Is there just not enough education out there?

Unfortunately, no there is not enough pet related education out there. Usually, the only way to become educated about something like puppy mills or BYB's is to do research and KNOW what you are looking for. Otherwise, some may fall under the false assumption that "oh well, they just breed a lot of breeds...so they must be really experienced!"

My own MOTHER still believes that designer dog breeders are reputable, that it is okay to declaw cats, that teacups are cute and small, that designer mutts have a standard, that there are hypo-allergenic dogs and actually still doesn't trust pit bulls. No matter how many times I explain these things to her, she just keeps believing what she wants to believe. It's a mixture of ignorance and being uneducated.

You're right.. there definately is not enough education out there.

People still do not understand that "registered" does not equal "quality".

People still go to the pet store or their local backyard greeder, buy a dog.. lets say a cute lil basset hound.. spend $500 or so and think they are getting a bargain over the puppy the responsible breeder was selling for $1000. A year later, the puppy owner has had to deal with the worms his pup came with (thank heavens it wasn't PARVO!) pay for surgery on his pup's eyes for ectropion, the pup has allergies that are causing issues with his ears and he has chronic recurrent diarrhea- their vet bills for the health issues are well over $1000... and their contract does not cover any of the issues.. if there even is a contract.

To add insult to injury....he doesn't even LOOK like the other Bassets (his legs are longer than they ought to be, he weighs a whole 35 lbs instead of 55-65 and his ears are a bit short). He's not housetrained yet because the puppymiller or backyard greeder didn't keep the pen clean and he learned its ok to sleep where you pee. He's also a bit snippy because his parents weren't screened for anything beyond their breed... and not too smart either because his mother was bred too young, too many times and undernourished... not to mention the lack of handling he had as a pup.

That $500 saved by not buying from a responsible breeder whose goal is the betterment of the breed really doesn't look like much of a bargain... and the new owner now has a dog who may have a lifetime of health issues... and temperament issues.

Edit: ab: The issue is... that it ISN'T the exact same puppy. While it may be the same breed there is a significant difference in quality between a backyard bred pup and a working or show breeder's pup.

There is enough info out there, but some people want to take the easiest route to getting an animal.After 20 years of trying to educate people, I have discovered that a lot of people want what is easy and puts them to no inconveince. They don't want to go to the trouble of finding and going to a breeder when they basically can order a dog on the internet or walk into a pet store and purchase a puppy mill dog. What a shame that people are so lazy about aquiring a pet.

The unfortunate part is that at least 90% of the puppy buyers wouldn't know how to tell a good pup from a bad one regardless of how much reading they do on YA.

I was lucky enough to have had parents that were into it so I grew up learning about dogs. Most people are not as lucky, and have to learn on their own. Mostly by the school of hard knocks.

The reality is that most think that a pup bought out of the back of a pickup in the Petsmart parking lot is as good as it gets. After all the pedigree says there is a Champion in the fifth generation.

I think there needs to be TV commercials about this.

Here's my commercial idea:

Open on a cute puppy playing with a kid in a sunny yard.

Then a thing on the tv screen says "5 years later" and shows the same dog on an operating table and the mother and kid crying over him and then the screen says "before you breed, make sure you health test" and "before you buy from a BYB, know the risks. visit your local shelter"

well..something like that...

I just asked a q to find out wherepeople arebuying designer breeds if its from the internet or petstores and how they hear about it, this way if we can find out what is appealing to so many people, where theyre searching for puggles and yorkipoos then maybe a solution can be formed, like if it is the internet, then shelters need to work on webpages and putting their sites in search engines (not just petfinder) Because I think its lack of education and lack of knowingthat you can get a cute good mix or breed puppy or dog at a shelter too.

edit: so I think what it is, that the designer breeders(hah if you can call them "breeder") are misleading people theydont know they can find the same mix puppies right in shelters or fosters. I hate to say it but i think shelters better start calling their puppies and dogs designer names to attract people.

There is plenty of education out there. People don't usually research what they THINK they already know. People also don't listen to hate when it's spoken to them in the name of educating. There are just as many problems with the 'teachers' as there are with the 'students'.

How many students learn from a teacher that calls them names and insults them constantly? not many.

Ranting and name calling is as close to educating as a yorkie poo is to a purebred.

As for a perfect breeder that is totally responsible,,,they only exist in the same place as unicorns. Myth.

In looking up info on tail docking and lack there of yesterday, I came across a site for my breed that no longer does this. Thinking it interesting, I clicked.

WOW!! These people have been breeding/showing purebred dogs (one breed) for years and years,,,they are now retired from showing, but still breed. The pedigrees on their animals have over a dozen 'reputable' champion show breeders kennel names, with Champion attached to many dozens of the dogs throughout the pedigree. I looked up these breeders in the preferred breeders section of their club. They still show and breed and are of the type that consider themselves 'reputable' and 'breeding for the betterment' etc. They still show their dogs. But wait !! there's more ......The people on this site are starting a new venture. DESIGNER DOGS....yes .....mixed breeds for sale. The mothers of the mixes? the purebred dogs out of champions from numorous known show breeders kennels. The stud? A bishon/begonese (sp??) or some such.

So I wonder....how reputable can you be, if your prize winners are the foundation stock for a designer breed? How is it that these dogs were released with full breeding rights to use in this program? It kind of takes away the meaning of reputable, and makes you wonder how we can use these breeders as examples of the proper methods. Very confusing , it's no wonder people don't know what/who to listen to.

Unfortunately, there's not. A lot of unsuspecting people out there still think if you want a pet, you go to the Pet Store. Or think that someone offering multiple breeds is a good thing because they have a choice.

Keep spreading the word - Some people actually listen and heed the advice!

It is not the lack of education. It's the apathy many people have for the quality of dog. Many just want the cheapest they can get. No amount of education will change that.

I will strongly disagree with you about the credit card issue. Time to catch up the times. There is nothing wrong with it nowdays. When I bought my Vizsla (from a reputable breeder) we paid a deposit with a debit card and the rest with cash the day we picked him up. What is wrong with that?

Some of the people might not see that they are help the mills. They could have the belief that they are rescuing the puppies, not realizing that the only way to truly help is to report the mills

You are promoting an agenda that not everyone believes. The people you call "professional" breeders are no better in the view of the public than anyone else. They simply promote an agenda that says they are best.

Nobody believes that dogs or puppies should be abused. But people don't believe you when you toot your own horns. It's a self serving agenda.

If you want a better responce then market to the financial aspects of the public. They shouldn't buy a puppy over the web because they can easily be stolen from.

As far as not buying from a family in their area. You have no way to tell them not to, especially when you are trying to charge 10times as much for the exact same puppy.