Weekend Puppy Stores?

Some friends of mine own some commercial (retail) property and have it up for lease. Today they called to ask my opinion about a potential renter, who gave a long explanation of her business plan as a puppy center, but what it boils down to is a puppy store, which would be *open on weekends only*.
No specific breeders,suppliers, no vets, no groomers. Just puppies.
I asked where the pups would be during the week. She said they would stay in the store.
Be SURE, I informed her of my ethical & emotional objections to such a business. Then I set those aside to give her an opinion from a business perspective, & told her the plan was weak at best, and the weekday closure would be a red flag.

I'm interested to see if anyone else has encountered such a business? I've heard of some weekend businesses like this but the pups go back home with the owners/breeders at day's end.
I can't imagine this would be a good financial endeavor for my friends.

The space has been vacant for some time and they're anxious to rent it out....otherwise I thinked they'd have already 'nixed' this idea.

I wouldnt imagine this business would last beyond 8 to 12 weeks. Then think of the mess and destruction your friends would have to take care of. Its definitely a puppy farm and probably the worst business idea I've ever heard of. Your friends know it sounds well dodgy - thats why they are asking your advice. Just tell your friends the truth and let them make their own decision.

Ew, why are these people your FRIENDS?

I agree that this sounds like a poor business plan. Leaving puppies in a store for 5 days, while the store is closed...that's unsafe. Someone could break in and steal the puppies. Puppies require a lot of care, since they go potty often, and need socialization....
I would be deeply worried about the safety and well-being of those puppies.

This is nothing more than a puppy mill. A puppy mill. If I were the person who gave them the land, I couldn't sleep at night.

These potential renters are sickos. If someone is there to take care of the puppies, and keep them healthy, why not be open for business. I'm sure the animal welfare and health department in this area would be concerned. It would be better for the owners to have an empty space, and write off their losses on their income tax.

wow thats a new one to me, though I can never put it past people and there stupid buisness sense, I mean the ones running this store... What good is having a store only open on weekends? Thats bushwa... that is a disaster waiting to happen, and I would steer them so far away from that, cause if these renters are not on the up and up they are going to get shut down from animal enforcment, there will be a possible investigation and during which I doubt your friends are going to be able to rent to anyone till the investigation and criminal aspect is done, then they lose out that revenue again... oh I would preach there butts off about this as a HUGE no no.

I only see those sorts out on the weekends in the parking lots of stores with a box and pen selling whatever puppies they have recently made. It is basically a dog broker dear. Let them know that it will only support irresponsible greeding practices and perpetuate the overpopulation of poor quality mill bred dogs. I have been broke in my life but I have never been so desperate that I would in any way support that sort of activity. I would counsel your friends that it likely isn't a good endeavor and certainly not ethical. If they want to see the results of such endeavors, you can take them to the local shelters... Thanks for being concerned about this and know that no responsible, knowledgeable breeder would ever allow a puppy of theirs to be sold like this. I know who my puppies go to and am in fairly constant contact with them -- even if the pups 'go back home' at days end, it is a broker for back yard greeders and puppy millers - no good breeder would be associated with such a thing.


add: You might want to mention to your friends do that as the owners of the property, they would possibly be financially and criminally responsible for what these people do with those puppies -- know that most brokers/pms/bygers have an 'expected loss' (that means dead puppies) and while they may expect it, if animal control gets wind of it, your friends are the property owners and therefore responsible for any criminal actions on their property.

If I ever came across such a place, I would quickly report them to the local SPCA and any other authorities that would find this unethical and cruel.
If they happened to be friends of mine, they sure wouldn't be friends for very long.

O.K. seriously dog people or not this is a no brainer!! Who in their right mind would leave puppies in a store all week!! This is a front for a puppy mill no doubt! Be sure if I knew who these PEOPLE are who want to rent I would be calling some authorities! Which is what your friends should do, it needs investigating! Not only is it unsafe and unethical but tell your friends to think of this when these renters are busted for this hair brained operation for animal cruelty, what is to stop the renters from saying your friends were involved the whole time!!?? Besides any owner/breeder who is worth their salt would be doing background checks and reference checks, this is a lengthy process normally IF it's not a puppy mill!!! I would NEVER let one of my boxer pups go to a home of someone who I knew NOTHING about!! This is the worst kind of cruelty for animals and why we have SO MANY in shelters and on the streets now!! The whole thing makes me sick!!!!!!!!! =0(

Sounds like a bunch of thieving brokers.
Brokers usually buy truck loads of dogs from puppy millers and they transport them in trucks to a store such as you are offering, collecting as many dogs as they can, matching the purebreeds and selling to petshops as young as 7 weeks which is a danger to the puppy not to be with its mom until at least 13 weeks.

http://stoppuppymills.org/

Renting to them would be being one of them.

Thats my 2 cents!

Thank goodness, no, I have not heard of anything quite that suspect before.

Okay, above and beyond the ethical questions this brings up, this "business" raises all kinds of red flags. I doubt that the woman has the backing capital to sustain this venture until it is in the black financially. If your friends are desperate to rent/lease this property and are seriously considering this woman they had better do some background checking on her. I don't see a lease keeping this woman around once she realizes she cannot make the rent, she'll be outa there. Who knows how long she'll drag it out? She'll pay for the first couple of months, then she'll start getting behind. They'll end up with the storefront empty again, with X number of months of unpaid rent, and who knows how nasty she'll leave the place. Strictly from a business standpoint, this is a BAD idea.

I am sorry your friends are in a bind. This is a tough time for businesses. I seriously doubt that this woman's venture will do them any good. The best of luck to them, and I hope that woman ... well, I do NOT wish her well.

Yes this does sound like a puppy mill, but here's an idea that may help put her out of business. We all already know that people like this will find anywhere available to do their dirty work so if she doesn't rent this land, she will find something else, and then you may not be able to help the puppies. I propose letting her do what she wants to do, then after she gets it up and going, anonymously report her. If she can't account for where the puppies came from then the law will shut her down, and possibly lay some heavy fines on her or even jail time. I think this would be worth a try, best of luck to you.