Avoiding BYBs
How to Avoid Backyard Breeders
So, you’ve decided you’re ready to get a puppy of your own and if you’re like many, then you’re probably ready to bring him or her home ASAP. However, getting a puppy is a big commitment and it is important to do your research in order to make sure you’re getting your puppy from a reputable breeder and not a backyard breeder.
What is a Backyard Breeder?
Backyard breeding is an amatuer form of dog breeding that takes place with litter or no preparation or planning for the litter. A backyard breeder may be an irresponsible pet owner that “accidently” allowed their dog to get pregnant or they may be someone who is intentionally breeding their dog over and over in order to make a profit. In either case, they generally do not take their dog’s health into consideration when doing so, and often times they are not health tested, overbred, and/or are bred starting at a very young age (most dogs have their first heat cycle between 6-12 months old).
no website
Most backyard breeders do not have a professional website for their puppies, but rather, they will advertise on unmoderated websites like craiglist.
If they do have a website, more often than not, it will look like an online store, but with puppies! They generally have pictures of their available puppies with a “buy now” button below and no other info about the puppy’s parents, health testing, or even breed information to educate their prospective clients.
No Health Testing
Health testing is extremely important in order to decrease the risk of passing on genetic diseases. In many cases, they do not do any health testing on their parent dogs when breeding. Instead, they let two dogs mate either intentionally or unintentionally - probably because they think the puppies will be “cute” or it would “be fun to raise a litter”.
no health guarantee
A health guarantee is a contractual agreement between the breeder and the buyer. It outlines the breeder’s promise that your new puppy is healthy and free of any genetic diseases and outlines the finer print of the guarantee to protect both parties from any misunderstandings.
Whether they intentionally or unintentionally bred their dog, they most likely won’t offer you one, but if you’re “lucky” you may get a 30 day guarantee.
A reputable breeder should be happy and willing to stand behind the puppies that they produce and most will offer at minimum a one year health guarantee.
No screening protocols
Backyard breeders won’t ask you many (or any) questions prior to selling a puppy. They are more focused on getting the puppy sold and making money rather than making sure you are a good fit for one of their puppies and are actually ready for one. As a result, this leads to more dogs being rehomed or even surrendered to the shelter.
Raising puppies is a lot of work and many breeders pour their heart and soul into raising their puppies. A reputable breeder will want to know where their puppy is going and won’t just give him or her to the first person that is ready to buy.
they don’t have a lifetime return policy
Things change and life sometimes throws a curveball that changes your life causing you to no longer be able to care for your dog. Unlike a backyard breeder who probably didn’t keep in contact with you after you got your puppy, a reputable breeder will always offer to take the dog back or help you find them a new home.
Reputable breeders care about their puppies well-being and will add a clause in their contract that requires you to notify them if you are no longer able to keep them so that they can assist you in finding them a new home and so that they can keep in contact with the new owner.