How do you identify a bad breeder ?

A bad breeder does it solely for profit. The most notorious bad breeders are puppy farmers and back yard “breeders”.

There is no legal definition for the word puppy farming, but it is generally accepted and recognised by animal welfare organisations, as dog breeders who breed indiscriminately from their bitches and frequently sell their puppies onto a third party. Puppy farmers mass produce puppies, often on a commercial scale, selling them onto dealers and agents, who frequently are dog breeders too, who then sell the puppies onto pet shops or via the internet and free papers. In addition to the Puppy Farmer there are the “Back Yard” breeders may be working on a much smaller scale but they frequently have little regard for the welfare of the breeding bitch, pups and who they are selling them to.

The life of a breeding bitch in a puppy farm

Breeding bitches are frequently bred from each season from their first season and often live in solitary confinement. Once a bitch stops producing pups the lucky ones find their way to rescue organisations, the unlucky ones are destroyed often drown, beaten to death or shot. At NESSR we usually can identify an ex-breeding bitch by the state of her teats, a bitch that has been over bred will have over large and very saggy teats, often with lumps. Puppy farms dogs have often never lived in a home and will be terrified of everyday objects and experiences.

Stopping Puppy Farming

Identifying a puppy farmer or bad breeder is not always easy. Sometimes puppy farmers do hide behind a cover of respectability, they may be licensed, the pups may have Kennel Club papers, they may not be producing hundreds of puppies a year but they may have little care for the welfare of the breeding bitch or who they sell the puppies to. Sometimes the conditions they are breeding the pups in are not too bad, but the bitch is still being over bred, some puppy farmers are known to pass off pups as another bitches litter because they do not want people to see the original bitch, who is in poor condition, often too young or too old.

There are areas of the UK where puppy farming is rife, South West Wales, Scotland and areas of the North East are areas that cause Animal Welfare Organisations much concern. Councils have the powers to prosecute for unlicensed breeding activities but many fail miserably in enforcing existing legislation or prosecuting for unlicensed dog breeding. Without effective enforcement many breeding bitches, stud dogs and vulnerable puppies suffer in the hands of the unscrupulous breeders who know they can flaunt the law and Councils that are not acting in the best interest of the animals.

The only way to stop puppy farming is not to buy pups from these establishments so that they go out of business.

Spotting a puppy farm

Puppy farmers and back yard breeders tend to breed dogs for profit alone. As a result, they may typically do all or some of the following;
•    Breed from bitches too often and from too young an age and when the bitch is too old.
•    Cram dogs into unsuitable kenneling with no environmental consideration.
•    Only feed dogs enough to survive and breed.
•    Not give proper veterinary care or vaccinations.
•    Not provide legal paperwork and proof of a microchip if the pup is docked.
•    Transport and sell pups when they are too young to leave their mothers.
•    Often sell “pedigree” pups without proper Kennel Club registration papers.
•    Often sell “designer” cross breed puppies at highly inflated prices.
•    Do not carry out the breed specific health tests before mating for both the sire and dam. As a result dogs born and reared in puppy farms tend to be far more susceptible to developing health and temperament problems.

Stop Dogs Suffering for Profit: Part 1 - Crisis in rescue

Stop Dogs Suffering for Profit: Part 2 – Costs of responsible breeding

Stop Dogs Suffering for Profit: Part 3 – Puppy Farms