Dogs are big business.
In Kim Kavin’s “The Dog Merchants: Inside the Big Business of Breeders, Pet Stores, and Rescuers,” she delves into the business of buying, selling, and rescuing dogs, which she estimates is worth about $11 billion annually worldwide.
If you love dogs, the dogs-as-business approach might be hard to swallow. How could your furry family member be bought, marketed, and sold as a product? How could anyone buy a “puppy mill” dog from a pet store — or alternatively, how could anyone adopt a mutt without a documented history? How will you know what you’re going to get?
But there’s one glaring conclusion in Kavin’s pages: These dogs are all the same.
Dispatches From The Front 