Olive, a CCR dog who endured the horrors and abuse of a bad breeder before being rescued.
There are a lot of things to consider when looking for a dog and the most important one often doesn’t make the checklist: ensuring you are not supporting animal cruelty.
We know that none of our community would intentionally hurt an animal, but when excitedly looking for a dog it’s easy to make a mistake.
If you get a dog from a non-reputable source, you could not only end up with an unhealthy dog and high vet bills on your hands, but you would have supported a source who is more interested in profits than animal welfare. Non-reputable sources can lead to cases like Olive who was abused and neglected by a backyard breeder. Since it can be difficult to identify reputable sources, here are types of non-reputable sources and tips on recognizing them.
Ways to identify a bad breeder:
Bad breeders include backyard breeders, puppy mills, and breeders who may be registered but still provide inadequate care for their dogs.
Backyard breeders are breeders with little experience or knowledge. They may not take time ro make good genetic matches or have their dogs registered. They may be more interested in profiting from the puppy sales. They may not be considered unethical like puppy mills, but still may not be responsible.
Puppy mills are large-scale, commercial breeding facilities in operation solely for profit. They house dogs in horrible conditions with no or inadequate vet care, nutrition, housing, grooming, sanitation, or socialization. This results in dogs often getting sick or becoming behaviourally troubled. Females do not get to recover between litters and can be isolated solely for breeding purposes without human companionship. Dogs who can no longer produce puppies for profit are simply discarded - either killed, abandoned, or sold. Puppy mills can sell puppies through online sales, flea markets, newspaper ads, and retail pet stores. While laws for puppy mills have increased over the years, many are still operating.
Bad breeder and puppy mill signs to look for:
Is the organization listed as a rescue selling puppies in large numbers or always has puppies available?
Are there constant ads from the same person or organization?
Are there signs by the side of the road for buying puppies?
Are puppies being sold at everyday events (e.g., garage sales, flea markets)?
A person claims to sell puppies as an “agent” for a breeder.
The breeder does not allow you to meet the parents or view the home.
The breeder offers multiple different breeds for sale or “rare” or “new” breeds.
Puppies are offered for sale and delivered before reaching 8 weeks of age.
The breeder does not ask you any questions other than about money and pickup arrangements.
The breeder has no or refuses to provide documentation (e.g., breeding registration, veterinary records).
The breeder does not ask you to sign paperwork (e.g., contracts to ensure the puppy gets its shots, is spayed or neutered, is taken to the vet, is returned to the breeder if ever you must return the dog).
The puppies have not had at least one vaccine, deworming, or their microchip.
The breeder lacks knowledge about the breed, cannot tell you the health and behaviour history of the line, and ignores or denies genetic defects prone to the breed.
The breeder does not provide a guarantee for your puppy in case of diagnosis with a hereditary disease.
Dogs are bred before the age of two.
The facility is unclean, smells either dirty or from overuse of deodorizers, contains uncomfortable conditions, does not provide protection from the weather, houses breeding parents offsite, has few staff to a large number of animals, and/or has dogs that appear unhealthy, aggressive, or excessively fearful.
When inquiring to a breeder (individual or organization), look for the above signs and ask further questions. Breeders are aware of these types of articles and non-reputable breeders may even present fake paperwork. Dig deep. Be responsible.
Another alternative is to rescue a dog who needs a forever home for reasons such as puppy mills, abuse, overpopulation, or to be saved from euthanasia.
If you suspect you’ve found a backyard breeder or puppy mill, please reach out to the animal services in their area to investigate. Just google animal services and name of city for contact information.
Thank you for doing your research.
References:
Coveted Canines Rescue. n.d. Why rescue? Retrieved from: www.covetedcanines.org/why-rescue.
Petful. 2016. Signs of a puppy mill: How to spot a puppy mill or backyard breeder. Retrieved from: www.petful.com/animal-welfare/puppy-mill-red-flags/.
Spadafori, G. and Becker, M. n.d. How to recognize a bad dog breeder. Retrieved from: www.dummies.com/pets/dogs/how-to-recognize-a-bad-dog-breeder/.
Stregnowski, J. 2019. Signs of a bad breeder or a backyard breeder. Retrieved from: www.thesprucepets.com/signs-of-a-bad-breeder-1117328.
Yoeuns, R. 2016. How to tell if your dog is from a puppy mill. Retrieved from: www.petcube.com/blog/how-to-know-if-your-dog-is-from-a-puppy-mill.