For those who discourage from purchasing from backyardbreeders?

Question

Which is 90 percent of the people here.

Heres a question. So many of you get in a fit when someone is to buy from a backyard breeder, you say "get from a reputable breeder, or get one from the shelter they need homes"

Besides the obvious facts like health issues and stuff why do you discourage so much from buying from Byb's. Your not going to be able to stop bybing. Don't these pup's need homes to? If these pups dont go to a good home guess what happens, they end up in the very place you say to get a dog from. The shelter...I would venture to say most pure bred dogs in shelters are from back yard breeders. What's the difference in getting one as a pup or waiting untill it's in the pound? I would much rather take in a byb dog knowing I was going to care for it..then some ahole getting it...not liking something about it and dumping it off.

I think some of this mentality comes from a smugness..that having the 1500 dollar dog makes you look like high society. Im against byb by the way.

I'm against byb's but I'm not necessarily against purchasing from them.

Yea, but the puppies are going to be bought regardless. 90 percent of the population is uneducated about byb's..why allow the dog to go to a pottentaly bad home when you can stop it.

You say that it makes it profitable for the byb, but then you turn around and say that reutable breeders who charge 1000 a pup are barely breaking even. I would bet anything that byb's make no money off they're pups.

Answer 1

the only way to stop back yard breeders and puppy mills is to STOP BUYING FROM THEM!!!

When you buy a puppy, that just encourages them to breed more for profit.. whats to say the next pup wont end up with a bad owner? If the puppies wouldnt sell, the breeder would stop breeding.. because it costs money to house and feed puppies.

When the puppies dont sell, the breeder will dump them in the shelter, and can be adopted then.


edited to add:
this "you cant stop em" attitude is the problem here. We need to educate people about BYB's, puppymills and shelters. Ya, there are people who will still buy them.. but if you are against the BYB, then why are you willing to support them?

Reputable breeders sometimes sell their pet dogs for CHEAPER than a BYB does! I got my dog from a top breeder.. I was expecting to pay close to $1200 for him.. I paid $800. I have seen some backyard breeders charge $2,000-3,000 for a PET quality pup.. I can get a show potential female from a reputable breeder for that price.


Reputable breeders are putting more far money into their dogs also.. OFA testing is done on all dogs, CERF exams are done yearly.. shows are not cheap.. between entry fees, and travel expenses, and paying handlers. Reputable breeders ship in dogs from overseas to expand their lines.. $$$, stud fees for CH dogs is not cheap, expecially if you have to ship a dog to you. Many reputable breeders also s/n all pet puppies. Pre-natal and post natal care. None of the dogs are used for breeding until they are 2 years old.. females are probably only bred 2-3 times in their life.

Most backyard breeders only do basic vet care.. some of them probably do not even bother with the pre-natal and post natal care, unless something goes wrong. Many of them breed their dogs as soon as the female goes into heat.

Answer 2

Backyard Breeders eh?

Well. as a Breeder I'm going to tell you that growing up we always had pets from BYBs. I'm setting myself apart by admitting that one.

Let me tell you why we generally don't suggest it. There are breeds of dogs that have certain congenital defects that can show up in the puppies if the line isn't protected by the testing and x-rays that are important in the parents.
For example, I'll give you two tests in my breed ,Standard Poodles. They are prone to hips dysplasia. The hip joints don't form properly, causing the animal limited motion and surgeries can be in the thousands ($). The other is annual testing of the eyes for abnormalities.

Now, some folks out there aren't very savy when it comes to breed defects. They may also think that mixing 2 breeds would be nice. This is where the contention is with BYBs. Honest breeders want to produce the best dog they can, with the fewest amount of defects as possible.

You also mentioned price. Reputable breeders put these dogs through the tests, many of them have extensive obedience training and time in the show ring. Training and showing are very costly! So when you look at your dog's pedigree from a breeder, you'll see Champions in conformation and obedience.

So you see, there isn't the profit that you think. It's very hard to have a Champion dog, a dog with obedience titles, and a dog who has been through all the congenital testing without having to charge more for the animal because you've spent a huge sum of money on everything. This being so your clients get the best/ healthy dog you can buy.

The bottom line of direction ultimately is each person's choice. There are dishonest breeders. If you call a breeder for a dog, they better be able to back up what they say with test results on the parents. Otherwise, I wouldn't do business with them either.
So, BYB/ Breeder/Shelter= the buyers preference, bottom line.

Answer 3

I really don't think you are getting opinions from people who spend alot of $$ on their dogs. For instance, I work with a rescue group, and I never would buy a dog from a breeder. I don't have anything against reputable breeders, but being purebred just isn't that important to me. I select my animals for their personalities and their need for me. I only get my animals from a shelter and often take on the "head" cases that no one else wants.
The problem you don't seem to understand is that the more you buy from a byb, the more that person will breed. The more, the more, and so on and so on... the only way to stop the vicious circle is to stop the buying. Once the demand is gone, there will no longer be a reason to breed. It may take awhile, but that won't make me give up or give in. If we all just gave up nothing would get done.
As far as why I discourage bybs, just look at some of the questions on this site. The one that sickened me the most was the one about breeding a six month old minpin. Without doing any research first! If you don't think that is animal abuse???? Ignorance of how to breed is abusive.
By the way, some of those $1500 dogs are coming from bybs who breed those stupid designer mutts and charge outrageous prices for them. The smugest person I have met lately in the dog world was just so proud of her labradoodle.

Answer 4

Actually, if people quit buying from BYBs it would discourage them from breeding because if they could not get rid of their puppies and make money there would be no reason to breed.

ETA: BYBs will sell to anyone. They do not care whether or not you can handle a certain breed or if it is right for your family, they only care about the money the sale brings in so you can not stop a puppy from a BYB from going to a potentially bad home. Shelters and reputable breeders do their best to ensure the puppies go to the right homes.
Many BYBs, especially those that produce the so called designer dogs, charge as much if not more than a reputable breeder and they offer no real guarantee. There are many cost associated with breeding when done properly which contributes to the cost from a reputable breeder. When breeding correctly there is very little money made, you are lucky if you break even.

Answer 5

It is like this... some people, such as myself, save long and hard for that $1500-2500 puppy. WHY? because we want something that will be worth our time and efforts of ownership. I like to participate in the sport of Schutzhund and hence the USA of which I am a member has a breeding warden. The dogs have to meet stringent guidelines and the pedigrees have to match before a breeding is allowed... this is done to improve the breed...

What is it that you people do not understand about *KEEPING THE BREED STANDARDS*... The back yard breeders could give a hoot N a holar about anything other than their own selfishness.

There is NO smugness in doing the best you can to produce the best puppies --- BUT there is plenty of Hard work and expense.

The Titles and Championships a dog earns is what EARNS them the right to reproduce... and it is the people that own the dogs that WORK to achieve them.

SO what makes a dog worth $80,000 compared to a BYB??? === think

H.O.T. Dog
Handler Owner Trainer of GSD's
Member U.S.A & A.W.D.F

Answer 6

The difference is that reputable breeders get genetic testing done, they have thourogh health testing done, and they Pay thousands to make sure the parents and pups are healthy and properly documented. So paying $1,000 for a dog doesn't equal out to nearly as much as they fork out for the pups. Bakcyard breeders could care less so long as they make a few hundred. People who buy from backyard breeders encourage their behaviour and financially support their bad breeding practice which results in more unhealthy pups. I would rather see all the pups from the litter go to an animal shelter and get adopted knowing that people will be educated on their situation than have a backyard breeder make money off a single pup. It's blood money and nothing else and if people aren't educated enough to know that I will make every attempt to educate them so that they can make an educated decision and if they still buy from a backyard breeder than that is on them and they are just as ignorant as those who breed for money. Reputable breeders have no desire to be recognized as "high society" but rather work to improve the quality of the breed.

Answer 7

The one MAJOR difference between getting a dog from a shelter (than may or may not be from a BYB, puppy mill etc) and actually buying a dog from a BYB. It's all about the money! Your money goes into the pocket of the BYB and a little light bulb may go off in his or her head that says:
Hey this person just paid me $100 or $300 or whatever for this puppy. It really wasn't that hard, let's have another litter as soon as possible (with little or no regard for the health and well being of the dog or the puppies). The more you buy the more you encourage these practices. Simple economics, supply and demand.
When I pay a shelter $100 for a dog the money goes to spaying/nuetering feeding housing etc other homeless dogs. My money inthe hands of the shelter does good. My money inthe hands of a BYB encourages more BYBreeding.
If people stopped buying from back yard breeders, puppy millers, and pet stores they would go out of business.
Shelters would be less full etc.

EDIT
Reputable breeders don't make a lot of money because they put money into their dogs! They spend way more on puppies than BYB do. They also have fewer litters. BYB have low costs, based on what I hear on this site many of them do not even visit a vet while their dog is pregnant. They also force their dogs to have litters more often. BYB is profitable otherwise people wouldn't do it. Especially when they can produce "deisgner" (aka mutts) dogs by mixing their pug and their beagle and sell a Puggle for $800. Gimme a break!

Answer 8

Because if you keep giving them what they want...money...they are going to keep creating more sickly, babbling idiot dogs so they can get more money from any ****** that has it to spend. And the goal of our answers is to EDUCATE that 90% you say don't know about the difference between a BYB and a reputable one.

ADDED:
How many BYB's have been on here today with dying puppies they can't take to the vet because they 'don't have the money'? How many of those same ones were on here two weeks ago asking how much to charge for their mixed breed dogs? THAT's the difference. A BYB is going to make money, if the pups live, because they didn't spend a single penny on vet care, genetic tests, quality food and care for the female, money getting her judged worthy of breeding at shows, a decent whelping box and supplies, time to research pedigrees, money for reputable registry, libraries of canine reproduction books and breed specific books, or any of a million other expenses to get the healthiest, best pups possible. I actually offer my pups for less than any pet shop, and often less than many BYB's in this area. I wasn't ever in it to make money. I really don't care aobut it. I'm in it for the pride of offering the best, whether show dog or pet.

To DebbK- Yeah, I grew up in the 70's. If I found it, and we didn't have a dog, I got my dog. My parents didn't believe in spaying or neutering either. We had a few litters of very, very mixed breeds. Not my choice, but I learned from it. I learned that just letting dogs roam and breed randomly was not a good idea. I finally got my German shepherd by a fluke, (that one may have been from a BYB) and later, my dad got my mother a decently bred Dachshund. They were males, and they were never neutered, but by then I had learned what made puppies, and kept the girls seperated from the boys when needed. Amazing how things change, huh?

Answer 9

Sounds to me like you want to be against byb and just want more ammunition to use against them or strengthen your convictions. I don't believe all byb are bad or that all of them produce "babbling idiot dogs" but I still taught my Agriscience students to only go to reputable breeders or rescue centers. We think money is the bottom line for some bybs, but what about the buyers? I had many students come to me wanting a purebred but could not afford the $1000 up front. They couldnt pass up the $200 puppy and use the other $800 for good care for their dog. Personally, I believe strongly in mixed breeds for the healthiest dogs. You can get a "bad" dog from any place. Some "reputable breeders" are breeding to make their dogs have shorter snouts to look better even though it is harder for the dog to breath and can cause complications later in life. Some dogs from rescue places have been so messed up in the head you have issues to work through for the rest of their life. I believe dogs should only be bred if the pups are spoken for before the breeding even happens - no matter what kind of breeder you are.

Answer 10

I don't even know where to begin.........but I do know if people were more responsible, then we would not be having to PUT THOUSANDS OF DOGS TO SLEEP in shelters everyday!
There should be a license (or some way to watch over ) for people wanting to breed any dogs. Only people wanting to better the breed, show..................should be breeding.
I am NOT a breeder or I have never wanted to be, I feel like dogs (pet) should be spayed and neutered.
I have had shelter dogs and stray dogs. (I'm sure a BYB had them first)