[reeskujo]

I'm going to post a link on this from the Humane Society...It's a very interesting and informative article and speaks in depth to the fact that these stores get their puppies from pupp mills and only puppy mills..It also lays out the difference between puppy mills and backyard breeders are in comparrison to responsible and ethical breeders!

Buying a Puppy : The Humane Society of the United States

[labradorann]

YES! Thanks for that link, loved the article. Links on the page to other good dog breeding articles as well

[cigwyllt]

This is a British site that works to expose puppy mills and to educate people about the background of the cute little pups you see in stores.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/hopeuk/what_is_hope_you.htm

[CorkyMax]

Luna (Lunareclipse) gets credit for this post. She sent this to me in an email and I thought it would be good to put in this thread!
How to tell the difference in a responsible breeder and backyard breeder
How do you know if you are dealing with a responsible breeder, or someone who is just a backyard breeder? Below is a list of the differences between the two.
Responsible Breeders:
1 - Take what they do very seriously, and do it for the love of their dogs and the breed, rather than how much money they can get from the puppies.

2 - Use the best possible specimens of their breed, even if it means importing bloodstock from another state or country.

3 - Refuse to breed from any dog that has a genetic disorder, illness, obvious disqualifying faults or has temperament issues.

4 - Makes sure that their breeding bitch has everything she needs to whelp and raise her puppies in comfort.

5 - Does not breed from dogs and bitches that are under 12 months of age or over 6 years of age. (there are different guidelines for appropriate breeding ages of all different dog breeds).

6 - Would much rather sell their puppy to a suitable loving home rather than hold out for the most money they can get.

7 - Stay home with their whelping bitches for usually the last week of the pregnancy and the first week of the puppies lives just so they can be on hand if needed.

8 - Only produce pure-bred puppies. They do not cross different breeds to produce designer or so-called hybrid breeds.

9 - Usually have a long waiting list of people ready to purchase a puppy off them.

10 - Make sure that all of their breeding stock and puppies are in good condition, have been De-wormed regularly and have had all of their vaccinations.

11 - Are always there for you if you have any questions or concerns, and most will take the dog back if you find it is not right for you, or your circumstances change and you can not properly care for the dog any more.

12 - Have their dogs as pets first and breeding stock second.

13 - Allow their breeding bitches time off between litters, even if that means waiting for 12 or 18 months before the next litter of puppies is on the ground.

14- Will take any dog back for any reason for as long as those dogs live to ensure that the dogs they breed NEVER end up in shelters or getting euthanized.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Backyard Breeders:
1 - Seem to have a lot of 'accidental' mating and litters happen.

2 - Do not care whether their bitch is old enough or mature enough to care for a litter of puppies.

3 - Do not bother about producing pure-bred dog.

4 - Do not choose their breeding stock for health, desirable traits or temperament.

5 - Although their bitch to whelp wherever she happens to be, even if that is in with other dogs that may or may not be related to her.

6 - Allow mating to occur, and subsequently litters produced, between dogs that are closely related to each other. i.e. mother/son, father/daughter, brother/sister matings.

7 - Do not ensure that their dogs have been De-wormed regularly, vaccinated, and sometimes even flea treated regularly.

8 - Breed their bitches every season.

9- Do not bother following up with the people who bought the dogs to see if it is working out ok or to see if the puppy is working out well in the new home.

10- They do not take the dogs back that they bred. They could care less how the dog is after it leaves their care.
Buying from a responsible breeder, rather than a backyard breeder, will not necessarily ensure that you purchase a puppy that will never have any problems throughout it's life. But, you can at least rest easily knowing that the puppy and his mother were brought up properly, have had all of their vaccinations and that you are getting exactly what you were told you were getting.
Many (but not all) puppies from backyard breeders rarely turn out the way they are 'supposed to'. Often leaving the new owner with a dog that is the size of a small horse, with a coat that needs grooming almost daily and is constantly requiring veterinary assistance for unknown allergies or tummy upsets.

It may be a little more expensive buying from a responsible breeder, but it will save you not only money, but a lot of heartache in the long run.
If you don't want to pay out the ass for a well-bred dog, adopt from a shelter or rescue. We need to send backyard breeders a messgae by not buying from them. Their irresponsibly bred dogs are filling up our shelters. If you have a dog and it is not a perfect specimen of it's breed, get it fixed so more dogs won't end up getting euthanized in shelters.

[rikku2122]

I actually did a persuasive speech in public speaking class about puppy mills and pet stores. I was angry, and sad, that people would actually treat animals this way, it was ridiculous. But i tried to "persuade" people to adopt pets from an animal shelter, especially older dogs. It's so hard to get older canines adopted from shelters anymore because people want those cute cuddly puppies.

Anyways, i don't even step foot in my local pet stores (except like petsmart, their a good place)

[akismaster]

Personally, I'd rather buy a pup from someone I know.

The puppies and the dam at puppy mills aren't well taken care off. People that own puppy mills treat their dogs as business. Not something they love.

[Lunareclipse]

Or you could always adopt from a shelter.

[akismaster]

In today's time, I think it's better to adopt from a shelter because these dogs need homes.

They haven't had a place to call home for a long time. They are the ones that needs real family.

On the other hand, it still burns down to your choice.

[Lunareclipse]

I was at Petland Saturday night and I saw an adorable saint bernard puppy. One of it's legs was shaved and you could see the mark where it had an IV in it's leg. I wonder how sick it was when it came into the store. I bet if I would have asked about it, I would have been lied to. It's a shame what those puppies go through before they reach the store.

[Lara's mom]

They are trying to get a law passed in Toronto to ensure that any animals sold in pet stores come from shelters. The idea is to take away business from the puppy mills. I think it's a good idea in theory but, I have strong doubts as to how animals in pet stores are treated. Also, why not just go directly to the shelter and adopt instead of paying highly inflated prices at a pet store? My fear is that those people who have been refused by the shelter for whatever reason will be the ones buying from the pet stores. Frankly, I'd rather see a law that prohibits these places from selling animals in the first place.

[dogs rule]

Here in Canada, there is a pet store chain called Pets Unlimited. They have, as of Sept. stopped selling dogs in their stores.
Hats off to Pets Unlimited!!!!
Maybe this will make the general public more aware and get other pet stores to follow.

[Lara's mom]

Hopefully, they've started a trend. The only way we'll see the end of puppy mills is if there is no profit from them.

[akismaster]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

Hopefully, they've started a trend. The only way we'll see the end of puppy mills is if there is no profit from them.

It's amazing how these people would treat living creatures as money.

This is a bold message to puppy mills out there. Hopefully, a lot will follow.

[labradorann]

Interesting, love the idea of using shelter animals but my husband's in business so I can see how they'd suffer (Though not as much as their animals do already lol)

This would be a great law as some people like to buy premium, they eat in fancy restaurants, they drive cadillacs and they buy their tiny hairless dogs from a pet store, they wouldn't go near a shelter. This way it'd get those animals who would have been put down, into a new home instead

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

They are trying to get a law passed in Toronto to ensure that any animals sold in pet stores come from shelters. The idea is to take away business from the puppy mills. I think it's a good idea in theory but, I have strong doubts as to how animals in pet stores are treated. Also, why not just go directly to the shelter and adopt instead of paying highly inflated prices at a pet store? My fear is that those people who have been refused by the shelter for whatever reason will be the ones buying from the pet stores. Frankly, I'd rather see a law that prohibits these places from selling animals in the first place.

[AliasAussies]

I would like to address the term "Back-Yard Breeder". I believe there is a difference between a BYB and a small ethical breeder doing so from their home.
In my breed, the majority of breeders do so out of their home. Yes, there are a few large breeders left that our active in the breed, but there are in the minority.
Many of us sell good breeding stock outside of our kennel on co-ownerships to
continue our lines while keeping the number of dogs in our own home down.

Whether a breeder is breeding out of their home or large kennel they

1. Breed with the intent of improving or preserving their lines.

2. Conduct health testing on their dogs.

3. Are active in breed clubs especially in foundation breed clubs.

4. Are active in venues that help promote qualities that choose breeding stock such as working trials, performance and conformation. These activities were founded to promote the abilities of our breeding stock.

5. Breed for a purpose besides just having a male and female and deciding to
have "the puppy experience".



I am not going to ad titles to the list because I have seen outstanding puppies come from un-titled sires or dams.

I have had an accidental breeding and I am not the only one. I really do not
feel that should classify me as less of a breeder. It can happen to the best of
breeders.

[dogs rule]

I beleive that anyone here, when using the term "backyard breeder", is simple saying that anyone who breeds dogs and doesn't bred to the standards of that bred or "mixes" the breds to get the "designer breeds", or doesn't carefully choose where these puppies go to, is what we mean by "backyard".

We don't mean you have to be a big kennel to be legit. In fact, my personal feelings on that is the smaller the better.

We are all just here for the health and welfare of our four legged loved ones.

[AliasAussies]

Originally Posted by dogs rule

I beleive that anyone here, when using the term "backyard breeder", is simple saying that anyone who breeds dogs and doesn't bred to the standards of that bred or "mixes" the breds to get the "designer breeds", or doesn't carefully choose where these puppies go to, is what we mean by "backyard".

We don't mean you have to be a big kennel to be legit. In fact, my personal feelings on that is the smaller the better.

We are all just here for the health and welfare of our four legged loved ones.

Just stating for general education.

As for designer dogs aka hybrids ect. I feel is just breeding for marketing and profit. As well as the miniaturizing of breeds. Americans have a fascination with anything small and want to pocket size everything. I am glad that the
AKC has taken a stand and will no longer accept size varieties. (The Australian Shepherd
has seen our fair share of this controversy)

[dogs rule]

I agree!!
Two words that should NEVER be associated with dogs or any animal for that matter are "marketing" and "profit".