Actual Breeder Search Advice (Honestly)
Every single dog breeder on God’s Green Earth will tell you that they breed for mental and physical soundness. Each and every one. All of them. That doesn’t make it true.
Don’t buy from anyone you wouldn’t return it to.
Withholding information? Dodging questions? Get iffy when you ask for documentation rather than just taking their word for it? Hmm. I wonder why.
Don’t make decisions you can’t justify to yourself.
Common sense gets you far.
If your gut says leave it, then leave it. There will be another dog.
7. Do your research in the breed to see if this breeder actually has their breed standards covered. If there’s one puppy that looks a little strange from the standard it might be the runt or a fluke because they do happen. Look at the parents before you look at the puppies, see if they are up to standard if get breeder won’t let you see the parents then find another one pretty much immediately.
8. Make sure the breeder is selling the puppies at an appropriate age, lots of them sell too early.
9. Ask how many litters the bitch has had recently. A “breeder” can also be a puppy Miller who’s over breeding their dogs and will breed that poor pooch as soon as they can.
10. Ask if you can see other litters from the mother and father. Look at those dogs if you can and see if they look like they have any issues
When my mom was buying her dog these are all things the whole family did to make sure the breeder was actually good. (The dogs were good but the breeder was a cow)
What’s the best place to report shady breeders?
That is a very good and interesting question!
Because one of the issues with shady breeders is that there often isn’t anywhere to report them, because there’s not much anyone can do.
If they’re abusive, neglectful or breaking welfare laws, humane societies or even police might be applicable. In my country, you report it to our version of the FDA.
If they’re breaking ethical guidelines posed by a kennel or breed club, you may be able to report it that way, and they may get a registry or competition ban.
But if they’re not controlled by a parent organization, and they’re not being straight up abusive, it can be difficult.
That’s when it becomes the responsibility of the individual. We as dog enthusiasts sometimes need to remember that we are consumers, and it falls to us to create a market we can stand by. It’s why it’s so important that we help educate each other on what is and is not responsible, how to spot red flags and detect bullshit, by sharing our knowledge and experience (especially with newcomers.) The only way to truly end irresponsible breeding is to learn to recognize it, and kill the market for it.
Adding that all current research says the safest way to breed is to have the litters back to back without taking a break between then spay when done. So breeding back to back doesn't mean someone is a puppy mill but probably actually taking care of their dog
