At Bailing Out Benji we are committed to ending the puppy mill industry through education, advocacy and research.
We always advocate for pet adoption first and foremost and encourage everyone to look for their next best friend from their local rescue or shelter. This is made very easy thanks to websites like Petfinder and AdoptAPet. Through those, you can easily search through your local animal welfare organizations or you can even look at adoptable dogs and puppies from breed specific rescues.
When families are having a hard time finding an animal through a rescue or shelter, it is important for advocates to help make sure customers don’t accidentally support puppy mills as they continue their search. It is up to each and every one of us to help take the cruelty out of animal purchases, no matter how we personally feel about buying dogs or the intentional breeding of dogs.
But how does someone make sure they aren’t buying from a puppy mill?
It is easier to find a puppy mill than a responsible breeder. Unfortunately, places like puppy stores, online brokering websites and newspaper ads make it really easy for puppy mills to hide among more reputable facilities to sell a lot of puppies to the unsuspecting public.
So what can the every day person do (besides adopt!) to make sure they aren’t funding the puppy mill industry through their purchases?
The most impactful thing they can do is ask questions and get to know their puppy’s breeder before sending any money along. This will not only help avoid supporting puppy mills, but this will help families from getting scammed by people who don’t even have puppies to sell.
Below is a list of questions that we feel are the most important for consumers to ask! While not every facility will meet every green flag, this serves as a way for families to determine their own comfort level with the facility or family they will be buying from.
Searching for a Reputable Breeder
We are often asked if we have a list of responsible breeders, but the short answer is: No, we do not have a list of breeders that we endorse. Instead we have suggestions on ways to begin your search and tips on how to ensure you are buying from someone reputable.
In order to avoid buying from puppy mills, we always suggest that the families:
– Research the breeder and ask to view their three most recent state or USDA inspection reports (including dog counts).
– Visit the property to make sure you approve of how the parent dogs are living.
– Ask what genetic health tests the parent dogs have received to ensure that the puppies are healthy and won’t have genetic issues pop up later on in life.
– Avoid pet stores and online brokering websites, especially when they don’t provide the breeder information to you ahead of time.
One of the things that we always suggest is getting in contact with the AKC National Breed Club of your interested breed and begin your search for a reputable breeder there.
Many breed clubs are also very active in their own breed specific rescue and could also help you find an adoptable dog. To view a list of national breed clubs, click here.
This is not an endorsement of any breeder or breed club.
It is the responsibility of each customer to do their research and make sure the breeder they choose is not a puppy mill.
Next Steps
If you have located a breeder and researched them thoroughly on your own but still want to double check that you aren’t supporting a puppy mill, please contact us through the form below and we will provide any additional information that we have on that facility.
Make a donation below to help our nonprofit continue our important work fighting puppy mills.
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