Having worked at the shelter for many years I can tell you that one of the most frustrating issues is the business of puppy mills and pet stores. Many people walk into pet stores and think that they have to “save” the puppy in the tiny cage; what they don’t realize is that by doing so they are actually perpetuating one of the most tragic situations pertaining to animals. As soon as that pup is gone they just put another one in its place. Your money is allowing these facilities to continue their “business.” All too often the shelter ends up with these dogs after the purchasing party realizes this was the wrong dog for their family, in most cases the pet store staff is uneducated about dog breeds and because often the only thing they are concerned with is the bottom line many times the only question you will be asked is “cash or credit?” If you can no longer keep your dog after six months or a year they are not taking the dog back – it ends up in the shelter (gee, thanks).

What is a puppy mill you ask? Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like; mass production of poor quality goods! Puppy mills are located all over but most of them are out of state. They keep an overpopulation of dogs (sometimes in the hundreds) in horrible conditions, left in a cage, filthy and unsocialized. Then after they are considered useless to the mill owner the breeding dogs are often killed, abandoned or sold to other mills (Humane Society of the U.S., 2006). Your money could be contributing to abuse. If people don’t buy them they won’t sell them. People who have their best interest in mind are not breeding mill dogs; therefore dogs with health or temperament issues are bred regardless of these problems being passed onto offspring. Puppies are often taken from their mothers too soon and miss out on crucial interaction with their mother, which often affects their behavior as they mature. Those puppies are then sold to pet stores around the country. No matter what the clerk tells you there is no way of knowing if the dogs were bred by reputable people unless you visit the breeders yourself (HSUS, 2006), and what do you think the odds are of doing that for a pup that came from Arkansas?

Then there are brokers who are no better than pet stores. They purchase pups from mills and then sell them privately –still the same quality dog. Now with the use of the Internet people are able to purchase puppies directly from these facilities; they fool people by constructing happy, feel good Web sites that lead the buyer to think the facility is a wonderful operation breeding pets that are loved and integrated into a family – not the case.

When I talk with people about pet stores and puppy mills I like to ask them one question: “If you had a dog that you loved and kept as a family pet then bred the dog, watched and cared for her puppies and invested time, energy and money into doing it properly would you just hand your pups over to a pet store where there is no screening process to see if the breed is the right match or if the person is capable of dealing with that puppy?” I know I wouldn’t. I would want to speak with every person buying one of my pups, not to mention I would want my puppies back (at any point in their lives) in the event it didn’t work out. That’s what good, responsible breeders do. Those are the breeders you want to buy a dog from if you insist on purchasing a purebred puppy. Likewise, people who purchase dogs from sources that are not reputable whether it be a pet store, backyard breeder or broker have no business breeding those dogs; they need to be sterilized.

Purchasing your dog from a person who has a poor quality breeding stock is no better than purchasing one from a mill. I know that many people think that because they bought an overpriced pup from a local pet store they want to breed it to make some money back. I have three words: “Don’t do it!” You will be creating more poor quality dogs that we do not need. Keep in mind that genetics is a funny thing. Just because YOUR dog is super friendly and doesn’t seem to have any health issues, that certainly does not mean that the rest of that litter or the parents didn’t and your dog may not exhibit such traits but she or he can still carry them, which means that they will be passed onto their puppies.

Every time I talk with someone who wants to “breed” I tell them that they better be willing to take all of their pups back when the purchaser can’t keep them because we don’t need them in the shelter. You breed them then you take them back. Leave the breeding to people who know what they are doing, it is very time consuming and expensive to do it right and good breeders don’t make much profit after what they spend initially.

So how do you know if the source you are thinking of buying from is reputable? First, I suggest never buying a puppy from any place you cannot visit and personally see the breeding dogs, where they are kept, what certifications they have, how many dogs they have (caution if there are too many), how many times they breed annually, how long they have been breeding and where they acquire their dogs from. A good breeder will ask you questions about yourself, lifestyle, vet history, etc. Don’t be annoyed or offended because they want to make sure their pups are going to the appropriate homes. They will be able to answer any specific questions about the breed and they will provide you with information. They should make themselves available to you after the purchase for questions or problems and they will insist on taking the dog back at any point if you cannot keep it.

If you are having trouble finding local breeders within driving distance and end up looking further away, do your homework before purchasing a pup without seeing the parents and the location. You can call the breed rescue group for that breed; every purebred dog has a rescue and or a breed club. These organizations are a great resource because they are usually familiar with reputable breeders. My advice of course is to go to a shelter for a dog. Much of the population in shelters are purebred dogs (and no they are not ALL pitbulls, which by the way are great dogs) but keep in mind that every purebred dog has it’s share of problems that seem to be more prevalent in their breed. If you insist on a purebred, do your homework about the breed and check with the breed rescue. They can educate you about the traits and they may have a dog in foster care that is up for adoption. For more information, go to www.AKC.org.

Personally, I’ve owned both mixed breeds and purebreds and from now on I’m sticking with my mutts.

For more information on puppy mills, go to the Humane Society of the U.S. Web site at www.hsus.org.