[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Bluebells

I brought Jax home at 12 weeks and 26 ounces (so about 1.6 lbs). He seemed awfully fragile at the time, but he’s now between 11 and 12 months and a more robust (almost) four and a half pounds. It just takes a lot more time and attention to raise a pup from such a small size, especially if there are medical issues.

I’m more curious as to why a breeder would sell such a young pup than why someone would buy one. To a large extent, buyers who want a certain, popular breed of puppy — especially during a pandemic, when travel often isn’t possible — have to choose what’s available. Sadly, if all the local breeders are selling pups at six or eight weeks, a potential buyer who says “I’m going to wait until the pups are 12 weeks old” might not be able to find one.

But it’s still a red flag, to me, if a breeder is selling pups so young and small. It gives an appearance, at least, that the breeder prioritizes money over the health of the puppies. And it *could* be a red flag that the breeder is not being honest about the puppies themselves — their genetic health or likely growth, for example.

You are very spot on. Breeders who sell that young don’t want the added expense or the extra time it would take to keep the puppies until old enough. It is all about the money and they don’t do any kind of health testing or even care what dogs they are putting together, they just want the money in their hand. It’s very sad that so many people prioritize money over health and take advantage of people who want a puppy. As buyers though we must stop buying from those breeders to keep them from continuing to do this because that is the only way to stop them.