Dogs make great family pets. They are loyal, playful, and offer their love unconditionally, so when you arrive home at the end of a stressful day, your dog will be more than happy to greet you with all the enthusiasm they can muster. There are always lots of mixed breed adult pooches looking for a new home, but many people prefer to buy a puppy instead. They know what breed they want and are willing to pay extra for a pure bred puppy to call their own.
Puppy Farms
Puppy farms are a big problem in many countries. The definition of a puppy farm is an establishment where puppies are churned out in huge numbers with very little regard for their health or welfare. There are many unscrupulous breeders out there who are more interested in turning a profit than raising happy, healthy dogs. These people don’t bother to breed selectively so genetic problems are passed on through successive generations and unwitting buyers end up buying dogs with serious health problems. So how can you tell if the breeder is a puppy farmer?
Look for a Registered Breeder
The best way to avoid buying a puppy from a puppy farm is to look for a registered breeder. Reputable breeders of pedigree dogs for sale like Florida Puppies Online will be registered with the American Kennel Club. In order to be a registered breeder, you have to go through a number of rigorous checks to ensure you are adhering to strict health and welfare standards. This means anyone buying a puppy from a registered breeder has complete peace of mind that the puppy will be happy and free from disease.
Visit the Breeder’s Establishment
KC registered breeders tend to charge more than “hobby” breeders, so you may prefer to buy from a non-registered breeder. This is fine as long as you are very careful about the type of person you buy from, but you should take a good look around when you go to view the puppies.
Reputable breeders raise their puppies in a family home, so if you go to look at a puppy and it’s in an outdoor shed, along with a lot of other dogs and puppies, be very suspicious. This type of set-up is often a commercial breeding establishment and welfare standards will be low. Sometimes a breeder will bring the puppy to you instead, but insist on seeing the mother as well as the pup, to rule out the possibility that the puppies have been bred elsewhere and removed from their mother too early.
Check the Puppy Carefully
A well-bred puppy is lively, bright-eyed, and clean. He or she will want to make friends and can be handled without any sign of anxiety. A puppy bred on a puppy farm will smell unpleasant, will probably be terrified of human contact, and may be malnourished or small for its age. If there is a lot of discharge from the eyes or the puppy has a cough, be suspicious.
Whatever you do, don’t buy a puppy if you are at all concerned about the state of its health or surroundings. No matter how cute the puppy is all you will be doing is perpetuating the practice. Instead walk away and report the breeder to the appropriate animal welfare authorities.
