Irresponsible dog
breeders include what people call backyard breeding and puppy mills. Puppy mills are commercial breeding
facilities that mass-produce dogs (and cats in cat mills) for sale through pet
stores (~90%) and directly to consumers through classified ads and the
internet. These mills contain over hundreds of dogs that are kept in confined,
overcrowded cages with little shelter from weather and are not cleaned
regularly, forcing the animals to sit and sleep in their own excrement. Because these animals are treated like cash
crops, the sick or dying animals receive little or no veterinary care. Adult animals are continuously bred until
they can no longer produce a litter, they are then discarded and
destroyed. Both kittens and puppies will
be taken away from the mother at too early of an age, resulting in serious
behavior problems.
“Backyard breeder”
refers to dog breeders that have little to no knowledge or experience when it
comes to responsibly breeding their dog.
Like the puppy mills, they are looking to make a quick profit, and
therefore, will often breed their own ‘family dog,’ but they will do so
without taking any proper precautions, such as a genetic health test. Mating two dogs with an unknown genetic and
behavioral history can result in serious health and behavioral issues for the
puppies produced, leaving them unwanted and unhealthy. While backyard breeders aren’t considered to
be as terrible and unethical as puppy and cat mills, these are still the signs
of an irresponsible breeder. Neither of these types of breeders have the best
interest of the animals in mind when breeding two animals together and should
be avoided at all costs when looking for a new family member.
