I haven't posted in a while, mostly because I am having troubles tracking down the websites of the other breeders that the Top Dog Store uses (if they even exist). Instead of leaving you all hanging, I am going to discuss the Top Dog Store's FAQ, directly from their website: http://thetopdogstore.com/faq/ The reason why I want you to see these answers is because of two things: 1) I want you to see how manipulative the responses are. They are specifically worded so that you believe Top Dog is the superior choice compared to adopting from a reputable breeder or a rescue. 2) I want you to see how lacking this company is in effort as they formulate arguments, as well as the posting itself.
Let's start with questions 1: "Why don't you share your Breeder's information with the public?"
....but with no response. They did, however, change their FAQ to reflect a more in depth response conveniently after. We already debunked that one of their breeders is a mill, so referring to them all as "reputable" is misleading. In fact, in this longer response, they get rather repetitive saying that they are "committed to reputable breeders" who are "trusting our team at the Top Dog Store" in finding the right homes. We get it, the breeders are great, and the store is great. You can see how manipulative the wording is, though, because of the positive repetition and affirmation that they are in it for the wellbeing of the pet and not your money. What bothers me is the lack of proof that either parties are winning choices. In this section they claim to "regularly check the breeders" but we can see from the evaluations that they only do it once a year. So much can happen in a year! How can we KNOW that they are as good as all of this?
Secondly, in this new response, they don't specify a specific privacy act. They did initially before people called them out on it. Why? There is, in fact, an act that covers business' relations. Instead of using the wrong act, they could have done a little more research. I am no legal studies person, but even I could tell the difference.
Question 2: "Why would Breeders sell their puppies to the Top Dog Store?"
This is literally a copy and paste from the Breeder information question... why even include it? Moving on.
Question 3: "Do Puppies from the Top Dog Store come with papers?"
An honest answer! Even if they claim to have a chihuahua, you are not guaranteed to have a pure bred. Keep in mind that all of the special paperwork that you receive with your pet is exactly what you would receive from a reputable breeder. That being said, I surprisingly liked their answer to this question.
Question 4: "Why are the Top Dog Store's puppies more expensive than at a breeder?"
They list a lot of good benefits to buying one of their dogs. That being said, reputable breeders cover all of this anyways and don't usually charge over $1000 for a mixed breed dog. In fact, some reputable breeders offer life time warranty for anything hereditary that might arise in later life. But seriously, the fact that it was treated by the Puppy Advisors and Puppy Care Technicians means very little. It is a flowery way of saying that their puppies' needs are met, the breeders are so-called "reputable," and that they have been checked by a vet.
Question 5: "Isn't it better to buy a puppy from a breeder or animal shelter?"
I actually laughed when I read this part. They claim 3 things:
- "They have the opportunity to interact with a variety of puppies." You can and will interact with many dogs at a shelter. If it is a puppy you want, check ahead and see what is available. You will always be able to interact with the puppy first at a shelter. This is not exclusive to the Top Dog
- "Our staff take the time to assist our guests in finding the right puppy to suit their lifestyle" Shelters screen families and partake in extensive paperwork to ensure that the puppy is the best fit. Some shelters go so far as to do house inspections to see the type of environment that it would go to. This is far more thorough than Top Dog will ever be.
- "The Top Dog Store has an outstanding health warranty with our puppies." I can give the Top Dog Store a bone for this one (if you pardon the pun). The warranty for a rescue may not be as thorough because you don't know what kind of history it has genetically or simply in its past. That being said, they have always been vet checked for preexisting health and are already fixed!
As an extra tidbit, here is an interesting fact that I unearthed. PJ's Pets is a pet store in Eastern Canada. It has been established since 1969 and they also have a FAQ: http://www.pjspet.com/_includes/_pdfs/BenefitsOfChoosingPJsPetsPuppy.pdf
The reason why I draw your attention to this page is because the answers to the questions are the EXACT SAME
Question 1/2&3:
Question 4&5:
Why does this matter? The Top Dog Store lacks the effort to formulate original responses to the same questions. This is a business that is trying to bring a new option to Calgary when it comes to finding a puppy. They are going to be criticized from many people (hey, just take a look at this blog!) so it is important that they can stand on their own two feet without taking the arguments from someone else.
Finally, think of those answers that they gave. Are they really any better than a rescue animal or a pet from a reputable breeder? If you are thinking no, then please, I urge you to reconsider your options and pick a source that is reputable and honest.
Cheers!
~I frequently hear people say "I rescued my dog from a puppy mill." Unfortunately, you did a disservice unless you reported the circumstance to the authorities. You still paid for the dog and the mill still made a profit. The dogs that were left behind will continue to suffer. What you CAN do to prevent suffering is call your provincial SPCA.~
Alberta: 1-800-455-9003
Saskatchewan: 1-877-382-7722
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