Puppy mills and backyard breeders breed unhealthy, uncertified animals in poor conditions for the sole purpose of making a profit. They supply pet stores-even large chain pet stores, and they sell their puppies through newspaper ads. They ship their puppies all over the country and even to the U.S. to be sold in pet stores to just anyboby. Clearly, they do not care where these pups end up.

Many of these poor animals are kept in unsanitary conditions, in cages that are too small for them and they do not receive proper veterinary care. The puppies are under socialized, leave their mothers at too young an age(which can lead to many health and social problems), the parents do not get the proper health and/or temperament testing. Usually the females are bred right after their first heat, when they themselves are still puppies, and they are continuously bred until they are elderly and/or can no longer produce. Most never see the inside of a home or get to know the love of a human.

Do not be fooled, however; although most puppy mills and backyard breeders are easy to pick out, some do try to pass themselves off as reputable breeders.  

Most of these puppies will grow up with health and temperament problems. You will spend tons of money on vet bills in years to come as well as dog trainer/behaviorist bills. 

Save yourself a lot of heartache and help us in the fight against puppy mills; buy a loving puppy from a reputable breeder who will offer you support throughout your puppy's entire life, or adopt a puppy/dog from a rescue organization, thereby saving an abandoned or abused dog and giving him a chance at a brand new life!

Many of the puppy mill/byb puppies are not lucky enough to find an owner who will be willing to spend loads of money on vets and dog trainers; that is why lots of them are destined for the shelters. 

This is one of Quebec's major problems; because of poor animal rights laws in our province, these puppy mills and backyard breeders flourish here. They even move here from other provinces/countries to set up their commercial breeding programs, pumping out thousands of puppies a year. The SPCA's director, Pierre Barnoti, estimates that there are between 1200-1800 puppy mills in Quebec at this point. He claims that they produce 400 000 puppies a year!! Did you know that in Quebec alone, 500 000 animals a year are abandoned? Do you see the problem here? 

And what of the reputable and responsible breeders who are trying to make a difference by doing all the right things? Seems that all too often, they are the ones that are looked at by certain animal organizations/rescue operations as a big contributor to the overpopulation problem. Some of these organizations do not understand the difference between a real breeder and a phony one. Real breeders are needed to preserve our wonderful breeds, enhance their health by careful screening, as well as better their temperaments by selective breeding. Puppy millers are the ones to watch out for; they are the cause of the animal overpopulation problem!!!

Here are some things you can do to help:

1)DO NOT BUY ANY ANIMAL FROM A PET STORE. These animals are ALWAYS from puppy mills, backyard breeders etc. No matter how cute that puupy in the window is, please do not support these people. If we stop purchasing, there will no longer be a need to supply and we can put these people out of business.

2)BUY YOUR PET SUPPLIES FROM PET *SUPPLY* STORES. Do not support stores that sell animals.

3)ADOPT A DOG FROM A RESCUE OR SHELTER. These dogs need homes just as much as any other dog. Usually they are in rescue through no fault of their own. Most common reasons are moving, allergies, divorce, job/lifestyle change. By adopting you are doing your part to help.

4)SPAY/NEUTER!!!! Trust us, you are not doing your pet any favors by letting them keep their "parts". There are many health benefits to sterilizing your pet; Spaying your female dog reduces the risk of mammary tumors, uterine and ovarian cancer. Neutering your male dog prevents testicular tumors and certain diseases of the prostate. And spaying/neutering does not make your dog fat and/or lazy. That's an old wives' tale.

5)AND IF YOU STILL WANT A PUPPY.. Find a reputable breeder. Start by going to the national breed club website for your breed of choice. For example http://www.boxerclubofcanada.com . They will have a list of REGISTERED breeders by province. If they do not, then you can email them and ask them for one. This does not mean that the breeder is great just because he is registered, but it is a start. Here is a list of prerequisites that you should have for your breeder:

A) Registered with Canadian Kennel Club and Boxer Club of Canada.

B) They do all necessary health testing and screening for genetic defects. And will show you the proof on paper!!!

C)They will provide you with a written health guarantee that covers any genetic or congenital conditions.

D) They require you in their contract, to spay/neuter your new dog. Unless you are going to show your dog in conformation.

E) They ask you a billion personal questions! Purchasing a puppy from a responsible breeder is like adopting a child. They want to make sure their babies are going to super homes. If they don't care then there is a problem.

F) They have only one, maybe two breeds available. They do not have puppies available year round!

G) They will not place the puppy in a home before 8 weeks of age.

H) They will take back a puppy/dog at anytime during his life and should require you to return him to them if you cannot keep him for any reason.

I) They breed to BETTER the breed, not to make a profit. Rare is the reputable breeder who makes a profit after all expenses.

These are the MINIMUM requirements of a reputable breeder. For more information on finding good breeders versus bad breeders, click here.

If you would like more info on puppymills, go to http://www.nopuppymillscanada.ca .

If you have any more questions about adopting a rescue dog or you would like to report a known puppy mill, please contact us.