If she was running it out of her home I doubt it was an actual puppy mill. But there is a gray area between puppy mill and BYB, like a BYB who breeds a lot of dogs to try to make a profit. She sounds like a "greeder" or small-time commercial breeder.
Actually I don't find anything wrong with requiring cash or the stinky puppy. I paid my breeder cash, and I doubt any breeder would accept a check without requiring that the check clear the bank before puppy pick-up. I have read stories of breeders being given bad checks for a $1500 puppy, and that's a lot of money to lose to a bad check.
Puppies are stinky. My puppy and her litter were stinky when I visited the breeder's home. The breeder was cleaning up their pee and poop every single time they pottied, but they still managed to sit in it and rub it on each other. As long as the puppy is not matted and only mildly stinky, that's okay. Most breeders will bathe puppies right before sending them home. |