we all know that everyone = wants = a healthy, happy puppy, who will grow-up to be a long-lived, behaviorally normal dog. Right?
we don;t want irrationally aggressive dogs, or manic dogs who cannot relax, or crippled dogs who need surgery for joint problems, or dogs with exercise intolerance who become fat + inactive and die young. Right?

so why do we buy them!? why do we buy the BYB pup with the underage dam, the purebred with NO health screens on the parents, the cross-bred whose sire is too fearful to be trusted around strangers... the pup with no dam present, and only SIX weeks old?
why do we buy pups who are very likely to develop physical or behavioral issues?

*alyson searched desperately for a Yorkie pup - and eventually found one -
not to be a monster about it... and alyson, i am not directing this at U, personally -
just at puppy-buyers in general...
but the information about unethical breeders, unhealthy pups, the heritability of poor temps (timid dams, aggro behavior, etc)... genetic screening, what tests for which breed, etc, etc, etc, etc...
has ALL been available and heavily distributed for at least the past 20-years.

how much more education can trainers, vets, and humane organizations get out there!?

IMO + IME - pup-buyers do not want to hear it, until THEIR puppy has cr*p knees, a heart-defect,
becomes highly-aggro at puberty (just like daddy ), or is otherwise affected.
THEN - pup-buyers say, Why didn;t U tell me?
we have been telling them, over + over - and ignored, over + over.

U have no idea how frustrating it is to say these things, over + bloody over, and know that it is completely ignored
by 99.99% of puppy-buyers. i keep saying it - they keep buying some BYB designer-hybrid, with no screening whatever + overpriced to boot, or reserve a pup from a litter that has ZERO health-tests on either parent, or take home a 6-WO pup and WHINE that the poor baby cries when alone, and is not housetrained by EIGHT-WEEKS age... and so on.
the Internet means that this information is googleable -
how to buy a healthy puppy - Google Search

short of having every prospective puppy-buyer take a course and a test over the Net,
and have a certificate to PROVE that they took it + passed the test, in order to buy a pup legally -
what do we do to make sure that pup-buyers get the info, and listen?

after 30 years of humane-education, i am beyond frustrated -
as P T Barnum said, theres a sucker born every minute. he was right... but by now,
i think that >> I << am the sucker, wasting my time talking to willfully deaf and blind-by-choice consumers.
is there a solution, and if so... WHAT is it?

bear in mind that dog-owners who join on-line dog-Forums are already Self-Selected + more evolved than non-members, too.
frustrated,
--- terry

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terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007

A trainer in Nottingham recently began offer a pre-ownership class.

After trying a host of different promotional methods (including offering it to breeders as a service to their buyers) with zero result she eventually went back to the tried 'n tested advert in the local paper. She gave her first pre-ownership class to eleven people shortly after and is looking forward to planning more.

This shows that there is an appetite for knowledge that can be accessed if trainers put themselves forward. I know some do but perhaps others are put off, believing there's no one out there who's interested.

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I think that is a great idea! I know that my sister would have gone to one if they were available around here.

It's different for me though, as all mine come from rescues, so i don't know much about the topic, but i do think classes would be great, then you can get to talk to someone one to one.

problem being pedigree/well bred dogs demand a price. i looked the other day and tbh a £700 dog that i wanted for pet/agility compared to a breeder privately (no health tests)...was about £400 ddifferent,

its no different getting one now to me off joe bloggs

i dont agree with it but its the way the world s going

negative attitude but BYB's and puppy farmers are never going to stop

p.s im NOT getting another dog!

I agree Terry, unfortunatley
I live in the 'puppy farm capital of Europe' so believe me I understand. I have worked in dogs for 20 years and in animal care education for 10 years. What we are doing isn't working - things are getting worse...

So the challenge I pose to my students is: what can we do that is different to what we are doing to make a change?????
I'm still waiting for the answer

In Ireland our national TV channel recently aired a show that presented puppy farmers in a very positive light , this week government is debating on new dog breeding establishment legislation that the puppy farmers have been lobbying very very hard to dilute.
This legislation doesn't tackle welfare at all and seems to kinda miss the point - it will likely make puppy farming easier on a bigger scale as it will cost the same to have 6 breeding bitches as it would 12 etc.
Puppy farmers exist because a market exists and our puppy farmers are winning this one which affects so many other places (the 'industry' here exports 30,000 puppies to the UK alone every year).

Frustrating doesn't cover it

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Anne, owned by Rufus & Tripod

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"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts." - John Steinbeck

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I think that would be the problem with any ownership tests or classes, irresponsible owners wouldn't use them.

I think people buy from dodgy sources largely because it's easy. Pups of your choice available right away with no questions asked. How you tackle that I do not know!

My personal opinion is that everyone who brings a puppy into their life should have similar guidlines to follow as people who are fostering a child, because I feel strongly that it isn't much different tofostering a child, just the care is different r e food, shelter love and warmth ec etc
Clare xx

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Staffy x Lab almost 10...Fizz
Ginger Tom 2 1/2...Tilly
Bichon x King charles spanel 1 yr 10 months
Latest addition Tex the black shep 11 1/2 years foster pooch
How can I forget my fish..i have 13 tropical fish too...err...2 cats 2 neon and one lemon tetra...2 err...will have to go look and get back on that one i can't remember the names lol
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RIP Dolly Sadly Passed away 7pm 6/3.2011

Hi Terry
So sorry to hear your frustration. Just want to say I am sure not all your efforts have been wasted...though it would seem so sometimes especially when you are having a bad day.

You've already helped a lot of people immensely on here (and that's only from what I can see)...let alone in your line of work.

Keep up with your good work and you are much appreciated.

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it's largely financial and availability - pups from good breeders will cost more to produce and with every health test needed the cost goes up (not to mention the increased impetus to widen gene pools by importing new lines or using dogs from overseas) the average cost for a well bred pedigree puppy is around the £7-800 mark - good breeders don't have pups available all the time - they make their puppy buyers wait until they are ready to have a litter and then they make them go on a list - good breeders ask questions and refuse to sell pups to anyone who in their opinion cannot offer a good home for their breed - the problem is that most puppy buyers think that one pedigree Dalmation ( for example ) looks just like any other and therefore the one that's selling from the breeder for £400 is a bargain compared to the one being sold for £700 ( and after THAT programme only show dogs need to be health tested - right ? ) and as they " only want a pet " they don't need to bother with all that testing/registration rubbish ! .

...and they want a puppy NOW - so they go to the breeder that always has pups available - in fact she's got to be better than the breeder who only has the occasional litter has'nt she ?- all that experience - and with SOOO many different breeds......and no awkward questions ...just pay the money and take the pup away.

I'm lucky..I'm in a breed that is largely only bred by serious responsible breeders and is not one targeted by puppy farmers ...people seek out my breed and know they have to wait and jump through all kinds of hoops to get one - heaven help breeds like CKCS , GSD and Staffys - where the cheaper alternative is available.

How do we change things - well to be honest I don't know .....after all people KNOW these things and yet they still buy from feckless uncaring money driven irresponsible breeders - stupid - stupid - stupid !!