What exactly is a BackYard Breeder?

Question

I have a neighbour / friend who has several dogs. She does not have them fixed, and though they aren't supposed to be lose, they often roam the neighbourhood. No one really complains because they are small dogs and are not aggressive with anything. Someone told me she is a backyard breeder, which I have learned means someone who breeds their dogs for "fun" or to sell the puppies, but they are dogs without pedigrees or papers etc, and it contributes to the pet overpopulation. What are your thoughts on this?
Before, I never saw anything wrong with it. She is nice, loves the pups and tries to find them all homes, but the most I see about this, the more I dislike what she is doing.
I would like to help convince her to get her dogs fixed, also.

Well, yes, I know what a backyard breeder is, but I am looking for more fuel to add to my anti-BYB fire, :). I really hope to convince her to stop this. I am sure she will say that her dogs all go to good homes... but I can try.

Answer 1

Yes, that is pretty much what a backyard breeder is. They have dogs that aren't purebred (well, they could be, but they don't have papers), breed them, and sell or give away the puppies.

I do not like this. The major reason is, as you say, pet overpopulation. Yes, she may be finding homes for them. But are they permanent homes, homes that will keep and cherish and feed and vet these dogs for the next 10+ years? Probably not... many of these dogs will end up unwanted in an animal shelter. And for each puppy she gives away or sells, that is one in a shelter that DOESN'T get adopted.

The other reason to avoid BYBs, is that the diminish the quality of bloodlines. True breeders know what to look for in a breeding dog, and take into account health issues, confirmation, personality, etc, when deciding whether to keep a dog as a breeder or to sell it as a pet. BYBs don't do this, and they may breed dogs that have health problems, diseases, confirmation issues, and all in all are not top quality dogs. Yes, the dogs may be cute and sweet, but there are plenty of cute and sweet dogs in animal shelters all over the world - there is no need to produce any more unless it is done responsibly, with limitations, and keeping breed excellence in mind.

You can speak to your friend frankly, tell her that by breeding dogs, she is killing many more. That although the homes she finds for the puppies seem nice now, that they may end up abusive and neglectful.

I am also concerned that she is letting her dogs roam the neighbourhood. This is usually not legal - contact animal control about that.

Answer 2

A backyard breeder is a person that breeds dogs irresponsibly. These are individuals who are breeding just to breed (and often make money) and are not breeding to improve the breed. These individuals do not show or work their dogs (working refers to field trial events like bird dogs or herding events) so have no vested interest in making the breed better.

Secondly, I doubt very much that she does any of the necessary health tests- some dogs, including small dogs, require cardiac ultrasounds, hips and eyes certified etc. Thus, she is breeding dogs without considering the physical betterment of the breed.

Third, Backyard breeders also are not there for the puppy breeders. That is they do not include "do not abandon" clauses in contracts, will not take a puppy back no matter what, rarely screen (and if so rarely do a good job of it) and will not be there to answer questions a person has.

Reputable breeders are showing in confirmation or working events, their animals (including puppies) get vet checked regularly, they do the necesary health checks, and screen their puppy buyers. In addition, they will be there if the person has a question 2 weeks after getting the puppy or 10 years after getting the puppy. There is an assumption that upon bringing that puppy into the world, they, the breeder, is responsible for that puppy- even if it does not live with them.

Answer 3

backyard breeders are people who put a male and a female together and let them breed with the intention of making a profit. In order to make money they need to cut costs which translates to poor care and no vet care, otherwise they would make no money. they also overbreed, exhausting females. In the rodent world this would be places that produce hundreds to thousands of pets annualy. there is no possible way that proper care is being used. Even state certified facilities with vets on staff can't do the job, though they are often better than that smelly guy on the corner that sells mice by the hundreds to the LFS for feeders. But only marginally... good breeders are those who consult with a vet to choose healthy parents and keep the parents in optimum condition. Once conception occurs the parents are still treated very well. When the young are born they are checked out by a vet and given the proper care. The breeder then seeks out buyers who fit the profile of what a good pet parent should be. They breed to ensure the health and integrity of a certain breed, not for profit. Added: This is a loose term and it gets thrown around a lot. If someone took the time to become educated about breeding, is breeding top qulaity animals, is in no way harming the pet in order to breed (except for the pregnancy and birthing process), and is doing so the promote the breed in a responsible manner then in my opinion they do not qualify as a byb. People who go out and purchase a male and female dog that have AKC papers and let them go at it and sell the pups for $500-$2500 a pop, those are byb.

Answer 4

Yes, she is a backyard breeder.

Backyard breeders are ANYONE who breeds for a reason other than to improve the breed. Good breeders are usually people who have been in the show world for years and who are breeding to come closest to the breed standard.

It's not just about pedigrees and papers. Having a registration paper DOES NOT mean the dog should be bred. If it's an AKC paper, all it means is that the dog is registered as a purebred. It says nothing to the genetics of the dog, the health of the dog, the temperament of the dog, the soundness of the dog, or the closeness to breed standard of the dog.

It's not just about breeding 'for fun' or 'to make money', but those are two of the main reasons that BYBs get into it. It's also people breed "pet quality" dogs. It's also people who accidentally breed. It's also people who breed to teach their kids "about life". You get the idea. Again, if it's not breeding to improve the breed, then the person is a BYB.

As far as convincing her to get her dogs fixed, remind her that 3-5 million animals are killed in shelters each year. The majority of these animals are adoptable. It's thought that at least 25% of the dogs are 'purebred'. http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/pet_overpopulation_and_ownership_statistics/hsus_pet_overpopulation_estimates.html

Give her the AKC responsible breeding steps. Chances are she doesn't do more than one or two of them, if that. http://www.akc.org/breeders/resp_breeding/index.cfm

Give her the code of ethics for her national breed club. http://dogplay.com/Breeding/index.html Show her that by violating them, she's being irresponsible and unethical.

But, as we see on here time and time again, some people just don't get it. The whole world is wrong except for them. But, I'm happy that you are willing to try.

The last straw would be to call animal control any time her dogs run free.

Answer 5

It's unlikely you'll convince this woman that she's wrong. She probably doesn't care about the millions of pets that are killed every year because there aren't enough homes for them all. She also probably doesn't care that her dogs may have genetic defects or be sub-standard when it comes to quality. Given that she doesn't have any papers, one must wonder how she's selling them. Many BYB don't really care at all about the dog's they're breeding, only that they're making some money off it.

The only solution is to breed only dogs that benefit the breed and spay and neuter the rest. What she needs to understand that if she's not part of the solution, then she's part of the problem.

Answer 6

A Backyard Breeder is someone who breeds dogs irresponsibly, without any regard to genetic health or breed trype, and for profit.

It sounds like, if nothing else, she is irresponsible for letting her dogs roam, and for not having them spayed/neutered. Even if the dogs have litters "by accident", she is contributing to the number of dogs sitting in shelters and rescue groups in her area.

You might try to convince her to spay and neuter by citing the many benefits of the surgeries, including less risk of cancer, less mess with females in season, and less roaming, if the idea of preventing unwanted litters alone won't convince her. There are plenty of websites listing all of the benefits of spaying/neutering.

As far as the roaming goes, a spayed/neutered dog is less likely to roam, but she really shouldn't allow them to do so mostly for their own safety. It's not a matter of whether or not they'll come back, but what happens to them while they're out -- it would be terrible if one had to be killed by a car or a larger dog in order to convince her.

Good luck, and I hope you can do some good!

Answer 7

Go to this site to see the difference
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Fair/1901/chart.html

Why is it wrong- because millions of animals are put to sleep each year. the biggest contributer is the backyard breeder.
http://www.adoptarescuepet.org/byb.htm

You think she finds them good homes. Well does she check up on them? Are you sure they didn't end up in a shelter or used as a breeding machine. The rate dogs reproduce just having one litter can set of an exponential growth of the dog population.
http://usercash.com/go/1/6311/http://members.tripod.com/~RavenwoodDals/dearbyb.htm

To learn what a true breeder is you should look at these links on this link
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/breeding.html

Videos say it all
http://www.borntodiepets.com/html/video.htm

Answer 8

1.Motive for breeding: "fun", "good for kids", "to make money". Does not screen buyers and seldom refuses to sell, even if buyer is unsuitable.

2. Breeds the family pet to any convenient pet of the same breed just to have purebred pups. Has no understanding or concern with genetics, pedigree bloodlines, or breed improvement.

3. Though the pets (sire/dam of pups) may be well loved, they were not tested for hip dysplasia or for other genetic problems such as cardiomyopathy and hypothyroidism.

4. Offers no health guarantee beyond proof of shots, if that. Unqualified to give help if problems develop.

5. Seller has little knowledge of breed history, the national breed club or of the AKC breed standard. May claim this does not matter for "just pets".

6. Pups raised in makeshift accommodations, sometimes unsanitary, indicating lack of long-term investment in breeding and lack of true care for the puppies well-being.

7. Even when selling "just pets", may produce AKC papers or "championship pedigrees" as proof of quality. Yet seller does not increase his own knowledge through participation in national, regional, or local breed clubs. Is not involved in showing their dogs to "prove" quality.

8. May be unwilling to show a buyer the entire litter or to introduce the dam of the litter. Cannot or will not compare/critique pups or pup’s ancestors.

9. Prices are at the low end of local range, since must move pups quickly. Advertises in the local newspaper classifieds.

10. No concern for the future of individual pups or the breed as a whole. Does not use AKC’s limited registration option or ask for spay/neuter contract to guard against the breeding of sub-standard pups. If you cannot keep pup, tells you to take it to a dog pound or to sell it.


i hope there is no spelling errors! it tookme forever to write this

Answer 9

Call the SPCA! They will probably stop her or you can write a letter stating that she should get dog fixed and how each time a litter of puppies come dogs around the world are being euthanized because of her. But don't make it out from you. You do not want your neighbor mad at you.

Answer 10

Look at the question above yours in the line-up "Has my dog gone into labour?". That is the question of a Backyard Breeder - Someone that knows absolutely NOTHING about whelping dogs, yet, refuses to get theirs spayed and ends up with a litter of puppies.