Quote Originally Posted by starmom View Post
Yeah, but Jon, what's he supposed to do- just walk away? It's a moral dilemma that I don't believe can be judged so easily and with such a pat answer.
It is for the reason you gave and the heart-filled action of the OP that I stay away from the local pet shops
Yes, walk away. Call me cold-hearted, but I'd rather see one suffer than 10. Buying such a BP supports and encourages that treatment of animals. Hypothetically speaking, imagine if everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE for the sake of the thought experiment, said "I'm only buying rescues from now on". Then the entire market would shift...some quality breeders would start treating their animals terribly to satisfy the demands of the market. The consumer pushes the direction of the market. If we want high quality, well cared for animals then that is where we have to put our money.

Every time I go to my local store I see 4-6 BP's that warrant rescuing. And if I rescue them, there will be more there next week.

A better choice would be to educate the people working at the pet shop why that's not okay. Or as you said, stay away altogether.

JonV