Almost everybody loves puppies and kittens. They're soft and cuddly, they smell wonderfully, they're so cute when they play. You can find them in pet stores, at flea markets and in newspaper ads. Sometimes you can even find people in the park with a box full of the squirming, little balls of fluff. Who can resist?

Before you cave into the impulse to buy a puppy or a kitten because it is so cute, ask yourself what kind of breeder would sell a young animal to any stranger with the cash or a credit card? I promise, no responsible breeder would ever sell to you without a lengthly investigation as to why you wish to buy or what life you have to offer the animal. A good breeder will always check out your home and do follow up visits.

We are all shocked by the condition of the Lhasa Apsos recently rescued from a breeder in Port Alberni. Did you buy one of the offspring from those miserable, pathetic dogs? Did you encourage this type of breeding by putting money into the pockets of owners who would allow dogs to live in those conditions? Did your new puppy nurse from a mother who was covered in her own excrement?

Do you honestly believe there is only one breeder on Vancouver Island that would let dogs get into this condition? Do you believe that absolutely nobody knew about these dogs? If you had seen the breeding adults, would you have bought that puppy? Will your puppy be healthy or cost a small fortune in vet bills until you finally make the decision to let it go?

The breeding adults live in closets, in basements, in back yards or in cages. They are bred over and over again; producing sicker and sicker offspring until they end up "Fee to a good home" or they are destroyed.

This is not fun stuff to read, but pretending you have no part in cruel breeding will not stop the misery that exists here and across this Province. Every time one of these puppys or kittens are sold, the parents are condemned to continue producing litters. Never buy a puppy or kitten without viewing the parents...that's how you can help.

Bev Davis
Parksville