Dogs and cats should not leave home before eight weeks. They may be weaned, but this does not mean they are ready to go to a home with humans. They also need to interact with their mothers and littermates to learn the rules of their own society. These essential building blocks are missed when they are on display at a pet store.
Pet store puppies and kittens also come from puppy and kitten mills. The stories you may have heard about mills are not bogus lies made by tree huggers. They are actually real issues. Few people in these days feel they should have a child every nine months. The woman's body is capable, but eventually her uterus will turn to jelly and her body will break down from the demands.
A Guide to Understanding Puppy Mills
Such it is for dogs and cats. Most dogs (minus the Basenji) come into season, and can be breed twice a year. Pregnancy averages sixty one to sixty two days. Then there should be, ideally, four to six weeks of time with the mother, and then an additional two to four weeks of time with the siblings. Puppy mills take the puppies at four weeks so that they will hit the stores at six weeks. Puppies should start being weaned from their mother at four weeks, not set on solid food and shoved into display cases.
The pet store environment is stressful. Many stores are not very sanitary, and this breeds diseases. Many pet store puppies come home with Kennel Cough, and that is only the easiest of things they come with. To many people have lost their brand new puppy in days from distemper or parvo virus.
I've seen many people buy a puppy from the pet store for 800$. Many breeders sell their dogs for under this price. The dogs gained from a breeder not only fit the breed standard but the breeder can tell you in depth about the temperaments of the individual puppies, the puppies parents, background, and how it interacts with people and other animals.
All dogs have quirks, and the breeder can tell you the quirks of their dogs. You can find if your pet has been screened against problems such as hip dysphasia and does the family have a history of allergy problems. This works for cats, and for dogs.
Often the breeder's prices are reasonable. Few people are interested in taking home a show dog. A 'pet quality' puppy may have a white toe. Silly, but that white toe disqualifies it from the show ring. That is the 'flaw' of the puppy. Its ears may be 1/3 of an inch to short, or long. It may have gray in the black of its coat. These are what separate 'pet quality' puppies from show puppies.
They tend not to know their dogs, and often breed unsuitable creatures. Unsuitability most often comes in the form of temperament. A vicious, aggressive dog should not be breed. It does not matter how much they are loved, or how beautiful they are. Bad temperament is a flaw that should not be passed down to other puppies.
A puppy should be brought with foresight and research in mind. A purebred, or a mixed breed. It is the same for ether. You need to know where you are getting your pet from, and be prepared for anything that may come from the environment.
Most of the puppies and kittens in North America have roundworms. It is a fact of life. There are few and far between whom do not, and normally they did not nurse from their mothers. But the parasite can still be passed through the placental layer, so don't freak out if your pet has worms or if your vet wants to deworm automatically.