[RubyPitbull]

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the practice of Puppy Mills, Backyard Breeders & Dog Auctions.

For those of you who can't resist that cute little puppy in the pet store, it would be a wise thing for you to visit the link I am attaching to the bottom of this post. That cute little puppy in the pet store is a product of these practices. When you have bought one of these dogs, please, don't be shocked and surprised when your pup grows into a dog with behavior and/or physicall problems. When we purchase dogs from a pet store they are usually the product of a puppy mill or a backyard breeder. When we purchase a puppy from someone's home, you need to find out where the mother & father originally came from. Are they from responsible breeders? How do you know? Because the person selling the pup has assured you of this and can give you AKC paperwork? Be aware of the fact that AKC paperwork doesn't guarantee a dog that is a fine example of the breed and is free from defects. There are many people who have purchased a dog from a pet store, receive the AKC paperwork, then go on to breed those dogs solely to make extra money. They may even be people who love their pets, but they are not doing the responsible thing by continuing this cycle of breeding and perpetuating the defects.

Please visit this link and take a good look around the entire HSUS website. I hope it will open up some eyes as to the plight of so many animals. Stop Puppy Mills

[chuff]

That's distubing. On the flip side of that is the number of dogs that have to be put down because the kenals are not big enough to hold them all. How really sad, that you have one side that pushes mass breeding and another the just kills them because there are not enough people to own them. It's amazing that humans are so shallow to the one animal that willingly gives it's trust, love, and sometimes it's life for the owner.

[RubyPitbull]

Yes Chuff. If less people were irresponsible in their breeding practices, we wouldn't have the situations we have going on in the shelters and rescues. Those dogs and cats are both the rejected products of those breeders, and generally people who choose to let their animals breed instead of spaying and neutering them.

I get tired of seeing all the breeding questions or listening to people tell me how adorable and sweet that puppy in the window was and they just had to buy them. It costs a lot less to give a shelter dog or cat a good home than purchasing one. Until people stop buying them, this cycle will continue.

[labman]

This is part of the material that I have been using for years.

Choosing a dog is a very personal thing. You need to actually see a variety.
You could drop in on an obedience class. Most of the people will be happy to
Talk about their dog, and many will give honest answers about grooming and
Nature. Browse the question board. See the problems people are asking for
Help on. Dogs vary so much within a breed, even among litter mates. Some
Field Labs are as hyper as any pointer. You want to look for a calm dog.

Maybe ask to visit the breeders home. Field and show champions can be bred
In kennels. Dogs where the mother lives in the house have the best
Personalities. Some kids to fondle the puppies from birth are better yet. If
The breeder doesn't want the parents in their house, do you want the offspring
In yours? Spend as much time with the parents as you can. Nice parents don't
Guarantee nice puppies, but don't chance bad parents. Of course ask about hip
And eye certification or other genetic problems common to your breed too.

I like the Golden Retrievers as family pets. Perhaps I am making the mistake
Of judging the whole breed by my friends' dog. But I see others too. They
Love attention, and are sturdy enough and good natured to tolerate almost
Anything. The Australian Shepherds are great too and shed less. They are
Smaller than the Golden and tend to be less nippy than some of the other
Herding dogs. I enjoy my Labs, but some of them can be strong willed and a
Challenge. They shed terribly too.

Consider the animal shelter. There are many nice dogs, and you can see how
They look with little or no grooming. You can also see how they behave. Look
For dogs that want your attention, but are not going wild. Leave the ones that
Retreat to the back of their cage. Look at their teeth. Look for ones that
Still show a 3 lobed, clove like pattern on the front ones. Leave the ones
That fight letting you look at their teeth too much. If the points are worn
Off the teeth, it is an older dog that may break your heart by dying too soon.
Pinch the web between its toes. It hurts. It is OK for the dog to pull away
Or whine, but it shouldn't growl, snap or show its teeth. Think about size.
In a small apartment, a Golden might knock over the lamps when it walks
Through wagging its tail. Since the shelter likely will kill most of the
Dogs, you may as well pick out a nice one.

Finding a good breeder and purchasing a puppy that will make a good pet is very difficult. Almost nobody is intentionally breeding dogs to be nice pets. Most of your so called reputable breeders are breeding for show or something. They may say the puppies they don't keep for their purpose make great pets, but the truth is that the parents were selected for other than health and temperament. Often they keep the puppies in the kennel too long and they miss the important early socialization puppies need to live in the house with people.

Next are the disreputable breeders. They breed any 2 registered dogs they can lay a hold of looking only at the money they can make selling them to pet stores. Pet store puppies are easy to find, but difficult to socialize into nice pets, perhaps difficult to even keep alive. You will not get what you pay for at a pet store.

One of the best sources for dogs with a predictable personality is the rescue
Dogs. These are dogs that lost their home, but were taken into a foster home
To be retrained as necessary and placed in the right home for them. You may
Find a rescue near you starting at
American Kennel Club - Breed Rescue dog dogs puppy puppies The rescues charge a fee to help cover their expenses, but is much less than the price of a puppy plus all its medical expenses the first year.


American Kennel Club - akc.org and Pet Food: Premium, Healthy Pet Food | Purina.com have breed selector pages on their site. You
Might try them. Don't take a recommendation for some obscure, hard to find
Breed too seriously. Even if your puppy doesn't grow up like you expected,
How you raise it helps make it what you need. The first 12 weeks of a dog's
Life greatly affect its adult personality. Expose it to your lifestyle, and
It will be comfortable with you. Gretchen, my little German Shepherd will
Not grow up suspicious of strangers. She knows no life except being out and
Petted by strangers from the night we picked her up at 7 weeks old.

[Columbus Top Dogs]

As a member of the Central Ohio companion animal rescue community, I've been working very diligently with animal advocates throughout the U.S. in addressing the horrendous conditions of dog auctions and puppy mills in OH. For more information on our efforts, I invite you to visit our website Home and read the article "New bill targets puppy mills, auctions" in the Winter, 2007 issue of The Animal
Insider - http://www.animal-outreach.org/progr...tter-01-07.pdf.

It is my firm belief that until the public truly understands and appreciates the cruel aspect - not to mention the corruption and consumer fraud - connected with "dealing dogs", puppy mills will continue to generate millions of dollars for their breeders and distributors.

[labman]

I hope some of our Ohio members step up and help. Recently somebody here complained that AMHD was just like all the other sites, discouraging to breeding perhaps even hostile. I doubt we see many from the puppy mills here, but I try to encourage spay/neuter.