I very much enjoyed your pets issue (“Who’s Your Doggy?” June 25) until I came to the ads for pet stores that sell puppies and kittens. You should rethink your policy of accepting such advertising. First of all, there are plenty of dogs and cats available through humane societies and reputable breeders and rescue organizations. More important, almost every puppy sold through pet stores comes from puppy mills, which produce at least 50,000 dogs each year for the mass pet trade.
Pet-store managers claim that they deal with responsible breeders, but animals from puppy mills are subjected to inhumane conditions and are often deprived of food, adequate shelter and human contact. Female dogs are treated as breeding machines and bred every cycle until they are worn out by age 5 or 6. Puppies have an increased risk of health, behavioral and genetic problems.
Ask your vet for his or her honest opinion about pet-store puppies.
LAURA MCFARLAND-TAYLOR / Bolingbrook
IN READING THE article on trendy pets, I was dismayed to see the disparaging remarks about Labrador retrievers–their inability to “remember anything that happened more than 10 seconds ago.” Labs are frequently listed among the dogs of highest intelligence. They serve as guide dogs for the blind and in search-and-rescue, drug-detection and explosives work. Labs are extremely popular due to both their loving temperament and intelligence.
JAMES AIELLO / Orland Park
THE VAST ARRAY of creatures profiled in the June 25 edition verified that virtually every sentient being has the potential to be a priceless and endearing companion for an individual’s or family’s household.
Many studies have proven that pets are emotionally, spiritually and physically therapeutic for their human guardian’s well-being. It would be idyllic if the entire human race would embrace a creed that advocates reverence for the lives of all creatures great and small.
BRIEN COMERFORD / Glenview
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