 Even the
best "commercial breeder" is an undesirable source for happy,
healthy, well-socialized pets. It's a little known fact that many, if not
most, pet store kittens, birds, reptiles, and other animals come from the same
type of breeding facility.
The
problem with large commercial breeding facilities is, they are in the business
solely to make money. They "farm" pet animals as other livestock
breeders "farm" pigs, chickens, and cows (and, if they sell pets
wholesale, are governed by the same
agency). The goal is
profit, pure and simple.
The
"breeding stock" — parents of the "cash crop" —
will probably never make it out of the mill, subsisting with poor quality food
and shelter, often in overcrowded, filthy, wire-bottomed cages; receiving
minimal veterinary care, if any; lacking socialization with humans; enduring
active physical abuse, and being killed or left to die when no longer
"productive." They will be bred as often as possible to increase
profits, inbred (meaning that the parent dogs are brother and sister, father
and daughter, mother and son, etc.); and sometimes bred indiscriminately.
Altogether too frequently, "defective" pups rejected by brokers, pet
stores, or consumers, end up at mill auctions as breeders.
 Investigations of
some millers have even uncovered falsified lineage records (fake AKC/UKC
registrations). If this type of fraud is discovered, these facilities lose
their "registration privileges" with the AKC or UKC (see
What Does AKC/ UKC/ Breed Registration
Really Mean?), but some other registries have been invented by and for
breeders who have been barred from the legitimate breed registries just to
impress prospective puppy purchasers who haven't "done their
homework."
Because
of these indiscriminate breeding practices, pups may not actually be purebred,
or may be born with serious genetic disorders such as heart murmurs, hip
problems, skin problems, deafness, allergies, plates in the skull that don't
close properly, aggressive temperaments, or a host of other hereditary defects.
Some of these problems may show up as soon as the customer gets the new pup
home. Some may not become evident for several years.
 Puppies born in
commercial breeding facilities are also generally separated from their mother
and siblings weeks before they are ready. Studies have shown that pups are
taught important lessons in socialization, pack order, and discipline in the
first eight weeks of their lives. Puppies removed from their mothers' gentle
discipline and their siblings' play before the age of eight weeks may never
learn important lessons about getting along with other animals — including
non-dominant members of their new human families. And puppies whose only
contact with humans is as "merchandise" may never learn how to
respond to humans as friends and pack leaders.
For
the consumer who purchases a pet that started life with a commercial breeder,
these factors all too often result in the heartache of a new animal companion
facing severe physical and temperament problems and even early death. At the
very least, a pet store customer may take home a completely unsocialized —
and unsociable — puppy who may, within a matter of days, end up in a
shelter because of excessive nipping, biting, or refusal to bond with his/her
new family members.
Are
there good breeders? A most emphatic YES! Raising sound, healthy, well
socialized puppies is difficult work with some very specific demands. Quality
breeders care about the animals they produce, and most say that if someone is
making money breeding puppies, that person is doing something wrong! (Please
see How to identify a Quality
Breeder and Breeders
With Pride: Responsible Breeders Speak Out.)
 It is the opinion of
the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project that puppy millers and back yard breeders
should not be called "breeders." They do not deserve the title.
Regardless of whether the facility is a large, sprawling commercial endeavor or
a few crates in someone's barn or backyard, whether they sell to brokers/pet
stores or direct to the public, Puppy Millers, Back Yard Breeders (BYB), and
pet brokers are PET PROFITEERS. They don't care about the
animals, they care about M-O-N-E-Y. They use and abuse animals for profit.
For more
information on Puppy Mills, see our Puppy
Mill Links page and:
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