So perhaps you’ve decided to bring a puppy into your life but you’re maybe nervous about what you’ve heard regarding puppy farms and don’t want to end up buying your puppy from one? Don’t fear, in this blog we identify the key differences between a puppy farm vs a responsible breeder to guide you on your journey to getting your dog.
The key differences between a puppy farm and responsible breeder are being able to visit the facility to see the puppy, the facility conditions (good or bad?), be able to see the mother of the litter, be allowed to meet the litter, be given genetic information, and be sold a puppy at a reasonable price. Read on where we discuss in more detail.
Also, see below a video from Aspen Grove Veterinary Care – Fort Collins on the topic!
So What is a Puppy Farm or Puppy Farming?
So before we look at the key differences, we must understand what a puppy farm/mill actually is.
According to the British Veterinary Association, puppy farming is where irresponsible breeders only value the profit of breeding dogs, and not their health and welfare. The dogs and other animals are subjected to poor living conditions, kept in tiny pens and used for breeding multiple litters a year. All for profit.
The RSPCA Australia also defines them as “an intensive dog breeding facility that is operated under inadequate conditions that fail to meet the dogs’ behavioural, social and/or physiological needs’.”
The consequences of this treatment, as well as puppies being taken away from their mothers too early (see my related post Should You Buy a Puppy Without Seeing the Mum? EXPLAINED – Collar Column) are health issues and disease, animal cruelty, and poor socialisation which lead to behavioural issues as they aren’t given a fair start in life in those crucial early weeks.
This often leads to emotional and financial devastation for unsuspecting owners, especially when the puppy doesn’t make it.
In the UK, breeding is regulated. See here where licencing is required when breeding dogs.
The KEY Differences and Things to Look Out For
VISITATION – If buying from a responsible breeder, you will be able to visit the puppy where it was born. A red flag for puppy farm breeding is not being offered this, and instead, be delivered your puppy or have to collect them in a public place like a car park or service station.
THE FACILITY OR HOME – What are the living conditions like? Is it clean and a healthy environment? Responsible breeders will make sure this environment is in optimum condition. Puppy farms are notorious for horrific living conditions. Are the puppies happy? This is another key sign. Something else to look out for is if there are lots of other breeds of puppies at the facility/home. If there are, this is a red flag for puppy farm breeding. Usually, a responsible breeder will not be breeding multiple different dog breeds. In most cases, they will have their set breed they are known/have the expertise for.
SEE THE MOTHER AT THE VERY LEAST – Puppy farms tend to separate puppies too early from their mother and they are no longer there. So if you can’t see the mother, it’s a big red flag. The mother should always be there when visiting and a responsible breeder will ensure this. See my related post on this – Should You Buy a Puppy Without Seeing the Mum? EXPLAINED – Collar Column
MEET THE LITTER – A responsible breeder will allow you to meet the entire litter, i.e your puppy’s brothers and sisters. Responsible breeder aside, this is a key moment when looking out for puppy farm warning signs. Maybe you were told you were buying a purebred dog (where both the parents are the same breed), but when seeing the rest of the litter, there is a large mix of features or just different dog breeds in general amongst the litter; this could indicate puppy farm breeding where different dog breeds have been used in the breeding process. It’s important to note that you can buy mixed breed puppies from responsible breeders, but it’s the potential deceit which you must consider.
Also if the facility you are buying from denies you from seeing the litter, this is also red flag. The excuse of “the rest of the litter is sold” may seem a legitimate reason to some, but if buying from a responsible breeder, you would have had the opportunity to see the puppies well before any person could buy one.
GENETICS – When breeding puppies, genetics are super important. If the breeder is responsible and doing it for the good of the breed, they will be taking this heavily into consideration as to whether to breed a specific dog based on their genetics and condition. They will be looking to try and promote healthy features through breeding and remove the negative characteristics from the lineage. For example, large breeds can suffer from elbow and hip problems which can be scored to make sure bad characteristics aren’t bred from.
Puppy farms will never consider this and will breed from any dog without health testing! If buying from a good breeder, they will be able to supply you with this genetic testing information of the parents which is critically important. Buying a puppy which will potentially develop issues later will fall on you and your finances. A puppy farm in most cases won’t be able to give you this information.
THE PRICE – Remember puppy farms are just in it for the profit so keep an eye out for super-inflated prices. Make sure you know the average price for your breed of puppy. In COVID, dog prices increased dramatically, and it was at this time we bought Albus our golden retriever. However, as a good sign of a responsible breeder, ours held the price at pre-inflated levels as they understood selling at a higher price only acted as fuel to the fire and promoted irresponsible breeding like puppy farms.
Are Puppy Farms Illegal?
So we know we want to avoid puppy farms, but are they actually illegal?
Puppy farms are not illegal, but in the UK you must be licenced to breed over 3-5 litters a year. If doing so unlicensed, then it becomes illegal.
There are measures in place however to tackle puppy farm breeding such as Lucy’s Law which banned the commercial third-party sale of puppies and kittens, also requiring dog breeders to show the puppies engaging with their mother at their place of birth.