How Not to Buy a Puppy

I get a lot of calls looking for puppies and decided to add the "How Not to Buy a Puppy page" to my website.

Before buying a puppy, please read:

Why you should not buy that puppy in the window.

Humane Society's page "How Not to Buy a Puppy."

I wanted to add a few thoughts on the subject too:

When you buy a puppy from a pet store you are contributing to the mass production of wholesale puppies by creating a market for it. There have been many shows on TV showing the deplorable conditions created by puppy millers / wholesalers of puppies to meet market demands. No dog should have to live like that to produce that puppy, so think before you buy it.

A good place to look for a breeder is through a breed club. These breeders usually follow breeding guidelines set by the breed club, which usually includes doing certain health test as part of their breeding program. For example; the Leonberger Club of America requires that for a dog to be breedable, it has to pass a BACL (Breeding Acceptability Check List), which entails a thorough physical examine & critique of the dog. This examine is to ensure the dog meets the written standards for the breed. Also part of the BACL are required health tests & CGC and the dog has to pass them. If a dog fails a BACL, it cant be bred. The health tests that are required for the BACL are OFA hips, elbow, thyroid and CERF examine for the eyes.

Always ask for proof, i.e. copies, of health tests done on the sire and the dam. Any reputable breeder will be happy to provide these documents to you.

Be aware of any breeder with a USDA license to breed & sell dogs and if a breeder has a Paypal, Visa or Mastercard logo on their website this should be a warning as to the volume of business this breeder is doing.

Be aware of backyard breeders. They will take two AKC registered dogs without any regard to breed standard or basic health tests and breed them. You may pay less for the puppy, but you could end up with a lifetime of vet bills and temperament problems. And the same goes when you buy from a pet store. A good friend bought his puppy from a pet store and spent over $10,000 in the first year and a half on medical bills and the dog had to be put down. Even if the pet store gave him back the purchase price of the puppy, it wouldn't have made that much of a difference.

Religion should not be used as a sales tool to sale puppies, as I've seen on some websites. What does religion and good breeding practices have to do with each other, nothing. A breeder can be very religious and still be the worst kind of puppy miller there is.

Always ask to see the premises of the breeder. You should want to know how their dogs live and what kind of environment the puppies are raised in. If a breeder doesn't let you come to their home this should be a red flag that things are not what they say they are or what is stated on their website.