A COMPARISON OF:
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, 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 mongrels (Cockapoos, etc.)
Supports rescue groups; knows his actions inevitably play some part in pet overpopulation and euthanasia (one of every four dogs in shelters is purebred). Even with all his efforts to stem over- population, he knows "cracks" will lead to canine deaths	Honestly believes that because he places/sells all his pups, he does not contribute in any way to the needless slaughter of millions of dogs per year in shelters (Does not see his role in his pups making pups and them making more pups and so on)
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 mate's 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
Rarely breeds as he does not use dog breeding as a business and strives for quality, not quantity	Breeds regularly if for money or if puppy mill; if for ego, breeds once in awhile, or "just once" before neutering or spaying
Rarely repeats a breeding, unless it is a very good cross	Often repeats breedings, mainly those that are cheap and convenient.
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
Breeds only dogs at an age the dog is ready, and a limited number of times	Breeds dogs at almost any age, and any number of times
Mate choice could be anywhere in the country	Mate choice is that which is convenient, cheap, local (very often owns both sire and dam, or swaps with local person)
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
Breeds for themself first and foremost. Screens potential owners long before a litter is due. Has referrels from other reputable breeders.	Puppies are reserved before born, or sold right after birth on the internet or in the local newspaper, first-come, first-served basis
Pet quality pups are resonable	Asks ridiculous amounts of money for pups whose eyes are not even open. Or sells other registry dogs, APR,CKC,UKC.
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. Backyard breeders , do not care about their dogs as long as the money is coming.
Will show you pups' parents if available, or if not, will have pictures	Might have to "lock up" pups' aggressive or shy parents (dogs that should never have been bred)
Raises puppies indoors	Raises puppies outdoors. Or in crates and pens.
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
Keeps pups with mom and litter a minimum of 12 to 16 weeks, to ensure sibling socialization and important lessons from pups' mother	Doesn't know leaving litter earlier can cause lifelong temperament problems or staying too long can hurt bonding with humans
Socializes pups by systematically handling them and exposing them to various noises, children and other animals before sending them to new homes	Does not understand or want to be troubled with any kind of training; just tries to keep puppies quiet and contained until sold
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
Can honestly evaluate pups' quality	Says all pups are high quality
Never sells to "impulse" buyers	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 vet 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
Sells only to buyers with disposable income (AKC reports it costs $1327 per year to properly care for a dog)	Is not concerned whether or not buyers can afford to properly care for pups
Waits for buyers who offer lifelong homes (Knows that only 30 percent of all dogs stay in one home throughout their lives)	Does not reject high-risk buyers: (renters, young people, those with poor track records, low income, other pets, dogs kept outdoors)
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
Responsible Breeders Improve the Breed	Backyard Breeders, Puppy Mills Damage the Breed

BACK