May I have a word about the "horrors" of puppy (and cat) mills and BYBs?

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Though there will always be conflicts and controversies surrounding the "perfect" breeder, it is accepted knowledge that the only reason one should breed is to "better the breed". To achieve this, breeders spend incredible amounts of time and money proving their dogs either in the field of conformation or some type of performance event like agility, herding, Schutzhund, hunting, etc. Through this process, they breed only the best to the best. They recognize the importance of keeping their bloodlines free from health maladies, and, thus, spend hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to health test their breeding stock through organizations like the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF), PennHip, Optigen, etc. If the breed should be susceptible to a wide array of diseases, the breeder would test for the appropriate illness. For example, it is common practice to test for hypothyroidism and von Willebrands in Doberman Pinschers.

With so much care and thought put into the breeding stock itself, it is not surprising that the reputable breeder would take equal precautions in screening prospective homes. The reputable breeder does not sell to just anybody with a wad of cash, and they often screen to the point of homechecks (where the breeder makes an appointment to check out the home of the prospective buyer). However, this is not to say that all reputable breeders require homechecks nor does it imply that a breeder is unreputable if s/he does not screen prospective homes as aggressively as another breeder. This does mean, however, that the reputable breeder would not sell his or her puppies to a middleman, a puppy broker, or a petstore. These facilities use puppies as a main source of money and the only objective of these facilities is monetary profit.

Because pet stores need a large supply of puppies for a minimal amount of money, they acquire their pups from "mills". Simply put, mills are extremely large kennels breeding hundreds of puppies at a time, often churning out both mixed and purebred dogs. Because profit is the primary objective, mill owners do not take the time nor money to prove their dogs or health test. Additionally, they overbreed their dogs and care little for the overall well-being of the animals. The resulting puppies are often badly malnourished, subject to a wide range of oftentimes fatal health maladies, and are frequently reported to have social/emotional problems. Since mills need to provide a large amount of puppies consistently, they take the puppies away from the mother prematurely. Consequently, these puppies often have a more difficult time housetraining, polishing their social skills, and have a harder time learning bite inhibition.

While the puppy at the petstore may tug at your heartstrings and attempt to break your willpower, just say no. Say no to the pet store. Say no to the puppy mills. Break the vicious cycle and adopt a furry friend instead.