Staff at many of the stores engaged in elaborate deception to convince our undercover investigators - as they do with unsuspecting buyers - that they were getting the dogs
from responsible breeders.
She maintains a list of
responsible breeders who have a litter or are planning a litter in the near future and can advise you on availability and location.
These networks should keep lists
of responsible breeders as well as available dogs from rescues and shelters so that people can be directed to a dog that will meet their requirements.
It is not enough to know that these operations exist; it is important to know how to avoid them and
find responsible breeders.
However, these laws don't work because puppies produced
by responsible breeders rarely enter shelters and when they do, they are generally reclaimed by the owners or by the breeders themselves.
Let us just state that we have no problem
with responsible breeders as the pets which ends up in shelters, streets, and animal rescues usually do not come from responsible pet breeders.
Responsible breeders make sure that they use all the tools they can to make sure the puppies they produce are healthy and free of genetic defects.
Responsible breeders take great care in selecting particular individuals to make their breed stronger, healthier, and match up to the breed's written standard.
Hip and elbow dysplasia are also problems that are common, although modern genetic testing is helping
responsible breeders test before breeding.
Worse than that, it can actually lead unsuspecting buyers to puppy mills and drive
responsible breeders out of business.
In many cases you can use links on the pages to get more information on the breeds, on their health problems, and on
locating responsible breeder.
Even if there aren't overt infractions, think about this —
what responsible breeder would ever sell their puppies to someone sight unseen?
Responsible breeders try to identify genetic diseases their dogs might be carrying and to eliminate them by careful breeding.
Many
responsible breeders also microchip or tattoo their puppies for permanent identification and withhold the registration papers until the pup has been spayed or neutered.
Hip dysplasia is typically hereditary, thus the formation of regulating bodies that
allow responsible breeders to have their breeding dogs evaluated for this damaging joint disorder.
A female hamster is ready to breed at just a few weeks old, though
responsible breeders wait until 4 months to ensure the hamster's health and well - being.
Unlike responsible breeders, who place the utmost importance on producing the healthiest puppies possible, breeding at puppy mills is performed without consideration of genetic quality.
Larger breeds of dogs in general are more prone to hip dysplasia which is
why responsible breeders evaluate their breeding stock's hips after the age of two and prior to breeding.
Responsible breeders never sell puppies over the Internet or through a pet store and will insist on meeting the family who will be purchasing the dog.
Someone who tries to push two puppies on a buyer isn't a
very responsible breeder, and isn't doing her puppies, or the new owner, any favors.