The Sad Reality Of Puppy Parties

I’m sure you’ve heard of puppy parties by now. The idea is pretty simple. People call up a company, pick out some puppies, and have them delivered to their birthday party, bachelorette party, or college campus. In a very short time, your home is covered in puppies and everyone is happy. Sounds harmless, right? Who doesn’t love puppies?! Sure, it’s cute, fun, and fluffy, but have you ever considered what it actually takes to have a puppy party? Turns out, it’s not a party at all…

The sad reality is that many of these puppies have been bred specifically for this business. In fact, some sites even brag about working with a small selection of specialized breeders in order to provide you the perfect puppies for your party. You get your choice on size, color, and type, and they boast about providing teacup breeds, hypoallergenic breeds, and a large selection of specialized mixes. When you purchase a puppy party from these companies, you are single-handedly supporting the puppy mill industry.

Companies like Puppy Party thrive on the naive public, who will shell out money for cute puppies for a party without understanding the dangers this type of environment puts the puppy in. Puppies are vulnerable in their early stages, and susceptible to many diseases that large crowds can carry. Their first few months of life are also crucial to their development and socialization. Stripping them of this bonding and training time is just cruel. Anyone who has tried to potty train a puppy knows how serious the struggle is. Now imagine the confusion for the puppy if you keep moving the bathroom around. How will they ever learn?

Then there’s the obvious question of: What happens to these puppies once they are no longer small and adorable? Bill Berloni, a dog behaviorist from the Humane Society of New York, says that renting puppies can be damaging to the dogs.

“It reduces them to things, things we use for our leisure,” says Berloni.

Yes, there are companies that have puppies that are actually up for adoption, but those are few and far between. Most puppy parties companies that exist are for profit and rely on specialized breeders in order to survive. The good news is that there are puppy parties every weekend that you can attend and not feel guilty about. Many rescue organizations work with pet stores such a PetSmart and host adoption events weekly in order to give exposure to their organization and to find good homes for their adoptable dogs. They may not be strictly puppies, but there is sure to be a dog there who will steal your heart! Now that’s a puppy party we can get behind!