Our Dream Walk by a Nightmare?

ARE PUPPY PARENTS SUFFERING?

We enjoy our walk down to Chelsea from Penn station. Our destination is Sueños restaurant our go-to place in NYC. It will be our last walk as our dream place is closing.

DREAMS

We are feeling sad and nostalgic as we walk down 8th Avenue. Sueños-translation dreams... and walking down we see so many dreams on display in people, businesses, bikes, apartments, dogs. It is a neighborhood...vibrant diverse, eye popping fashion, unique food offerings, animated conversations and puppies in a window.

Puppies in a window.

On the way we always stop to look at puppies playing in a store window. I never look at the store name.  I always get a nagging feeling about the display...like we are intruding on their infancy...I am part of the oohing and aahing group watching the puppies roll, sleep, eat and hide. Inside, the store is always packed; it is hard to resist the tug to get closer to these tiny creatures.... This day the window has only two little babies sucking from a dispenser. I feel I must give up my place to another puppy lover. Like viewing the Rockefeller Center tree- it is understood one cannot stay too long, others deserve to look.
I turn. Oh my! How did I miss them?  Curbside are protesters. My heart sinks. They are passionate as protesters are. Pushing leaflets. The leaflet info says that this store, the name I see is Citipups, is doing business with puppy mills. I am sure you have heard about those breeders for profit and the conditions in which the dogs live and die...here is the link for more

http://puppymillfreenyc.org/boycott-citipups/

Oh no! The parents of these Chelsea window puppies may be in mills. Places that breed the dogs to exhaustion and illness in crowded dirty cells. Really? Is it possible? I blurt out "my dog is a rescue." The protester softens towards me, I add, "He is from North Shore Animal League." "Oh, great place" she says. Encouraged, I continue, "his name is Liam, he writes a blog"  Seriously, I really added that. I had to engage and somehow wipe away her seeing my window gazing. Paul motions me away. We continue walking to our Sueños place. I am bothered through dinner and after do some googling about the store and its tenacious band of protesters.

ARE THE PUPPIES OKAY?

Here is the link to the store page... Testimonials are posted. Folks are happy with their puppies.
http://citipups.com/Breeds.html

WHISPERING CONCERNS TO LIAM

Should we worry about the Citipups parents?

By buying are people saving the pups? or creating the need for replacements?
What is the definition of a puppy mill?
Are there bad practices with good results?
Are the protesters right?

Citipups says adamantly no, the protesters are wrong and have been harassing their store for several years.

Apparently the protesters are being sued by Ciitpups who alleges they have been unfairly targeted. see link http://www.citipupsisnotapuppymill.com/

Our beloved Sueños is now closed ... no more looking at their crazy kaleidoscope flower filled bathroom window

WINDOW

The Citipup store is open, and we still can look in their window. 

LIAM DREAMING ABOUT PUPS AND PARENTS

Woof, Woof