[BakersDozen]

Originally Posted by Woogie Man

Since the Oprah show wasn't about any particular breed, I'll speak generally, too. I think that people who buy puppies need to be more aware about the 'dog business' in general before they buy. That's the only true way to shut down puppy mills. The more aware and demanding puppy buyers are, the more breeders will have to 'up their game'. This would be good for everyone all around, especially the dogs. While I agree with you in principle about what breeders should be doing, there is no way in reality that all those things will ever happen. There is no reason for a breeder not to guarantee the health of a puppy for a year but the other points you make (full breeding rights and spay/neuter contracts) are dictates that generally only show breeders and those with very high-end dogs have the luxury to demand. Also, the 'alternative' registries do not offer the breeder the option of selling a pup with limited registration and you can do an end-around AKC limited by registering your dog with another registry. I cannot honestly agree with you that back-yard breeders are as bad as puppy mills. No back yard breeder, no matter how ignorant or mis-guided they may be, heaps the cruelties on their dogs that puppy mills do on a daily basis for the dog's entire life. Though you may rightly disagree with many of the things they are doing, it is really unfair to lump them in with puppy mills. BYBs at least generally care about their dogs while some puppy mills resemble concentration camps more than anything. If this problem is ever to be solved, the worst of the worst must be eliminated and that is the commercial puppy mills. To lump anyone else in with them only muddies the water and makes it more difficult to focus on the real problem. Dog owners must bear some responsibility in this too. It seems like the animal shelters are really being over-whelmed by strays and dogs and puppies from litters that only happened because folks neglect to spay or neuter their pets. Also, too many people consider their dogs 'disposable' if it becomes inconvenient to keep them. Hope I didn't get you started , just wanted to express how I see the problem.