Dog breeding is not a business
I hung up the phone after a heated argument with a lady whom I had just denied one of my female pups “Gigi”. Every time I turn someone down I feel a sense of regret. Will I be able to find a better home for Gigi? Will I be stuck with too many puppies because I am too picky of a seller? This lady seemed really nice and claimed to have experience breeding dogs. She had a beautiful website and beautiful Pyrenees, but one page on her website really bothered me. She had a “For Sale” page which included 6 of her retired female dogs. She bred more then 4 different breeds and retired her females once they fulfilled their breeding potential. There was no way I would subject one of my puppies to being over bred and then sold off. According to National Ethical Breeders Association, I am standing by the basic ethical breeder standards,
A responsible breeder makes sure that every single baby goes to an owner who will provide it with the same love and devotion for life that the breeder has provided for the first eight or ten weeks. This means careful screening and evaluation of each person or family interested in getting a puppy.
My regret for turning the lady down was only short lived. Ironically, a family in Ohio visited me that day and gravitated toward Gigi. They visited her every week until she joined them on their beautiful farm. I deal with people all the time who are not the best match for my puppies, so it is rewarding when my puppies are placed where they are destined to be.
An ethical dog breeder should be present in a pup’s life the instant it comes into the world. How a breeder cares for and interacts with a pup has an immense affect on the pup for the rest of its adult life. Human socialization is important because most breeders sell their puppies as pet companions first and foremost. All breeders should practice ethical breeding instead of treating breeding as a business and dogs as money makers.
According to The Caring Corps, I practice responsible breeding,
The reputable breeder sells puppies directly to the individual consumer – never sells or consigns to pet shops. Buyers are invited – indeed required – to visit the breeder’s premises, to see where the puppies were born and how they’re being raised. Buyers are likely to see the mother dog, and sometimes the sire, living on the premises, where they’re treated as beloved family pets.
In addition to being a responsible breeder, there is ethical breeding. I don’t breed for a living, I don’t breed for money and I have a lot of spare time on my hands to continuously study the breed. I truly care about the Great Pyrenees, the betterment of the breed and the families who adopt my puppies. Therefore I will not sell my puppies to a puppy mill or a pet store.
Many money oriented breeders have a very busy schedule. They usually whelp more then a few litters at a time and breed numerous breeds at the same time while juggling day to day tasks. What they don’t understand is that they are not making a significant profit. The money that breeders put into their dogs day after day is easy to forget, while the cash flow from selling puppies seems profitable (NEBA). Another problem with overloaded breeders is their lack of time to whelp litters. I have spoken with many such breeders and they speak commonly of still born puppies, or puppies dying in the first few days. This sort of thing is spoken of casually, as if all breeders have the same problems. I have never had a still born nor lost a puppy, because I take an active roll in whelping. You would be surprised to know that during a puppy birth it may take the mother six minutes to stimulate her pup to breath, if she does at all (Pet). The longer a pup goes with out breathing the dumber it will be. My female can have up to 16 puppies in ten hours easily. Obviously, if I were not home to help her deliver the pups, there would be some dumb pups and some dead pups. As a breeder I pride myself in having a giving my dogs the best Vet care, food and supplements. This ensures that my puppies have the best start that they can. They are whelped indoors to facilitate human socialization as well as socialization with other dogs. According to Dr. Tracy Leonard a Basenji breeder, this socialization is necessary for a puppy’s adaptability, “As a puppy matures, it is important that he is familiarized with humans and the world outside his immediate home.”
Responsible breeders should potty train their litters. This takes time and effort but the reward is a cleaner puppy area, healthier puppies and happier puppy owners. Some breeders who don’t have time to clean up after their litters will throw down hay or wood chips and change it out when the smell gets intolerable. That is how puppies end up with worms that won’t die off, parasites, skin problems and bad potty habits. I start potty training when the puppies are three weeks old. I section of the whelping box by placing construction paper where the pups potty the most. Then I keep that area dirty for a day or two and amazingly the puppies learn that the paper is for potty. In the wild their mother would have them potty trained by this time (Misty)
Money hungry breeders try to whelp litters with expensive and rare qualities. For example, some breeders shoot for all white Great Pyrenees, grey Newfoundlands, or small headed Bulldogs (to avoid expensive C-section). This type of breeding is destroying all types of breeds. An all white Pyrenees is a stunning sight, but when you start breeding white to white you get more unhealthy Pyrenees with more hereditary problems. A Bulldog will suffer from genetic problems such as skin allergies, blindness and deafness. A grey Newfoundland may suffer from skin allergies and baldness. These are problems that an ethical breeder should avoid at any cost. There are ways to get healthy rarities in a breed, but bad breeders do no practice those methods due to lack of money, experience, time and knowledge.
When a busy breeder such as one that runs a puppy mill, sells a puppy, the sale is nothing more then a business exchange. You sign the papers, hand over the money and you get your pup. You are lucky if the breeder gives you some puppy food to take home. My puppies go home with food, vitamins, treats, toys, Nyla bones, a blanket (with mommas scent), a care page, health records, and AKC papers. In my puppy contract I state that it is necessary to keep in touch with me via e-mail at the least. Most of my buyers pick their puppy around 3-4 weeks, so I send them pictures and updates up until they take their pup home. When my puppies leave I always feel an emptiness, so I build relationships with my buyers and keep an open line of communication with them. A breeder at a puppy mill does not have time to go out of his/her way for the puppy’s new family.
Good breeders have no problems with letting potential puppy owners into their facility. It would be to many peoples advantage to live close to a breeder so that they can check out the conditions were their new puppy lived for the past two months. In my case the facility would be my living room. Which many people appreciate that the puppies are always being cared for. When I choose a puppy, I visit the breeder and the puppy’s parents. That helps me decide whether any of the pups will have the characteristics I am looking for. If you can visit the pups early on, around 3 weeks of age, you can see the differences in their personalities. Knowing the parents and all the pups’ personalities, you have a good chance of picking the puppy that is a good match for your needs. This active approach to puppy adopting ensures the new family and the breeder that everybody including the puppy will be happy and lessens the chance of a bad placement. Unfortunately, you can not do this if the breeder is out of state. If the breeder is too far to visit, you will have to rely on pictures and the breeder’s word. Today there are too many scams that are becoming more advanced and online purchases can not be trusted. Another downfall of placing a puppy in a home out of state is either a stressful car ride home, or a $275 shipping fee and stressful flight. I refuse to ship a puppy because it is too stressful. However, I am more then willing to take a round trip to meet families half way for only the cost of gas.
An ethical breeder should care about the wellbeing of their puppies for life. My puppies will never go to a shelter in situation where they can no longer be cared for. I have signed contracts stating that in any situation, the dog will be returned to me. I am more then happy to take my puppies or dogs back. I would either keep the returned dog or re-home him/her. Sometimes re-homing can take years, but it is ok. In that time I can fully analyze my dog to place him/her in a home that would accommodate his/hers needs. I have a lifetime responsibility to all of my puppies and I will always fulfill it.
Breeders should stop trying to turn breeding into a business. Puppy mills and pet stores don’t care who they sell their dogs to nor do they care about the dogs they are breeding. The life of one puppy has tremendous meaning to the family that adopts it, so breeders need to treat these puppies as a precious being, not a dollar sign. If breeders strive to be more ethical and caring, then the business breeding will dwindle and more people and their pet companions will be happier.
Works Cited
“Ethical Breeding Standards.” National Ethical Breeders Association. 2005. 15
May 2008. < / Standards.asp>
The Caring Corps Inc. “Dog Breeders, Terminology and Description of the
Different Categories.” 15 May 2008. < mills.htm>
Dr. Tracy Leonard. “Breeders Round Table: Puppy Socialization.” Dog Owner’s
Guide. Canis Major Publications. 2007. 15 May 2008 <;
“Puppies at 3 to 31/2 weeks: Time to Start Potty Training.” laceName w:st="on">DoglaceName> laceName w:st="on">BreedlaceName> Info
Center. 1998-2008. 15 May 2008. <http://www.
dogbreedinfo.com/breedingdogs/pottytrainingpuppies3weeks.htm>