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Originally Posted by Nancy1999  The USDA is the department of agriculture and covers rules concerning livestock. Any breeder that is licensed with them is a very large-scale breeder and must follow minimum requirements as set forth regarding the conditions of livestock. This is the very essence of a puppy mill breeder. I would never buy a dog from a breeder who was USDA liscensed. |
In our state you have to register with USDA if you are going to sell to brokers or to pet stores, regardless of how many breeders you have or litters you produce per year.
USDA does do random inspection but it's centered around the housing and treatment of the animals. A USDA inspector doesn't know anything about breeding for type or health or overall quality. You can be breeding dogs that won't see five years of age and they can't do anything about it as long as they are housed and cared for by USDA guidelines.
I feel for the OP because as you state you thought the ears were cute until you found out what they were supposed to look like. It's not uncommon to have purchased a puppy not knowing whether it was a quality puppy or not.