LOS ANGELES - Remember that old song, "How Much Is That Doggy in the Window?" For most Americans, it seems it's no sale.
More than half of people in an Associated Press- Petside.com poll said they would get their next dog or cat from a shelter, nearly seven times the number who said they would buy their next pet from a store.
And more than four in 10 said they thought store pets could have hidden medical or psychological problems. That's significantly more than those who expressed the same concerns about pets from animal shelters or breeders.
"I believe they overbreed the pets. I believe they couldn't care less about the pets; they're really in it for the money. I think you are more likely to get a pet at a pet store that is ill or has problems," said Sandra Toro, 62, of Colton, Calif.
Just 8 percent of those polled said they would get their next cat or dog at a store, while 13 percent said that's where they got the pet they have now. Fifty-four percent of those polled said they probably would get their next pet from a shelter, while 23 percent went for a breeder.
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Toro, who has a 14-year-old "rescue" terrier mix named Dancer, said she doesn't understand how anyone can buy a pet from a store or a breeder. "There are so many wonderful pets out there that will be euthanized," she said. "There's no reason for it."
When asked where their current pets came from, 26 percent said breeders and 30 percent said shelters.
