Getting a new puppy and I want to make sure its not from a puppy mill?
Jun.30, 2009 in
Health
eric j asked:
They are all vet checked and up to date on deworming and vaccinations
They come with a one year health guarantee in writing
I am told to take it to the vet within 3 days
The site offers 3 different sets of puppys
The site offers testimonals (pictures of puppys sold) and (pictures of puppys people bought months, years later)
the pictures on the site are updated every week and the puppys look very clean and not sick
i will be seeing the dog and ask to see the parents and where it is living
They are all vet checked and up to date on deworming and vaccinations
They come with a one year health guarantee in writing
I am told to take it to the vet within 3 days
The site offers 3 different sets of puppys
The site offers testimonals (pictures of puppys sold) and (pictures of puppys people bought months, years later)
the pictures on the site are updated every week and the puppys look very clean and not sick
i will be seeing the dog and ask to see the parents and where it is living
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:57 am
No decent, responsible breeder advertises on a website, it just isn’t done.
Nobody with any sense buys a dog online.
You need to be able to see the parents of the pup and go to see where the pups are bred. Anything else is a front, no matter how cute the pups and the website.
Simple as that.
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Give a link to the website otherwise it’s impossible to tell.
Testimonials really mean crap, Puppy Mills get testimonials.
Does the website speak of the dogs Ch titles? Is there mention of the OFA and CERF clearances?
No? Then don’t give them your business.
3 Litters at a time sound like too much in my opinion.
1. Is this breeder breeding real breeds or designer mutts?
2. Are all 3 litters of the same breed?
^^ A no to either of those questions would indicate a crap breeder.
July 4th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
I don’t know about that site in general, but I just wouldn’t trust a dog site at all
If you can’t go and see where they are kept personally, I suggest you don’t buy it, no matter how cute or cheap they are.
What I find to be the number one rule in making sure a dog is not from a puppy mill is to ask the breeder if you could see where the dogs are kept
puppy mill owner says no
OK breeder says yes
If you have any relatives where the breeder is, maybe you could ask them to see where the dogs are kept?
July 7th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Can you go see these puppies? If so, take a trip and go visit the kennel. You should be able to see the parents, as well as the facilities/kennels. If you are thinking about have a pup shipped to you, then no, do not do it. Unless you can physically see and pick out one of the pups then do not purchase them on line.
July 9th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
If it’s coming from a pet store, chances are it’s a puppy mill puppy. Avoid puppy mills by doing your research. Buy either from a reputable breeder or rescue one from your local shelter, or look into rescue groups!
July 11th, 2009 at 3:03 am
And does the breeder say they show their dogs in conformation or performance events? Do they offer a 3-5 year pedigree with your puppy? Do they require you spay/neuter your puppy by the time it’s 6 months? Will they give you copies of all the health tests they had done on the parents?
If not, they’re are a commercial breeder … aka, a puppy mill.
July 14th, 2009 at 2:56 am
Pix don’t mean it’s not a puppy mll.
Anyone can bath a puppy for pix
Go and see the place. If they refuse to let you then you have your answer.
Are these 3 ‘set’s’ all the same breed?
Sounds not right to me.
July 16th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Do you think they would put pictures up of sickly puppies stuffed in cages? Testimonials could all be written by the breeder, anyone could write them.
Do you have the website?
Add: Many good, responsible breeders do have websites. What they will not do however, is have pictures of various puppies and prices, and let you just put in a credit card and pick your puppy. The sites are for information only, but good breeders insist on interviewing and meeting the buyer, checking on references, and they will pick the puppy that is right for the individual, not the other way around.
July 17th, 2009 at 5:48 am
Get it from a shelter and you know that nothing profits the puppy mills. Also you know you’re saving a life
July 19th, 2009 at 8:56 am
If you can’t make a home visit to make sure how the dogs are housed and cared for you have absolutely no idea.
I would be very skeptical of anyone selling puppies on a web site.
Here in our area the authorities just uncovered a HUGE (multi-million dollar) family-run puppy mill. The dogs were housed and bred at two different sites, then the puppies were taken to a third location (nice house in nice neighborhood) to be sold. They had a catchy name for their business and a respectable looking web site. Now true dog lovers and the county authorities in two counties are left with cleaning up the mess of literally hundreds of sick, over-bred dogs.
Unless you know the people or can get references, forget it.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:28 am
Hold on. Many GOOD breeders advertise online and have websites. However, they all have e-mail adresses and or phone numbers. they also won’t mind if you drop in for a visit. if the website has contact info and they post testimonials, it should be ok. All the online testimonials and guarantees are technically legal binding, so if anything WERE wrong, you could sue. And no breeder in their right mind would try to pull a scam like a puppy mill if they didn’t want to end up behind bars.
You should be ok.
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Is this the same breeder that registers the dogs with ACA? I think you have your answer….
Any breeder who sells dogs online to the highest bidder is a horrible breeder. Many times the pictures shown online are not the same dogs that they ship. What you see is NOT what you get.
Judging from your questions, you really need to sit down with someone and evaluate what it means to buy from a REPUTABLE breeder. If you are not willing to wait for a well bred puppy ( the waiting list I am on is about TWO YEARS) then adopt from a shelter.
I would urge you to join forums online who deal with the specific breed you are interested in. Keep asking questions, thats how you will learn.
No one here became an expert overnight, so continue to do research on what separates bad breeders from good breeders.
Web site are fine for showcases your kennel, but any breeder who sells online without any scruples is a bad one, no exceptions!
ETA:
Rescue Member, I respectfully disagree with your statement that good breeders do not advertise on the web. I know many reputable lab breeders who operate web sites to display pedigrees, links to OFA results, pictures of their dogs, championships earned, planned breedings, etc. I don’t think this makes them any less reputable.
July 26th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Ask these questions –
1. are the parents show champions, pointed towards a show ch, or titled in another way (rally, agility, shutzhund, field, etc)? If not, how do they know the parents are up to breed standard and worthy of breeding?
2. are the parents ofa’d, baer tested, and cerf’d? If not, how do they know the parents are healthy enough to breed?
3. are there champions in the pedigree (within 3 generations)? If not, how do they know the pups are going to be up to breed standards?
4. why will they not offer a 26 month guarantee? 1 year is not enough time to find out if your pup is going to have any genetic problems and you can’t even test until they are 2. This is the #1 reason I would not buy from them.
5. are the dogs AKC registered? If not, don’t bother with them.
6. how many dogs do they breed? are they all the same breed?
7. how many litters does each female have in a year? If it’s anything more than ONE then they are not reputable.
8. when do they start breeding females and when do they stop? If they start before age 2, they are NOT good breeders. If they allow the female to breed past age 6 (latest 7) I’d find another breeder.
Basically, you need to find the right answers from the above 8 questions/concerns and buy from a breeder that is responsible/reputable/concerned for the well being of the breed.