She also, very loudly, insists that luxating patellas are just a “vet scam” and it’s “normal for dogs to have bad knees”.

Just goes to show, there is no complete list to separate “good” from “bad” when it comes to breeders. There is, however, a list every potential dog owner should have *for themselves* that they judge all breeders against. I know what’s on MY list for the breed I’m interested in, and if I was getting a dog from a shelter/rescue, I’d have a list for that as well (especially important, IMO, for private rescues, some of which I’m certain are just fronts for puppy mills).

The best thing - figure out what’s important to you (and at a minimum, it should be health testing, even for “hybrid” dogs), and find a breeder that fits.

——

But wouldn’t lifetime take-back rule of most of the millers?

And I wouldn’t stop at that, but it’s a simple way for the average consumer to start comparison shopping.

“responsible” breeder is so vague. In fact, it’s only since I started reading this blog that I believed there could be such a thing.

“lifetime take-back” I can measure and observe.

Like healthful food. (tangent: not “healthy” food! gah!) What does that mean? Oh, I can just look at the nutrition label. I’m avoiding sodium for health reasons so I’ll skip this snack. But my mom needs more sodium, so for her it IS healthful as per the label. Observable, measurable, EASY.

I can only hope that the people who returned dogs to that woman were fully hoodwinked innocents who had no idea what they were sending them back to. Because anyone who actually drove up and gave back a dog, seeing what there was to see, had better hide.

Just goes to show, any single criteria you set, a really terrible puppymiller has met it somewhere.

I’m for a gestalt of multiple criteria. Harder to explain, but more accurate.

“Lifetime Take-back Breeder.”

Clunky? A bit.
Clear? Yes.
Concise? Yes.

I like it.

HOWEVER … I’ve met breeders (not of dogs, so this may not be relevant) who will take back the animals, but then make them live in the same poor conditions the parents live in. So the buyers don’t WANT to take them back there. Instead they call ME, to bring their pets to my rescue. Which I don’t have.

I had a breeder tell me her buyers don’t give up their pets because she only sells to people from good neighborhoods.

But I digress.

Elizabeth Oreck isn’t just a supporter of mandatory spay/neuter, she has been one of the primary lobbyists for mandatory spay/neuter in California.

MichelleD asks “How can someone on the ground in LA be THIS out of touch?”

How’s this for “out of touch” from Ms. Oreck:
“the opposition [to AB 1634] is primarily comprised of hunters, circuses, the NRA, vivisectors (all of whom do not want to see any animal rights legislation), and the AKC (who make money on every animal they register, so again, this is a profit issue for them).”
http://www.waccobb.net/forums/.....#post37166

While there is a LOT more to what makes a “good breeder,” the answer to this single question is going to weed out 99 percent of the bad ones. It won’t guarantee your dog will be well-bred, well-behaved, or healthy; dogs are living creatures and you can’t guarantee that of any living creature, and furthermore, someone can be very ethical and caring and still do a bad job with their genetic breeding decisions and husbandry, just as someone can be a very kind, loving person and be a terrible accountant or knitter or gardener.

But if your goal is to see if a breeder is ethical or not, the lifetime safety net is a damn good indicator.

Wish her the best, but … if I were putting my money down, I’d bet on luxating patelas, collapsing trachea, liver shunts, poor temperament, impossible to house-train from being used to living in crap — and continued business for the puppy-miller, which means that puppy’s mom and dad continue to live in hell so they can continue to produce more “inventory.”

If she asked my opinion — which she didn’t — I’d tell her to run like hell. But she seems to be going forward in denial, so I hope at least she gets a good vet, pet health insurance and a good dog trainer to help with the behavior issues.

That puppy’s parents? Well, they’re just screwed.