Where Not to Buy a Dog

Puppy mills came into existence after World War II. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) encouraged farmers to raise puppies for supplemental income when traditional crops were failing. Retail pet stores sprang up, and a new group of puppy brokers began to act as middlemen. In the last half-century, commercial puppy production has grown into a multimillion-dollar industry.

Most puppy millers know and care little about choosing physically and mentally sound breeding dogs. Most have little in the way of capital, so they start their businesses with poor facilities and poorly bred dogs. They house their dogs in deplorable conditions. The dogs often live in filth and get little or no exercise. They are fed cheap, poor-quality food. They get substandard health care, no screening for inherited diseases, no proper prenatal care, and little if any socialization or affection. Bitches are bred every heat until they can no longer produce puppies. Then they are often killed, dumped, or just left to languish until they die. Millers usually keep a few male dogs, who are bred as much as possible as long as they are fertile.

Make no mistake—puppy mill dogs are not beloved companions for their owners. They're money makers, and when they can no longer make money, they're of no use. Some states in the Midwest, as well as areas of Pennsylvania and other states, are notorious for puppy mills, but they exist throughout the United States and in other countries as well.

Puppies from puppy mills are often damaged before they're even born. Poor nutrition for a pregnant or nursing bitch can cause permanent physical and mental problems in her unborn puppies. The puppies are often ill, infested with parasites, and improperly socialized. It's not a very good beginning for a dog chosen to fulfill your wishes for a healthy, happy companion.

Puppies from puppy mills are usually sold to pet wholesalers or brokers, who buy puppies in large numbers from puppy mills in the United States and abroad, and then sell or trade them to other wholesalers or to pet stores. When operating across state lines, brokers have to be licensed by the USDA, and they have to follow the shipping regulations provided for in the Animal Welfare Act. Those requirements, however, are minimal and not always strictly enforced. To a broker, puppies are strictly a commodity, like furniture and clothes.

One term that is confusing because it is used very differently by the USDA on the one hand and the AKC on the other is the term hobby breeder. The USDA defines a hobby breeder as someone who sells puppies directly to pet stores, but owns no more than three breeding bitches and who grosses less than $500 per year. USDA hobby breeders do not need to be USDA licensed, so there is no regulation of their facilities or practices except in the rare places where local laws are in place (and those aren't usually enforced unless someone complains).

The confusion arises because serious dog fanciers and breeders use the term hobby breeder in a very different way. For this group, a hobby breeder is someone who usually breeds only one breed (or possibly two), and who has a well-planned breeding program designed to protect and improve the breed. Such breeders usually have only one or two litters a year and may skip some years. They regard puppies as living, feeling beings and provide them with a clean, safe environment, proper food, health care, exercise, and socialization. They sell puppies directly to individuals whom they first screen to be sure the pup will be well cared for. So if someone tells you she is a “hobby breeder,” be sure you find out what she means by the term.

Please don't buy a puppy from a pet store. No responsible breeder ever sells puppies through a pet store. Regardless of what some stores claim, the truth is that pet stores get their merchandise—and that's exactly what puppies are to them—from commercial breeders, brokers, puppy mills, or backyard breeders. Responsible breeders do not think of puppies as merchandise, and they do not entrust the fate of their puppies to strangers. Pet store puppies are usually taken from their mothers and siblings when they're four or five weeks old, which is much too young for proper social development.

Pet stores rely on the cuteness of puppies as a selling point. They also rely on the emotional impulses of the people who walk in, cuddle a puppy, and can't bear to put him back in that cage. So out comes the credit card. Some people do luck out and get a reasonably good pet. But the odds are against it. People who are in the business of producing puppies for pet stores don't generally pay attention to health screening for hereditary disease. They match up sires and dams by availability (or sometimes by accident) rather than by careful selection. They don't bother to handle and socialize the puppies. How can they? There are just too many of them! No, the odds are that your pet store puppy will have health and temperament problems. To add insult to injury, pet store puppy prices often match or exceed the price of a responsibly bred puppy from a breeder. No, pet stores offer no bargains when it comes to puppies.

But don't they have to guarantee the pups they sell? Yes, most states have laws requiring a minimal guarantee or warranty, and most pet stores will take back a puppy within a certain time if certain conditions are met. Responsible breeders, in contrast, will take their puppies back at any time throughout their lives, because the puppy, not the dollar, comes first.

Pet store staff are usually not very well informed about the breeds they sell, but in my experience they rarely say “I don't know.” I've had pet store personnel tell me that Labrador Retrievers have no hereditary health problems (they do! they do!) and that Australian Shepherds have personalities like Golden Retrievers (they don't! they don't!). In fact, pet stores offer virtually nothing in the way of support when it comes to training, behavior problems, health issues, or anything else.

All That Glitters Is Not Gold

There's another group of puppy producers you need to beware of as well. Unfortunately, some people who seem to meet the requirements of a responsible breeder at first glance don't stand up to a closer examination. An honest, ethical breeder is your best source for a healthy purebred puppy backed up by knowledgeable breeding. But you need to be cautious. Be cautious, and read Finding a Responsible Breeder about breeders—the good ones! Some of the snazziest websites and magazine ads belong to some of the sleaziest people, so don't be dazzled. Ask lots of questions and check references. There are excellent, honest breeders around, and one of them has the right pup for you. Being informed and patient will help you find her.

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting and Owning a Dog © 2003 by Sheila Webster Boneham, Ph.D. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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