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Here are some
definitions to help you decide:
Broker:
One who buys puppies from commercial kennels and
sells to retail outlets. They ship puppies by
the crate-load on airlines or by truckload
throughout the country.
Buncher: One who collects dogs of
unknown origin for sale to laboratories or other
bunchers or brokers. Bunchers are considered
lower on the evolutionary scale than puppy mill
operators because they are suspected in many
cases of buying stolen pets, collecting pets
advertised as "Free to a good home" and adopting
unwanted pets from animal shelters for research
at veterinary colleges or industrial research
laboratories.
Puppy
mill: A breeder who produces puppies
hand over fist with no breeding program, little
attention to puppy placement and probably little
or no health care or socialization practices. A
puppy mill may or may not be dirty but it is
usually overcrowded and the dogs may be
neglected and/or abused because the breeder
can't properly handle as many dogs as he has.
Puppy mills are breeding facilities which
produce "purebred" puppies in large numbers. The
puppies are sold either directly to the public
via the internet, magazine or newspaper ads, at
the mill itself or are sold to brokers and pet
shops across the country.
The documented
problems of puppy mills include over-breeding,
inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor
quality of food and shelter, lack of
socialization with humans, overcrowded cages and
the killing of unwanted animals. To the
unwitting consumer, this situation frequently
means they are buying a puppy facing an array of
immediate or future veterinary problems or a
puppy which harbors genetically borne diseases
and/or defects which do not appear until years
later.
Puppy mill
operators often denigrate hobby breeders (See
“hobby breeder” below) and their dogs by saying
that they are “snobs“ and are "over-priced",
"have no better quality" than his or her puppies
“or are just afraid of a little competition” in
an attempt to make a sale. The puppy mills'
sales strategy is to make it difficult for
prospective customers to go home empty-handed,
and, as modern consumers, we often equate a
large inventory and broad selection with a
satisfactory shopping experience. But with
puppies and other pets, just the opposite should
be true. They are living beings who feel pain
and neglect and, as such, deserve compassionate
treatment and a good life.
So, before you
inadvertently add to a puppy mill’s coffers, do
some research. When drawn to a pet store window
by a bin of wriggling puppies, the furthest
thing from your mind may the origin of these
cute bundles of fur. But by buying a puppy, you
may unknowingly be supporting a cycle of abuse
which begins at a puppy mill.
What a pet
store consumer can't see is the puppy's mother,
imprisoned miles away and pregnant again because
her body is used solely to produce more
money-making puppies. Starting at six months
instead of the more humane 18 to 24 months, she
is bred every estrus cycle. She is often weak,
malnourished, and dehydrated. Rarely, if ever,
is she provided with veterinary care. When she
cannot maintain her productivity past her fourth
or fifth year, she becomes nothing more than a
drain on the mill's operation and is disposed
of. If she's lucky, she'll be humanely
euthanized. More often than not, she will be
shot or bludgeoned to death. Discarded, her
wasted body will lie forgotten in a local
landfill or garbage dump. This is the picture
the pet stores will never show.
Commercial breeder: One who usually has
several breeds of dogs with profit as the
primary motive for existence. The dogs may be
healthy or not and the kennel may be clean or
not. The dogs are probably not screened for
genetic diseases and the breeding stock is
probably not selected for adherence to the breed
standard or for good temperament. Most
commercial breeders sell their puppies to pet
stores or to brokers who sell to pet stores.
Commercial
breeders won't call themselves that but that's
what they are. They produce many puppies each
year with little thought or regard for the
puppies' quality or welfare. Their "breeding
stock" are kept in locked cages and constantly
breeding and then are killed when they can no
longer produce. Improving the breed is the
farthest thing from their minds and absolutely
no thought is given to the health, longevity,
temperament or conformation of the unfortunate
puppies….or to the owners who will inherit these
problems. They often use "Kennels" or "Farms" in
their business names which is an insult to
responsible breeders for which these titles
should be reserved.
They may have
something in common though: Breeding unhealthy,
uncertified, poorly kept animals who want
nothing more out of life than to be loved. Many
live in cramped cages, with little attention, no
socializing and, at times, going without food
and/or water, not to mention the unsanitary
conditions in which they may be forced to live
or the health care they may not be receiving.
Many go
without human companionship and with little hope
of ever becoming part of a family and never see
the inside of a house. They freeze in the winter
and swelter in the summer. They never get out of
their prisons and their lives are miserable.
Then, to reward them after their fertility
wanes, breeding animals are commonly killed,
abandoned or sold to another mill. To protect
the mill's profit margins, dogs' and puppies'
squalid, sordid living conditions are kept
off-limits to the public.
Commercial
breeders may sound great to an unsuspecting
buyer because they will have puppies
continuously with no waiting time. But, by
selling puppies continuously, how can they
possibly oversee proper a puppy's care and
socialization much less cater to the specific
needs or desires of a buyer seeking a puppy who
will be everything they want? They are creating
a "product for profit" and, in their eyes, not a
living, loving creature each with its own
personality, energy level, aggression level and
genetic tendencies, strengths and weaknesses.
These
establishments often have glitzy brochures and
flashy ads in magazines which appear very
classy. This is easy to do when they are
annually selling hundreds of puppies for profit.
But behind the friendly façade of these pet
shops, web sites, and magazine and newspaper
ads, there often lies an uncaring commercial
breeder or puppy mill. The annual result of all
this breeding is hundreds of thousands of
puppies, many with behavior and/or health
problems.
Warning signs
which may indicate a commercial breeding program
are slogans such as "World Wide Shipping!",
"Puppies Available Year Round" . These are
usually very clear signs that the breeder cares
little about where the puppy ends up, the type
of care it will receive or the treatment it will
be given or has been given. They are motivated
by money and nothing else which insures a "sell'em
and forget'em" philosophy. As such, puppies are
often sold with contracts which are very
favorable to the "breeder" and offer little real
protection to the buyer or for the puppy.
Backyard breeder: A dog owner
whose pet is bred either by accident or which is
bred purposely for a variety of reasons. This
breeder is usually ignorant of the breed
standard, genetics, behavior, and good health
care practices. A backyard breeder can very
easily become a commercial breeder or a puppy
mill. All backyard breeders do not necessarily
have filthy environments with cramped cages.
Some have fairly decent surroundings and some
are quite immaculate but the end result is the
same: Corners are cut, puppies are not
socialized and the parents are not screened
properly. The bottom line is that they are in it
for the profit they try to make from these
animals.
Hobby
or Reputable breeder: A breed fancier
who usually has only one breed but may have two,
follows a breeding plan in an effort to preserve
and protect the breed, produces from zero to
five litters per year, breeds only when a litter
will enhance the breed and the breeding program,
raises the puppies with plenty of environmental
and human contact, has a contract which protects
breeder, dog and buyer; runs a small, clean
kennel, screens breeding stock to eliminate
hereditary defects from the breed and cares that
each puppy is placed in the best home possible.
This is an
individual who breeds for "quality of the breed"
("quality" means breeding to breed standards).
Puppies are either sold as "pet quality" or
"show quality" (which is a relatively infrequent
occurrence because a puppy with show quality
characteristics generally isn't discernable to
the breeder or buyer until the puppy is several
months to a year old).
A reputable
breeder sells puppies directly to the individual
consumer and never to pet shops or brokers.
Buyers are most often invited (or even required)
to visit the breeder's premises to see where the
puppies were born and how they're being raised.
Buyers are likely to see the mother and,
sometimes, the sire, living on the premises
where they're treated as beloved family pets.
You wouldn't buy a vehicle unseen, so why would
you buy a living, breathing animal which should
bring you ten to fifteen years of wonderful
companionship without seeing its parents?
As opposed to
a reputable kennel, most people, not just those
interested in animal protection, are shocked
when confronted with the bleak images of dogs
housed and bred in puppy mills. Unfortunately,
some people who are well-ensconced in your local
dog scene could be categorized as operating
puppy mills. Prospective buyers should be
careful to question anyone they are considering
as a source for a puppy. Here are some questions
to which you would be wise to know the answers
before buying a puppy:
-
Are the puppies in a home
environment with plenty of stimulation?
A puppy should have plenty of early
experience in its future habitat: the
human home. One which has been raised in
a small cage or barn will be
under-socialized to people and to the
sights and sounds of a normal household.
Puppy mill puppies are so under
stimulated that, as adults, they may
tremble upon seeing a falling leaf or
hearing a cupboard door click shut. Look
for a puppy who has been well-socialized
to family and visitors and which lives
in an active area of the house. Also,
puppies should always have plenty of
toys available and a play area large
enough for the exercise they need.
-
Do the puppies have access to a
“potty area"?
Housebreaking is extremely difficult for
puppies purchased from puppy mills. Most
spend their formative weeks in small
cages with wire bottoms which allow
wastes to drop through onto a tray. This
teaches puppies that 1) it doesn’t
matter where they eliminate because they
never have to step in it, and 2) they
can’t get far from the smell, so they
learn to live with it. The end result is
a puppy which is difficult to
house-break and which doesn’t have any
desire to eliminate outside its home. On
the other hand, puppies raised in a home
environment learn the difference between
living areas and elimination areas. This
makes the task of house-breaking much
easier.
-
Is the mother of the puppies
present?
Unscrupulous breeders may tell customers
that the mother is absent because “she’s
overly-protective” of the puppies, or
because the puppies are “being weaned.”
These could simply be excuses. In
reality, the puppies’ mom might be kept
in a filthy barn or basement with dozens
of other breeding dogs. You should have
the right to see the parents or know the
reason why you can't. After all, it is
the best way to judge the likely
appearance of your cute little puppy
when it becomes an adult. Ask to see the
puppies' mom in her separate location. A
well-run kennel will have clean,
well-maintained, on-site facilities and
will be able to separate dogs when the
need arises. If breeding stock animals
are caged together and cannot be kept
separate from each other, parents’ names
on puppy registration papers may be no
more than guesses. By the way, if the
puppies’ mom is less than enthusiastic
or is even aggressive when you approach,
the pups themselves may grow up to treat
guests the same way. And as far as
weaning is concerned, never consider
buying a puppy so young that it is just
being weaned.
- Is the father
of the puppies also owned by the breeder?
Show breeders not always own a “matched
pair.” They are in show business (an
amazingly expensive and time consuming
pursuit) and are not necessarily
actively breeding dogs. They do not need
either the extra time or expense which
running a quality kennel requires. More
than likely, they simply know who the
reputable breeders are as well as the
quality of their dogs and will simply
buy a future champion from the breeder
when they are ready to do so. Except for
show or sport breeders, be cautious of a
breeder who does not own the father of
the puppies or cannot show exactly to
which male the puppy's mother was bred
and why it was chosen. A stud should be
carefully selected to improve on the
female’s traits. A stud dog which
perfectly complements one female is
often a poor choice for another. Even
reputable kennels may not own their own
male. They may prefer the flexibility of
being able to breed particular males to
specific females to bring a desired
lineage into their bloodlines. On the
other hand, they may own their own
carefully selected male which they may
breed to specific females to
continuously improve their line.
- How old are
the parents?
Make sure the puppy’s parents were
about two years old before being bred.
This allows time for genetic or
temperament problems to be discovered by
the breeder before they are perpetuated
and for the mother to develop the
instincts necessary to be a good mother.
-
This is the
MOST IMPORTANT thing which should be
considered before getting a puppy. A
Female is understood to be attained full
growth for having puppies when she has
her FOURTH HEAT CYCLE.
- Know how to
read the registration papers and
pedigrees?
If you are buying a purebred puppy, make
sure that the breeder lets you review
the Kennel Club (KC) or other
registration papers. ( See our section
on reading pedigrees). Puppy mill
puppies are often registered with
official-sounding organizations which
are really mail order fakes. But
do not be misled that the KC doesn't
register puppy mill pups... because they
do! KC papers say nothing about the
quality of the puppy except that the
breeder knew enough to write in the
names of two registered purebreds as the
parents. Championships on a pedigree
depend upon the quality of the
competition the dog has faced so do some
research before relying heavily upon a
dog's KC pedigree. Also check the
registration papers for the puppy's
state of origin.
- Has the
advertised genetic testing really been
done?
For example, if the parents are
advertised as having "good hips", the
breeder should show you the
documentation from the Orthopedic
Foundation for Animals (OFA) or from a
veterinarian trained to perform the more
reliable Penn-Hip testing.
- Are males and
females different prices?
Puppy mill operators use this tactic to
insinuate that female pups are more
valuable because you can breed them and
"earn your money back." An ethical,
quality breeder will more than likely
only sell puppies on a "spay/neuter"
basis so becoming a for-profit breeder
of quality dogs will not be possible
anyway. Breeding purebred animals is an
intensive life pursuit in terms of time,
energy and money. It is dishonest to
suggest it to you as a source of some
easy pocket change much less charging
you extra for it. Think about it when a
puppy mill operator tells you that you
can make your money back on a female so
they are more expensive.
- "No Kill
Animal Shelters":
Be aware that many puppy mills claim to
be "no-kill animal shelters" in an
attempt to sell used-up breeding stock
to kindhearted people. If you want to
save a life without lining anybody's
pockets, adopt from your humane
societies or from a recognized rescue
club of which there are many. The only
way to shut down puppy mills for good is
to stop buying from them.
- "Where and to
whom do you sell your puppies?"
A reputable breeder never sells to pet
shops, brokers or bunchers. The puppies
at pet stores are often in ill health
and have had little socialization since
they are taken from their mothers at an
early age. Many of these puppies die on
the journey to the pet stores from
stress or illness while crammed into
cages with other sickly puppies in the
backs of poorly ventilated, unsanitary,
sweltering hot or cold, large trucks.
Responsible breeders never need to sell
to pet stores, brokers or bunchers
because their puppies are in high demand
and they never have more puppies than
they can care for. In addition, they are
concerned about where their puppies live
for the rest of their lives. For that
reason, they may even be pretty
particular about individuals to whom
they will sell.
- How much do
your puppies cost?
In order for the mill to make a profit
and cover costs, corners must be cut and
puppies must be churned out at a furious
rate. Breeding healthy and well adjusted
puppies is an extremely time consuming,
expensive and energy intensive endeavor
and breeding seldom leads to very
lucrative profits. Small scale breeders
who do treat their animals humanely, who
raise them in their homes or in small,
cleanly kept kennels, do not usually
make much profit from their dogs.
Certainly not when you divide the income
by the number of hours they spend
generating it! It is virtually
impossible to breed in a humane fashion
and make very much money at the same
time.
The cost of each
litter in constructing the kennel,
finding and buying quality dogs, stud
fees, vet bills, record keeping, taxes,
travel, housing, testing, feeding and
placing the puppies consumes a major
portion of what the litter sells for. An
ethical breeder breeds to improve his or
her “line,” and normally uses puppy
sales only to offset the costs of
improving the breed or showing the
parents. Much of their "profit" comes
from the love for and admiration of the
breed. It is indeed ironic that many
people pay the same or more for a puppy
from a pet store or backyard breeder as
they would to buy a puppy from a
reputable breeder who has done his best
to insure that the puppy is of the very
best quality he or she has been able to
produce
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