How Much is that Doggy in the Window?

As an animal welfare advocate, and former pet rescuer, caring for the voiceless, for decades, has always been my innate passion. There has been an alarming increase of both large and small scale puppy mills, puppy brokers and irresponsible backyard breeders, even on sites such as Craigslist and Facebook. These types of breeders and brokers all participate in the same inhumane practices: The pups, and the respective parents, have their essential and basic needs all denied.

Here are some red flags the conscientiously concerned consumer should be aware of when searching for your perfect forever puppy.

​

A puppy mill, backyard breeder and scammers only priority is "show me the money."  

​

They do not take the time to get to know you as a prospective pet parent. They only care about when you will give them the money. They don't ask you if you have any experience with dogs, have you ever had a puppy before, is your yard secure, do you have someone to care for your puppy in case of an emergency, etc. These are essential factors to ensure a puppy has their furever family. We take the time to ensure each pet parent has a solid plan for welcoming home their puppy. Ensuring that we are not part of the unwanted pet crisis is a serious undertaking and the endeavor of a hallmark responsible breeder. 

You are not able to see where the mom and pups actually spend their days and nights.

This most likely means they are kept in dirty cages or kennels ripe with the smell of ammonia and filth. These breeders often don't give the dogs clean water daily. If the pups have water at all, it may even contain an algae tablet dropped into the bowl. This is much less of a hassle than a simple sanitizing on a daily basis like responsible breeders do. It is easier and more affordable for these types of breeders to deny basic daily cleaning and medical care to their dogs and pups. Your pup will not see the vet before adoption day and the adult dogs do not receive routine care. As a responsible breeder, we cannot compete with the low adoption fees of these types but they cannot even compete with the exceptional care we provide to our furry family.

​
You can never see more than just a staged, cutesy puppy picture, and no videos or everyday pics of pups and their mom are given when requested.

This most likely means that the puppy is taken out of a filthy kennel, or cage, on 'picture' day with a pleasing staged background. All other times are spent in cramped and dirty quarters where they get no exercise or stimulation, no nourishing food, no clean water, and no love. That is inhumane in our view.

The breeder always seem to have puppies available.

This most likely means these types of unethical breeders care more about profit by quantity than carefully planning each litter. They sometimes even have puppies that are several months old. If the older puppies reach a year old, the unwanted dogs will often be taken to a shelter. Yes you could potentially find a purebred dog in a shelter, but this dog will not have any social skills because he or she lived in a dirty kennel absent of emotional, mental and physical activity, stimulation, nourishment and love for the first year of life. That is unethical, in our view and clearly contributes to the unwanted pet crisis.

​
The breeder will state that they just wanted to have this one litter or that the litter was a total accident.

This is indicative of an irresponsible and unethical breeder. The purposeful breeder will take utmost care in planning their litters in order to give the puppies the absolute best care and the very best start in life.
 

They give contradicting information about the pup's location.

Scammers may say the pups are raised in their home at one location, but then you find out after some digging that they are allegedly raised elsewhere. You have no idea where because that information is never disclosed to you. Often nameless photographers are hired to take these, offsite, staged photos of the puppies. If in doubt, request a pic of the puppy with a current date-stamp. You will likely be denied.
​

They cannot show you documentation.

You get no response when enquiring about the alleged AKC or UKC registration. You are not told who the dam and sire are. A responsible breeder will provide you with a three generation lineage, if you request that information. Scammers simply don't have it and frankly, there are enough folks that don't ask any questions. They cannot provide any respective documentation at all pertaining to the puppies they allegedly have for adoption.

They sell dogs on Craigslist or Facebook.

Craigslist and Facebook prohibit the selling of dogs on their site. That rule was made decades ago, specifically, to help ensure rescue groups and shelters find homes for the countless number of unhomed dogs. The fact is that if you see a puppy for sale on Craigslist, the chance is that it comes from an irresponsible breeder.

They cannot back up their claim of having years of experience.

Scammers have no history to back up their claim of having years of experience. They have no affiliation with AKC, UKC, OFA, AEDPA, etc. A breeder on AKC for example will list the registered dam and sire. You can see pictures of the respective dams and sires and get to know the history with your responsible breeder.

Go with a trusted, responsible breeder.
 

Unfortunately there are 3.2 million dogs that enter shelters in this country each year. The fact is, however, that some folks enjoy and love a purebred dog. A purposeful breeder breeds to improve the breed, but a backyard breeder or puppy mill does not. A well bred purebred dog is, in fact, preserving the breed that you love.
 

WCAE does not hide behind a facade. Being a responsible breeder is lots hard work, time intensive, oft messy and never cheap, but the time we spend with our pups is always filled with ample tenderness, funny moments and always a few bittersweet tears on adoption day. Love lives here.

Our obligation is to you because this is a lifetime commitment for you and your puppy deserves the best.  Our duty, first, is to the dogs we have and the pups we bring into this world and then to you, the family that relies on our purposefulness and integrity.

​

​