Mommy Guilt

We fell in love with Jax at the pet store exactly two weeks ago tomorrow, and the very fact that we purchased our newest family member from a pet store was wreaking havoc on my heart from the moment we considered bringing him home.  When we got home I looked up reasons why buying from a pet store is a bad idea - although I knew a little about puppy mills - I wasn't sure, exactly, what difference it would make in the puppies at the store. Would they be weaker, sicker, have a shortened life span? I just wasn't sure if there would be a price to pay for "supporting a puppy mill" assuming Jax did indeed come from a puppy mill. Although, knowing what I know about pet store puppies, it's pretty likely.

In case you're like me and don't know a whole lot about puppy mills, here's a little background from the ASPCA: "A puppy mill is a large-scale commercial dog breeding operation where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs. Unlike responsible breeders, who place the utmost importance on producing the healthiest puppies possible, breeding at puppy mills is performed without consideration of genetic quality. This results in generations of dogs with unchecked hereditary defects.  Some puppy mill puppies are sold to pet shops—usually through a broker, or middleman—and marketed as young as eight weeks of age. The lineage records of puppy mill dogs are often falsified. Other puppy mill puppies are sold directly to the public, including over the Internet, through newspaper ads, and at swap meets and flea markets."

Needless to say a puppy mill is despicable. But it also seems it is hard to avoid a puppy mill puppy unless you go directly through a well-established breeder. So what happens to the other puppies and dogs that weren't born into that wonderful, loving environment created by breeders who do what they do because they adore dogs?

Regardless of the arguments on either side, our baby Jax came from a pet store and I felt so much Mommy Guilt because of it. When I realized my heart was heavy for supporting such a disgusting establishment, it occurred to me that no matter what kind of baby it is - human or a fur baby - a mother has Mommy Guilt over something at some point in her child rearing days. That was me. I pushed those feelings down because, after all, Jax was OURS now and no way was I going to drive him back to the store we bought him from to return him. NO. WAY.  So meanwhile I just prayed that God would protect Jax, heal his body of anything that may not be right, and that his first veterinary appointment would go well. That appointment was three days after we brought Jax home.

Other than the fact Jax had a little bug that required prescription medication, he was a healthy little guy! I was so thankful! Just as I would for the babies I birthed, I wrote down my questions for the vet. Once I got through health questions, safety inquiries, and training options, I asked, "So just how bad is it that we bought Jax from a pet store?"

"Well, we really don't want to support puppy mills, but there's no reason to dwell on the past. You have given Jax a loving home and he seems very happy so it doesn't matter where he came from," the vet told me.

And she was right. We love Jax and will do whatever we can to ensure a long healthy life for our newest addition. No need to feel guilty about how we acquired him when in reality, he was made for our family and he has truly made this family complete.