Many people are enlightened to the fact that rescue or local animal shelters are the way to go when it's time to add a dog to the household. Many - but not all.
Too many people still turn to the so-called "backyard breeder" (prime suppliers to the Craigslist consumers), or sadly, to pet stores. Apparently the people that continue to buy from these individuals have not yet heard WHY they should avoid dog or puppy purchases from these venues.
True dog breeders care about the dogs that they are breeding. They want to improve the health and quality in the lines of dogs that they are breeding. True dog breeders have prospective buyers complete lengthy applications (much like a rescue does) in order to receive one of their puppies. The breeders actually care about where the puppies that they produce end up.
True dog breeders have stipulations that the dogs that they sell come back to them in the event that something does not work out in the future. True dog breeders want to know if one of the puppies that they sold develops a health problem that could have a genetic link. True breeders want this information so that they can alter the breeding line and help to eliminate the health issue from the dogs that they are producing.
Backyard breeders care about money. They breed the dogs and sell the puppies and do not care where the puppies end up. Backyard breeders do not insist that the puppies they sell be altered when they are old enough. Backyard breeders certainly do not care if the puppies develop health problems - in fact, they will probably go missing when/if they are contacted about a health problem.
Many puppies purchased from pet stores or off of Craigslist end up with health problems. Chronic ear infections, allergies, digestive issues, or worse. Why? Bad breeder - lack of accountability - a focus on profits, not health and quality. Buyers of these puppies may end up with multiple problems caused by inbreeding - problems such as health or mental issues (or even both).
The IndyChannel.com recently reported on a mother/daughter breeding operation in Southern Indiana. Last June, the breeders were shut down for failure to pay a whopping $285,000 in taxes to the state for the puppies that they had been selling (think for a moment just how many puppies were sold to be that far behind in taxes).
At the time that the operation was shut down, 240 dogs/puppies were confiscated from the property. Dogs and puppies that were kept in small cages. Investigators found that many of the dogs were sick and that most of the cages were filthy.
How did investigators get alerted to this breeding operation? Consumer complaints about sick puppies and dogs. The state has just sentenced the mother and daughter to "probation" for the back taxes and civil suits are still pending for the individuals that were sold sick dogs.
Did the consumers know what they were buying when they purchased their puppies? Most likely not. Individuals that are tempted to buy from a "backyard breeder" should be keenly aware that breeding organizations such as this happen everywhere.
If you are buying from a mom and pop dog breeder, do some research. Insist on meeting the puppy's parents. Insist on seeing the environment that the puppies are coming from. It is a huge mistake to have the breeder "meet" you somewhere neutral. If they don't want you to see the puppy's parents, they are probably hiding something.
The best place to find a puppy or dog is from a local rescue or animal shelter. Every time that a puppy is purchased from a pet store or breeder, it perpetuates two problems. An adoptable dog or puppy at a shelter lost the chance to find a home and a potentially irresponsible breeder made some money and received the positive reinforcement that they needed to keep on breeding.
The sad fact is, there are not enough homes for all of the dogs that are in our nation's shelters and rescues. Five out of every 10 dogs in our country are destroyed simply because there is no one to adopt them. Such a heart-breaking statistic.
Please adopt from an animal shelter or rescue and please, spay and neuter your dog. Do not perpetuate the breeding madness - our nation's shelters are literally overflowing with homeless cats and dogs.
If you haven't already, please visit Petfinder to view the hundreds of adoptable dogs in your local area. Pierce county residents have a wonderful shelter in Tacoma - please take a moment to visit the Tacoma/Pierce County Humane Society and in Puyallup, the Puyallup Metro Animal Services shelter.
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Comments
Thank you for a great, timeless article. If you don't mind, I am going to post a link from my Macon Dog Rescue Examiner page to this one next time I post an article on rescue.
If you are set on buying a puppy please download and read, “How To Buy A Puppy” before you consider parting with your money. It is free at www.howtobuyapuppy.net
Buying a puppy without problems is harder than most people think. Finding a responsible and knowledgeable breeder is very difficult.
www.howtobuyapuppy.net
Not all breeders are bad! I breed my pits and not only are they well taken care of, loved like family and given all pre adoption vet care but I require a home visit and the new vets info before I will even let a puppy go to his/her forever home!
My 2 personal dogs (mommy and daddy) are a true part of my family with nothing but the best for them! While yes A shelter is the way to go sometimes people are looking for a certain breed or a puppy and they cant find it at the local shelter. For those people I just ask to be aware who you are buying from. A good breeder will have health info on puppy's and parents, a vet number for you to double check with and wont have any problem with you seeing both parents and the living/ whelping area of the dogs to assure they come from a safe place and wont have health or behavior problems due to where they lived or how they were treated! Dont condemn everyone, but it is all too common for so called "breeders" to be lazy and cold, Check before you buy
Do you know how many pits are being euthanized ini shelters everyday because of backyard breeders like yourself?
Pit bulls are the most abused, first to be killed and the most over bred dog!
Stop being a BYB.
What is the difference in making a wise choice from a breeder where you see how the dogs are raised, or purchasing an unknown dog breed with a questionable history and one never sees parents or know how they were raised from a shelter? Just not making the correlation that that is wrong.
Making a living by breeding animals is disgusting. Millions of animals are killed every year so some goon can have a dog with "papers". I think breeding should be made illegal. Let's get these shelter pets into good homes!
Being a breeder is not synonymous with being a backyard breeder. We should not assume or accuse all breeders of being backyard breeders without evidence. Respectable breeders who are registered with a recognized pedigree organization, take care of their animals and don't breed for money should not be attacked for breeding dogs or cats. A respectable breeder is breeding a vey limited number of animals for the integrity of the breed! Not to make a profit. In fact, we lose quite a bit of money in this very expensive hobby. I can't even begin to tell you the seveal thousands of dollars I spend on my cats each year, just to make sure they are healthy and happy. I don't make a fraction of what I spend to ensure that my babies are in the best possible condition. With out responsible and loving breeders, the beautiful variety of dog and cat breeds out there would eventually become extinct. Let's just assume for a minute that everyone started getting their dogs and cats from rescues only, and no one bought from breeders anymore. Okay, now let's assume that everyone started spaying and neutering all of their cats and dogs. If this became the normal practice for all of us, what would happen? Over time, without the help of responsible breeding programs, dogs and cats in general would become extinct. We can't stop breeding altogether and spay and neuter every pet on the planet. It is a noble cause, but there have to be variables and exceptions. I breed Maine Coon cats. They are amazing.
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