet store never loses in this scenario.

Stacey

Hi Shame on them all !the stores selling puppies this way ,and to the mindless idiots who will buy them (and god forbid but they will won't they!)can you imagine those puppies being transported (in their airconditioned trucks) god knows how many miles .... on their own ....it beggars belief ,well i for one will not be shopping at these stores again(and i have been a good customer in the past to both )i hope it backfires on them all ,Sue & Lola xx

Hi Sue, in fairness to the 2 companies named - Gap and Ikea - they ARE NOT running this new company - it is ex-employees of both, who are using the marketing "ethos" learned at their previous employers.  So while I hate the concept, not fiar to blame either of those companies.  And biggest baddie here is probably the Hunt Corp, who, I understand, supply dozens of Pet Shops across the USA - they are a real big busines puppy dealer/mill!
bye
Gwen

Hi Gwen I stand corrected ,i just get so disheartened when i hear of such thoughtless treatment of animals ,still i suppose while pups of various breeds can command such high prices ,someone out ther will always be there to exploit it ,Take Care Sue & Lola xx

The clothes and furniture aren't good quality so why shoud the animals be.  I hope to god this isn't going to happen.

CG

I think if you put Hunt Corrp into a search engine you will probably find out lots about the puppy trade in the USA.  Lots of the breed clubs over there have objected to them, but while it is acceptable to the public at large to buy a pup in a shopping mall at least a company trying to maintain a good ,clean image will care for the pups in the stores. Perhaps a bigger public awareness programme is needed, to educate people just why it is not a good idea.  But as we know from this board, and even with the general disaproval on dogs sold in shops in the UK, lots of people still buy this way, and then ask for help with problems.  In the US, with an attractive, clean, colourful "puppy palace" type supermarket in every mall it looks a lot like this is an OK way to buy the family dog, to the average purchaser.  Saw a dozen or so pups in a puppy shop on a recent visit to the USA, it was a lovely big shop, with all sorts of gorgeous doggy stuff to buy, them 1 wall lined with  glass fronted compartments, each with a pup or 2 in it.  they also had 2 little fenced off areas at the front, for puppy playtime, and advertised that the shop was available for kids parties, with pups to play with!  It was hard to identify some of the pups on sale with the breed descriptions on the windows - lots of Cockapoos and  various "OOdles" plus a couple of JRT crosses.  A poor Bulldog pup who looked about 6 months old, and a pathetic, leggy boxer with the longest nose and the least bone I have ever seen in the breed.  However, it was immaculately clean, and they all looked bright eyed and healthy, so that at least was something.
bye
Gwen