Instead of an experienced, knowledgeable breeder who wants to support you, there's a clerk who probably has little accurate (but perhaps much inaccurate) information about the breed, none of it learned firsthand, and doesn't want to see you again except if you're buying food or supplies.

You may be able to see the pedigree before you buy at a pet shop, but since you can't see littermates, or the parents and their OFA papers, you can't properly ascertain the puppy's inherent temperament or health. Assuming that your family is the right home for a Giant, hip health and temperament are the two biggest factors in determining whether this Giant is right for your family.

That doggie is not being properly socialized while it's in the window at the pet shop. Most puppies are not being played with, but are sitting in their little crates behind a window, yapping at people who tap on the glass or make faces at them. Like supermarket fruit, pet shop puppies are shipped before they're ripe. If you're lucky enough to get a puppy with good inherited temperament, this quality must be nurtured by its dam, littermates and people during the crucial first few formative months or it will never develop properly.

It may be difficult to housebreak a puppy that was removed from its dam and littermates too soon and has become used to relieving itself at will, never having learned that it must wait until it's taken outside. Trying to housebreak an undisciplined puppy in a breed as large as ours can be trying indeed.

The worst part of the pet shop dilemma is that it encourages people to buy with their heart, not their head. People buy from pet shops because they want to rescue a sad little face and love it, but that sad little face is in the window in the first place only because its breeder did not plan for it, making sure that it had the best chances for physical and mental health possible. Falsely creating a demand for Giant puppies by pumping up the supply is wrong. Puppies, of any breed, are not a commodity!

If you're interested in a Giant puppy, look at the Breeders'/ Buyers' Aid in the back of any issue of the AKC GAZETTE, or call AKC Breeder Referral (900-407-PUPS). Breeders who have the interests of the breed at heart will do their utmost to ensure that a Giant is the best breed for you and this puppy is the best puppy for you. They'd rather not make a sale than sell a puppy to a less than ideal situation. Do you think the salesperson at the mall feels the same way?

If there are any breeders reading this column who sell to shops or are considering doing so, please think about the possible fate you're assigning to your charges. You brought these puppies into the world. Please don't condemn them to an unpredictable future.

Check out this article on buying a dog from a traditional Pet Store.