A responsible breeder cares about each and every dog in his/her kennel and is dedicated to their breed and its betterment. A puppy miller just sees dollar signs instead of soft brown eyes and warm living things that deserve respect and love.

Puppies sold in most pet stores often if not always come from a Puppy mill. Where their mothers still remain literally being bred to death....producing one litter after another, until their backs are swayed and their bodies are so worn that the litters they produce are too small to bring in a profit.

Not that the animals were in a healthy condition before all the breeding started....at a puppy mill there are no tests for genetic defects, no checkups from the family vet, no vaccinations.....also no grooming, petting or playing and in the worst cases no regular food and water.

There are only tiny little cages or small runs crammed to bursting with their canine prisoners and their wastes, and sometimes even their corpses! The conditions are to horrible to contemplate...canine death camps....

And it's not only dogs that this happens to, other popular pet animals often have to suffer the same fates....as long as it sells and is easy to breed.....as long as buyers pay for kittens and puppies at pet stores.

Help stop the pain and suffering....Speak out against Puppy mills!!!

	Reputable Breeder	Backyard Breeder	Puppy miller
Reasons for breeding	For the love and betterment of the breed they are involved with.	Because they think their dog needs to have a litter, their children need to witness the miracle of birth or because they did not spay or neuter in time and accidents will happen.	Because they want to make money.
Health Certification	Always! Hips and eyes and usually any other health concerns that are know to exist in their breed are also evaluated.	Usually unaware that any genetic testing is needed. Some do realize however that mother and pups need to be checked by a vet.	Genetic testing cuts into their profit so none is done. Vet care is kept at a minimum to make a profit and often there is no vet care at all.
Commercial sales	No reputable breeder will ever allow any of his/her puppies to be sold in a pet store or at an auction, or deal with brokers and their like.	Will on occasion unknowingly sell to pet stores or brokers if they can not find homes for their litters. Some will give entire litters to the shelter. And in even worse cases abandon entire litters by the side of a road, in trash can or worse......	Do most of their business with brokers, supplying pet stores with floods of poor quality puppies.
Code of Ethics	Uphold a strict Code of Ethics. Work for the betterment and welfare of their breed.	Often mean well and get in over their head....	Ethics have no place in their place of business...they only want money.
Return/Refund	Will always take back any dog that came from his/her kennels. In fact they usually include this in their sales contract that if the buyer is unable to keep the animal for any reason it is to be returned to the breeder.	Not likely...	Even if they did who would want to send an innocent animal back into such a place???
Frequency of litters	Will plan each litter with care. Sire and Dam are selected with care and checked for health. Buyers will be lined up on waiting lists so possible homes will be available. Preparations are made well in advance for each litter, so it often happens that a reputable breeder will only have litters available once maybe twice a year or less.	Varies...hopefully a litter is onetime thing for them and they learn better from it.	Always has litters of various ages available and often several different breeds as well.
Socialization/Care	Will begin socialization of their litters. All the dogs will be well care for and groomed. Spend a lot of time with all their animals every day.	It depends on the individual owner and how informed they are.	Dogs spend their life in pens or cages having litters...no time for socializing or cuddles and special care.
Knowledge	Has a lifetime of involvement with their animals. Knows about not only the characteristics of the breed and it's standard and temperament, but also about each of his/her individual dogs as well as every puppy in their litter. Well informed about health problems in their breed. Has at least a basic knowledge of genetics. Will share with you anything you need to know and answer your questions concerning your puppy. Will want to keep in touch with you over the animals lifetime and know how the dogs is doing.	All to often lack the knowledge to breed and care for the animals the way it should be done. Are rarely aware of all the issues they need to be aware of and need to let their buyers know about.	Simply doesn't care to know more other than how much he/she can charge for each puppy...

In addition to the above table....

Reputable breeders do :

• Ask you lots of questions about yourself and your family, any other pets that you have or even pets you have had in the past and what happened to these prior pets.

• Have titles in either conformation and/or performance events (obedience, tracking, herding, agility, hunting tests....) on their dogs.

• Provide you with a registration slip, copies of health certification, shot records and a written contract/ guarantee when you buy a puppy.

• Will openly discuss their breed, including known health problems, faults and so on with you and also offer advice on caring for and training your puppy.

• Screen each buyer carefully and care what becomes of their puppies once they leave their care.

• Have happy and healthy animals.

Reputable breeders don't :

• Breed a bitch on every heat.

• Tell you that all their puppies are show/breeding quality

• Tell you that their breed has absolutely no problems whatsoever.

• Allow a puppy less than 8 weeks to go to a new home.

• Sell you a puppy without the papers in order.

• Give reasons why they would not take back a dog that they bred.

• Sell puppies without caring what kind of home they go to.