The term Industry typically refers to something very large as in Fuel Industry, Electric Industry, Automobile Industry etc.  Raising Dogs and Retailing Puppies to homes isn’t quite the same as manufacturing goods from raw materials directly, yet it is referred to as an industry and it does fall into the private sector of the definition.

As with all business there are varying degrees of quality offered;  i.e.,  some apartments are nicely appointed residences and others are slums.  Both are businesses, some barely legal, but it is up to the consumer to chose.  Whether or not quality businesses are supported is determined by where consumers spend their money.

With the retail of Puppies as Pets there are basically two choices available.  Your next pet (Puppy) will come from a Pet Shop or directly from a breeder.  The advent of the Internet is bringing more awareness to the prospective new pet owner, but is also flooded with mis-information.

The Pet Shop Possibility, Where do Pet Shop Puppies come From?

The Pet Shop Option

The process starts with the BREEDER, whom produces puppies in a Kennel.  This breeder needs to produce a quality puppy to get the most price from the BROKER.  The BROKER is the middle-man.  Their customer is the PET SHOP. Remember from my previous article that a kennel is a business and has to be profitable, thus each member in the Pet Shop Option is trying to do their best in order to continue to be profitable.  Published mis-information from groups such as HSUS and PETA cannot be true as what they are stating doesn’t fit the equation.

The information that Activist Groups are publishing is the worst they can find, The hoarders, and very sub-standard facilities, operated by non-sane people are NOT where your Puppy is coming from, and are NOT the basis of the Pet Industry.  Remember the breeder, broker and Pet Shop want to make a profit.  This can’t be done with the methods described by HSUS and PETA. These Activist Groups are a Fund Raising Organization that have received millions in contributions, they want to keep the donations coming in too!

The Pet Store Puppy Business Circle

Unfortunately over the years “Pet Quality” in a Puppy has turned into “Poor Quality” Breeds that should mature at 15 lbs are maturing at 30.  In some cases the breeds basically don’t look like their breed.  The Puppy is strong, hardy and healthy, but its parents may have not had the best qualities to be breeders, thus should not have been.

1. The Business Circle starts with the Breeder getting the least money, Thus the breeder has to raise more puppies just to make a living, quantity often causes suffering in quality.  But the breeder has to do its best to be able to sell to the broker.  The broker can’t sell their product if its sick or unhealthy.
2. The Broker purchases from approved breeders, receives the puppy and holds it in a facility for approx. two weeks.  After this time of evaluation the Puppy is shipped to the Pet Store.  The Broker has to keep give these Puppies the best of care to continue the Business Circle or the Pet Store won’t accept them.  The broker is making money on volume also and have marked up their cost to the Pet Store.
3. The Pet Store has the final retail Price, the puppy may stay in the store for several weeks.  The Pet Store Price is usually many times the actual cost of the puppy from the breeder, with the consumer paying an over inflated price.

I’m not against  free enterprise, the above business circle is where the Puppy at the Pet Store originates.  This recipe could be better if the Money in the Business Circle were spread more evenly.  The consumer is paying the most, the breeder receiving the least, with those in the middle making the largest portion of profit from this business circle.

The above described method is a part of the Pet Industry,  A Puppy is not a Goldfish, they require more interaction to mature into a companion that you will enjoy for many years in your household.

The most important part of the equation is MISSING leaving an often unsatisfactory answer to the question of  how the Puppy will be brought up and cared for in the first 8 to 12 weeks of its life…as this time is very important on how your Puppy will turn out in the years to come.

1. A breeder producing a large number of Puppies cannot have the time to properly socialize their Pups.
2. The Puppy that has had little human interaction is then shipped to the Broker and is now around strange people for the holding period.
3. This Puppy now is shipped again to the Pet Store, once again to strange people, and stays there until it is purchased by the consumer.  Of course throughout this process the Puppy is well cared for as far as Food, Water, Cleaning, various medications for the normal puppy issues, but it has missed the socialization.

This is very much a downside.

People can and have received a very good Puppy from this process, but given the odds here is a much better process:

Purchase your Puppy directly from a reputable breeder.

This breeder will not have more dogs or puppies than it can care for.  A reputable breeder wants what you want for your puppy, Health, Hardiness, just Plain Happy, and they will stand behind their Puppy.  The consumer price will be reasonable for your pet, and all contact is made directly with the person who raised your Puppy.  If your Puppy is flown to you, it is directly in your hands usually within six hours of leaving the breeders hands at the airport.

This is the better part of the Pet Industry and a consumer choice made in this direction encourages responsible practices, growth and provides the people who are doing good work with the funding they need to continue on that path

Animal Husbandry Practices and the Reputable Dog Breeder

My wife and I run a professional kennel that focuses on producing the best in Quality puppies of the Welsh Terrier and Cockapoo dog breeds.  Although we’ve bred other types of dogs, five years ago we decided to concentrate on our favorites and there is good reason to do this.   Some breeders will breed whatever is most in demand, however the longer a dog breeder focuses on their target breeds, the more intimate their knowledge and experience, and the better their pups will be as a result.  Size (whether large or small) does not equal professional.   I tend to define a professional or reputable dog breeder as someone who has adopted a mindset or philosophy that includes a passion for their breed and devotion to the science of animal husbandry - there is no other standard worth considering!

For this reason I’ve created a list of areas to focus on with my own personal responses for you to use as a guide on what to look for to determine whether or not you are working with a reputable dog breeder (someone who operates in a way that creates healthy and happy puppies).

So with that in mind, you really need to know how your prospective breeder invests in animal care.

A kennel is a business, thus all facets of the kennel operation have to be maintained with the most up to date methods of sanitation, preventative medication, nutrition, housing and time. A reputable dog breeder should have a health plan for their puppies and a structure in place for the best care of their adult dogs.

1. Does your breeder offer a health guarantee?

You are looking for a breeder who can guarantee the health of their puppies. The guarantee at Parker Kennel is based on the premise that we provide “A Happy, Healthy Puppy for You”.

To be able to say this and stand behind our pups we MUST care for adults and puppies in the best way.

Your puppy is not a hobby or something we do just for fun. It is serious to us and is serious to you also because the health of your puppy impacts your family.

A happy, healthy puppy makes an excellent companion for you and your family, an unhealthy and unstable puppy can lead to a lot of heartache for everyone involved. So look for a written health guarantee to get an idea of just how much your breeder is going to stand behind their pups.

2. How much time does your breeder have to spend with their pups?

I’m self employed part time as a machinist, with my shop on our property. My wife Natalie is a homemaker. We have the time to spend raising our dogs and puppies the correct way.

One of the most important parts of the equation is time, thus our Pups and adults really Love People and Our Puppies transition from us to their new families very easily.

If Natalie and I both worked outside the home, we would not have the proper time to spend with our Puppies to ensure this. Your next household member will not be a Hobby to a reputable dog breeder. Raising loving, well socialized pups requires devotion and a large investment of time.

3. Does your breeder take steps toward continuing their understanding of the ever-changing field of animal science?

You want to know that your breeder keeps up with the best methods available to care for their animals. Natalie and I often travel to breeder seminars from clubs and hear lectures from visiting Vets etc. on new and improved methods of animal husbandry. Education is a very important part of our program.

4. Does your breeder own their adult breeders (the parents of the puppies)?

A reputable dog breeder can guarantee the health and temperament of their puppies because they have raised and live with their parents -  a breeder who buys adult dogs without having raised them from puppies or uses breeding dogs housed outside of their home can not fully control the health of the puppies they are producing.

Our adults were all raised up from puppies that we have selected.

They were acquired by us from other reputable dog breeders from the ages of eight weeks of age to 16 weeks of age and live with us on our property.

We feel that the best way to ensure that our breeding dogs have the best in the characteristics that we are looking for is to raise them up from pups and we have invested much time, effort, and money into the living arrangements for our adults.

We have known them almost all of their lives. They are very used to us and the surroundings that they live in. Reproduction goes very smooth with this method.

We do not purchase adult dogs from dog auctions, breeders, or adult dogs at all.

We believe the only way we can be truthful to you about the parents is to have raised them up from puppies.

5. Where does your breeder sell their puppies?

Natalie and I believe that the best place for you to purchase your puppy is directly from a reputable dog breeder. We do not sell to Pet Shops, Brokers or any re-seller. We care about our pups and want to know where they are going.

6. Will your breeder be available for you after you buy your puppy?

Natalie and I are here to help our families with the raising of their new puppies. In fact many of them come back for another pup shortly after they buy the first. It is important to us to build a relationship with our buyers and we want what is best for our pups, so we make ourselves available to answer questions and help in whatever way we can.

7. What do the people who’ve purchased puppies from your breeder have to say?

Reputable dog breeders should be able to provide you with some customer feedback about their dogs and their customer’s experiences. Parker Kennel has an entire page on our website devoted to our families and their puppy purchasing experience.

8. How do I make sure I’m not buying from a Puppy Mill?

The “Puppy Mills”, that you may read and hear about are not successful businesses. These places do exist, as do sub-standard operations in most industries.

However, they are not producing quality puppies and so can not self-sustain the way that a reputable dog breeder can. Thus low or no budget kennels will not invest in any of the above mentioned necessities to produce a Quality Puppy for you and you can get a good idea of what kind of breeder you are dealing with, simply by asking questions based on the animal husbandry practices highlighted in this article.

Still have questions?

Have a look a our Signature Standards for raising puppies to see our health program, what we offer as Welsh Terrier and Cockapoo breeders and our guarantee. This will provide a lot of great information that you can use to assess any dog breeder you are considering and of course, we’d love to hear from you!

All our best,

Will & Natalie

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