Puppy Mills???

Question

I am going to purchase a dog from a breeder. The lady lives out of town. I DO NOT want to purchase from a puppy mill. What is the normal amount of the dogs who breed each year. The lady said she only breeds them once a year, and has 5 females...
HELP!

Answer 1

This lady's company is no where NEAR a puppy mill.

I have watched animals cops series on the Animal Planet sooooo many times and most of the time, they're busting real puppy mills. Now, let me give you the correct definition of a puppy mill. Bascically, its what some people refer to as a "crazy cat lady" or "crazy dog lady". Get the picture?

It is a large concentrated living area of dogs kept in filthy contiions, bred without warrant and irresponsibly, given no nursing right or privelege, and most of the time, abused and injustly owned. Does this sound like the lady's place? Or are the dogs cared for, bred maturely and responsibly, and given proper shelter, food, water, toys, home, etc...?

If its the second one, then it is most difinitely NOT a puppy mill, especially if the lady only breeds them once a year and only has 5 females total! Try THIS compared to a certain home, with horrible pipe bursts, lack of food and water, 73 females, 29 males total. This was one of the shows I have seen and it isn't pretty AT ALL!

I suggest you go through with your purchase. It'll be one step closer to buying the bestest friend you'll EVER have!


EDIT: I got my Maltese Ricky from a reputible breeder, while she also bred once a ear with 8 females total, 3 males, she (the breeder) was still not a puppy mill because she took care of the dogs. I respect that!

Answer 2

Does she have 5 females and breeds each of them once a year for a total of 5 litters a year? I would be suspicious of that. If she has 5 females and has one litter total a year, then no worries.

My breeder has more than 5 females currently living at her house and its because she shows them and because she took one back when the former owner had a hardship. She has had three litters in 5 years.The dogs have "titles at both ends" (which means they are breed champions and have titles in performance events) live in the house and have every health clearance imaginable.

Ask what the breeder does with the dogs besides breed them. If she doesn't show them or compete with them in some event, I would wonder why she had 5 intact females for breeding.

I would also ask how many litters this particular female has had and where the puppies are now. She should know where the puppies are...also how old is the mother now and how old was she when she had her first litter.

Here's a great list of questions to ask a breeder courtesy of a lab breeder
http://pleasantpinelabs.tripod.com/Puppy_checklist.htm

Good luck!

Answer 3

Do some research on puppy mills. Puppy mills are places that breed a lot of different breeds, and they generally are caged up their whole lives and just have litter after litter after litter. They are generally dirty and not well taken care of. I don't think this lady sounds like a puppy mill breeder. But i wouldn't be sure unless i was able to see her dogs, the conditions they lived in. I would want to see house dogs that are friendly, well fed, they look healthy. While once a year seems like a lot to me, maybe a little too much, puppy mills breed a lot more than that. Look around for different breeders until you find one that you feel you can trust. Good Luck, i hope you find the puppy you are looking for.

Answer 4

If she has 5 female dogs and breeds once a year, its just that.
I know certified breeders that have 7-20 dogs and breed a few times a year, and they aren't mills. Actually its not a mill if the animals are well taken care of, and they are happy. When you go, and see the animals, check the cages,If they haven't been cleaned, the dogs have sores from being cooped up too long, and they seem really irritable or scared, then yeah its probably a puppy mill. But if the dogs are well fed, have plenty of room to play and seem happy and clean, then I wouldn't worry about it. Ask about an isolation test, its where you and the pup are alone in a kennel or enclosed area and see if the puppy is friendly and happy to be with you.

Good luck, not all purebreds have problems, it depends on the size of the dog.
Larger dogs tend to develop arthritis and bad knees.
Smaller dogs tend to have skin irritation, and sometimes bad teeth. It all depends, man.
Ask to see her license, and ask ALOT of questions.

have fun with the new pup!

Answer 5

Your best bet is to go to her house and check out the situation. If she tells you no, or wants to meet you somewhere, or will not let you see where the dogs are housed..that's a big red flag.
Having 5 females does not necessarily indicate puppy mill. I use to work for a very reputable Golden show breeder who had several females.
More than likely this person is just a backyard breeder. Personally,not knowing what kind of breeder this person is, I would not buy from anyone unless I was able to go to their house and check things out.

Answer 6

Well, that's a tough call. but on her, 5 females seems to be more than the average breeder would own. The breeder I got my last two dogs from had one breeding pair at a time. If I was you, look up the breed online and they will usually have a list of breeders to contact. The AKC also keeps a registry of breeders available for you to browse through.

Is she breeding show quality dogs? Can she supply references from a vet and some previous buyers? A reputable breeder has no problem giving out those when asked.

You know, it's like anything else in life. If your first instinct is "DON'T".... then don't. :)

Answer 7

If you would like to purchase a pure bred dog, look in your paper. I got one of my dogs from a reputible breeder in my area. Breeders should want you to come check out the pups they have up for sale, and will never let you take a dog unless you can care for it. So that's one way to get yourself good pure bred. If breed isn't important, go to a local pet store, like Petsmart or Petco when they have adoptions. I got my other dog from a local shelter trying to give the dogs a good home.

If the person runs a puppy mill, they will not take the time to interview you, and will not make you fill out paperwork most of the time. If a breeder does that, then they are most likely not a good breeder, and their puppies may end up with illnesses or something wrong with them, like blindness or the may be deaf.

REMEMBER- Anyone that is serious about giving you a good, healthy dog, will ALWAYS give you paperwork to make sure that you are going to take good care of the dog they are about to give you.

Answer 8

That doesn't mean she is a puppy mill. Once a year is terrific if she is being honest. She should have records from her vet that will tell the real deal and she shouldn't be afraid to show them to you. A puppy mill will breed every six months or sooner if they can. A puppy mill will have 20, 30 or more dogs. They will be housed inadequately. They will be dirty. Ask to see the kennels. She should be more than willing to give you a tour. I used to be part owner of a kennel and we had only one to two in a pen; we only bred once a year. And trust me, we cleaned constantly. They were always well fed, well watered and clean. We also bathed and wormed on a regular basis along with shots.

Answer 9

That doesn't sound like a puppy mill situation to me. I know reputable breeders who breed 2-3 times per year. Five females is not a huge amount. What you need to do is go and visit the breeder and see for yourself what the conditions are. This is what I did before purchasing from a breeder -- it's really the only way you can be sure.

Answer 10

A reputable breeder will be willing to show your her kennels, her yards, the dogs and where they are kept, what they eat and where the puppies where born and kept now.
They should have nothing to hide. More than likely, they will register some of their dogs, puppy mills usually do not register with AKC or UKC.
Puppy mill refers to farm-type places that have many many dogs just to breed them and breed them and breed them. They don't care about quality or pedigrees or anything except purebreeding.
If she only breeds her dogs once a year and only has about 5 females, I wouldn't be worried. It sounds fine to me!