Buying Puppies From Backyard Breeders May Pose Risky Consequences

Not too long ago, I wrote a blog about why people should not breed their dog.  This is because they do not have enough information about the ancestors of the parents, grandparents, and so on to be sure that they are creating well-tempered and healthy puppies. 

Other considerations are that a breeder would have to assure that they had the adequate means to screen for the right home and take the dog back if there was an issue.  Below is a good example that illustrates why buying a dog from such a breeder — who typically uses the classifieds, craigslist and other such advertising to sell their pups — could have potentially serious consequences.

Recently the dog rescue organization that I volunteer for, Canine Castaways, received a mother pure breed dog with three puppies.  A man had decided to breed his dog in order to keep one and make some money by selling the rest.  Some neighbors were concerned over his ability to care for the dogs and talked him into phoning a rescue.  Five of the puppies had already died as the mother developed an infection and was unable to feed them properly. 

The mother dog is only 10 months old.  She is indeed beautiful, as sweet as can be, and took great care of her pups. It was quite obvious in as little as 5 weeks of age, that the puppies all had very different personalities.  One female was confident, curious, and submissive to the other puppies and people.  One male was anxious and very whiney and the other male was very dominant and anxious.  He always put his head over the other pups with tale straight up, stepped up on kids pushing his nose on them, and was not receptive to correction from humans.

The puppies were born with these inherited personalities.  Although the mother was very sweet and submissive, there was nervous and dominant traits obtained from either the father or past generations. Keep in mind this is not the puppies' fault. A human chose to breed two dogs without having the proper information to do it.  Since dogs live in a human society, it is important that they are even tempered or go to appropriate homes that can work with them properly. 

Care in Rescue

The mother dog received antibiotics for her infection and recovered well.  After being spayed, she was placed in foster care. The three puppies were placed in a very experienced foster home as well after being weaned.  All puppies are being socialized to increase their tolerance to people, animals and different surroundings.  Special attention was placed on the two male puppies to decrease anxiety. The male puppy with dominance issues has progressed very well and is playing nicer and is receptive to correction from humans.  He is even rolling over to show his belly for petting.  The other male puppy has learned that he does not need to be in constant human contact to be safe and is playing well on his own. 

All applicants for the dogs are being well screened. Follow up support will be provided after adoption to monitor progress and the dogs will be returned to rescue if the adopter is no longer able to provide care. 

Potential complications if not placed in rescue

It would be difficult for the average person to recognize potential behavioral problems in the two male pups.  Many people believe that dogs cannot even develop behavior problems until they are grown which is why they want a puppy so they can raise it in order to prevent such occurrences.  Puppies bring out our nurturing instincts and some of these behavior problems could be encouraged instead of changed without even realizing it. 

If the mother had not become ill, this man would have sold his pups to the public.  Since he couldn’t recognize sickness, it is highly doubtful that he would recognize behavior traits that needed to be worked on or screened properly for the right owner.  Perhaps words such as “he’s the leader of the bunch” would have been used to describe an anxious and dominant dog or “he loves to be held” to describe and overly anxious dog. 

Plea to the public

Avoid buying dogs off of local advertisements, flea markets, and websites of backyard breeders. They do not have the knowledge or the concern for people or the dog to breed properly and offer support after the sell.  Puppy stores are no better. If you feel the need to buy one because you feel sorry for it, just keep in mind that this only encourages them to do it more. If people stop buying, it sends a message that dogs are not a commodity. They are living, breathing creatures and deserve the proper care from birth. 

The local animal shelters and rescue groups have hundreds of dogs in need of a good home. These places are willing to tell you what they know about a dog, help you find the right dog for you, and offer support after the adoption.