Puppy Mills
The problems of puppy mills, puppy brokers and irresponsible breeders are receiving more media coverage. The public is becoming more educated on the importance of buying a puppy/dog from ethical, responsible breeders in order to avoid both the physical and psychological problems associated with dogs from poor sources. Everyone selling puppies proclaims himself or herself to be a responsible breeder, even those selling puppies from puppy mills! It is up to the buyer to determine whether or not someone trying to sell them a puppy is a responsible breeder.
Education is the best weapon against puppy mills' indiscriminate breeding, animal neglect and abuse. To help you, future dog owner, recognize and avoid purchasing your puppy or dog from a puppy mill, BKC proudly posts the following articles:
- "How To Recognize a Puppy Mill: Don’t be fooled by marketing: learn to spot poorly reared high-priced pups,"
- "Undercover at a Puppy Mill: Good bluffing can easily fool just about anyone," and
- "The Truth About Puppy Mills,"
which originally appeared in the Madison Pet Gazette as a three-part series in the February, March, and April 1998 issues. Thank you Vesna Kovach (editor, Madison Pet Gazette) and Sharon Savage, MS for allowing us to post the series. "Sharon's puppy mill series is right on point with a lot of valuable information many people have not seen or thought about before, and it's important to get it to as many readers as possible." ~Vesna Kovatch
- I think I've found a puppy mill, what can I do?
- How can I find a responsible breeder or rescue organization?
How To Recognize a Puppy Mill
Don’t be fooled by marketing: learn to spot poorly-reared high-priced pups
By Sharon Savage, MS
This is the first column in a special Well-Tempered Pet series about “puppy mills” and what every potential dog owner should know about them: how to recognize one, and why it matters to you.
As a dog behaviorist, I often treat dogs purchased at “puppy mills”. Clients usually say that they bought from a particular kennel due to its “huge selection.” Sadly, they later end up dealing with numerous temperament and training problems.
A “puppy mill” is a commercial enterprise that breeds large numbers of puppies for profit. There is nothing intrinsically illegal about puppy mills, and many are inspected and licensed. Often, puppy mills do not sell their stock directly, but ship to dealers and pet stores in other states. Puppy mills are only considered newsworthy if multiple puppies have died from disease or neglect.
The term carries a negative connotation, and I’d like to think that most people wouldn’t knowingly patronize such an operation. But, surprising as it may seem, without a solid grasp of the particular tactics these establishments use to sell, sell, sell, you may never realize that a place is, in fact, a puppy mill. Before you inadvertently add to a puppy mill’s coffers, do some research. If you want to avoid the very real problems associated with puppy mill dogs, learn to recognize them by these warning signs.
Puppies! Puppies! And more puppies!
As modern consumers, we equate a large inventory and broad selection with a satisfactory shopping experience. But with puppies and other pets, just the opposite is true.
Breeding healthy and well-adjusted puppies is a time- and energy-intensive endeavor. After testing the parents for genetic problems and providing veterinary care for the puppies, breeding seldom leads to lucrative profits. An ethical breeder breeds to improve his or her “line,” and normally uses puppy sales only to offset the costs of showing the parents.
| "A huge inventory is a bad sign when it comes to pets... and a home-raised puppy is worth the wait." |
The puppy mill sales strategy, on the other hand, is to make it difficult for prospective customers to go home empty-handed—so they provide a large assortment of breeds. With pets, a big selection is a danger signal! Be wary of any breeder that breeds more than two breeds of dogs or that ever has more than two litters available. In the long run, it’s better to resist this appeal to your customary shopping sense.
Learn about which breed or mix is right for you before you actually go to look for your pup. An impulsive choice can lead to a boatload of regrets later! Reserving a quality home-raised puppy of a particular breed can sometimes mean a several month wait, but will pay huge dividends.
For those who want a selection but don’t want to support the puppy mill industry, consider one of the wonderful pets available at the Dane County Humane Society. For more on the topic of how to choose what type of dog to get, see the article in January, 1998’s Madison Pet Gazette, “Choosing Your New Dog: proceed with care-the life you save may be your pet’s!” (available by mail or on our website).
Are the puppies in a home environment with plenty of stimulation?
A puppy should have plenty of early experience in its future habitat: the human home. A puppy that has been raised in a cage or barn will be undersocialized to people and to the sights and sounds of a normal household. Puppy mill puppies are so understimulated that, as adults, they may tremble upon seeing a falling leaf or hearing a cupboard door click shut. Look for a puppy who has been well-socialized to family and visitors and that lives in an active area of the house. Also, puppies should always have plenty of toys available.
| "Housebreaking is difficult after early life is spent in a small cage—with the inescapable smell from the catch tray beneath." |
Do the puppies have access to a “potty area”?
Housebreaking is extremely difficult for puppies purchased from puppy mills. Most spend their formative weeks in small cages with wire bottoms that allow wastes to drop through onto a tray. This teaches puppies that 1) it doesn’t matter where they eliminate because they never have to step in it, and 2) they can’t get far from the smell, so they’d better learn to live with it. The end result is a puppy that can’t be housebroken using a crate (cages are self-cleaning!) and that doesn’t have any desire to eliminate outside of its home turf (no use trying to escape from that poop smell!). On the other hand, puppies raised in a large pen in a kitchen learn the difference between living areas and elimination areas. This makes it very easy to teach indoor/outdoor discrimination later.
Is the mother of the puppies present?
Unscrupulous breeders may tell customers that the mother is absent because “she’s protective” of the puppies, or because the puppies are “being weaned.” These could be simply excuses. In reality, the puppies’ mom might be kept in a filthy barn or basement with dozens of other breeding dogs. Breeding stock animals are often caged together, and parents’ names on puppy registration papers may be no more than guesses.
By the way, if the puppies’ mom is less than enthusiastic about your approach, the pups themselves may grow up to treat guests the same way. You don’t need the hassle of a puppy that had a “protective” (i.e., fear-aggressive) mom! And as far as weaning is concerned, never consider buying a puppy so young that it is just being weaned.
Is the father of the puppies also owned by the breeder?
Except for show or sport breeders with titled stud dogs, be suspicious of breeders that own both parents. Naive “backyard breeders”, as well as puppy millers, find it profitable to use whatever male is handy. However, a stud should be specially selected to improve on the female’s traits. For instance, he may be chosen for his excellent temperament with other dogs, his straight legs, weatherproof coat or herding ability. A stud dog that perfectly complements one female is often a poor choice for another, and even show breeders rarely own a “matched pair.”
How old are the parents?
Make sure the puppy’s parents were at least two years old before being bred. This allows time for genetic or temperament problems to be discovered before they are perpetuated.
Know how to read the registration papers and pedigree
If you are buying a purebred puppy, make sure that the breeder lets you review the AKC or UKC registration papers. Puppy mill puppies are often registered with official-sounding organizations that are really mail-order fakes. The Continental Kennel Club, for instance, readily supplies “papers” for any mixed or purebred puppy for a fee.
Even AKC or UKC papers say nothing about the quality of the puppy, except that the breeder knew enough to write in the names of two registered purebreds as the parents! Similarly, a pedigree is nothing more than a listing of the family tree. Speaking of pedigrees, don’t be impressed by a few champions in your pup’s ancestry. Virtually every purebred dog is from a “championship line” if you go back two or three generations!
Next month, read about my “undercover” visit to a puppy mill.
About the author:
Sharon Savage earned her M.S. in Zoology/Animal Behavior from the University of Wisconsin, and currently lives and works in England. From 1996-99, she ran K-9 Behavioral Solutions, providing in-home dog behavior counseling and classes to over 700 clients in Wisconsin and surrounding states. She has two dogs: Piper, a Jack Russell Terrier, and Dagger, an Australian Cattle Dog.
Undercover at a Puppy Mill
Good bluffing can easily fool just about anyone
Part 2 of 3
Recently, I visited my first puppy mill.
Although clients never identify their dogs as having come from puppy mills, I have noticed the same kennel names cropping up again and again. After seeing six “unhousebreakable” puppies in a row purchased from the same kennel, I decided to do some detective work. I needed to see what was convincing people to buy puppies from what was clearly—to me—a puppy mill.
I started by dialing the number in the dealer’s classified ad (Puppies galore! Dobermans, Dachshunds, Schipperkes, Mastiffs! Open 7 days a week!). (Part One of this article series explains the many reasons why a wide selection is a bad sign when you’re shopping for a puppy.)
Posing as a prospective puppy buyer, I talked to a pleasant-sounding woman who said they had plenty of puppies available for Christmas.
Not quite a dog’s life
My partner, Michael, and I arrived after an hour’s drive through the countryside. The puppy farmer shook our hands and led us to the puppy barn, as half a dozen cold and filthy dogs tagged along.
The building contained forty wire cages, each 2 feet by 3 feet, stacked two high. Each cage contained food and water and up to five puppies...but not a single toy. Although the waste trays were relatively clean, the stench was overpowering.
Name that breed
The puppy farmer confidently went from cage to cage identifying each occupant’s breed. Unfortunately, he was only right about half of the time. Nevertheless, he was close enough to fool a person who had only seen photos of adults. After all, eight-week-old Maltese and Bichon Frise puppies are best described as “white puffballs” by a non-expert! There were also many mixed-breed puppies that the puppy miller told us had been donated by local families.
We pretended to take an interest in a one particular munchkin the puppy farmer identified as a Jack Russell Terrier (correct!). We were encouraged to “take him out for a test drive”—to the building with the cash register.
Lifelong behavior problems in the making
As we approached the puppy’s cage, the whole litter seemed eager for attention, bouncing around merrily. But when we opened the door and reached in, the puppies huddled against the far side of the cage! Tragically, this signaled a lack of socialization.
Why the sudden change in disposition? Puppies don’t naturally recognize the human hand, and need to be taught about it. Normally-raised puppies at eight weeks have already learned that hands are fun for cuddling, chewing on, playing tug games with and eating out of. Sadly, these puppy mill pups still saw the human hand as dangerous.
When the puppies saw us from a distance, they apparently considered us as possible social contacts. After all, two eyes a nose and a mouth can be recognized as friendly by a puppy. However, when we put our hands near them, they were suddenly confronted with an object they were not familiar with. It was like a weird outer space being suddenly sticking some dangerous antennae near them. After all, dogs don’t ever aim their feet towards another dog’s body!
These improperly-raised pups may someday learn to accept their future owner’s hands out of necessity. But without a lot of socialization, a dog with this type of start in life will always be suspicious and nippy toward a visitor who extends an arm for a friendly pat.
The paperless pup; or, The facts about Jacks
Back to our story. Unaware that her husband had already identified our pup’s breed as Jack Russell, the woman in the adjacent building alternately referred to our pup as a Rat Terrier or a Terrier/Heeler mix.
We asked to see the puppy’s parents, and to our astonishment, she immediately sent the puppy farmer to a far-off barn. He returned with two dogs. (Part One of this article series explains why it’s usually a trouble sign when both parents are owned by the same breeder.)
Now, the puppy miller had solemnly explained that the reason our pup didn’t come with papers because the Jack Russell breed was not officially recognized. However, once we saw the parents, we knew the real reason: his dogs were of such poor quality as to be unregisterable.
In fact, Jack Russells are officially recognized, and by numerous respectable organizations including the UKC (United Kennel Club) and the AKC (American Kennel Club). But certain “conformation” to breed standards is required for a dog to be registered—and these dogs fell short of the standards.
For instance, both dogs had prick ears instead of the required folded “button” ears—a serious flaw in the Jack Russell. Also, Jack Russells should be 10–15 inches tall. But Dad stood an astounding 18 inches! Either fault would make the adult dogs unregisterable with the JRTCA or UKC.
False appeal
I left with an understanding of why nice people continue to buy from puppy mills. The puppies I saw were relatively clean, well-fed and vaccinated. Both parents were on the premises. All the purebred puppies—except for the Jack Russells—came with AKC registration papers. The puppy farmers seemed nice, and we had driven so far. And what a terrific selection!
Next month, learn more common deceptions and distractions.
About the author:
Sharon Savage earned her M.S. in Zoology/Animal Behavior from the University of Wisconsin, and currently lives and works in England. From 1996-99, she ran K-9 Behavioral Solutions, providing in-home dog behavior counseling and classes to over 700 clients in Wisconsin and surrounding states. She has two dogs: Piper, a Jack Russell Terrier, and Dagger, an Australian Cattle Dog.
In last month’s installment, I described the poor quality, in terms of conforming to breed standards, of the dogs we saw during our undercover visit to a puppy mill.
This might not seem to be such a serious problem. Most puppy buyers aren’t interested in entering their pet at dog shows. So why should it matter if your puppy grows up to be fifty percent too tall and have the wrong type of ears?
The first answer is that many people truly don’t have a preference regarding the size or shape of their pet dog. But in that case, why pay premium prices for a puppy mill purebred? The Dane County Humane Society has terrific pure- and mixed-breed dogs available at nominal cost.
The second answer is that people who are looking for a purebred usually have specific goals in mind. They may need an adult dog that weighs under 20 pounds so it can stay in their apartment legally. Maybe they like a particular personality trait, or need a dog that will not shed. These people would be disappointed to find that their adult dog had grown up to be nothing like they imagined.
In Part One of this series, I mentioned some of the warning signs that you may see on the premises of a puppy mill. For instance, puppy mills typically have large quantities and multiple breeds of puppies for sale. Puppy mill pups are usually separated from their mothers and raised in small cages without access to “potty areas” or human social contact. A puppy mill breeder usually owns both the parents, and may breed the dogs at too young an age. Finally, puppy mill dogs may be registered with disreputable, “mail-order” organizations.
This final installment of our special puppy mill series will mention some additional warning signs you may spot at a mill.
Where are the papers from?
Check the registration papers for the puppy’s state of origin.
Although some respected breeders live there too, be cautious of puppies bred in Kansas, Iowa or Missouri. These states have huge puppy mill industries that ship puppies to local middlemen.
Has the advertised genetic testing really been done?
For example, if the parents are advertised as having “good hips,” the breeder should show you the documentation from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) or from a veterinarian. Upon questioning, I’ve found many breeders advertising “OFA parents” who did not even know a hip x-ray was required to receive an OFA rating!
Are males and females different prices?
Puppy mill operators use this tactic to insinuate that female pups are more valuable because you can breed them and “earn your money back.” Breeding purebred animals is an intensive life pursuit, in terms of time, energy, and money. It is simply dishonest to suggest it as a source of some easy pocket change. Any ethical breeder would insist you neuter or spay your non-show quality pet—which no one would pay you big bucks to breed with, anyway.
Does the facility claim to be a shelter as well?
Be aware that many puppy mills claim to be “no-kill animal shelters” in an attempt to sell used-up breeding stock to kindhearted people. If you want to save a life without lining anybody’s pockets, adopt a dog from the Dane County Humane Society or from a recognized purebred rescue club. The only way to shut down puppy mills for good is to stop buying there!
About the author:
Sharon Savage earned her M.S. in Zoology/Animal Behavior from the University of Wisconsin, and currently lives and works in England. From 1996-99, she ran K-9 Behavioral Solutions, providing in-home dog behavior counseling and classes to over 700 clients in Wisconsin and surrounding states. She has two dogs: Piper, a Jack Russell Terrier, and Dagger, an Australian Cattle Dog.
I think I've found a puppy mill, what can I do?
If you think you've found a puppy mill:
- Collect the facts. What's the name of the facility/breeder, where are they located, what breeds are involved, how are they being cared for (clean water, food, shelter, sanitation, veterinary care), how are they identified (collars with tags, tattoos, microchips?), how are they housed (together or separately), who are they selling to (brokers, pet stores, labs, public)?
- Document the facts. Write down your observations. Be objective--not emotional. Take a friend for your safety and to corroborate your observations. Be prepared to write, write, write, and call, call, call till the cows come home. Putting a mill out of business takes a lot of time, effort and commitment.
- Contact:
- Your local humane society or SPCA can act in cases of abuse or neglect
- Your local Better Business Bureau can register complaints
- Your local health department can deal with threats to public health (sanitation, disease)
- Your state veterinarian and state APHIS Veterinary Services Area Office
- Your USDA Animal Care contact can investigate licensed breeders and unlicensed brokers
- For violations of record-keeping (proper paperwork) and identification (no id on each and every dog) practices:
- For "AKC" advertised or registered dogs: AKC Investigations and Inspections Department; 5580 Centerview Drive; Raleigh, NC 27606-3390; 919-854-0152.
- For "UKC" advertised or registered dogs: United Kennel Club; 100 East Kilgore Avenue; Kalamazoo, MI 49001-5598; 616-343-9020
- For failure to collect and report sales or income tax. Your state Department of Revenue
- Your local media, kennel clubs, and anyone else who will listen!
For more detailed information and access to databases, visit the Puppy Mills site (www.nopuppymills.com) and/or contact BKC (info@badgerkennelclub.com) for additional information.
How can I find a responsible breeder or rescue organization?
So where does one look for a puppy or adult dog? An excellent site, the Dog Owner's Guide, offers help with finding a dog by discussing the pros and cons of the various sources for obtaining a puppy including a section on rescue organizations.
Is this breeder reputable? How do you find a responsible breeder or rescue organization? Locating responsible breeders and rescue contacts can be difficult. You won't often read their ads in the local newspaper, nor will you see their puppies at a pet store. But don't get discouraged, you've already come a long way!
An all-breed club like the Badger Kennel Club can be an excellent resource for referrals to responsible breeders and rescue contacts. Other dog owners (of the breed you're fancying), veterinarians, purebred dog registries, such as the American Kennel Club (AKC), United Kennel Club (UKC), and American Rare Breed Association (ARBA) can also be good starting points. Acme Pet offers some additional tips on choosing a quality dog breeder. And Club member, Sheryl Bolton, offers several signs of a responsible breeder and possible signs for concern.
Last modified:
December 10, 2006
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