It is all too tempting to buy a toy poodle (or any breed) puppy sight unseen from an Internet breeder. Or to hop in the car and buy a puppy from a pet store. Please do not take the easy way out.
Human nature being what it is, the path of least resistance often leads to heartache. We have heard stories about puppies that die within days of coming home. To that heartache you can add the cost of veterinary care.
Did you know that most puppy mill breeders “guarantee” their pups by offering you a replacement puppy should yours die? Small comfort, huh?
To these breeders (we’re using the term loosely here), puppies are commodities, easily replaced. The expense to the breeder is negligible because they are producing so many puppies that they can easily write off a few. It’s the cost of doing “business.” The emotional cost to you and your family, by contrast, is incalculable.
That’s why we encourage you to choose a breeder wisely. Visit the home/kennel and judge for yourself the quality of care that the breeding dogs and puppies receive. Also make sure you get a real health guarantee, one that lasts at least until the dog is full grown. By then, most inherited problems will show up. The guarantee should be for a cash refund of the money you spent to purchase the puppy. (It would be reasonable for the breeder to request a copy of your vet bill and a statement from the vet that the condition was, in all likelihood, genetic.)
A good breeder will also have a return policy that promises to take back a dog for any reason during its entire lifetime.
Is this too high a standard to ask of those who produce the puppies we welcome into our hearts and homes?
You can support the effort to Stop Puppy Mills by signing the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) pledge in the screen shot shown above. Sign the pledge here.
Please visit our Good Breeder Bad Breeder page to learn more about backyard breeders and puppy mills.
Until next time,
Mr. Dibs
