FayeW said:
Can someone please supply me with an official description of a puppy mill? There seems to be a great deal of subjectiveness (has two many litters each year/operates a website, etc) in labelling breeders as "puppy mill" or "backyard breeders". Surely every dog that comes from unregistered stock does not come from a puppy mill!
I always believed that the derogatory term "puppy mill" was coined to describe dog owners who bred their dogs rampantly and indiscriminately, and/or kept the adults and pups in unsafe/unsanitary/unhealthy living conditions with out proper socialization, exercise and health care. If I am able to buy the breed of my choice, and these conditions are NOT present, and I don't plan to breed or show my pet, why should I care if they came from a " reputable breeder"? And please don't tell me it is to ensure conformity to breed standard and temperment, because in the same breath, someone will say I have to "rescue" a dog from either a rescue organization or an animal shelter and then you have NO idea what you are getting.
OP, the pictures of your "Heidi" look like she has been bred in a loving and caring home. Go and check out the breeder, and set your mind at ease. We commited the Cardinal sin of buying our Westie from a pet store. She is nearly 1 yr old, absolutely no health problems or temperment problems,(except for harrassing the cat ( which we got from a shelter BTW) and she is a joy in our lives. She is great with our children (8 & 10) and fits well in our home.
Faye:
Yes, a puppy mill is normally a business venture where more than one type of breed is specifically bred for financial gain, with careless disregard for the living conditions, health, comfort, or good placement of the dogs & puppies.
However, a hobby/backyard breeder can also be guilty of the same thing on a smaller scale.
What I consider to be a good and "reputable" breeder (and I'm not concerned with conformation or show quality, since our dogs are just pets) is an individual who takes great care in making sure that the puppies are placed in GOOD homes; who has a screening process in place. The dog should be at least two years old, if it's her first litter. The dog should also be in excellent living conditions and appear happy and healthy. The breeder should have no reservations whatsoever with your visiting their home and meeting the mother. Likewise, there should be a health guarantee and AKC documentation.
You "should care" that your puppy comes from a good breeder because you don't want to support an industry that exploits and receives financial gain from the suffering of animals. You would be sickened if you knew the true suffering and abuse that's behind puppy mills. And yes, it's possible to buy a healthy dog from a pet store, etc, but often health problems - such as hip dysplasia, etc - crop up later in life. In addition, undesirable personality traits are often present as well. You didn't commit a "Cardinal sin" by purchasing your puppy from a pet store, but please know that research studies and federal investigations have shown that most pet store puppies DO come from puppy mills.
In fact, call your local pet store that sells puppies. Ask them the names and phone numbers of the breeders who they get their puppies from. They won't tell you. If they tell you that they're puchased from a "broker," that's just as bad.
Heidi looks like she may come from a good home with loving owners. I believe that the red flag was raised for three reasons: 1. The owners have no screening process and realistic placement guidelines; 2. They'll ship anywhere; and 3. They have a very paltry one-month guarantee. In addition, ANY caring breeder would stipulate that if a buyer were ever to consider getting rid of a puppy/dog, that the buyer would first contact the breeder for the opportunity to give the dog back.
The Humane Society of the United States is a mainstream organization that supports federal (and state) legislation to create and enforce animal welfare laws. They have an excellent site on puppy mills
(Click Here) Warning: this is a difficult site to look at, but it's very informative and fact-based. HSUS isn't radical like PETA.
There's nothing wrong with getting your pet from a good breeder. Just do your homework! Yes, ideally, everyone would get their pets from rescue groups or shelter, BUT that's not ideal for everyone for various different personal reasons.
Octoberbeauty: I didn't mean to hijack your post, but did want to address Faye's questions... Best of luck to you in your search!
When Nellie does nip I look her in the eyes and say a stern 'no' and sometimes i tap her snout, but i don't want that to be making her meaner (the tapping). The westie is definitely spoiled. If she bites one of us, my mom will say something like, "dont you know you're not supposed to pet a dog when approaching it from it's side?" Excuse me...what?
