Hi all,
I am seeking clear delineation on what separates reputable breeders from back-yard breeders and/or puppy mills. I have my views, but I truly don’t think anyone has the same picture in their heads when this topic is discussed. Sure, you can review the information on parent club sites, but it has been my experience that folks will put their own twist on things to suit their needs. I’ve heard otherwise reputable breeders described as being puppy mills based on things not in the parent clubs’ outline, such as: number of dogs owned, accidental breedings, who they ‘hang out’ with, and because there was a full moon :). Furthermore, some people suggest it is inappropriate to breed a female past age 6, while others feel it’s okay to breed past age 9, if she is healthy. You can’t make everyone happy, but I would like to narrow the field down a bit and try to learn more about the wide range of varying expectations people hold when it comes to this subject.
Your thoughts/insights would be most welcome!
Thanks!
Jess
This is a VERY sensitive subject. People have so many different opinions on this matter. To me a, reputable breeder is someone who does the applicable heath clearance (OFA, CERF. . .), the dogs are all treated as part of the family (not just property), the breeder knows their limits regarding care, space and time for the dogs. I don’t believe that number of dogs, litters, accidental breedings and such matter, compared to the health, care and love of each and every dogs.
JMHO
Dy
Comment by Dyellen — April 14, 2010 @ 8:59 pm
Hi Dy,
Thanks for the response.
I think you make a good point about they types of things we’d like to see every breeder doing; however, some of them are not documentable. I think the majority of folks involved in dogs truly do love their dogs (maybe I’m being optimistic), but it’s not something you could very easily include in a checklist :). I’ve visited some places where I could tell they really loved their dogs, but I didn’t necessarily agree with the manner in which they were maintained. Likewise, there have been people who didn’t agree with my methods either.
For example, here, we have lots of room to run, and the dogs are allowed to be dogs. As a result, we have a higher risk of one getting a nick on his/her face due to rough play or a dispute… we have a higher risk of accidental breedings… and they have to go to the groomer a lot more often than they would if I would keep them under lock-and-key.
On the other hand, I used to work with a breeder who thought that whole scenario was horrible. Her dogs NEVER got a nick, NEVER had an accidental breeding, and were always immaculately groomed. They also did a lot of crate time, and didn’t get out to run very often (especially if the weather wasn’t good).
Needless to say, we’d had a falling out, and we were immediately ‘bad guys’.
I’ve toured more than 40 kennels in the US and Canada. There are some folks with A LOT of dogs. I’ve seen some that were what I considered to be well cared for, and others that never left their runs. But, in both those cases, based on my outline below of some general criteria, those folks still weren’t technically ‘puppy mills’. But, I’ve heard them called that by others before because they had lots of litters.
So, you will have people that sling that ‘puppy mill’ word around all the time, simply because people do things differently than they would.
What I would like to eventually see is a clearer definition.
When I don’t have puppies available, I always refer people inquiring on to other “reputable breeders”… Our list of things we’d like to see for someone to be reputable are as follows:
a. Do something with the dogs other than just breed them (conformation, agility, obedience, therapy, field trials, sledding, weight pulls, etc.)
b. Health screenings on the parents (OFA/CERF or ACVO)
c. Written Health Guarantee – Less than 36 months is a waste of time because many health problems won’t show up until after two years of age.
d. Extensive screening procedures for buyers and spay/neuter requirements for pets. Anyone who is in a big hurry to sell you a dog and does not ask lots of questions is not reputable. And anyone who sells dogs for breeding purposes to “just anyone”? is not reputable.
e. Reputable breeders do not breed for coat or eye color.
But, even some of the folks I work closely with don’t ‘require’ spay/neuter and don’t give a written health guarantee. They do all the other stuff. I certainly wouldn’t call them a ‘puppy mill’ or not reputable as a result, though.
So, to me, there’s just a lot of room for interpretation, and subsequently, EVERYONE gets labeled at some point or another. It’s a shame.
Jess
Comment by Jalerran — April 15, 2010 @ 4:11 pm