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A COMPARISON OF: |
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Traits of Responsible Breeders |
Traits of Backyard Breeders |
| "Into" Dogs (shows, training, clubs, etc.) | Not "into" dogs (has "pets" around the house) |
| Belongs to dog clubs and organizations | Is not involved in the "dog world" |
| Proves quality of dogs and suitability for breeding by competing for titles and certificates in conformation, obedience, agility, field trialing, herding, tracking, earthdog trials, etc. | Quality of dogs is almost always substandard, however, he does not test his dogs in shows or trials (Dogs are just pets or "breeding machines") |
| Pups' pedigrees are filled with dogs who have obtained show titles/working certificates; never breeds dogs without "papers" | Pedigrees mostly a list of pets bred by backyard breeders; pups may not even have "papers"; may be "mixed breeds" |
| Knowledgeable in every facet of breed, including that of health issues/defects; researches genetics when choosing mates | Not particularly educated about breed, often not aware of his own breed's genetic defects; does not consider a dog which he intends to breed genetics |
| Knowledgeable about house breaking, training, socializing, breeding, health; constantly reads dog-related materials | Has own ideas which may not coincide with professionals' opinions; won't bother to read any of the hundreds of dog books available |
| Can and will help and educate puppy buyers re these issues | Says "Goodbye" and "Good luck" |
| Willing to give you his references | Has no references |
| Knows his puppies' ancestry | Knows nothing about the other dogs on puppies' pedigrees |
| Follows up on puppies' well-being; collects health information affecting his dogs | Does not concern himself with the puppies' well-being or how puppies' health affects his breeding "plan" |
| Breeds to improve his own dogs, his bloodlines and the breed | Breeds just to breed or make money or see his "great dog" procreate |
| Breeds only dogs which meet breed standard | Dogs used for breeding rarely meet breed standard |
| Breeds only dogs with stable temperaments | Breeds shy/aggressive dogs with poor temperaments |
| Does all genetic testing; does not breed animals with genetic defects or which are carriers of defects | Does no genetic testing; ignorantly breeds defective animals or those which are carriers, thus, perpetuating disease in breed |
| Puppies are sold from waiting list created before breeding even takes place | Puppies are sold after birth in the local newspaper, first-come, first-served |
| Puppies are sold with health guarantees | Puppies are sold with no guarantee |
| Puppies are sold with contracts | No contracts; does not care what you do with puppies |
| Requires pups back if new homes don't work out | Says "Find them good homes" |
| Dogs on property are friendly, socialized, trained | Dogs on property may be aggressive or shy, and untrained |
| Does not own more dogs than he has room, time or money for; Dogs are groomed, exercised, healthy, happy | Puppy mills are overloaded, "warehoused" dogs are not groomed or exercised, don't look healthy or happy |
| Raises puppies indoors | Raises puppies outdoors |
| Stays home to care for puppies | Dam and pups are alone for long hours |
| Feeds only premium dog food | Feeds cheap, grocery store dog food (containing 4D meat/chemicals) |
| Visitors remove shoes and wash hands to prevent spread of parvovirus | Has no understanding and takes no precautions to prevent puppy-killer disease |
| Socializes pups by systematically handling them and exposing them to various noises, children and other animals before sending them to new homes. Frenchie breeders tend to keep the puppies until at least 10-12 weeks of age. | Does not understand or want to be troubled with any kind of training; just tries to keep puppies quiet and contained until sold. Some backyard breeders will sell pups as young as six weeks! |
| Tests pups to match their temperaments and drives with buyers' personalities and lifestyles | Knows nothing about puppy-testing or matching puppies with buyers; allows buyers to pick the "cutest" one. Often they will sell puppies at different prices depending on color! |
| Can honestly evaluate pups' quality | Says all pups are high quality |
| Never sells to "impulse" buyers and always provides information to prepare buyers for the new arrival into their home | Is not concerned about buyers being prepared for pups |
| Never sells two pups at the same time to a novice | Would consider this killing two birds with one sale |
| Interviews prospective buyers, checks home and references, refuses to sell to substandard homes | Sells first-come, first-served to whomever has the cash; does not find out which homes are substandard |
| Wants to meet whole family; won't sell if children are abusive | Does not consider anything past obtaining the funds |
| Understands dogs are "pack" animals; sells pets only to buyers wanting to make pup an indoor dog and part of the family | Doesn't care if pups live as outdoor dogs or chained dogs, being unhappy or anxious being isolated and separated from "packs" |
| Sells only to buyers who make pup's safety a priority | Does not consider pups' best interests |
| Encourages or requires buyers to spay/neuter pet-quality pups | Encourages buyers to breed, regardless of quality |
| Encourages buyers to train pups; refers to good trainer | Shows no concern for pups after sale; knows no trainers |
| Makes sure buyers understand pup's considerable need for time, attention, exercise and training | Does not provide even his own dogs with enough time, attention, exercise or training |
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Responsible Breeders |
Backyard Breeders |