Expert Advice: How to Avoid Puppy Mills
Puppies are joyful, full of life and just oooooze happiness. For some pups, though, and especially the mothers who carry them, life isn’t very joyful at all. And while public awareness campaigns have helped shut down a lot of puppy mills all across the country, the sad truth is that there are still those out there who make puppies their business with total disregard to the health of the animals.
A fan on our Pet Health Central Facebook page asked how she could be certain a breeder she was considering wasn’t, in fact, a puppy mill. To get the answer to this important question, we talked to our friend Nikki Harris at the Nebraska Humane Society. Sadly, they see a lot of dogs come in from puppy mills and irresponsible breeders.
Here are her tips on what to look for. We hope you’ll SHARE this message – let’s help everyone avoid these places. The good news, according to Nikki, is that puppy mills and less-than-professional breeders are easy to weed out upon sight.
Here are some red flags to help you:
– They want to bring the dog to you to meet. Nikki says this is a huge one. If you can’t go to visit the dog where it lives, there is a reason. And no matter what reason the person trying to sell you the dog offers, don’t take it. A responsible breeder will always allow you to meet the puppy and the mother. The father may or may not be on premises (sometimes those Romeos are brought in just for breeding and live elsewhere), but the puppy and mother should be available.
– You aren’t allowed to see where they keep the dogs. Sometimes, the person selling the dog will allow you to come to them – but won’t let you tour the premises. This is another sign that all might not be well. Nikki suggests that you insist on seeing where all the dogs are kept.
– You find less-than-acceptable living conditions. If you see dogs living in overcrowded, dirty cages, animals that are not groomed and are in small, confined spaces, walk away. Nikki says a good breeder has very few dogs, and there is outdoor space for the dogs to get exercise. In puppy mills, they often restrict the dogs and do not allow them outside.
– They hesitate to give you references, or don’t ask for any from you. Responsible breeders are happy to give references of others who have purchased pets from them. They may also ask for references from you. Some breeders will even ask you to sign an agreement that if you’re unable to keep the pet, you’ll bring them back to the breeder. Don’t be offended – this is how they ensure that the pets will be well cared for and safe.
– They advertise for a wide variety of breeds. When you see one contact number or email on many ads for different breeds, this is a sign that you’re likely looking at a puppy mill. Again, responsible breeders usually focus on one breed and are knowledgeable about that breed. This is vital if you want a dog that doesn’t have hereditary health issues. Good breeders breed for temperament and health and uphold the breed standard and positive traits of the breed. Irresponsible breeders and puppy mills breed for profit. Period.
The fact is, it’s not easy to walk away from a dog you find in such an environment. But, remember – if you hand over your money and take that puppy home, you’re helping to sustain the entire operation – and the misery of all the dogs left.
If you’re set on purchasing a breed-specific puppy, research before you leave home. Or consider adoption from a local shelter! Nikki reports that most shelters will work with you to find a dog of a specific breed or age if you call and talk with them. They can also help connect you to breed-specific rescue groups.
Photo credit: Cody the Boxer, from PHC Facebook Fan Stephanie Thompson
Tags: cat, dog, healthcare, petcare
We all need to do what we can….
This is great. But what if you already bought a dog from a pet store which swears they didn””t get the dog from a puppy mill. The breeder is out of state and you can””t visit. Is there some one to call to see if you can help to get them shut down if they are a puppy mill and confront the pet store for being irresponsible.
Char, the sad truth is that most pet stores DO get their dogs from puppy mills. At the risk of being flamed by every pet store owner out there, that”s the reality. If you”ve already bought a dog from a pet store, then love them to pieces and make sure to have them checked by the vet for any health concerns common to the breed when overbred. I”m not sure how you would go about getting more information on the breeder the pet store uses, but you could just ask them. If they balk at telling you, that”s another red flag. The best way to shut them down is not to buy from them. Without demand and the money that comes from sales, the stores can”t survive. Without the stores, the puppy mills have no reason to exist. Share this post, though, so together we can continue to educate as many people as possible!!! Thanks for reading the PHC blog!
Kelly is right. PEOPLE LIE! They can look you you square in the face and say they don””t come from a puppy mill when they know that they do!
@sergeantspet when is the next daily gift giveaway?
Char, thanks again for the question. I hope this helps. Do you think Zoey is from a puppy mill? If so, what makes you think that?
Amanda, the next giveaway is going to be tomorrow. If your follow Pet Health Central on TWITTER, you will get an early clue as to when the daily giveaway question will be posted. Thanks for participating. We really appreciate it!
Thanks good to know n I”m passing it on!!!
Might I also segugst, strongly, that OK, also enact laws that cover shelter/so called rescues, that do not control the animals they are entrusted with and allowing them to breed, or live in less than hummane conditions. You only need to look at some of them, and what is worse is they, not all, have horrible places for the animals to live in. The ASPCA, needs to step in and proctect the animals in the backyard rescues I assure you they are as equally bad as the puppy mills, yet they use donation to support their own habits.Maybe someone can expand this law to cover these such rescues! Search rescues in OK and you will see my point. Please know that there are lots of good ones, but oh my the bad ones, wow.
I have found, at least in Southeastern Massachusetts, is the only way they want to give you a rusece is if you don”t work and can be home with the dog all the time. So the only way you can adopt a dog is if you have no visible means to support the dog. Most dog ruseces are great. But I had to return a breeder dog who was blind and needed a lot of extra care when I got diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully I beat the cancer, and the woman I dealt with was very understanding. I just couldn”t care for the dog and myself and thought returning it to the rusece where it could stay with a foster home was the best decision. One of the women at the rusece sent me a very nasty note in which I could say I was sorry I had cancer. My next dog will be a rusece because through the Internet I have met so many rusece heroes. I have had a lot of heart ache buying dogs from breeders. My best two dogs were mistake dogs from people who weren”t breeding but the dogs had other ideas. I do believe there are a 100 great ruseces for every one great breeder, but there are bad rusece. One local rusece keeps asking for money for dogs vet care, and then the person who runs the rusece keeps the dog when they are healthy.
Please stay away from Puppy mills. I didn”t know they existed many years ago, and I ended up getting my beloved dog there.
Can someone tell me if PetLand pets come from a Puppy mill? If so, how can we pet lovers help infer others. Thanks