Puppy Mill Deluxe

[RottyMom]

There is a local breeder who at this moment has...29 "Doodle" pups, 21 Golden Retreiver Pups, and 12 Rottweiler pups all born in the same month. An acquaintance of mine wanted to get a pup from them. I warned her against it but to prove my point I crafted a email to them asking for some basic information...ie: health certifications, obedience/working titles, several generation pedigrees, spay/neuter contract, asked for a copy of the puppy buyers contract. I asked them if I could speak to their vet. I also asked if there were any questions they would like to ask me. Basically this is the reply I received "All breeding stock has their hips checked and puppies are sold as pet stock." So I again sent them an email saying that I was interested in a pup but would like answers to the questions in my previous email.

Guess what? I never received a response. Luckily I proved my point to my acquaintance and she thanked me. I told her that these people count on people being uneducated about dogs and buying on impulse because the puppies are cute.

They also have several "teenagers" available for the discounted price of $700.

Boogles the mind.

[Ayoka]

I'm glad you have educated a friend.

I wonder what they would have said had you asked to go visit.

I realise that the Puppy Mills depend on the uneducated buyer but it still boggles my mind that people spending THAT much money wouldn't do a little research. Would you buy ANYTHING over $500 without doing a little research. I sure wouldn't.

[RottyMom]

Originally Posted by Ayoka

I'm glad you have educated a friend.

I wonder what they would have said had you asked to go visit.

I realise that the Puppy Mills depend on the uneducated buyer but it still boggles my mind that people spending THAT much money wouldn't do a little research. Would you buy ANYTHING over $500 without doing a little research. I sure wouldn't.

I don't know what they're asking for the Rotts but the "Doodles" are $1200 and they actually refer to them as a BREED on their website!!!!

[kala]

I work in the client services of a shelter, that means I intake pets. I have taken in many "purebred" Labradoodles. One of the most aggressive dogs I have took in was a Labradoodle. That dog scared me and we take in lots of aggressive dogs. I try to educate the people as well as do my regular job, but these "greeders" (my word for the BYBers) convince JQ public the doodle dogs are purebreds.

sue

[TR Young]

Originally Posted by Ayoka

I realise that the Puppy Mills depend on the uneducated buyer but it still boggles my mind that people spending THAT much money wouldn't do a little research. Would you buy ANYTHING over $500 without doing a little research. I sure wouldn't.

Ya know, I think that the problem is that the general puppy buyer with no experience does not REALIZE that there is so much to know, so they wouldn't know to do research. One does not know what one does not know. I mean, if you wanted a puppy and you have never owned a dog before, I think most people simply go out and get one. They don't even have a incling of an idea that there are horrible physical ailments out there that are rampant in BYB dogs. The average puppy buyer probably doesn't even know what a BYB is, or even that they exist in the first place. They see a place to buy a puppy as just that; a place to buy a puppy. If a person has never been told about OFA certs and pedigree and lineage history, etc... they wouldn't even know that those things exist. It is my experience that many people 'just want a dog' and they don't know and don't care to know about all the other 'stuff'.
I wish there were some way that we could mount some sort of advertising blitz about what prospective puppy buyers should be aware of, and be wary of. I wish we could educate the public-at-large about BYBs and puppy mills and the horrors of what happens to the breeding dogs there and their unwanted offspring. For some reason, our screams of outrage are being stiffled and have not reached the masses. We need some way to get the word out, and in a HUGE way.

[Karyn]

Originally Posted by TR Young

Ya know, I think that the problem is that the general puppy buyer with no experience does not REALIZE that there is so much to know, so they wouldn't know to do research. One does not know what one does not know. I mean, if you wanted a puppy and you have never owned a dog before, I think most people simply go out and get one. They don't even have a incling of an idea that there are horrible physical ailments out there that are rampant in BYB dogs. The average puppy buyer probably doesn't even know what a BYB is, or even that they exist in the first place. They see a place to buy a puppy as just that; a place to buy a puppy. If a person has never been told about OFA certs and pedigree and lineage history, etc... they wouldn't even know that those things exist. It is my experience that many people 'just want a dog' and they don't know .

Yep, that is exactly right. I didn't know how much I didn't know and needed to know. I wanted a dog so I went to a dog store - just as I would go to a shoe store to buy shoes. That is how I got Neemo - my GSD with bad hips, bad eyes, bad digestion and a whole lot of other problems. That was in 1995 - I would never do that now! And the internet was not around then so access to information was limited. When I was a kid - dogs came from somebody's dog that had puppies. Times have changed.

[EmmysMom]

My nephew paid $1500 for his labradoodle from a "breeder" in Texas and then paid to have it flown to Canada!!! Just because his kids are allergy prone and he fell for the hype! Of course, no one told me until after he had done this, I was pretty darn upset, let me tell you! When they were down here in June, i got to meet his dog and she was quite a sweetie, I will give her that. BUT - in the Beginner's class that comes after my advance training class on Monday nights, one of the most aggressive dogs in it is a male labradoodle and the woman want's to get a female too!! These people drive me crazy!!!
EmmysMom