Am I being a bit precious over all these puppy acquisitions?

[Deadbudgie]

There seems to have been a bit of an explosion in puppy ownership in DSs class at school. Now I admit that I do like pedigree dogs and have always bought dogs from show lines. Mainly gundogs and currently a mini schnauzer. I know some pedigree breeding can cause its own issues, but we’ve (my extended family)always done loads of research re breeders, breeds etc, taking anywhere from 6-18 months to get a puppy. Tbh I thought this is what most people do. But all DSs school mates have literally gone to - yes we’re thinking of a puppy to puppy appearing at school gates within a couple of weeks (pets4homes seem the go to place). I’ve been a shocked at this seemingly impulsive purchase. But then I was met with a work colleague coming in with pictures of a new pup yesterday morning. When he left on Friday evening no plans to buy a puppy, apparently his wife was miserable at the weekend so they found a puppy on the aforementioned website brought her home on Saturday. They already have one dog they bought from what they later found out to be a puppy farm. Am I completely out of touch how people buy dogs these days? Are most of these puppies from puppy farms on these sites or are they really pets that someone wanted to breed?

I'd bet a very large sum of money that these dogs are puppy farmed - no reputable breeder allows someone to enquire and bring home a puppy on the same day.

Even if they think they bought it from a home-bred dog, chances are the puppy was bred elsewhere and brought to the home for the sale - the puppy farmers are so devious they'll actually use a bitch that will pretend to be the puppy's mum.

That’s what I was thinking, we had to go for an interview (inc our 6year old DS) before the breeder we used would even put us on a list for a litter that wasn’t even conceived! But that’s literally the way we had already done it and wondered if things had moved on. But I feel a bit disgusted esp with my work colleague!

Things haven't moved on if you are buying from a reputable breeder - and I hope they never do. Any good breeder will want to be very certain that the puppies are going to a good home, and will always take the dog back in the future if the new owner can't keep it.

WolfieFan usually says 80% of dogs in this country are from puppy farms. No idea where the stat comes from, but it wouldn't surprise me. Demand for properly bred puppies outstrips supply, people aren't willing to wait, they don't do their research and some of them are just wilfully ignorant.

Pets4Homes is notorious for being full of puppy farmers, with a few backyard breeders (often no better) thrown in.

Blimey that’s a lot. Mind you given my recent experience I can actually see those figures being accurate. I’m wondering whether these people just don’t know or don’t care or is it just an instant gratification thing. I want a dog and I want it now. It’s absolutely sickening

People don't think about much nowadays, they just want what they want, they want it now and they want it cheap.

To be honest I'm precious about people buying dogs full stop when there are overflowing rescues everywhere. I can't help but feel a bit of contempt for the higher end breeders too. But I've a house full of rescue dogs and other animals.

I try not to get dragged into these threads, but the key thing to remember is that a 'puppy farm' and a 'commercial breeder' are very different.

Puppy farms - unlicensed, dogs cramped into cages, stables, back to back litters, poorly puppies taken too young, living in their own faeces, never having human contact.

Commercial breeders - licensed, follow animal welfare regulations and rules on living areas, numbers of litters, space between breeding, age of bitches, socialisation, vet checks, vaccinations, microchips etc. Yes, the dogs may live in kennels, not on a sofa, but they are clean and well cared for. Yes they may breed several litters a year, but you have to remember this is essentially a 'business' and they need to cover costs. Setting up the sleeping, living and exercise spaces, heating, lighting, whelping area, vet checks, license costs etc all adds up and its not financially feasible to just have the one litter a year. But that doesn't mean they are putting the money before the welfare of the dogs.

Now, not everyone may agree with commercial breeders, but they are not the same as puppy farms, and the puppies grow up into healthy, well rounded pets with no problems.
And not all crossbreeds come from puppy farms - that's my favourite line...

I buy pedigree puppies and consider myself fussy about the breeder. It takes me 1-2 years to find a breeder and about another year on a waiting list for a puppy but I want a breeder with few dogs of only one breed, who does all health screening available on the parents, who breeds for temperament and health, who has one or two litters a year and who has the puppies in the house. It’s a lot to ask for but I’d rather wait for what I want than take a risk on the wrong puppy which will be with me for he next 15 years.

Honey roar absolutely I’m in awe of anyone who takes a rescue dog. I have thought about it but I like having a puppy from v young and I’m particular about breeds (who v rarely come up without problems in rescue) Unfortunately now we are v limited due to DSs allergies which means being limited to particular breeds.

People just want puppies now. The fact that you can decide to get a puppy and bring one home less than 24 hours later is really awful in my opinion.

They're dogs - animals! Not a new coat or a pair of shoes. So many people get dogs with no idea about the costs or the work involved and these poor dogs end up in rescue because there're "untrainable" or pee in the house or are going through their stubborn teenage phase.

Looking after dogs properly is a lifestyle - you need to be prepared to walk them twice a day, pay for all their needs - insurance, jabs, healthcare, chews, classes, vets bills not covered by insurance - the list goes on.

But lots of people think it's okay to buy one on a whim, leave it home alone all day and then wonder why it's bored/destructive/barks all day/pees everywhere etc etc.

Every animal in my house (even the hamster) is a rescue, but I don't have a problem with someone who goes out and buys a well bred puppy from a good breeder if they know what breed they want and it's not one that often shows up in rescue (I'd be a bit if they were going for something like a staffy or a husky, which are ten-a-penny in rescue).

Partly because I'm pragmatic that those people aren't going to go and pick up an 8yo rescue staffy when they actually wanted a mini schnauzer puppy, partly because some rare breeds need help to survive, partly because those breeders that are doing everything right deserve to be supported (in contrast to puppy farmers), and partly because there aren't actually any welfare concerns around those individual dogs.

While some dogs do get put down within rescues and pounds, it's a relatively small proportion, and it's usually because of behaviour (though in some cases it's up for debate if those behaviours could be resolved if there were more resources) rather than sheer overpopulation. There's a shortage of some types of rescue dogs (e.g. small, child / dog friendly etc.) hence the significant number of rescue dogs being brought in from places like Cyprus and Romania.

The people described by the OP, however... yes, I'm going to judge them as they're buying from puppy farms.

Charities have been spotting this, the PDSA's PAW report found one in four people do little to no research before getting a pet, including puppies. www.pdsa.org.uk/press-office/latest-news/pdsa-warns-of-long-term-risk-to-pet-welfare-as-trend-for-lack-of-pre-purchase-research-continues

Bunny. That makes absolutely shocking reading. I think it’s time to bring back a licence where you have to apply for it at least 1 month before you purchase a dog stating where you are getting it from and answer some questions as to how it’s needs will be met. Without a completed document it should be illegal to buy the dog.