Breeders Should Help

How Responsible Breeders can Help
with the Fight against Puppy Mills

by John Van den Bergh
Copyright 2006, Kerry Blue Terrier Foundation

Responsible breeders have a unique role to play in the fight to eliminate the puppy mills. Responsible breeders are also the biggest beneficiaries of winning the fight against their competitors, the mills.

Make it unprofitable

If responsible breeders would get together and set the price of their puppies very low, say at $300, the mills would not be able to demand prices above their break-even level. A few years ago, puppy mills were getting into the Kerry business because responsible breeders were asking $2,000 or more. They knew a tidy profit could be made in our breed.
Responsible breeders should increase their breeding of Kerries to cover the demand. If a buyer can't find a reputable breeder with puppies, they will be tempted to buy from a pet store, supplied by the mills.
Educate potential puppy buyers about the problems with puppy mills. If the breeder does not have any litters, encourage them to adopt a rescue dog. If the buyer is not qualified to own a Kerry, send them to a shelter to adopt a homeless dog. Do whatever is necessary to keep the buyer from purchasing from a pet store or internet outlet.

Don't let it happen again

Responsible breeders should:

never sell puppies without a written contract
always have a spay or neuter clause in the contract
always do a home check before placing any dog
stay in contact with their puppy buyers
always take back any of Kerries they bred
know al all times who owns their dogs

Help mill dogs directly

Especially when a pregnant bitch is rescued, responsible breeders should work with the rescue organization. The best foster family would be an experienced breeder because they have the expertise and equipment to whelp and raise newborn Kerries.
Volunteer for a rescue organization, so more mills can be put out of business.
Monetary donations are always appreciated.

Work with the AKC

To increase their profits, the AKC has been courting puppy mills to register with them. Because the AKC does not guarantee the dogs are purebred, nor the quality of the Kerries, the overall quality of the breed will deteriorate fast when mills are producing large quantities of AKC registered Kerries. Therefore, responsible breeders should:

pressure their parent club, the AKC, to stop catering to puppy mills
insist on kennel inspections of puppy mills
improve their health and registration standards for all AKC registered dogs
insist that the breeder clubs enforce their Code of Ethics