Internet purchases - get the facts
Modern puppy mills - get the facts
What to look for in your new puppy
Puppy mill articles from
around the world
The Puppy Mill - a new Australian documentary
Pet shops - get the facts
Why you shouldn't buy your pet from a shop
Pet shops are the leading distribution network for puppy farmers to sell their puppies to the public. Buying a pet shop puppy means you are supporting people who farm dogs for profit.
We all know the importance of choosing the right dog for your lifestyle and while pet shops present themselves as reputable, staff may not themselves know the origins of the puppies they sell. Deliveries of puppies may arrive weekly with little more than their age and breed details.
If you think your local pet shop is one of the good guys, think again. Here’s some of the double-speak they use to convince you that they in fact aren’t selling puppy mill pets.
"Our puppies only come from breeders, not puppy mills."
Anyone with two dogs can call themselves a breeder, so don't assume this means their pets don’t come from a puppy mill.
Ask to see documentation and find out the breeders location - if they won't give it to you there is no way to know if the breeder is located interstate and just farming and shipping pets for the pet shop market.
If you are able, take documentation away and do a background check on the breeder - often information on dubious breeders can be found on the internet.
"We only work with reputable breeders who we know."
A reputable breeder will not sell to a pet shop. A reputable breeder would never consider selling their puppies to someone they haven’t screened as they want to meet the people who will be adopting their puppies to make sure they are suitable. If they do sell to pet shops, then they are just looking to make money and aren't concerned about the long term welfare of their animals.
Ask - has the pet shop visited the kennels of the breeder? Often the only contact between the 'known' breeders is just that the 'product' has been delivered on time, reliably, for many years.
"We only sell the puppies of accidental litters."
Many stores help small scale puppy mills (known as backyard breeders) sell their dogs. While the concept of an 'accidental litter' seems quite sweet, these puppies are often from parents who are kept only for breeding by people who are not qualified in dog nutrition, genetics or development. Because vet care eats into the profits it is common for these dogs to receive little or no veterinary care and are not be tested for genetic diseases.
"We sell purebred labradoodles with papers."
Pugliers, spoodles, multipoos etc, or as they’re commonly called 'designer dogs' are a cross of two breeds and therefore can never come from a registered breeder.
The breeder being 'registered' might just mean they licence their dogs with their local council; or are 'registered' with organisations that have have nothing to do with Canine Councils and have been created purely to help puppy millers fool the public.