Puppy Mills
These are places that breed dogs for profit, like chickens, in extremely inhuman conditions. The dogs are locked in small cages without proper roof and flooring, they spend their entire lives this way, without any kindly human contact and consistent food and water and proper sanitation . A puppy mill is a puppy factory. It is hell for dogs.
There were cases (not in Singapore) where the operators purposely broke the jaws of the mother dogs so they cannot feed on the puppies (as they are so hungry). It is also not rare to find dead dogs inside the cages. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what kind of puppies will be produced in such deplorable circumstances. If your puppy has a host of problems, it is not impossible that it had come from a puppy mill. Puppy mill puppies are hard to raise, as they often grow up nervous and distrustful.
These puppy mill operators do not care about breed standards and the quality of their puppies; all they want is money. Hence, they will happily breed mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, sisters and brothers. This in-breeding cause genetic deformities in the off springs which are not visible during puppy hood. However, after some time, you will find yourself visiting the vet to fix all kinds of problems. You might even end up in the clinic yourself as inbred dogs are often aggressive and prone to bite.
The Pet Shop
In Singapore, I'M NOT AFRAID TO SAY, there are more unethical pet shops than good ones. Most of them get their puppies from Australia or locally, but that's just about the most they are willing to tell you. There is no way to know for sure whether the puppies had come from foreign or local puppy mills or "backyard" breeders. Some of the local pet shop operators even double up as the unethical breeders themselves. These pet shops don't mind spending money on regular and attractive advertisement as they can make much more profits cheating all the innocent and unwary customers. They will tell you anything to sell you that cute little puppy. Their words will change according to what type of puppies they have in stock. They do not care if you had selected the wrong puppy for your lifestyle. Testimonials include pet shop people trying to pass off ticks as moles, and cheating customers into believing a blue-eyed Siberian Husky is an Alaskan Malamute (which is never blue-eyed).
Certain pet shops also "register" much higher incidence of selling puppies who later died of parvo virus. There are also some pet shops which are not licensed by the AVA (Agri-food & Veterinary Authority). If you know any, you should report them to AVA immediately.
Many puppy buyers complain that the dogs they bought turned out to be not pedigrees as claimed by the pet shops. Another common complaint is after paying for the puppy, it is then that they were told to pay extra few hundred dollars to obtain the "pedigree" certificate (actually the breed certificate) and when they got it, they are still not sure if the puppies are indeed really pedigrees as the father and the mother of the puppies are not stated.
Unless you want it for certain reasons, a pedigree or breed certificate does not mean much. However, it does help the pet shops to "promote" the sale of the puppies. So don't be so naive to believe a piece of paper will guarantee the quality of the puppy. In Singapore, many novice dog owners want it because they want to show their dogs or they see it as an "investment" so they can ask for higher prices when they decide to sell their dogs later (wishful thinking).
Whatever it is, NEVER buy a puppy on impulse if you are an inexperience dog owner. If you don't have any particular breed in mind, you might want to consider adopting a homeless dog that fit your lifestyle and preference instead. You can adopt from DogPeople, ASD (Action for Singapore Dogs), K9Love.Org or SPCA. The dogs ended up in shelters NOT because they are bad but because their owners are.
Having said these, when it comes to pet supplies stores (the ones that don't sell any live animals), true to our trading heritage, Singaporean shops are one of the best in the world. Though small scale, they carry the best of products imported or produced locally. Enjoy shopping at our local pet supplies stores!
"Backyard" Breeders
These are individual people who breed their dogs and bitches for money or for hobby. They are NOT dog experts. They do not know how healthy their dogs are and how well they conform to the breed standards. These are ignorant people but pretend to be knowledgeable.
Many of these "backyard" breeders advertise their puppies through the newspaper classified ads. Some even post their advertisements in stores and supermarkets. Some supply to questionable pet shops. Many also try to sell their puppies through word of mouth. You should beware of acquaintances suddenly telling you so and so who is their "friend" coincidentally has puppies for sale.
If you buy from them, there is a high chance your dog is not free from genetic defects and is not a purebred as they claim.
It can be difficult to differentiate "backyard" breeders from good reputable breeders. Hence, it is very important to find out yourself.
If you were approached by some stranger who asked you to mate your dog with theirs, just tell it into their face: "Sorry, I am not a pimp!".
The Good and Reputable BreederIPB Image
The foremost concern for a good breeder is the quality of the puppies and they breed their dogs to uphold the standards of the breed, not for profit.
A good breeder will ask you many questions. Don't be offended. It is because he/she cares about the dogs, that's why he/she is asking questions. There might even be a written application, interviews and MOU before the puppy is passed to you. He/she will be happy to answer your questions too. You should ask about the genetic health conditions of the puppies and ask to meet the parents of the puppies. Ask how long has him/her been breeding dogs. How many months/years apart does he/she breed the same dogs? Be wary of those who repeatedly bred their dogs every time the b**ch is on heat. To what extent have the puppies being socialized? Will he/she guarantee against health and behaviourial defects? Have the parents been certified clear of genetic defects inherent to the breed? Ask to see the certificates issued by registered vets as well as the pedigree certificate (not breed certificate) (very important!). Does he/she mind you do a temperament test on the litter if it hasn't been done?IPB Image
The ideal breeder will help you select the puppy whose personality matches your lifestyle. Generally, good breeders will stay in touch with you and accept feedbacks on the puppy you bought. Many of them also take the trouble to help find good homes for your dog whom was bred by them, in the event you cannot keep the dog anymore. In Singapore, it might be difficult to do some of the things mentioned above, since so many of our puppies are imported, mostly from Australia.
We know of quite a number of Singaporean residents who have flown all the way to the foreign country (e.g. Australia, NZ, UK) due to quarantine waiver and bought puppies from the good breeders there since there is no good breeder of that breed in Singapore.
Dogs, like all other pets, are members of a family. They live with you for over 12-15 years. Hence, it is a wise thing to do your homework before getting one.
http://www.dogpeople.org/PuppyMill.htm