Puppy mill or reputable breeder - how can you know?

I wouldn’t knock out rescues. Most rescues have foster homes so the people really know the dogs well and can steer you clear of tougher cases.

As far as breeders- internet, internet internet. www.millbusters.com is a good place to start.

Please please please reconsider the shelter. Please. Do some research about how to identify an emotionally and physically puppy, and you can easily rescue the perfect new member of your family.

If you decide not to rescue a dog, make sure you get to see where the puppy lives and meet the mother. Look for signs of healthy, happy dogs with plenty of room to play and be doggies.

Please understand – we already have a rescue dog. From all appearances and what we were told by the rescue, she was our perfect dog. I researched a lot, looked around for a long time and visited her twice before deciding on her. Bless her little heart, she has some serious anxiety problems. I just can’t take on another one not knowing what I may get. Granted, we got her at 1½ years old… I don’t know, maybe a puppy from a rescue would be a safer bet?

BTW, we are looking for another dog because we think the company of a second dog would help the dog we already have and, well, we want one.

I’d ask for certification from a breeder.

I must say though, I had a terrible experience with a “breeder.” I was quite naive and didn’t do enough research, I just wanted a certain breed and to be able to get it within the state, or close enough (he ended up coming from Ohio) I found him on I believe hoobly, and the papers for him checked out, so he was a true akc puppy…not my biggest concern, still getting him fixed and all.
But, he was little older than usual, but cheaper..so I thought it was just because he was the runt and the last to go. I have come to the conclusion that they adopted him and found out about his health problems and lied to me, and got me to adopt him. He had a significant amount of health issues when we got him, and still does (hip problems, will need knee surgery) he has colitis (that took many, many vet visits to diagnose :( ) and seems to get all the bad that comes with his specific breed (things I sort of knew about but it still stinks that the poor guy has it all. )
I totally understand wanting a puppy. I’d check out the shelters, petfinder.com, just look around like that to see if there’s any you’re interested in and go check out the shelters…it doesn’t have to be an SPCA.
When we finally get a family dog (the dog I had is now my parents baby lol), we will be in the same boat. My husband and I really are torn, as we want a young dog to grow with the family but we both feel shelter dogs are the way to go…we’ll figure that out when we get to it.

Most breeders will be in local kennel clubs, ask them if they belong to one.
A breeder will also want to do an extensive interview with you. Want you to see the pups before they are ready to take home.

Good breeders are fanatical about the breed, and about there pups.

@Likeradar “emotionally and physically healthy puppy.

Stay away from pure breds and go for a mutt.
Also:
If your current pet has anxiety, you may have trouble when you bring in another pet.

If you decide on a purebred, look into breed specific rescue organizations. They do not want to get dogs back so they are scrupulous in evaluating and placing the rescues into new homes.

I tell people to go to a dogshow and look at all the breeds. When you see one you like, wait until the dog is finished being shown then as the owner if they have a minute to talk to you about their breed. Most will talk your ear off, but will give you an honest description of the breed. No one wants to get pups back.

Mutts are good, I have 2 but they are not necessarily problem free, if you get a mixed breed from a rescue it can have plenty of baggage and health problems as well.

First of all, a huge number of sheltered and rescued dogs have no emotional baggage. You’ll know when you meet the dog if they have any – to dismiss it without thought is a bit much. I know you mentioned you have one, but they don’t all come that way, and in a lot of cases you’re right – the younger the better. It sucks you got one that has issues, but I know you’re not that silly – you know they aren’t all like that.

You can also go to Petcos or Petsmarts while they show off the dogs looking for new homes that have been rescued and fostered by volunteers to rehabilitate them. A lot of those dogs have had a ton of love an attention lavished on them and bounce back really well.

But if you do go purebred, ask for their certifications, ask if you can speak to people who have purchased dogs from them and see if you can weed out any obvious health concerns with their lines.

I don’t think you can tell if a dog has emotional baggage by looking at them. They can have a trigger that you could not access visually. Food aggression, cat aggression, all sorts of aggressions.

There is no fool proof method, but most breed specific rescues will have you sign a statement that says if you don’t find the dog to be a match with your family, they want it back. Perhaps other rescue organizations do that as well, isn’t that how Ellen got into trouble?

@asmonet‘s suggestion regarding pure bred dogs would be a good idea no matter what kind of dog you decide upon. Except you can’t do that with a pound dog so it is a guessing game.

I completely understand why you don’t want a rescue. When I got my first dog my mum was terrified of dogs and (because I was living with her at the time) said that she would allow a dog in her house that she knew it’s whole history. This meant getting a puppy. Although I have rescue dogs now (as well as dogs from breeders) I understand that they are not for everyone.

My best advice is if you can figure out what breed you would like, seek advice from that breeds society. They will be able to recommend good breeders for you. When you speak to breeders make sure they allow you to meet at least the mother of the pups and ask questions like what the mother and father have been tested for (ie: certain breeds need hip scores etc) and get as much history of that particular line as you can.

@asmonet Of course I don’t think they all come that way, but you actually can’t tell right away and I’m not sure I’m willing to take the risk again. As I said, we visited her twice. We obviously would not have brought her home had we known. She was in an environment she was used to – she had lived there for over a year, from the time she was 5 months old. The rescue is a great property with a lot of trees and room to play and roam and she could be outside with tons of doggie friends all of the time. In retrospect, that was her home as far as she was concerned. I am not sure adopting her out to anyone was a great idea since they do occasionally keep some of the dogs as their own.

I don’t care if I have a purebred or not. I’m just as happy with a puppy from a dog that hooked up with the neighbor’s dog as long as mom & dad are both good dogs. My preference so far is a cairn or norwich terrior. This is based on research about temperament, required care and potential/common health issues. We also have a friend with a King Charles and I would scoop him up and bring him home in a heartbeat. They have more health issues and require more grooming, but he would be worth it!

@rooeytoo The rescue we used is like that. I am in contact with them about possibly bringing the dog back, but I don’t want to throw in the towel before doing everything I can. There are some other issues besides the anxiety, but my main goal is for her to be happy. If that isn’t going to happen here, I’m not going to hold her hostage. The rescue people are very understanding and helpful. We’re working on it.

@all Thanks for the advice. I’m still in the early stages of this, so I have time to take suggestions. I appreciate any and all of the help.

There are many telltale warning signs that a breeder might be a puppy mill. A responsible breeder wants the customer to come visit them to get the dog. They want to see the family, and won’t just hand out dogs to people who will take them. They want to see the dog fits in the family. One kennel I know, Kennel Mallorn’s, requires you go all the way to northern Finland to get the dog because that’s where the kennel is. There is no shipment of dogs involved.
My family got their dog from this particular kennel, and the breeder had already chosen the puppy for us when we went to get it. The dog fits in really well in our family and is the perfect dog for us. So if you see any of these things:
-dogs are shipped to pet stores
-you can buy dogs on the internet
-you don’t need to visit to get a dog
Be careful! You may accidentally end up supporting a puppy mill.
Check for these things:
-breeder wants you to come to their place and visit
-breeder seems truly concerned about the dogs
There is more info here about buying puppies.