Dog Breeders, Who Can You Trust?
So you have decided on the kind of breed you feel is best suited for you and your family. Now what? Where do you find the good breeders and not the backyard breeders or puppy mill breeders?
This past summer, my town faced a situation regarding a German Shepherd Dog breeder and their desire to expand their number of breeding dogs.
By looking on the breeder’s website, the dogs appeared to be high quality. Their pictures were stunning. Absolutely gorgeous dogs. Too bad the pictures on the website weren’t the breeder’s actual dogs.
As the months wore on, so did the town meetings. With each meeting came more information about compliance regulations, etc. But along with all the red tape also came stories of animal abuse toward the resident breeding dogs. More and more witnesses came forward to give their account of the welfare of the dogs and how badly they were being treated.
If the accounts of abuse weren’t bad enough, it came to light that a great majority of the dogs the breeder was selling as their own stock were actually being imported from puppy mills in Pennsylvania.
So how do you avoid being a victim of fraud when you are just simply trying to find a nice dog? Here are some tips:
- Speak to law enforcement in the town or humane societies in the area
- Check with the Better Business Bureau for complaints filed
- Ask for referrals from your veterinarian or friends
- Contact local breed clubs or visit professional dog shows
Don’t forget a good breeder will make you jump through hoops convincing them why you should have one of their dogs or puppies.
Make sure the breeder isn’t the only one asking questions. Find out how long they have been breeding. Ask to speak to previous adopters. Visit the facility. Meet the parents or at least the mother to give you an idea of temperament. If they say no or have excuses why you can’t, walk away. That is an immediate red flag.
Take your time and never buy a dog from a pet shop. Remember a reputable breeder would never ship their dogs off without doing their due diligence. If they don’t want to meet you, you do not want to do business with them.
Dawn Corby
Canine Etiquette, LLC