But if a breeder feels that they CAN charge $500 and they are happy with that, that alone does not make them a bad breeder. There are some breeders that do it for love of the breed, and don't think of it as a money-making enterprise. I don't think they should be penalized in that aspect, I would think that visiting such a breeder would give you an idea of what kind of person they are. That said, I'm sure there are plenty of breeders that sell Yorkies for $500 that DON'T properly take care of their Yorkies to the satisfaction of an average Yorkie owner. But price alone shouldn't automatically qualify a breeder as bad or not giving enough care for their Yorkie litter. We live in a free market, where people are allowed to price Yorkies at whatever they would like, from free to $25,000. If you want to "tip" your Yorkie breeder, or give them more than they are asking, I doubt they would refuse that money. Breeders that price their Yorkies at $500 probably feel that $500 is enough to fairly compensate them for their time and effort in raising that Yorkie, otherwise they would set the price at another level.
As far as what a puppymill is, there is no one definition that everyone would agree to. Some people may say a breeder with 12 dogs would be a mill, some people think it has to be over 25. It's clearly subjective, but almost all people would agree that if you have hundreds of dogs in one kennel, that would be considered a puppymill. Others may look at conditions more than the sheer number of dogs at a location to determine whether it's a puppymill. I personally think everyone should have their own definition of what a puppymill is, as there are many variables and aspects to consider. |