coopgirl2, for the expense and pain, i am truly sympathize with you and your family in your loss. i have had many, many special fur friends and also feathered friends.

 

my favorite was Megabyte, she was a fawn boxer bitch that lived to be almost 9 years old before her intestines ruptured and infection set in so fast that i could not have saved her nor could the vet. we elected to end her wonderful life and we all cried. it has been several years (four or more to the day) that we put her down. she was on the operating table and unable to hear my words, but she rests peacefully in the backyard grave and memorial i've made to her and her mates. i decided before her death that i had to make this one immortal by naming my business after her. my business is Mega's domain. i have been active and inactive in this venture for the past six years. my tears still flow for this wonderful creature that God gave me. sometimes when i crawl into bed, i can still feel her caress against my cheek. her soft sigh as we fall to sleep. maybe others think me nuts, but it is true (in my opinion) that they stay with us long after they take that final breath.

 

although i do not condone puppy mills, backyard breeders, nor animal abusers; i do not agree with you that people should not buy from pet stores. it is a choice one makes on their own. a well educated person knows there are other choices out there. a well educated person might still make their own choice to purchase or befriend an animal from questionable background. i have known several people who have wonderful life-companions (myself included) who made their own choices and do not regret their decisions. i would encourage anyone who reads this post to make their own choice based on their knowledge and their heart's feelings about the creature in question. we are all God's creatures and i wish you the best in your quest. deborah

deb, how can we take a pro-active approach at educating the public and possible buyers that these particular businesses practice questionable business ethics? maybe we could write the local newspaper editors to express our opinions or publish a whole article and submit it to a nation-wide magazine syndicate. for privacy's sake, please email me with more info. thanks. deborah [email protected]