There has been an ever increasing pool of backyard breeders and puppymills in the past few decades, much to the dismay of true animal lovers. Backyard breeders and puppymills are characterized primarily for their love of money as opposed to their love of a breed, they do not breed their dogs to better a breed, they breed their dogs to line their pockets and do not give a second thought to genetic disorders or illness that could be passed to their puppies via breeding.

Many people find themselves “tricked” in to buying a puppy from a not so reputable breeder when they frequent online databases to find themselves a “breeder”. When you begin your search for your new puppy you should be aware that a reputable breeder will NEVER offer to fly your puppy to you so you can pick him up at the airport. Flying young puppies is dangerous to their health. If a true breeder has a client who wants a puppy from one of their litters they will demand that you pick up the puppy, accompany him in a carrier IN the plane (not in the cargo hold) and he/she may offer to do this for you for an additional charge. “Breeders” who offer to stick your new puppy in a crate and in to a cargo hold of a plane at your cost are “breeders” that you want to avoid. Aside from the undue stress that this type of travel puts on a young puppy this very action should scream volumes to the actual time, work, emotion and over all caring that your “breeder” has for their animals. Just think, if your breeder doesn’t care enough to rethink putting an 8 week old puppy on a plane all alone in a cargo hold, how much time and thought do you think he/she put in to the breeding process and the genetic makeup of your puppy?

When looking for a good breeder you should ALWAYS ALWAYS go to the site of the breeding and meet the mother and father (if both are not available one is acceptable), ask a LOT of questions about health clearances and genetics (if the “breeder” is hesitant to answer you have your answer right there), see for yourself the disposition and physical condition of the parent dogs, Look around the environment where your puppy will be raised for the first 8 weeks and lastly use your gut instinct – if something doesn’t seem right the chances are that something isn’t right.

Just as life with a blind dog can be a unique circumstance, life with a deaf dog can also be a new experience for many owners, in fact, under certain circumstances people do not even realize they have a deaf puppy or that their dog has lost his hearing blaming their behaviour on simple disobedience. Hearing loss is something which can and should be tested by your vet and is another reason why regular vet visits are necessary in maintaining your dog’s health.

So, what should you know about deaf dogs? Deaf dogs are not different from any other dog’s in temperament, they judge by vibrations in the flooring rather than sound and they can be taught with hand signals or vibrations from a vibrating collar. Training deaf dogs is similar to training blind dogs – you need to be resourceful in how you teach but understand that just because your dog cannot hear you does not mean he is not capable of learning. Deaf dog owners often stamp or clap their hands or even flash lights to get their deaf dog’s attention and some prefer to utilize the vibrating collar, but simply put, a deaf dog can be an obedient dog when you take the time to find alternative methods of training. Training a deaf dog should always begin with teaching your dog to visually connect with you frequently for cues on his behaviour, this is done like any other behaviour – with plenty of praise and treats help too! You can also utilize American Sign Language to teach your deaf dog commands!

One thing you should keep in mind, much like owners of blind dogs, is that your deaf dog may be more easily startled than a hearing dog IF you make an effort not to make vibrations as you move which is pretty difficult to do but not impossible. It is courtesy to make some noise as you approach your deaf dog so that he knows you are approaching – look at it as though you are wearing headphones and someone sneaks up on you rather than announcing their presence…it’s unpleasant to be startled.

Certain dogs are more likely to be deaf than others; however, that does not mean that you should avoid these dogs because deaf dogs make great pets too! By rule of thumb elderly dogs are generally more hard of hearing as are all white dogs with blue eyes such as some American Bulldogs as skin pigmentation and deafness hold a genetic link.

If you suspect that your puppy or your elderly dog is losing his hearing take him to your vet for testing so that you can tailor your training and life to him!

Throughout your lifetime as a dog owner you are guaranteed to hear the words “puppy mill” whether you realize your dog is a puppy mill dog or whether you hear about the raiding or closing down of one on the evening news. The unfortunate reality is that puppy mills exist and as long as they remain supported by people frequenting them to purchase puppies they will remain in business.

What Are Puppy Mills? Puppy mills are mass breeding operations that focus on producing puppies for profit rather than for sound health and temperament. Puppy mills are almost always substandard structures with substandard conditions that result in the breeding of sick puppies who fail to thrive and frequently develop health problems later in life.

Who Goes To Puppy Mills? It would seem obvious that if only you knew it was a puppy mill you would not frequent them; however, puppy mills sell their dogs through individuals and to commercial pet stores so no one ever gets to see the actual puppy mill itself. Many of the commercially owned pet stores purchase their dogs from puppy mills because they get the dogs at a discount and many individuals are tricked in to purchasing puppy mill puppies when they purchase from individuals at local events or through newspaper ads.

How Do I Know If I Have A Puppy Mill Dog? Once you have welcomed your dog in to your home delving in to this can of worms can be painful and sometimes unnecessary. There is only one true way to prove that your pup is a puppy mill dog and that is to track the individual you purchase from or to pay a surprise visit to the “kennel” address if you have one available. Keep in mind; however, that these individuals rarely care about their animals and upon being confronted there is no telling what their reaction may be. When I contacted Jet’s “backyard breeder” (an individual who sells puppies for profit without considering the health of the dogs – thing puppy mill on a smaller scale) to inform them that before he was a year old he was displaying signs of hip dysplasia they told me they were “unaware of the problem” in their bitch; however, if I brought him back to them they would replace him with another dog. The thought of returning my boy was sickening especially knowing what they would do to him and I refused this offer adamantly, this confused them until they realized that perhaps I was seeking money for vet bills and then they began to treat me as hostile, I told them I was seeking nothing other than for them to stop breeding their bitch and was told that they would “look in to it.”

How Do I Avoid A Puppy Mill Dog? The fact of the matter is that puppy mill dogs deserve all the love in the world and there is nothing wrong with having one; however, the effort is to shut down the funding of these puppy mills by refusing to purchase their dogs. Many puppy mill dogs from mills that are raided are put up for adoption through your local humane society and most times their story will tell you of their plight. Adopting a puppy mill dog can be one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have as they are eternally grateful for being free from their past life; however, if you are afraid of the potential health problems down the road and are looking for a healthy dog you will need to research qualified and professional breeders who can guarantee the health of their dogs – be prepared to pay for this dog more than twice what you would for a backyard breeder / puppy mill dog – you really do “get what you pay for” when it comes to the quality of a breeding. Personally, if you are looking for a pet as opposed to a show dog or a professional breeding dog (please don’t add to the canine population unless you are qualified to do so!) then I recommend talking to your local rescue organizations or your local humane society and they can help match you with the perfect dog for your needs. Rescuing a dog is not only rewarding because you saved a dog from sure peril but it is also rewarding because rescue dogs somehow seem to understand that they have been given a second chance.

Learn more about puppy mills at StopPuppyMills.Org

You have, by now i’m sure, heard all about “dangerous breeds” and breed bannings that are taking place not only in apartment complexes all over the country but also in entire counties nationwide. The question that comes up time and time again is: is there really such a thing as a dangerous breed?

The thing to keep in mind when you’re talking about “dangerous breeds” is that by generalizing an entire breed of dog as dangerous, you are, in effect doing the same thing as you would be should you say that all Asian people are tech savvy – you are generalizing from the horror stories that you hear reported in the news that all dogs of that particular breed are dangerous. One dog that is picked on the most as being a “dangerous breed” is the pitt bull. While Pitt Bulls can, in fact, be extremely dangerous, there are many factors that influence a dog’s personality and there are just as many sweet loving family Pitt Bulls out there as there are “dangerous dogs.” The Pitt Bull is picked on primarily because when a Pitt Bull does bite, they bite hard and don’t release whereas other dog breeds are more likely to bite and release. Another factor that goes in to the “dangerous breed” equation is the pounds of pressure per square inch in a dog’s jaw- Pitt Bulls were initially bred for fighting and duties such as handling unruly bulls for butchers and as a result they have extremely powerful jaws. This pounds of pressure per square inch in a dog’s jaw is the reason why you hear so many more Pitt Bull attacks and bitings on the news, it is not because there are more attacks it is simply because when they do bite they inflict much more damage than say, a poodle would.

Another reason that certain dogs such as the Pitt Bull get such a bad rap is because of the people who tend towards these breeds. As a result of the powerful jaws of the dogs people who are inclined to participate in the disgusting arena of dog fighting are more drawn to the breed and as a result they encourage aggression and breed aggressive dogs with aggressive dogs which worsens the breed temperement. There are many Pitt Bulls and other “aggressive” breeds out there who are loved family pets who have no trace of aggression at all and so it is that there is really no such thing as an aggressive breed, there is only a poor genetic makeup and poor handling on the part of a dog owner. If you are looking at breeds that are labeled as “aggressive” make sure that you spend the time to research your dog’s bloodline and temperement as well as partake in rigorous training and socialization. Like they say, there are no bad dog’s only bad owners and unfortunately certain breeds are being witch hunted as a result of the bad owners and breeders out there.

Designer breeding is not a particularly new trend; however, it is becoming newly recognized as a severe detriment to dogs as a whole. While in years past dogs were bred specifically to perform certain functions ie: wolfhounds were bred to hunt wolves in Ireland, dogs are now being bred merely to make statements and suit superficial human needs. The problem arises when we, as a race, begin to breed dogs for our own selfish means rather than for a practical purpose. A great comparrison is the creation of the newest “doodle” trends that have hit the dog market offering dogs to allergy plagued families claiming them to be “hypoallergenic.” The problem here lays in the fact that although certain factors can be reduced in specific breeding, these breedings are not bettering a breed at all which is the main staple of any GOOD and SOLID breeding program.

Dog breeding is regulated by standards, I will correct that, GOOD dog breeding is regulated by standards. Dogs and bitches both must meet a rigorous set of requirements before being bred by responsible breeders to produce offspring that are quality dogs. Quality dogs may seem to be objectifying your darling FooFoo; however, it is what it is. Dogs are bred by responsible breeders to better the breed. The problem with the designer breedings (picking the characteristics of your dog and creating your own breed to be fashionable or to suit a superficial desire) is that they often produce offspring that harbor both genetic defects as well as undesirable traits and often times these traits are not apparent until a few generations of offspring have been produced.

Designer breeds are an unfortunate product of spoiled humans. If you want a “hypoallergenic” dog, you should not be looking for a dog in the first place, try another animal instead. If you want a dog that’s “different,” take a look at your local animal shelter, there are a million and one varieties of mixed breed dogs to chose from and not only would you have one of a kind but you’d also be saving a life and not spending upwards of $500 to purchase what is essentially a mixed breed dog.