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Step 1
If buying a dog from a breeder, always visit in person to see how the animals are living and to ensure that it's not a puppy mill or irresponsible "backyard breeder." Puppy mills are inhumane factory-style operations that churn out puppies to be sold for a quick profit. Puppy mill puppies are often malnourished and taken from their mothers too early, as well as have a host of inherited health disorders, in addition to their parents spending their entire lives in cages being bred over and over.
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Step 2
Don’t buy pets from a distant buyer, seller or adopter. Often times, buyers aren't aware that their puppies were born overseas in a puppy mill, then sold to a U.S. broker. Tens of thousands of dogs are shipped into the United States from puppy mills in countries such as Russia and China.
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Step 3
Check references, which can include veterinarians and others who've purchased pets from this breeder. And make sure you deal directly with a breeder, not a broker.
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Step 4
Don’t deal with anyone who promises a free puppy for just the cost of shipping. Scammers in these types of transactions often ask you to send more money because the nonexistent dog is "stuck at the airport" for various reasons such as customs complications or problems with the crate.
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Step 5
Don’t fall for claims that the seller represents an animal shelter or is a “good Samaritan” offering the dogs for "adoption." Reputable shelters do not place animals by sending out mass emails and then shipping them to people.
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Step 6
Never purchase a puppy with the promise of getting the AKC (American Kennel Club) papers from the seller at a later time. It takes 6 to 8 weeks for puppies to be ready for a new home, which is ample time for the breeder to receive the papers. It takes a couple of weeks through the mail and only a week if registration is done online. The AKC cannot help you get papers after the sale. In other words, if the seller tells you the dog is "register-able"—run the other way.










Comments
diggitydogg said
on 9/24/2009 Even if AKC papers are "authentic," it still doesn't mean the dog is healthy or was bred properly. It just means the dog is a purebred. AKC sells papers to backyard breeders and puppy mills. That's how they make money. You can find a dog without papers and know it's a purebred and save a lot of money. And if you adopt you are saving a life!
kdpainter9 said
on 9/11/2009 Thank you so much for posting this information. I was wondering if anyone has any information about the AKC papers. I was wondering if you can look up the dog on the AKC website? or if there is a way to really determine the authenticity of a paper you have received?
Thanks
diggitydogg said
on 12/3/2008 Yes, very true. That's why I wrote that AKC papers are not a guarantee of healthy breeding because they sell papers to puppy mills! The bottom line for the AKC is to make money, not to care about animals. We are on the same page and the same side.
garyloewenthal said
on 12/2/2008 Note that the AKC papers are no guarantee of decent breeding conditions or practices. The AKC has issued papers for many puppy mill animals.
acopro13 said
on 1/16/2008 Thank you so much for writing this. The public needs to be educated and this a thorough and to the point article.