They may have gone to the mall to buy shoes, but end up taking home a considerably pricier item, a purebred puppy that costs several hundred dollars, upkeep not included. Unfortunately, these shopping mall romances often have unhappy endings. The odds of getting a sick animal at a pet shop are disturbingly high. Pet stores are occasionally sued by customers or fined for selling unhealthy dogs. Because problems with animals from pet shops are so common, several states now require pet stores to make detailed disclosures to buyers.
Some states require sellers to disclose facts about the dog's health, age and history.
If your state doesn't require these disclosures by law, ask for the information anyway. Be wary of any seller who can't or won't give you answers. New Hampshire, for example, requires retail sellers to show prospective buyers, upon request, a health certificate for any dog or cat that's for sale. Retailers must also conspicuously post on each cage the state in which the dog was bred. Following the example set by lemon laws that give car buyers a procedure to get a refund or a new car if theirs turns out to be a hopeless lemon, a few states have adopted similar laws for pet buyers.