How to Find a Puppy and Avoid Puppy Mills: Evaluating Breeders

You can find both good and bad breeders. Some puppy mills call themselves breeders, so do your research with parent organizations for that breed. A good breeder may work out of their home or a kennel.

Choose a good breeder for your puppy.

The best breeders have the genetic and medical history (see links at the end of this complete article) of both the mother and father dogs, and screen for good behavior and good health. Their breeding dogs are often trained in dog sports like agility, taken to confirmation shows, and have titles and certifications. You can locate reputable breeders by contacting breed specific parent organizations. Ask for this information and ask to see proof.

The breeder should carefully screen homes before placing their puppies and make sure you understand the personality and needs of the breed. They often have conditions on what you can do if you cannot keep the dog, and on spaying and neutering if you are getting the puppy as a family pet. If you can get the puppy without going through this kind of questioning, be suspicious of that “breeder.”

Kennels

Kennels may fall under any of the categories I discuss in this series. It could be a puppy mill, a private home hobbyist, a rescue group, or a qualified and certified breeder. Ask to see the facility and figure out what category the kennel falls under before selecting their puppies.

Hint: Don’t even look at the available puppies a business has for adoption until after evaluating their facility and practices. You risk falling in love with one. You may be tempted to think, “but I need to save the puppy,” but all you are doing is providing money and space for a non-reputable business to continue their practice. Report suspicious activity to your local animal control or a humane society and let them rescue the pups.

My next post will look at pet stores. In this series:

• How to Find a Puppy and Avoid Puppy Mills – Puppy Checklist
• Looking at Pet Stores (next)
• Through Private Advertisements
• Adopting from Rescue Groups

Click “More” for a list of helpful links

Breeder Resources:

The AKC recommends puppy buyers begin the search process by contacting the AKC Parent Club.

Find a Continental Kennel Club Preferred Breeder. Preferred Breeders must register their puppies with CKC, submit to random inspections, and provide health clearances, among other requirements.

Health Resources:

You can look up parent dogs in the OFA Orthopedic Foundation for Animals registry and check for the number of clearances in a pedigree.

CHIC – Canine Health Information Center – provides a resource for breeders and owners of purebred dogs to research and maintain information on the health issues prevalent in specific breeds.

Articles to Help You Use Registries:

The OFA and the Role of Canine Health Databases by Eddie Dziuk is a great article discussing breeder responsibility.

Starboard Newfoundlands has a helpful article on How to Check for Health Clearances.

The article, Health Clearances; Parent Club Databases and CHIC by Margaret Pough has detailed information on checking for health.

Breed Resources

AKC’s Puppy Buyer Information page links to all of their services to help you buy a puppy.

Wikipedia articles on specific breeds refer to personality, health, and other information to help you select a breed.

Browse the AKC Recognized Breeds

Read the United Kennel Club Breed Information

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