Does anyone else disagree with this to an extent?

[Morgen]

There is a very conflicting issue I've come around when researching Siberian Huskies or any dog in general, and its something that I see in almost every article I've been reading.

I actually don't agree with this, I don't really consider it kind at all. I've also come across several that don't say to purchase from backyard breeders.

Yes, I agree that when buying a puppy in that type of situation you are running the risk of a sick perhaps neglected puppy that may in the long runcost you more in vet costs, time, training, etc. than that if you were to purchase from an accredited breeder.

Then again, there are thousands of puppies and dogs out there that are born in someone's backyard by accident or even on purpose, puppy mills that do it intentionally, pet stores so that they can run a business, thousands of online ads advertising their animals for sale (though you should make sure their is no scam involved).

Everytime I come past these articles it just seems as if they are saying they don't deserve a loving home to actually get the chance to grow healthy opposed to living in a shelter their whole life or put down, I just find it rather conflicting.

I'm not wishing to argue, I just want to express how I feel. Especially seeing how my first puppy a Pomeranian/Terrier mix was purchased from a pet store and is as healthy as can be because of our love and time we took to care for him. Our newest puppy a Pittbull/Husky/Lab mix is from a backyard breeder and she is the sweetest thing of all time, yes she wasn't in the best conditions but she was taken care for and now she is spoiled and showered with attention and everything she could ask for and has become attached to us. And then there is the arrival of my puppy I'll also be getting from an unaccredited breeder a Siberian Husky that I chose online, and she is raised in conditions that are wonderful and I see nothing wrong with that.

Does anyone else have something to throw in with this? I'm just curious as to what other owners think whenever they see an article mention this. My vet even tried to veer us away from all our puppy choices, and here we are later with perfect adorable puppies that I couldn't wish more of.

[Austinville]

This is a difficult subject. Emotionally, I agree with you. My first husky was purchased from a BYB because I didn't know better. He deserved the wonderful life I was able to give him and I wouldn't change our 15 plus years together for the world. But I was one of the lucky ones by taking that chance. Many BYB and "accidental" litters are from huskies who haven't had eyes and hips checked. These pups often end up with very painful hip displasia and cataracts (along with other disease) and lead a life which realistically isn't a quality life. It also doesn't improve the breed, obviously, and doesn't provide healthy pups to anyone but the lucky. (Not to mention the heartwrenching experiences of those who own and love them go through.) I cannot imagine how it would be to lose a pup to such illnesses and disease - though I know many on the forum who have and it continues to break my heart.

Additionally, the conditions of many pet stores are attrocious. They sell to whomever has the money. They don't care if they can provide proper health care for the husky (or any other breed for that matter). BYB's and such pet stores are in it for the money only. Often pet stores purchase from puppy mills. Have you seen the conditions of these mills? Absolutely appauling! By purchasing from a pet store, you are encouraging more breeding in this manner. Have you seen what having litter after litter does to a bitch? Do you know what these 'breeders' do with a bitch who can no longer provide them with puppies? Do you know what happens to the pups who don't get sold?

It matters not what our emotions tell us (and yes - each of those puppies deserves to have a life such as you've provided, or I provided for my Bo). By making those purchases, the encouragement provided to the 'breeder' (and I use that term loosely!) to put out more and more pups only provides a bit of hell for those pups/bitches/studs that must live in that manner.

I respectfully disagree as I've learned what happens behind the scenes.

[Duremite]

I agree. Niko was from an accidental litter. The breeder took really good care of their dog though and did a lot of research once their Husky was pregnant. They even had us keep their number and offered us help for if he ever got sick. I actually got in an argument with a friend over this the other day. She said she'd rather import a pure breed show quality Roti for 2.8K than get one from anywhere else because it would save her heartache and money in the end. Basically it led down to her saying that people shouldn't even be getting animals from shelters or anything other than pure breeders due to health problems because "it's hard" on the fur parent. I wanted to chime in saying "It's hard to have a kid with cancer, or Polycystic kidney disease, or all assortments of problems, but that's not a reason for the kid to be killed, abandoned, or unloved." But I bit my tongue really hard because she's been a good friend for so long. It's been bugging me really bad though and I'm still debating on going back and saying it.

I certainly don't think people should contribute to backyard breeders directly but their puppies and other animals still deserve love and shouldn't be shunned either. If someone wants to spend a couple thousand dollars on a pure breed, that's fine, that's their preference, but that doesn't mean ALL animals should come that way. Our cat Simon is 17 years old and has always had a clean bill of health. He was a rescue due to an accidental unwanted litter who was about to be killed due to health problems in the breed. (Crossed eyes) His eyes fixed themselves after a few months and even the doctors are surprised by how healthy his eyes are at this age.

Bottom line, a puppy's a puppy, a kitten's a kitten, and I don't think it should matter where someone gets their animal because all that matters is where that animal is now and if they get love, care, attention, and the proper vet treatment the animal deserves.

[Nick Tillman]

Just echoing what Austinville just mentioned, I agree with what was said about the mills and puppy shops. It only encourages their behavior to continue what they are doing- breeding unhealthy puppies. Granted, it isn't the puppies fault and We Feel bad for them. It's a tough subject.

[Ravenwolf]

I understand where you're coming from, but the problem is that this type of justification promotes the problem. When people see buying from a pet store or BYB as "rescuing" a pup, what they forget is that money don't know the difference.

It may seem like not purchasing from the pet store or BYB means that you (the "royal you") personally are condemning that dog to a poor life, but that's really a ridiculous burden to bear. You aren't going to buy the whole litter, just your one favourite, lucky pup. Do you feel bad that you didn't "save" the others?

As I said, money don't know the difference. They pet store/backyard breeder still made money, there is still incentive to continue breeding/selling. For every pup sold, another litter is next on the conveyor belt. It's not that they don't deserve a good home, it's that the money made on their hide encourages more to be bred under the same conditions.

There are problems with accredited breeders too - AKC registration only goes so far. But good conditions and a loving home aren't enough. I'm strongly against BYB because they rarely know the full history of their dogs, and I have yet to hear of one who bothers to - at the very least - get the parents hips/eyes/health scored. Yes, even the offspring of proven, tested, healthy dogs can still get unprecedented illness or conditions, but it is much rarer. So many of these people breed their dogs because they love them, they are a good dog, and they are pretty.

If they don't know the history of the parents, even if they're confident both dogs are purebred, you are still paying top dollar for mongrels, and that's not right either. It's like me buying a Louis Vuitton purse in Singapore for 5$, then selling it to you for 600$ because I'm "pretty sure" it's genuine. It may have defects that even I didn't know about when I looked at it, but once I've sold it to you it's not really my problem anymore.

I only adopt/rescue, but I generally prefer the notion of registered and accredited breeders. These are people who are dedicated to the improvement of their chosen breed, and it is usually a passion, not a business for them.

I know a person who started out with an accidental litter, and she sold them to get rid of them. But once she saw how much money could be made per litter, she now continues to breed for that reason. So what started out as the offloading of an accidental litter (at the going prices) turned into a BYB.

Tens of thousands of dogs are killed every year. Thousands more are being bred irresponsibly and for profit every year. As bad as you may feel for those pups, the profit from their "rescue" encourages more to be bred, and more dogs will die, and more will be born to the same fate. All this breeding for profit is unnecessary - there is no shortage of dogs! But because people want the shiny new ones, the "discount" purebreds, the "designer" mutts, mature dogs with the same history die in the thousands. Even 2 years old is too old. We want adorable puffball pups. And as long as people buy from them, these people are only happy to comply with demand.

[Morgen]

This is a difficult subject. Emotionally, I agree with you. My first husky was purchased from a BYB because I didn't know better. He deserved the wonderful life I was able to give him and I wouldn't change our 15 plus years together for the world. But I was one of the lucky ones by taking that chance. Many BYB and "accidental" litters are from huskies who haven't had eyes and hips checked. These pups often end up with very painful hip displasia and cataracts (along with other disease) and lead a life which realistically isn't a quality life. It also doesn't improve the breed, obviously, and doesn't provide healthy pups to anyone but the lucky. (Not to mention the heartwrenching experiences of those who own and love them go through.) I cannot imagine how it would be to lose a pup to such illnesses and disease - though I know many on the forum who have and it continues to break my heart.

Additionally, the conditions of many pet stores are attrocious. They sell to whomever has the money. They don't care if they can provide proper health care for the husky (or any other breed for that matter). BYB's and such pet stores are in it for the money only. Often pet stores purchase from puppy mills. Have you seen the conditions of these mills? Absolutely appauling! By purchasing from a pet store, you are encouraging more breeding in this manner. Have you seen what having litter after litter does to a bitch? Do you know what these 'breeders' do with a bitch who can no longer provide them with puppies? Do you know what happens to the pups who don't get sold?

It matters not what our emotions tell us (and yes - each of those puppies deserves to have a life such as you've provided, or I provided for my Bo). By making those purchases, the encouragement provided to the 'breeder' (and I use that term loosely!) to put out more and more pups only provides a bit of hell for those pups/bitches/studs that must live in that manner.

I respectfully disagree as I've learned what happens behind the scenes.

I've seen some of the conditions that several dogs have been raised in and it is appalling, I agree with you on many points actually. Our dads old dog a Golden Lab was raised in such conditions, we took him in after those owners put him in the shelter we cared for him for almost 5 years as he was already a very old dog until he passed last month from cancer riddled all through his body. And I do see the heartache that causes, I never seen my dad so heartbroken and it has changed him in so many ways. We don't regret one second that we gave him a home knowing he was a sick dog to begin with and abused on top of that, he deserved every bit of love we could give him and he made an incredible bond with my dad until the day he was gone.

Yes, in some ways it is supporting backyard breeders, puppy mills and the like, but to be honest if they do it once more than likely they will do it again. Its sad but I find it even more sadder to see all those puppies and dogs not get any attention or the love they deserve. If someone didn't home them, the simple fact is that they'll probably be neglected, abused, or killed and at least one that you choose to take gets a chance at a loving home.

All in all these things aren't going to stop, they'll always be out there and always continue. If one puppy mill or the like is rescued and put to a stop another one is probably there to take its place if not more. Its the cruel fact of the world.

[Austinville]

...to be honest if they do it once more than likely they will do it again.

...If one puppy mill or the like is rescued and put to a stop another one is probably there to take its place if not more. Its the cruel fact of the world.

My point, exactly. So if they aren't supported, they have no reason to continue - or to begin breeding. Its demand that keeps them going. Stop the demand, stop the practice. No, it can't be done in a day, but through education, we can put a stop to it - one BYB or mill at a time.

[Ravenwolf]

I've seen some of the conditions that several dogs have been raised in and it is appalling, I agree with you on many points actually. Our dads old dog a Golden Lab was raised in such conditions, we took him in after those owners put him in the shelter we cared for him for almost 5 years as he was already a very old dog until he passed last month from cancer riddled all through his body. And I do see the heartache that causes, I never seen my dad so heartbroken and it has changed him in so many ways. We don't regret one second that we gave him a home knowing he was a sick dog to begin with and abused on top of that, he deserved every bit of love we could give him and he made an incredible bond with my dad until the day he was gone.

Yes, in some ways it is supporting backyard breeders, puppy mills and the like, but to be honest if they do it once more than likely they will do it again. Its sad but I find it even more sadder to see all those puppies and dogs not get any attention or the love they deserve. If someone didn't home them, the simple fact is that they'll probably be neglected, abused, or killed and at least one that you choose to take gets a chance at a loving home.

All in all these things aren't going to stop, they'll always be out there and always continue. If one puppy mill or the like is rescued and put to a stop another one is probably there to take its place if not more. Its the cruel fact of the world.

So why is paying the offender top dollar to "rescue" one of these pups more noble than getting one from a shelter? The conditions have to be dire for the law to interfere with these people, but those pups in desperate need of saving should be reported and seized, not purchased. They end up in shelters where people can still rescue them - and for a fraction of the cost, to boot.

[Austinville]

And just for the record, my second husky came from a reputable breeder.....I learned how I can help the situation. Though I didn't rescue, I didn't contribute a second time to the problem.

[Duremite]

I agree. I don't think anyone should contribute to BYB, period. Personally I'd prefer to find a shelter dog or actually rescue a dog. I was very weary on getting Niko but I got to know the breeders first and they were very nice people who genuinely had an accidental litter. I've kept in contact with them and they've since had his mamma spayed. The only reason we ended up with a puppy was because of the cats. I wanted to make sure our Husky was raised with them. We were actually looking at a couple of adult rescues before we decided we needed a puppy.

[Lightsiber]

This is a difficult subject. Emotionally, I agree with you. My first husky was purchased from a BYB because I didn't know better. He deserved the wonderful life I was able to give him and I wouldn't change our 15 plus years together for the world. But I was one of the lucky ones by taking that chance. Many BYB and "accidental" litters are from huskies who haven't had eyes and hips checked. These pups often end up with very painful hip displasia and cataracts (along with other disease) and lead a life which realistically isn't a quality life. It also doesn't improve the breed, obviously, and doesn't provide healthy pups to anyone but the lucky. (Not to mention the heartwrenching experiences of those who own and love them go through.) I cannot imagine how it would be to lose a pup to such illnesses and disease - though I know many on the forum who have and it continues to break my heart.

Additionally, the conditions of many pet stores are attrocious. They sell to whomever has the money. They don't care if they can provide proper health care for the husky (or any other breed for that matter). BYB's and such pet stores are in it for the money only. Often pet stores purchase from puppy mills. Have you seen the conditions of these mills? Absolutely appauling! By purchasing from a pet store, you are encouraging more breeding in this manner. Have you seen what having litter after litter does to a bitch? Do you know what these 'breeders' do with a bitch who can no longer provide them with puppies? Do you know what happens to the pups who don't get sold?

It matters not what our emotions tell us (and yes - each of those puppies deserves to have a life such as you've provided, or I provided for my Bo). By making those purchases, the encouragement provided to the 'breeder' (and I use that term loosely!) to put out more and more pups only provides a bit of hell for those pups/bitches/studs that must live in that manner.

I respectfully disagree as I've learned what happens behind the scenes.

I was going to reply but you have very eloquently said everything that I wanted to express. I'd like to see much greater restrictions on breeders. Even 'Kennel Club Accredited' can mean very little. Personally I wouldn't touch a BYB as I wouldn't want to be funding them and without customers they'd have no 'business' which to them is all it is. I've 'liked' your reply, but only because there's no option to click on 'love'.

[Morgen]

My point, exactly. So if they aren't supported, they have no reason to continue - or to begin breeding. Its demand that keeps them going. Stop the demand, stop the practice. No, it can't be done in a day, but through education, we can put a stop to it - one BYB or mill at a time.

I do agree with this. And hopefully someday it does end.

And on another point not addressing that quote is not all puppies and dogs that are in pets store come from BYB's or puppy mills, and more than likely it would be hard to even know if that was so even if papers are there. I just think its a little border line for articles and such to outline to not buy from any place besides accredited. Adopting and rescuing is a great thing as was mentioned. And if I hadn't fallen in love for the pups I saw that just happened to be at certain places I would have opted for that.

I know many BYB's that accidentally have litters and I hold nothing against them, the majority I know hand them out for free if that happens and then you have the ones that want to get a bit of easy money out of it, its not right and it shouldn't be condoned but in some ways things happen and you may fall for that pup and want to take it off that breeders hands even if it costs a small pretty penny.

That in itself is also wrong, as was said its supporting it, I don't think I'd change my decision now though as all my pups have been the love of my life and I couldn't imagine it without them.

For the record as well I saw an accredited breeders grounds once and in my opinion that person raised too many dogs to handle at once, and the grounds weren't clean unless a family made an appointment and it was cleaned in advance. Not all accredited breeders are like that, but there are a good many out there.

[Lightsiber]

I understand where you're coming from, but the problem is that this type of justification promotes the problem. When people see buying from a pet store or BYB as "rescuing" a pup, what they forget is that money don't know the difference.

It may seem like not purchasing from the pet store or BYB means that you (the "royal you") personally are condemning that dog to a poor life, but that's really a ridiculous burden to bear. You aren't going to buy the whole litter, just your one favourite, lucky pup. Do you feel bad that you didn't "save" the others?

As I said, money don't know the difference. They pet store/backyard breeder still made money, there is still incentive to continue breeding/selling. For every pup sold, another litter is next on the conveyor belt. It's not that they don't deserve a good home, it's that the money made on their hide encourages more to be bred under the same conditions.

There are problems with accredited breeders too - AKC registration only goes so far. But good conditions and a loving home aren't enough. I'm strongly against BYB because they rarely know the full history of their dogs, and I have yet to hear of one who bothers to - at the very least - get the parents hips/eyes/health scored. Yes, even the offspring of proven, tested, healthy dogs can still get unprecedented illness or conditions, but it is much rarer. So many of these people breed their dogs because they love them, they are a good dog, and they are pretty.

If they don't know the history of the parents, even if they're confident both dogs are purebred, you are still paying top dollar for mongrels, and that's not right either. It's like me buying a Louis Vuitton purse in Singapore for 5$, then selling it to you for 600$ because I'm "pretty sure" it's genuine. It may have defects that even I didn't know about when I looked at it, but once I've sold it to you it's not really my problem anymore.

I only adopt/rescue, but I generally prefer the notion of registered and accredited breeders. These are people who are dedicated to the improvement of their chosen breed, and it is usually a passion, not a business for them.

I know a person who started out with an accidental litter, and she sold them to get rid of them. But once she saw how much money could be made per litter, she now continues to breed for that reason. So what started out as the offloading of an accidental litter (at the going prices) turned into a BYB.

Tens of thousands of dogs are killed every year. Thousands more are being bred irresponsibly and for profit every year. As bad as you may feel for those pups, the profit from their "rescue" encourages more to be bred, and more dogs will die, and more will be born to the same fate. All this breeding for profit is unnecessary - there is no shortage of dogs! But because people want the shiny new ones, the "discount" purebreds, the "designer" mutts, mature dogs with the same history die in the thousands. Even 2 years old is too old. We want adorable puffball pups. And as long as people buy from them, these people are only happy to comply with demand.

Great post - well said. For a country of animal lovers it is criminal that BYB's are allowed to flourish. We need more legislation. Licenced breeders. Legislation that demands breeders have to take back dogs if the buyer cannot keep them for whatever reason. There are many ways things could be tightened up. We have to create an environment where the puppy factories decide it's just not worth the hassle and the vast majority will disappear. Let's be honest most are people who would rather exploit animals to make a fast buck rather than earn their cash in an honest or at least morally acceptable way. Everyone who takes a pup from one of these is contributing to the suffering of not just the puppies but the poor bitches involved and the fact that they 'save' one puppy should not blind them to that fact.

[Austinville]

And I agree with that.........accredited doesn't always mean that there can't be problems. The first question I'd ask ANY breeder is "How many litters are on the ground as we speak?" The second? "How many litters have you had on the ground in the past year?" The answers may surprise you.

As I'm passionate about the breed, I researched and learned what questions to ask, what to look for,and what a reputable breeder should be asking ME. There are huge differences in breeders. It's up to the buyer to do some research on those topicsand to follow your head, not your heart in such cases.

[Michelle Melsom]

I do agree with this. And hopefully someday it does end.

And on another point not addressing that quote is not all puppies and dogs that are in pets store come from BYB's or puppy mills, and more than likely it would be hard to even know if that was so even if papers are there. I just think its a little border line for articles and such to outline to not buy from any place besides accredited. Adopting and rescuing is a great thing as was mentioned. And if I hadn't fallen in love for the pups I saw that just happened to be at certain places I would have opted for that.

I know many BYB's that accidentally have litters and I hold nothing against them, the majority I know hand them out for free if that happens and then you have the ones that want to get a bit of easy money out of it, its not right and it shouldn't be condoned but in some ways things happen and you may fall for that pup and want to take it off that breeders hands even if it costs a small pretty penny.

That in itself is also wrong, as was said its supporting it, I don't think I'd change my decision now though as all my pups have been the love of my life and I couldn't imagine it without them.

For the record as well I saw an accredited breeders grounds once and in my opinion that person raised too many dogs to handle at once, and the grounds weren't clean unless a family made an appointment and it was cleaned in advance. Not all accredited breeders are like that, but there are a good many out there.

No proper breeder that I know of would EVER go through a pet store to sell puppies so it is my belief that all dogs in pet stores are from BYB or puppy mills. Just because a dog has papers doesn't mean it came from a proper breeder I agree that the puppies or dogs from BYB and puppy mills deserve good homes but I do not agree with purchasing dogs from them it only encourages to do it more and in the end you are sacrificing all those puppies in the future by supporting them. You have to risk a few to save many :/

[Lightsiber]

As I'm passionate about the breed, I researched and learned what questions to ask, what to look for, and what a reputable breeder should be asking ME. There are huge differences in breeders. It's up to the buyer to do some research on those topicsand to follow your head, not your heart in such cases.

Exactly! A good breeder should be giving YOU the 3rd degree to ensure that YOU are suitable for their precious pups. If you are able to buy a pup without being quizzed at all then you should be wondering if the breeder actually cares where they end up, which surely is not a good sign.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

ive not read all the replies , but my veiws on it are the sooner people STOP buying from breeders like this the less dogs will end up in rescues over the years ,

imagine getting a puppy from a BYB who was taken away from its mum 2 early and sold on to early by someone who saw a husky wanted one and got one within a couple of days , because the puppy was removed from its mum and siblings and sold on early , to someone who doesnt know what they are getting into with a dog like a sibe its going to have ALOT of behavioral problems , which yes can be rectified BUT if the owners dont know how , are either going to sell the pup on , or dump it or take it to kennels

where as with a reputable breeder , will vet potential owners and make sure they know all about the breed before selling a puppy to them - who has been with its mum for atleast 8 weeks and sold at the proper age and wont have as much health/behioural problems as their dogs will have been looked after , health checked , hip eye scored etc

im not saying ALL puppies/dogs from these kind of sites (preloved etc) are from byb's and the likes but i bet the majority of them would be

i'd rather go thru a reputable breeder for a puppy then a byb - i know sum1 who went to a byb their puppy had to be pts after 5 months of them getting her , i couldnt cope with that , i know that doesnt always happen but i wouldnt like to take the risk

[sjwrx]

A friend of my girlfriends had an accidental litter, they saw how much money they could make off of it and decided that they want to continue to breed just for the money. They had no knowledge whatsoever about the breed, nor can they educate future buyers, solely for the money. Because people want a "cheap" pup they supported their "accident" which in turn now kept them to continue.

Sadly most people have no knowledge about any breed of dog they wish to buy, only because it's "cute". They end up supporting BYB's because it's cheaper.

Supply and Demand that's how this world runs, as long as there is demand it will never stop, if there's less and less demand there will be less supply as who would want to take that risk.

Really good breeders will ask you a ton of questions, abut the breed, your life style and judge if you are suitable for their pup. There are a few breeders here that a lot of people of intimidated to buy from as they make you fill out questionnaires and interview you multiple times. Reason people are intimidated is because they reject a lot of people that would wish to buy their pups because they have done Zero research prior. Not saying all registered breeders are like this, in fact a lot aren't, but wish more could take on this practice.

[Bec]

I'm not wishing to argue, I just want to express how I feel. Especially seeing how my first puppy a Pomeranian/Terrier mix was purchased from a pet store and is as healthy as can be because of our love and time we took to care for him.

I have to disagree with your statement above. I have a pet shop dog here, we bought her when she was a puppy and from the information they gave us we strongly suspect she came from a puppy farm. That was before we knew any better, but since we've had her she has had countless health problems despite that fact we care for her and love her more than anything. Your dog is healthy because you are lucky, many people who buy dogs that have been bred indiscriminately aren't so lucky.

I think all dogs deserve to be loved and cared for and I feel dreadful for the puppies I see in pet stores but that isn't enough to make me buy one, because I feel worse for the dogs that are kept in horrible inhumane conditions at puppy farms.

As a puppy buyer I am simply not interested in buying a puppy from someone who doesn't meet my criteria for a reputable breeder. Have they thoroughly researched their lines to know what they are breeding with? Have they done the appropriate health testing? Will they take back puppies they have bred if the need arises? How do they raise and care for their puppies and dogs? If I didn't care about those things so much and ensuring I get the healthiest puppy I can that suits exactly what I am looking for in a dog then I would go to a rescue and buy a dog that way. I simply have no desire to support puppy farms, BYBers or irresponsible breeders of any kind and to be honest I struggle to understand how people who are educated on these issues can still, despite knowing better, buy puppies from these kinds of people.

[Kissu & Aara]

Another problem is people being told their bitch or dog needs to mate at least once before spay or neuter. Which is not true. My aunt volunteered at a sheltie rescue for a few years. She would go out and respond to ads, asking all kinds of questions. Her least favorite being "why did you breed them?" The most common answer was "they need to breed at least once". Then 4 months later there was that same person advertising another litter.

[huskylover103]

I agree totally that the support should be cut off in order to stop the BYB and puppy mills. Is this going to happen? Nah. People are too greedy. Breeding is too easy to make money off of the dogs. My mother bred her Dachshund with another Dachshund years ago just because she was pure bred. People here in the south tend to feel "proud" that they own pure bred dogs... and often brag about how much they spent on them. It didnt happen that way with mom, but she just wanted to breed her purebred doxie. Then I didnt know better and I was given a pup from that litter for my sixteenth birthday... and he just died a few months ago and I'm not sure why. He was eleven or so. Dad says he was attacked by a pit bull months before he died and declined ever since. (he was with my dad when I moved out bc they were inseperable) and he was healthy until he got old. However, from the exact same litter... "registered" and everything, the dog my mom kept is still alive but with a slew of health problems. Asthma, bowlegs, allergies, etc... So, I got lucky. My mom didn't. That was her last planned breeding, but there was a mistake where doxie backed up to a fence...... anyways... lol.

Bottom line, hun.. please don't feel bad for these pups. Someone WILL come along and purchase them because that's how the world works. But do you want to be the one who might be unknowingly buying a pup that will cost you so much down the line? I'm not saying that every dog from a BYB is sickly because my Trever (the eleven yr old Doxie that lived with my dad) wasn't sickly at all. He was robust and healthy until he got old! He was a great dog and I don't regret spending a lot of my life with him. But sadly, if I hadn't "saved" him... someone else would have. The best thing for a person who feels guilty for these pups to do is to research. I mean if I'm honest, I feel bad for them too. But... they have a chance at getting a family. Most dogs in shelters dont. And we arent turning up our noses at pups who aren't "good enough" for us. We are just trying to educate people so that these breeders will not have the demand... so they will not need to supply! But as I said earlier. They will continue. All we can do is try to bring the mills down one at a time.

[sharloid]

I understand what the OP is saying. I mean, people have babies everyday. People don't have health checks, and they don't aim to better the breed.

[Bec]

I understand what the OP is saying. I mean, people have babies everyday. People don't have health checks, and they don't aim to better the breed.

LOL I don't think we can compare humans having babies to humans indiscriminately breeding dogs. There really is no comparison.

And regardless of whether all puppies in pet stores come from BYBers and puppy farms, to me it doesn't matter - no reputable breeder would ever sell their puppies to pet stores. End of story.

[Tikaani'smum]

To be honest I can't quite understand how anyone can end up with an 'accidental breeding'.....I mean, how many of us on here have male and female, both intact, and manage to NOT have pups?? I know I was one of them that managed to keep mine apart and watched with an eagle eye when Tikka was in season. I can't really believe that all of these 'accidents' are just that.......

[Sid_Wolf]

if no one bought from a dodgy breeder they wouldnt keep breeding