How mant dogs do you have to have to be considered a puppy mill?

Question

I got a puppy from a lady recently. I don't play around with these scams so I drove all the way out to get it. after we got the puppy we still had a question for her but nobody would answer the door. so my boyfriend walked around the side of the house and I heard a massive roar of dogs. he came walking back around with a funny face, and he said there was at least 100 dogs back there.
she heard the dogs also and came back outside. we asked her about it and she said there were only 45 dogs and they were in a heated, seperated kennels. we left with our pupuy but it seemed too fishy. she & I had a conversation about how awful puppy mills were too prior to us seeing her "kennels." so how many dogs make a puppy mill? was she running one? I have only heard stories about how the dogs were abused in puppy mills, but her dogs seemed well taken care of. they ate Bil-Jac and seemed clean. any answers???

Answer 1

That would be a puppymill.

No one in their right mind has that many dogs unless they are making money or doing rescue. If she were doing rescue dogs would not get pregnant in her care. We have over 100 adoptable animals spread out among several fosters and yes there are puppies and momma dogs but they came to us that way. They are spayed and neutered as soon as they can be.

Anyone with that many dogs and selling puppies is not a good breeder.

Answer 2

It can be 2 dogs to be a puppy mill if conditions are not good. If someone is in the "business" just to make money - is not someone you want to buy a puppy from - you want to get a puppy from a reputable breeder or at the very least someone that cares about their dog as a part of the family and not as a "business" The breeder may be a little more expensive but in the long run - they are about the same price - the puppy mill will not make sure the mom and dad do not have genetic problems that could in the long run be very costly - if not in the pocket book but in the heart also

Answer 3

Yes. Reputable kennels do not have 50 to100 dogs. There is no way a few people can properly care for that many dogs. She may not think she is a puppy mill but if you are selling more than 3-4 litters a year you are a puppy mill. Most reputable breeders have no more than 3-4 breeding females and are not breeding them every heat.

Answer 4

Yes, sounds like a Puppy Mill to me!

Puppy Mills usually have several litters of puppies with more on the way. Conditions are usually very deplorable, but not in all cases. Dogs usually haven't been seen by a vet at all. Cramped cages with sometime up to 3 dogs in a crate large enough for 1 small dog.

Any so called breeder that constantly has puppies available and usually breeds several different breeds including mixed breeds, pumping out puppies from poor quality, unhealthy dogs just to make money is classified as a puppy mill.

Then, when they can't dump their sickly on unsuspecting families, they sell them to pet stores.

Answer 5

Hard to put a number on it. I'd be looking at the cleanliness of the dogs, the titles the dogs in her possession have, the quality of dog food and amount of grooming all the dogs had. I'd want to know the reason she bred the particular dogs she did to create the puppies and what particular qualities she was looking to acheive with the breeding and i would also want to know how many different breeds she had. it's hard for a breeder to be very knowledgable about a variety of breeds and to be breeding for quality of more than a couple of different breeds.

I would say from your description, it would be difficult for any person to take good care of 45 dogs, much less 100. A reputable breeder may have many dogs but they will all be well groomed, and there will be waiting homes for most of the pups. If she's got an entire litter to dispose of and 100 dogs in the back producing more, it's likely she's a miller or byb.

Answer 6

Number of dogs means nothing. Is this what they do for a living? Is breeding their way of life. Are they breeding Junk and not trying to better the breed. As I've said before I don't care if people breed pets but, its how they breed the pets. Do they have a spay/neuter contract? Did they interview you? Did they allow you to see the dogs and the conditions they are housed in? If these dogs are just kenneled and bred over and over then yes, I would say they are a puppy mill.

Answer 7

It is not determined by numbers, but by the care the dogs are receiving and the quality of the breeding program.

I know an excellent breeder in my breed, she had around 50 dogs the last time I was there. She and her husband make a lot of money, so she can afford the kennel staff and facilities to make sure the dogs are properly cared for and recieve enough attention. She has a carefully thought out, successful breeding program and has produced some of the top dogs in the country (I mean multi BIS, BISS, National Specialty winning dogs, somtimes she has the number one and number two dogs in a very competitive breed). She is also concerned with health, networks with other breeders, and is actively involved in the education branch of the national club. She is very picky about who purchases her puppies.

Someone with only 2 or 3 dogs can be a puppymill if their dogs are not cared for properly and their breeding program consists of breeding their females as often as possible to whatever male they have available.

Answer 8

I don't think the number of dogs is what constitutes a puppy mill. I think it is the lack of care, concern, filth and the overall condition of all the dogs, not just some of them.
A person can have many dogs and if they are well cared for and the kennel is clean, I wouldn't call them a puppy mill. Most people have hired help if they are going to run a kennel properly. I think it would be difficult, at best, for one person to properly care for too many dogs.

Answer 9

It sounds a bit fishy but based on the article i just read (see below) a "puppy mill" is hard to define. I would call the authorities and let them make the final call. After all it is there job. If the dogs are in good condition and she is taking care of them then there isn't anything she should worry about.

Answer 10

I don't know about a number of dogs - but I'd say the most important concern is the condition of the dogs' environment. 45 separate, heated kennels that are large enough for a puppy to play in and move around in. It seems unlikely that the puppies and dogs would get enough exercise and attention. Plus, that's a lot of puppies to find homes for regularly. It seems really odd.

Answer 11

I don't think that it is the number of dogs that makes a puppy mill, but more the speed and carelessness with which they are bred. Depending on her circumstance, she might have a reason to have 45 dogs, for example if she fosters dogs.

BUT go with your instinct. If it doesn't feel right, then don't buy from her. Also, is she a reputable breeder? There are tons of questions/answers on these boards with tips on how to differentiate between a backyard breeder and a reputable one.