I rarely boycott but will if well-informed about an issue that really matters to me. As a former cat breeder, I agree with boycotting most pet shops. When I was a member of the area breed club, I had to sign a statement that I would never sell stock to a pet shop. I remember being appalled when I went into a pet shop & found a kitten from my breed being sold there. I was quite verbal with the owner.

What separates a backyard breeder from a real breeder? Real breeders know that they are responsible for the quality of life of the animals they breed. A few weeks ago, I was discussing my time as a breeder with a friend. He asked, "Do you make a lot of money?" I laughed at him. Real breeders find that it is an expensive hobby. Vet bills and shows will eat up any funds made by sales. It is a difficult & time-consuming hobby, too.

The best way to find a "real breeder" is by going through the associations. You can find breeders who have their kennels/catteries checked & graded by the association. Breed groups police their own, too. Breeding is very social; people in the fancy know each other & who takes care of their animals. I could go on; you hit a nerve. The truth is that I would still be breeding if it were not for allergies/asthma. Even though I bred for a long time, I was never a big breeder. Maintaining large numbers of animals well is so difficult. People need to be very savvy & "buyer beware" when buying animals. Shopping around for the right breeder means bringing home a healthy & happy pet. :)

I completely agree. While checking for breeders for a dog, you should know what problems that breed tends towards, and make sure that the pup has been tested for them. Obviously, a dog can't be tested for cancer or other ailments, but a luxating patella or CERF eye test can save a LOT of trouble in the future. I have a breeder friend who can't understand why I don't want one of her puppies, but until she has them tested, I'm looking elsewhere - or at a shelter.

And yes, there are a lot of grey areas in boycotts, especially when franchising is involved. The biggest and hardest boycott in which my family participated was against Dow Chemicals, as they had something to do with Agent Orange.

Oh! There is a local restaurant where we used to have our Cub Scout Pack Committee meetings. Every month we spent money on food, drinks and desserts while having our meeting. We tipped well. When soliciting donations for our Blue & Gold banquet, they were the only restaurant to say no. We stopped going there for our meetings. We decided to support businesses that supported us.

Our local Chick-fil-as have had drive-through lines wrapping around the buildings. I would think that many of those who are anti-CFA had probably already stopped eating there. It will be interesting to see how it shakes out.

Exactly.

Boycotting is going a mile down the road to the Shell station, even if there's a BP literally 2 feet from you with a cheaper price.

I understand there are good and bad breeders-I have been in the vet business for a long time. I don't care how responsible so and so is, there is an over population problem and I get to be at the forefront of it which most people don't get to see (ie euthanizing healthy kittens and puppies). You hit a nerve as well.

Amen! The only way to express love for dogs and cats is to take care of the ones we have. Breeding new ones -- no matter how fantastic their lives will be -- necessarily means others will be euthanized. I boycott all pet breeders and adopt only shelter pets, and encourage others to do the same. I don't understand the need to have dogs and cats meet "breed standards" to love and enjoy them. (If you're a rancher and you need a working dog, that is an exception, but of course those dogs are farm animals just like the sheep, not pets.)

It is if you have organized events for that charity through your work that you won't participate in. There is more to charity than giving money as there is to boycotting. That is why I specifically said it comes up.

I'm boycotting Temovate Cream (whatever the h*ll that is) because they're spamming this board right now... :)

I agree. Never would have known about them, but they forced my hand! Damn them.

This is a cause I can stand behind.

Bump for spam

Does anyone know where I can buy some My-E online? Legally, of course.

No? Nevermind.

As to the Boycott Chick-Fil-A - I know I'm not hurting Truett Cathy or his family any by not giving them my money, but for now, I will choose to spend it elsewhere. Maybe on some Muppets DVDs.

I feel bad for the franchisees, who have been told they cannot comment. They may or may not agree with Dan Cathy, but they have to suffer the consequences of his comments silently.

I boycott all this spam!