Say No to Shopping for Your Next Pet

Buyer Beware: The Problem with Puppy Mills and Backyard Breeders

Written by PAWS.ORG
Paws. (n.d.). Buyer beware: The problem with Puppy Mills and backyard breeders. PAWS. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://www.paws.org/resources/puppy-mills/

Choosing to bring a new canine companion into your life is an exciting but involved decision-making process, especially when deciding where to get one. You might have concerns about "puppy mills" or "backyard breeders", and want to know how to steer clear of them. Perhaps you don't even know what these are and need more information. 

As you begin your research, here are some things to consider:

Puppy Mills

Puppy mills are commercial breeding facilities that mass-produce dogs (and cats in cat mills) for sale through pet stores, or directly to consumers through classified ads or the Internet. Roughly 90% of puppies in pet stores come from puppy mills. Many retailers who buy animals from such facilities take the wholesaler's word that the animals are happy and healthy without seeing for themselves.

In most states, these commercial breeding kennels can legally keep hundreds of dogs in cages their entire lives, for the sole purpose of continuously churning out puppies. The animals produced range from purebreds to any number of the latest "designer" mixed breeds. Cat breeding occurs under similar conditions to supply pet stores with kittens.

Animals in Puppy Mills are Treated Like Cash Crops

Backyard Breeders

Backyard breeders are also motivated by profit. Ads from these unscrupulous breeders fill the classifieds. Backyard breeders may appear to be the nice neighbor next door- in fact, even seemingly good intentioned breeders may treat their breeding pairs as family pets. However, continuously breeding animals for years to produce litters for a profit still jeopardizes the animal's welfare.

Some backyard breeders may only breed their family dog once in a while, but they often are not knowledgeable on how to breed responsibly, such as screening for genetic defects. Responsible, proper breeding entails much more than simply putting two dogs together.

Look for These RED FLAGS

Because puppy mills and backyard breeders choose profit over animal welfare, their animals typically do not receive proper veterinary care. Animals may seem healthy at first but later show issues like congenital eye and hip defects, parasites or even the deadly Parvovirus.

Taking Homes Away

When puppy mills and backyard breeders flood the market with animals, they reduce homes available for animals from reputable establishments, shelters and rescue groups. Every year, six to eight million dogs and cats nationwide end up in animal shelters. Sadly, only about 15% of people with pets in the United States adopted them from a shelter or rescue group, leaving so many deserving pets left behind.

Help Stop the Suffering by Taking These Steps


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