Backyard breeding, puppy mills and more

[14+kitties]

Seeing as there seems to be no place for people to find the definitions of backyard breeder (byb), puppy mills, unethical breeder, etc, maybe it will help to have it all under one thread. I will post Wiki’s definition and a couple of websites about each. Hopefully it will help people who have no or limited knowledge about these very serious issues.

BACKYARD BREEDER

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backyard_breeder
Backyard Breeder is a term used for breeders of dogs in a largely pejorative sense by the Animal Welfare community, ASPCA, larger established breeders anddog club. It is used to refer to one of the groups usually deemed not to be a Reputable Breeder.
It implies either or both of careless home breeding for non-commercial reasons or a small commercial operation that does not adhere to good breeding, care and sale practises. In contrast, larger commercial operations of a similar type are usually termed a puppy mill (especially in North America) or puppy farm.
This type of breeder is usually regarded by the Animal Welfare, ASPCA, and canine establishment as likely to exhibit one or more of the following faults:
 Ignorance of selective breeding goals and techniques, and lack of familiarity with the breed standard of the type of dog being bred.
 Exclusive focus on the breed standard involving little genetic screening or Co-efficient of Inbreeding calculations.
 Breeding of a working breed for appearance rather than working ability. This is a criticism also levelled at 'reputable' breeders who breed for the show ring - in some cases distinct working and show strains have emerged.
 Lack of adequate veterinary care and maintenance.
 Excessive breeding from individual bitches, to the detriment of their health.
 Sale of puppies with genetic disorders or undisclosed illnesses before they become evident to buyers.
 Lack of screening of potential owners or the provision of suitable information to prevent buyers from purchasing a dog that may be inappropriate for them or their lifestyle.
 Breeding of dogs for illegitimate reasons, such as for the usually illegal sports of baiting and dog fighting or to defend venues of criminal activity. Dog fanciers generally believe that such ill-bred dogs are the reason for the bad reputation of some breeds in the public perception, and the resulting breed-specific legislation.
 Breeding without concern for the possibility of finding homes, though commercial means or otherwise, for the puppies, thus adding to the population of unwanted dogs.
There are campaigns to reduce or eliminate this type of breeding in several countries. The primary concern of the Animal Welfare community is that this type of breeding is the major source of pet animals and that overproduction has led to overpopulation and hence to welfare issues and the putting down of animals for no other reason than the lack of suitable home. Most dog breed societies and Kennel Clubs have similar concerns but place rather more stress on issues relating to breed standardisation and quality.

http://home.comcast.net/~NoPuppyMill..._breeder_.html

http://www.nopuppymillscanada.ca/byb.htm

PUPPY MILLS

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppy_mill
A puppy mill, sometimes known as a puppy farm,[1] is a commercial dog breeding facility that is operated with an emphasis upon profits above animal welfare and is often in substandard conditions regarding the well-being of dogs in their care.[2][3] Similar types of operations exist for other animals commonly kept as pets or used as feed for other animals. The term can be applied to operations involving other animals commercially bred for profit, e.g. "kitty mills."[4]There are an estimated 4,000 puppy mills in the U.S. that produce more than half a million puppies a year.[5]Commercial kennels may be licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture which may inspect the kennels routinely.[6]

http://www.helpinghomelesspets.com/puppymills/index.htm

http://www.kismutt.com/canadapup/

And an article from Pets.ca - http://www.pets.ca/dogs/articles/puppy-mills/

UNETHICAL BREEDERS

I couldn’t find a definition for unethical breeders on Wiki so…… a couple of sites…..

http://dogs.about.com/cs/generalcare...eder_flags.htm

http://www.phouka.com/dogs/bdr_irres.html

Please add whatever information you think is pertinent to this thread. Hopefully the more information posted in one place the better.