It's more than a lack of inspection, because most of those people would probably pass inspection. It's a lack of regulations. For the most part, as long as the dogs have food and shelter, that is all thsat is required.

Keeping the animals caged is one of the requirements by the USDA. They actually advocate cages and separate buildings.

Would her dogs be any less cared for if she were not licensed. I doubt it.

15 dogs and only 2 litters per year, doesn't make much sense.

But now that she is licensed, she would have to move in order to be able to do any different.

DonnaJean: I think it is just sad that you do things the right way and you end up being screwed. I have a lot of respect for you. I would LOVE to have one of your puppies but I already have two pups, and that is our city's limit on dogs. I, like you, believe (or used to believe) in following the rules. Too bad so many don't.

I think there should be a federal law that allows no more then a certain amunt of dog per kennel puppy mill or home so that all pets even breeding ones would have a quality life.

No wonder you hate puppy mills...it's personal!
 

It's to bad that doing the right thing has such a high cost, and I can see why you get angry when others aren't held to the same standard... The fact is you can only be responsible for you and no one else! You have no control over all the others. You can only be glad you are doing what is right... Life is not fair... I doubt it ever will be!

Petshop pets
 

We purchased our Maltese from an individual who had purchased her from a petshop.........we've had no problems with her and she is a delight but I would never personally buy from a petshop......heard most, if not all, are from puppymills as "true" breeders would not sell thier litters to petshops.

easy come easy go
 

i think people buy from pet shops cause they dont ask ? you hand over money they hand you a dog i almost got a dog from a pet shop but i did not cause people kept saying to go to a breeder so i will but i have to say in my search i have been so scared to travel alone to go get the pup that i was going to just use the pet shop in town im down to 3 breeders just not sure who to pick travel is expensive even to use the breeder here

Not buying puppies from petstores won't make a dent in puppymills.

First of all - all the puppies in all petstores are not from puppymills.

Second - the puppymill puppies that are being sold in pet stores are only the tip of the iceberg. Puppymills are doing much more business on the Internet and through other methods of selling then they are doing at pet stores today.

Unfortunately - the Internet has become a gold mine for puppymills. They are very skillful at advertising in ways that present them to be respectable breeders. They are beginning to present themselves as breeders who have only a limited number of puppies - they show pristine facilities and often state that they are selling only family-raised, well socialized little puppies. They offer excellent references.... and so on and so forth.

And pleeeeeeeeeeeze - let's be honest. Most people in the market for a little puppy don't know a lot about puppymills and wouldn't even suspect such a thing from what appears to be an honest advertisement on the Internet. Most people are not on dog forums and aren't bombarded with the constant information that you and I read and hear about every day.

Puppymills have to be stopped where they exist. People need to walk in, check these facilities out, and close them down "immediately." This is the only way we can stop the existence of puppymills.

You can walk through a pet store - and feel sorry for a little puppy - and not buy it and believe that you are helping close down puppymills - but in actuality you aren't even making a dent because most of puppymill's "growing business" isn't even in pet stores any longer.

The laws of suppy and demand are often quoted - regarding buying puppies from pet stores --- stating that if we don't buy them - the puppymills will go out of business. But, unfortunately, the laws of suppy and demand are leaving the pet stores and beginning to thrive in other areas -- venues like the Internet that we can't control - and sometimes can't even identify.

Times are changing and the market place is changing. And, unfortunately, these unscrupulous people always seem to keep one step ahead of most of the public. They are quickly learning quickly how to advertise and present themselves as honest, reputable breeders. And, they are becoming more and more difficult to recognize for what they really are.


There are puppymill puppies at pet stores - but they are also (even moreso) being sold over the Internet, through magazines, newspapers, outside grocery stores, etc. There is no end to where these puppies are being sold. And, often we don't even know that they are puppymill puppies.

I think that not buying from all the above places is a futile way to try and stop puppymills. We need to go to the facilities, themselves, and shut them down. We need to go to the prime source. We no longer have control over "supply and demand."

Again - I wouldn't hesitate to buy a puppy from a pet store - if I wanted one and saw one that caught my heart. These little guys are the victums of this horrible practice. Do any of you who have never purchased or never would purchase a puppy from a pet store really believe that you have helped to close down puppymills. If so -- why do we have more puppymills now then we have ever had in the past???

Why aren't we signing petitions, writing our congressmen over and over again, and threatening not to re-elect them if they don't help us close down puppymills across the country. Why aren't we organizing to fight this war? What should we really be doing - talk and opinions are cheap and they never solve any problem!!!

I wish we would all get together and really do something about this problem - and not just share horrer stories and talk about it. We can continued to be horrified and shed all the tears we want, but what we are doing isn't helping to close down puppymills. It's so simple - if there were no puppymills - there would be no puppymill puppies anywhere.

***** I hope we all stop from time to time and remember that the puppies aren't the only victims of this practice - even moreso are the poor dogs that are being bred over and over again to produce these puppies. And - we have to close down the actual puppymills to stop this abuse.




Carol Jean

I agree with you 100% Carol Jean, if you want to buy a puppy from a petstore do so. The problem of sick puppies is not confined simply to pet stores. A simple search on this website and you will discover plenty of people who purchased ill and unfit pups from breeders. The problem mainly lies with the purchaser, I would never buy a sick pup regardless if it's a breeder or a pet store. People have to take steps to protect themselves.

Putting the whole puppy mill thing aside, I wouldn't buy a dog (again) without talking to the breeder personally. I'd like to know the enviroment my dog is coming from and see their parents. And I'd also want to make sure I could trust them completley. I wouldn't want to do business with/for someone I've never met/talked to before.

I would never let anyone get a pupppy from me unless they came to my home, and spent time with the puppy they wanted, I agree they should meet the parents of the puppy, see the pedigrees, and see the living enviorment the puppies are living in. I, as a breeder also need to know how the puppy reacts to it's new perspective parents. Most of the people who have purchased a puppy from me visit once a week, and end up getting two. I can not express enough, know your breeder, check their homes, pedigrees, references, as a good breeder will also want to know a lot of personal information about you and the life that their little furbaby will be having with you. It is like parting with an infant when one of my babies leaves my home and I want to well know all I can about the future that baby will have. The parents of any of my puppies must be a blessing in the life of that precious little fur baby! And in return the puppy will be a blessing in their life!

Puppy Mills
 

Thank you,

Their is no way to regulate what any breeder is doing without being State Licensed, then at least you have a visit one time during the year, and to renew your Lic. they come to your house, inspect, and spend a great deal of time making sure all your dogs get along, know their names, do not have matts or long nails, have good venelation, heat, air, outside enviorment with sun, and a place to get exercise, you also have to make sure, you put all their dishes in the dishwasher, clean bedding a mim. of once a week ( my babies get clean beds every nite, with a clean polar fleece blanket. ) washable walls, floors, and counter tops, you must be very, very clean and steril, The list is a long one, and I think they do a very good job staying on top of your breeding business. They also check your records, which i feel is sooooo very important!!!! To be a small hobby breeder you can have no more than 99 dogs including puppies per year, in the State of Co.. That is a very large number of dogs, and I personally do not know of any one that can take care of that many dogs and puppies without a lot of full time help!!! The Pet industry is a large one and is very difficult for the State to stay on top of, they barley have enough staff to issue a lic. every year, to the breeders that are honest enough to apply for one, let alone try to find a puppy mill and put them out of business. I think a breeder's worst nightmare is being caught without a Lic. to breed their dogs, I do not know what the fine is, but I do know that getting Licensed, and a special use permit from the County gave me a great deal of peace. My dogs are much more than just a breeding business, my dogs are my pets, my babies, and I would gladly give up my breeding business just to be able to keep all my adult dogs legal in the County. I don't have to worry about someone turning me in now, and maybe taking my dogs away from me. Before I got my lic. I worried someone would turn me in, and maybe they could take my babies, the fine I could handle, taking any of my puppies would have killed me. I know I got a Royal Screw from the County,( however every cloud has a silver linning,I now have more time to get back into showing) basicly anyone else in the County can have four litters per year, and if they wanted to breed that bitch twice, they could have as many as 8 litters a year,( with the 4 dog per family rule to be legal in the County, but they are not legal in the State.) ( Our County is over the State,)that is a LOT of litters, and I think that many dogs breeding twice a year, could well be considered a puppy mill, you can not take care of 8 litters a year. These people should have a lic. from the State, as they have over 2 litters per year. If your breeder is not State lic. they are not State regulated, so don't buy your puppies from them. These people need to be supervised, checked on, and compley with the law. It is the only way to know if a breeder is reputable or a puppy mill, the difference is vast!!! I think it is a place to start, to try to keep these breeders under control, the only way to find them is to police your own back yard, AKC is pretty much on top of anyone that registere's 5 litters or more they check on you yearly so register them with AKC, so when you get an AKC dog you at least know the breeder is ethical. AKC does surprise visits, and you better have it all together, they are really on top of your paper work, DNA's, the condition of your home, and your dogs, it is a 10,000.00 dollar fine if the DNA's do not match or anything is wrong with your paper work, or if your dogs are not in good shape and well groomed. Along with the fine they can close you down for a year, so all you breeders who have over 2 litters a year get licensed by your state, you will sleep so well at night and it will give you great peace. I am a very small breeder, I will even be smaller now with only being able to have 2 litters a year, in the past 4 years in the breeding business I have had 13 litters, an avg. of 3.25 litters per year. I want you to know for me that was lot of hard, hard work, and I feel that having only 2 litters will make my life so much easier!!!! I might even be able to get back into showing, which is why I decided to do this in the first place. The yorkie business should be about quality, not quanity, these precious little ones need the attention of an infant for the first 6 months to year of their lives. Without having anyone issueing a Lic. how do we know what the living envioument is of the yorkies you are getting. I also know the laws vary from State to State, some states do not have any laws, and I also know the laws are different from County to County, find out what your laws are and abide by them, it will make for a really good nites sleep, and it is nice to reasure your clients that you are above board on your breeding business. It will also let you client know you are not a puppy mill. Breeders may be able to stash dogs in cages, when people come over to see the puppy they want to buy, but you can not hide from the State or AKC!!!! The only way to stop puppy mills is a baby step here and a baby step there till we can catch them, those baby steps add up. Know your breeder, ask to see their lic, make sure you get your AKC papers, and it will help put a stop to the breeders that are in for it for only the money.

I would love to read your post but find it hard on my poor old eyes to read without any paragraph breaks. :(

I\'m Sorry
 

I know what you mean! What was I thinking, I know better, just got carried away.


The only thing golden in your golden years is your urine, God knows I am in my golden years! Again so sorry, I just looked at it and I wouldn\'t want to wade through it either.

I don\'t communicate with anyone but my yorkies, so when a human is involved I get a little carried away. You didn\'t miss much.

Sorry it was so long.

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