Puppy Farms

[kawasakirider]

Do we all feel a pig is a less intelligent animal than a dog? Is this why we have a more sympathetic approach to our canine friends? The descriptions in posts above all seem to state this.

If these farms were overhauled by a government agency, such is intensive beef and pork farming, there is a possibility that the health and welfare of these animals may rest above an approved threshold that the majority of our members seem to be demonstrating.

Would you agree or disagree?

I've worked with cattle, and I personally haven't worked on any farms where the steers have been mistreated at all, especially not to the degree these so called "puppy farms" treat their animals.

alot of people have already stated why puppy farms shouldnt be allowed but another reason is also these puppy farms dont health test their stock at all and therefor are breeding dogs that in the long run are going to suffer from health problems that will cost their owners alot of money. I am a breeder of german shepherds, all my stock are show dogs meaning they are shown under a breed standard set by their mother land germany. We have top german judges come to Australia to give their opinion on our dogs, we spend alot of money on our dogs, they mean the world to us just like having kids. We only breed from the best dogs, all are hip and elbow tested (and guaranteed) and breed classified under the german shepherd dog club of Australia meaning they have to be of a certain quality. We strive to breed the best, and only the best.....there is a big difference between us, other show dog people and puppy farms, we do it for the love of our breed, bettering our breed with every litter we produce ..... puppy farms only care about the money and spend nothing on their dogs. If you prefer a purebred puppy over a dog from a shelter ONLY BUYER FROM A REGISTERED BREEDER, who health test all their stock and treat their dogs as part of the family!

ETA alot of registered breeders require their puppies to be desexed by their owners by the age of 12 months and provide ongoing support whenever you need. All my pet puppies must be desexed by that age and once I see a certificate of desexing from their vet they get a refund of $250. Most kittens also that come from registered breeders are usually already desexed, unfortunately the earliest puppies can be desexed is 6 months.

While this post is all well and good, I'm interested in knowing what you do with the unfortunate pups that don't meet those prestigious German standards? Are they euthanised? I certainly hope not.

 

[KaotikJezta]

I've worked with cattle, and I personally haven't worked on any farms where the steers have been mistreated at all, especially not to the degree these so called "puppy farms" treat their animals.

Maybe so but the same cannot be said about piggeries

 

[kawasakirider]

Maybe so but the same cannot be said about piggeries

Fair enough. The post I quoted didn't specifically say "cattle", but many others have talked about livestock as a whole, it's not exactly true. Cruelty should be outlawed everywhere, anyone breeding any animal for any purpose should be scrutinised, and anyone who buys an animal should be made to register it every 12 months or something. The registration process could stipulate that the animal must be present for registration, and this would ensure the animal was in good health.

Animals that can't possibly be moved places easily, such as livestock on farms, should be subject to an audit of their animals every 6 months to check conditions of the animals and the conditions in which they live.

It is horrid to think that these poor dogs live in horrid conditions and bred constantly until they can't do it anymore.

 

[SYNeR]

Yes, get your animals from a registered breeder. My mum has given me the big talk about this (being a registered breeder of cocker spaniels herself) and
has discussed puppy mills and the stark contrast with ethical registered breeders. A lot of puppy mills (including local ones my mum knows of) will just breed and breed
as already mentioned, then shoot the mother once she can't breed any more.

Try a kennel club to find registered breeders. It's essential IMO to get a dog that has come from a lineage which has been DNA tested, hip scored, etc.

 

[heidii]

While this post is all well and good, I'm interested in knowing what you do with the unfortunate pups that don't meet those prestigious German standards? Are they euthanised? I certainly hope not.

OMG, you have got to be kidding me!!! you think they would be euthanised?????? of corse not!... puppies that arn't kept for the showring are sold as pets, like every other person selling puppies and kittens.

now to puppy farms
I know a puppy farm owner through work (they buy the carry cages to transport the dogs in) and have visited his place and they keep their dogs in pristene conditions, the dogs are kept in pens no less then 3m x 2m and spend most of the day outside in a 20m x 10m fenced yards females and pups in one and males in the other, he also only breeds from each female once a year also they are members of the Australian Association of Pet Dog Breeders, all pups are vacinated, chipped and vet checked before being sold, and any follow up advise the new owners need.(see for yourself go to fluffypuppies.com.au and click on the page about us and look at the pictures)
i also know another but haven't visited them but the wife is a vet nurse at the vets i go to and all their puppies have all the vacinations, chipped and checked before they are sold,
of course they only show the bad examples on the tv not the good ones

fluffypuppies.com.au is NOT a good example of a puppy farm! These are the puppy farms that should be shut down!...these dogs are NOT EVEN PUREBRED... they are a sales and marketing gimic!....Crossing breeds with POODLES does not guarentee hypoallergenic pets!....just think how bad labs and goldens shed! When you cross two breeds of dogs together you have no idea what the pups are going to be like, they are 50% of one parent and 50% of another, noone could ever know which traits of their parents the pups will become let alone how big they will even grow, there is no guarentee... all you are getting in the end is a mutt!!...and $2,800 for a mutt is a joke!!!....go to the pound, there are PLENTY of those cross breeds there!

Apart from what i have stated above, can you tell me and is there evidence that the parents of these puppies are health tested against heriditary disease?

Some of the breeds that fluffypuppies.com.au breed together include

Cavalier: Known health problems include Mitral Valve Disease (dead by the age of 5) and Micro-Opthalmia (Vision Impairment)....All good registered breeds test for such problems and can supply clear heart and eye certificates for the dogs they breed.

Maltese: These breeds have very few problems but one includes Retinal Atrophy (Vision Impairment)

Poodle: Hip Displaysia, PRA

The below has come off the Poodle Club of Victoria's website. Very important health information about the poodle, and I would hope that fluffypuppies.com.au would be able to provide all clear health certificates for their poodles. I have highlighted some important points.

"HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS

There are hereditary health problems in ALL breeds of dogs. Below are some of the more common
hereditary health problems in each variety of Poodle.

The following genetic disorders have been diagnosed in all three Poodle varieties: hip dysplasia, PRA
and cataracts (leading to blindness), epilepsy (seizures), and inflammatory bowel disease.

The Toy Poodle may also have loose stifles (knee caps) [known as luxating patella] and Legg-Perthe's
Disease (disease of the hip joint).

The Miniature Poodle may have knee, hip, eye and thyroid problems.

The Standard Poodle may be subject to gastric torsion/bloat, von Willebrand's Disease, sebaceous adenitis (skin disorder) and autoimmune problems such as Addison's Disease and autoimmune hemolytic anemia.

Through research DNA tests are being developed to help in identification of the genes which produce some
of these diseases. There are currently tests for von Willebrand's disease and progressive retinal atrophy.
Tests are near to identify the gene for Addison's disease, epilepsy, hip displasia and others.

A written report should be furnished by the breeder upon request with the results of x-rays, blood tests, eye examinations and punch skin biopsies for the sire and the dam of the puppy.

Responsible, conscientious breeders screen all breeding stock for hereditary health problems for which we
have testing available prior to utilizing ANY dog in a breeding program and are delighted to answer any questions about the health of the puppy's sire and dam."


In saying the above I do relise that not all registered breeders do the right thing, but it is up to the person buying a puppy to do their research and ensure they only buy from a breeder that does all relivent testing subject to their breed. If they don't then they are doing their puppy, themselves and the breed an injustice.

FYI

Why Buy A Purebred Dog?
Dogz Online - The Pure Breed Dog Community of Australia

 

[kawasakirider]

OMG, you have got to be kidding me!!! you think they would be euthanised?????? of corse not!... puppies that arn't kept for the showring are sold as pets, like every other person selling puppies and kittens.

Just checkin. Lots of breeders of any type of animal get rid of the poor animals that aren't up to par. Glad you don't.

I own purebred maltese and I bred the two that I currently have.

 

[fugawi]

Heidi it is good to hear you don't but unfortunately others do. I have written before about how Rotties have a natural occurring long hair variant that is euthanised at birth.....ALWAYS, NO EXCEPTIONS.
If you want a pure bred dog, ring the breeds club and ask if they have a rescue section. They usually have a registry/list of all the pure breeds in shelters and of members rehousing older show and breeding dogs. We picked up a 6yo female Siberian Husky, with full pedigree papers and points in the ring at shows, for free, due to the breeder getting cancer and needing to thin her stock.
Everyone keeps talking pure breeds, but in fact all the pure breed dogs are the result of cross breeding, which is why even the pure breeds have problems.

 

[heidii]

Heidi it is good to hear you don't but unfortunately others do. I have written before about how Rotties have a natural occurring long hair variant that is euthanised at birth.....ALWAYS, NO EXCEPTIONS.
If you want a pure bred dog, ring the breeds club and ask if they have a rescue section. They usually have a registry/list of all the pure breeds in shelters and of members rehousing older show and breeding dogs. We picked up a 6yo female Siberian Husky, with full pedigree papers and points in the ring at shows, for free, due to the breeder getting cancer and needing to thin her stock.
Everyone keeps talking pure breeds, but in fact all the pure breed dogs are the result of cross breeding, which is why even the pure breeds have problems.

We have 2 long haired rottis at our obedience club... Dog breeders dont generally put down puppies unless their is something wrong with them health wise, just like the german shepherd we get long hairs and no you can't show them but there are plenty of people on my puppy waiting list that are after a longhair as a pet.
But yes i agree if you dont want to go through the puppy stage ring the breed clubs or go to a shelter

ETA: Blackcombe Rottis have produced long coats before: Welcome to Blackcombe Rottweilers

See forum dicussion on long coat rottis, there is one in the obiedence ring here!
Long-haired Rottweiler? - Dogz Online Forums

For anyone that doesnt know DOGZONLINE.com.au it is a website and forum where all show and obedience dog people from Australia get together have a chat and share their dogs profiles with the rest of the world. Its a great website for research into the purebred dog in Australia

 

[ingie]

They are disgusting and they are made for one reason and it is for profit nothing else they spend as little money on the parent as they can and breed them as much as possible and the bad thing is that not many people know most pet stores buy their puppies from puppie mills so i think they should be shut down or get the mills tidied up and the owners go through a proper training procedure to breed dogs

Sounds like the average rat breeding set up :shock:

 

[Torah]

So we all agree "NO" to puppy farms ?

Can the mods delete this thread now its depressing .....