Don’t Buy that Puppy

I know someone who sent $2000 to an online dog breeder and got exactly nothing in return. Other people report getting a different dog from the one pictured, or a puppy who dies shortly after arriving. There is a reason for this.

Puppies sold through pet stores -and increasingly those sold online – are often produced by Canine Commercial Breeding Operations, more commonly known as Puppy Mills. While there is no official definition of a Puppy Mill, it is generally considered a business whose chief goal is financial rather than animal welfare, a place where dogs are merchandise rather than “man’s best friend.”

According to the Animal Welfare Act, the federal law which regulates the sale of animals, breeders must be licensed by the USDA and are required to meet minimum humanitarian standards. And while those standards are indeed minimum, humanitarian they are not. The law was originally enacted as a way to prevent labs from picking up strays (or occasionally stealing pets) to use for experimentation. It required laboratories to show where animals used for experimentation were acquired.

Legally licensed Puppy Mills are allowed to crate dogs in wire cages just large enough for the dog to stand (6” larger than the dog, according to the ASPCA). They are also allowed to stack those crates to maximize space, with no limit on the number of dogs at the facility. Females can be bred each time they come into heat and puppies can be removed and sold to stores at any age. Imagine living in a cage your entire life, only occasionally being let out to stretch – if you are lucky. Of course we do the same to humans in jail, so maybe the treatment is human, rather than humane. That doesn’t make it right!

These national standards for USDA licensed commercial dog breeding, were not designed to help dogs, but rather to regulate ownership. Many states have passed their own laws to protect dogs from the worst abuses of Puppy Mills, however 24 states and the District of Columbia are silent on the issue, relying on the AWA to protect animals. State laws can be an improvement, but that isn’t saying much.

Click here for the federal animal welfare act.

“Don’t buy from a pet store. Don’t buy online.” Every dog professional I spoke with was clear and definitive on this point. Even if you don’t mind supporting a business that keeps dogs in stacked crates with wire mesh floors like inventory in a warehouse, you still shouldn’t buy from a puppy mill. Not only are they cruel, they often produce diseased and unsocialized animals.

Indeed, a study comparing puppies bought from pet stores to those from noncommercial breeders found that, as adults, pet store dogs received significantly lower scores on 12 of 14 behavior variables studied, including greater aggression towards both people and other dogs, greater fear, greater separation anxiety and greater house soiling. While temperament and breed will influence behavior, the study looked at dogs across breeds, ages and personalities and still found a significant difference between the two groups of dogs. The study concluded: “the authors cannot recommend that puppies be obtained from pet stores.” (McMillan et al.)

While the study did not look at the causes of the adult behavior, it is notable that the symptoms they describe are exactly those found with unsocialized dogs. This suggests, at the very least, that these pet store puppies were raised in barren and / or stressful environments, such as a Puppy Mill. Unfortunately, Puppy Mills are now also selling dogs online (including on Craig’s list). I googled “buy a puppy online” and found several sites which claim to list thousands of puppies. I picked one at random and asked a representative (from “PuppyFind.com”) where their dogs came from. The response was that all their dogs come from good homes. When I tried to get more details I was told to contact the individual dealer.

Their directory lists over 10,000 dealers. My (decidedly unscientific) browse through the listings showed that many dealers claimed to raise the dog indoors with the family and many of the dogs were AKC registered. I directly contacted 5 individual breeders and three responded via email. One suggested I come visit (a very good sign!), another simply told me how to buy online and a third referred me to their website which stated that they were a small breeder who kept their dogs in their home to ensure proper socialization. They ship globally.

What is lacking is any way of proving that these breeders are who they claim to be. The website itself doesn’t provide any guarantees. PuppyFinder.com, instead, suggests several ways to avoid scammers, including not sending money to a country different from the one listed, asking for a phone number, and, my personal favorite: “Ask the Breeder to send additional pictures of the puppy you are interested in. Require a specific item to be in the photo, like a soda can or your name on a piece of paper. If they refuse to send additional pictures or state their camera is broken and are unable to send additional pictures, discontinue the sale” (http://www.puppyfind.com/buyer_tips/). It would seem that PuppyFinder.com does not have full confidence in all of the breeders they say are providing “good homes” for their puppies.

While these tips may help you avoid sending money to buy a dog that doesn’t actually exist, they don’t give any indication of whether the “sweet family farm on the prairie, with dogs frolicking in the sunshine,” is actually a Puppy Mill. The only way to be sure is to visit the breeder.

All reputable breeders will allow or encourage a visit. If they don’t, go elsewhere. Don’t get a dog unseen. Animal shelters have many lovely dogs and puppies in need of a good home. In fact, many shelters take in dogs rescued from Puppy Mills or other abusive situations. A good shelter will spend time acclimating the dog to it’s new life. At a shelter you can also meet the dog and spend time with it before deciding whether you are a good match. If we could eliminate Puppy Mills and improve animal welfare laws, we could give more dogs a chance at a happy and healthy life, starting at puppyhood.

It can be heart breaking to get to know a dog, or come to love your new puppy, only to learn it has expensive medical issues, or simply can’t be housebroken. Once you love your pup it is yours. A cute, mournful look at the pet store may translate into fear based aggression, or neurotic chewing. It’s best to get all the information you can before you make your choice.

Once you get your dog the work begins, so it’s best to get a good match from the start.

Stay well, be curious, learn things,
Kate

June 2020