The Top Dog Store: That Puppy in the Window

Hello Readers!

The other day, I was looking at The Top Dog Store's Facebook page and I noticed something... They had a picture of an adorable Corgi X Chihuahua. The problem with this is that NONE of the breeder inspection reports list corgis as a breed that they use. How can this be?

I decided to look a little bit closer at the puppies that they get in each week. I realized that the following dogs are not on any of the reports:

Brussels Griffon and Boston/PugXJapanese Chin 

English Bulldogs and French Bulldogs

Havanese and BostonXFrench Bulldog 

CorgiXChihuahua and HavaneseXPom

Silky TerrierXHavanese

So where do these little ones come from?

I wish I could tell you. Honestly. Someone had asked on their Facebook page but the comment got deleted:

This means that The Top Dog Store is hiding information from people. When they first started, they said they wanted an open, honest relationship with the customers and to provide as much information as they could without revealing who exactly the breeders are. We literally have no idea where these puppies came from. They could have been shipped from the States for all we know!

Here is some more food for thought: What if these puppies DID come from the 6 breeders we have been analyzing for the last few months? If the reports choose to "leave out" certain breeds to make it seem less like a mill, perhaps they are lying about other things too such as:

• the actual number of dogs on the property. If that is the case, these mass producing facilitates could have 100 dogs instead of 50. What kind of socialization and care can that many dogs receive from the limited caregivers on the property?
• how often the dogs are bred. We already know these breeders are expected to pump out a litter of puppies for the store every few weeks (since they bring in about 15 dogs every week from the breeders). 
• having a reference letter from the vet. KC Kennels and LD Kennels, ones I have not exposed yet, already admit to not having reference letters. The rest claim that vets consider them to be of good standing. It is very easy to say "yes" when the real answer is "no" on the report.
• records being available. If they can't even list these breeds on their reports, how can we be certain that proper records are being kept? Especially for the unlisted breeds. It is very sketchy. 

Just for fun, I want to point something else out to you. 

These are all of the breeds that the breeders claim to have. Notice that they say "including crosses." 

 

Here are some crosses that are not included:

Coton de Tulear/PomXPoodle and Shih-tzu/YorkieXMaltese

Three breeds?? I know "designer breeds" have become a thing which combine two specific breeds to create a hybrid, but this? Go to a shelter and you will find dogs with 3+ breeds if that is what you want. The difference is that you won't be spending $1000+ on the pup like you will at The Top Dog Store. These are mutts. Plain and simple. The breeding going into these dogs do not enhance the breed. It is breeding for profit OR an accidental, unintentional litter. If that is the case, how reputable is a breeder that allows accidents such as this? 

That is all I got! Please boycott The Top Dog Store for running and unethical business. The proof is indisputable. 

Cheers.