Getting a Puppy? Meet the Parents!

Meet the parents! No, it’s not just a 2000 comedy starring Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro. It’s the advice I give all those looking to purchase a puppy!

Genetics plays a huge role in what your dog’s temperament and personality will be like as an adult. But there are other reasons to meet the parents.

It’s not all about how they are raised. Dogs like us are genetics and life experiences and those first few weeks – call the socialization window is a very sensitive time in the first few weeks of a dog’s life that lay the template for the adult personality. By the time you get your new puppy, more than ½ of that very crucial time will have passed. Dogs from commercial breeders per studies are more likely to have health and behavioral issues. **

Seeing the puppy’s living conditions will allow you to see what experiences your puppy may have had before you take him home. Why is this so important? Because puppy mills are not only alive and well but they exist right here in Wisconsin. While the dogs live in barns, tiny cages barely large enough for them to move and other less than desirable conditions, the marketing of these environment paints a very different picture to increase sales. There are often fancy websites with pictures showing a very different life. The breeder will send pictures but not allow visitors in the facility. They use words like adoption over selling and they use “guardian” homes to all paint a picture that sells! They have reasons from health and safety to convenience to avoid visits from protentional buyers. But its still buyer beware. Behind the façade, it’s still a puppy mill with the puppies often experiencing little handling, a lot of stress and minimal care. The parents from your purchase are also condemned to a life of hell being confined 24/7 with little or no access to outside and being bred every season.

How can you be sure? You can check with the department of agriculture to see if the breeder has any violations but this still doesn’t guarantee that you aren’t supporting a puppy mill. See the living quarters. Research the breeder. Ask to meet the parents! Good breeders should welcome you into their home/facility, want to get to know you and ask you more questions than you ask them!
So, meet the parents and more to ensure your dog is healthy and happy as an adult and that you are not supporting an industry that condemns dogs to a life of neglect and deprivation.

Adopt or research before you shop!

RESOURCES:
Study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1558787817300102
Dept of ag: https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/DogBreedersSellersLaw.aspx
Other: The Horrible 100 mill list: https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/horrible-hundred-5-wisconsin-puppy-mills-sellers-listed-on-humane-society-of-u-s-list/