How will I know if my dog isn't from a puppy mill?

Question

If i want a really healthy puppy, will asking the vet where to buy one help?

this is for Woooh!,
cause i'm getting a dog and i'm afraid it might be from a puppy mill

Answer 1

Try the AKC website. www.akc.org. They have a breeders classified section where they list puppies for sale. They also have a listing for breed specific rescues. The rescues are always looking for “forever” homes for their dogs! Also, you can try www.puppyfind.com. Be very, very careful about that site. There are too many puppy mills and backyard breeders that list on this site. However, if you know what you are looking for and the AKC standards for the breed, then you should do just find there, as long as you ask the right questions!.

Here are some of the questions that you need to ask the breeder:

1. Do you have both parents on site? -- This lets you see both parents and see how they behave. This is a good indicator on how the puppy will act.

2. Are the parents and puppies AKC?-- If not, run!!! AKC has some of the strictest guidelines of any of the registries. Most dogs that are not AKC (and even some that are) should never have been born because they are very poor quality.

3. Are the parents current on all shots and are currently on Heartworm preventative? -- Shows that the parents are well cared for.

4. Have all of the proper genetic tests been done on the parents before mating? -- Shows if there are any potential serious genetic defects in the lines.

5. What type of health guarantee does the puppy have? -- Most reputable breeders have a return or refund policy if the puppy has health issues.

6. What kind of contract must I sign to get the puppy? -- If there is no contract, RUN! This shows they really don't care who gets the puppy as long as they get money!

7. Will the puppy have its first shots and be wormed? -- This is a MUST!

8. How many litters has she had? How many litters do all of your dogs have per year? -- If she has had more than 4 litters, I would be concerned. If she has had more that 3 litters in two year, Backyard Breeder, RUN! If she has several litters a year out of very few dogs, STAY AWAY! Use some common sense. A dog really shouldn't have more than one litter a year. However, accidents happen, but more than three in two years means she was bred every time she went into heat.

9. Are the parents considered pets? Do they have free run of the house? -- If they are outside only, or contained to a small area of the house, they may not be well socialized. I would be very wary.

10. So you have references from your vet, neighbors, and people who purchased puppies from previous litters? -- References are so important, so that you know how others feel about the breeder. If the breeder refuses, then you should stay away!

Finally, make sure that you inspect the property where the breeder has the dogs. See how they interact with other animals, and yourself. You can tell by looking at them and interacting with them if they are well cared for.

Also, don't be surprised if the breeder asks you for some things too. I always ask for references, a letter from the landlord if they do not own their own home, if they have done their research, how they plan on house-breaking the dog, and who would be their primary vet.

Good luck! If you have any more questions, feel free to e-mail me!

Answer 2

Don't buy a dog from a pet store. Don't buy from breeders that have multiple breeds available (I am sure we have all seen the ads where they list like 10 different breeds). Make sure you see the mom and dad. All papers on the dog if getting a registered one. Also check with the vet as they could give advice because Puppy Mills rarely ever take a dog to the vet. Ask around to others you know that got their dog from a breeder. Ask around at the shelters because they got many of the puppy mill dogs so they can give you some pointers or just get a dog from the shelter/rescue because they will be vet checked.

Answer 3

you have quite a mix of good & bad advice here.... AKC Does have a brreder list - it does have some good breeders on it - it also has puppy mills (they did NOT sort it). Infodog also has a breeder referral list - it has less puppy mills but no guarentee. The best bet is to go to the breeder. Most reputable breeder have the dogs in the house but there is usually some set-up to keep puppies outta trouble (IE confinement) - its a nessesity. Usually they have (will show you) mom but its acutally a mild danger sign if they also have dad (usually a breeder will go for the best male they can find for their female - which is frequently NOT their male, but occasionally is) .
AND #1 sign they are not a puppy mill - they will ask you so many questions you will think you are adopting a baby and will make you promise to bring the pup back if you cant keep it for any reason (at any age)

Answer 4

By meeting the breeder directly, and getting to meet at least the mother of the puppies. If you buy from a pet store, you are buying from a puppy mill, despite any line they may give you -- I have never, ever, ever met one single responsible breeder who would sell their puppies to any anonymous buyer with a checkbook. It just doesn't happen. I will suggest that you don't make price a factor in getting your puppy, because the initial price (or lack there of) becomes pretty irrelevant over the life of your dog and the other costs that can come up. Meet the breeder, ask about temperament and health testing, and make sure that you really like the answers. The breeder should grill you as much (or more!) as you grill them. If the breeder isn't concerned with what kind of owner you will be, ask yourself how much effort they bothered to put into their breeding.

Honestly, vets don't tend to have a lot of information about finding healthy puppies, but it can't hurt to ask.

Good for you for doing the research ahead of time and being conscious of the issues with buying pups from mills.

Answer 5

I have a neighbor that is a breeder and has seen all the tricks and the sad fact is unless you go to some one home and see both the parent dogs there is no way to tell if its from a puppy mill or not and even then there is no really good way to know unless you know the person really well but unless you know some one that breeds dogs there is no real way so just take the puppy to your vet and have it check out and make sure its healthy that's all that really matter and just give your a good home if you where trying to help shut down the puppy mill's by not buying from them well no one can stop them they will always lie and find ways to sell there puppy's just get a healthy puppy or one you really fall for and give it the best life you can if you are in the Texas area and looking for a puppy then i might be able to help you find some one good for what ever breed your looking for you could message me at [e-mail] will help any way i can if your in texas or willing to travel

Answer 6

Look up "how do I find a reputable breeder" on Google - there are many, many articles out there on this subject.

Also, consider adopting from Rescue. Rescue dogs have been vetted, and you will be saving two lives by adopting from them - the dog you take home, and the dog who can be saved from death because there's an open spot in the rescue group.

Among other traits, reputable breeders:

Specialize in only one or two breeds of dogs and are knowledgable about breed standards and potential breed-specific genetic problems.

Often keep the dogs in the home as part of the family and will welcome you to see where the dogs spend most of their time.

Encourage you to spend time with the puppy's parents (at minimum the mother) and encourage multiple visits prior to taking the puppy home.

Want your entire family to meet the puppy and discuss care and "rules" for the household.

Have a strong relationship with a veterinarian and will provide documentation of the puppy's vet visits and medical history.

Provide a written contract and health guarantee, and ask you to sign a contract stating that you will return the dog to the breeder should you be unable to keep the dog AT ANY POINT during its lifetime.

Understand healthy breeding patterns for the females, so puppies are not always available. They will maintain a list of people interested in the next available litter.

Answer 7

If you want to purchase a dog from a reputable breeder there are two ways to do this:

Go to the AKC website and go under breeder classfieds which will pull up information on a litter depending on the dog:

http://www.akc.org/classified/index.cfm

Or go to the breeder referrel:
http://www.akc.org/breederinfo/breeder_search.cfm

Otherwise there are chances that the puppy can come from a puppy mill.

You should always visit the breeder, look at the dam, look at the litter, look at the enviorment. Be sure to spend time with the puppy.

Answer 8

It is a good place to start.
Good Breeders will always have one of the parent dogs at home. They also will want to know a lot of information about you. They will offer their phone number in case you ever have any questions. Run from any breeder who does not even have one of these things. They will have notorious health records of the puppy and well as the puppies parents. The house and kennel area should be clean and bright and pleasant.
If you ever get a bad feeling, leave, no matter how run by emotion you may feel over the puppy you were shown.

Answer 9

Easy question.
1) Talk to the breeder, if your cant then ask for a web site you can see if its a puppy mill or hobby breeder by looking at his dogs and pictures of the kennel. If no site is available you can ask for your dogs pedigree. It will show who the male and female was. You can check the owners of the dogs and ask them about the breeder you are going to buy the pup from.
If you want to be sure, play it safe buy a pup from an AKC breeder. Go to the AKC.org web site to the breeders classified and you can find breeders in your area.

Answer 10

Generally dogs who come from a puppy mill are sick and in poor shape. You can try the local humane society. They generally have puppies in good shape and are cheaper than buying from a breeder. You can try a reputable breeder although they tend to cost a fortune.