Puppy Mills - Education
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WHERE TO GET A PUPPY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA
You’ve waited until the time is right and now you’re ready to get a dog, cat, puppy or kitten. You want to avoid the notorious puppy mills and backyard breeders. What types of dogs are out there and where do you go to find a pet?
“Types” of Dogs Defined:
Pure breed or “breed” dog - can trace its ancestry in a clear line within the same breed. There are approximately 339 separate recognized breeds in the world. [Federation Cynologique Internationale, www.fci.be]
Mixed breed dog - combination of any two or several breeds. Traditionally, affectionally referred to as “mutts”. These mixed breeds often have strong genetic make-ups, having avoided breed specific disease tendencies, e.g., hereditary hip dysplasia in German Shepherds; porto systemic shunt in Yorkshire Terriers; and deafness in Dalmatians.
Hybrid dog - a breeding of two or more specific breeds. Hybrid dogs include for example, “Golden Doodle”, a golden retriever and poodle mix; “Puggle” - a pug and beagle mix; and “Labradoodle” - a Labrador Retriever and poodle mix. Puppy mills typically offer an extended catalog of mixes of hybrid breeds to cater to customer interest without regard to genetic consequences.
Young dog or old dog - A dog is considered a “puppy” until age 9 to 15 months, depending upon the size of the breed; large breeds mature slower than small breeds and thus are still considered puppies for longer. Consider whether you have the time, energy, patience and knowledge to train a puppy or whether you would prefer an adult dog who already has learned the “basics” of house-training and simple commands.
Source Options:
Animal Shelters - First, always consider adoption. There are hundreds of dogs in the Northern Virginia area, of all breeds, sizes, and ages, who are looking for homes. Whether you are interested in a particular pure breed, a mixed breed, a hybrid or “designer” breed, or are open to any dog that “calls out to you”, a dog that meets your criteria is likely available in rescue at a shelter or animal welfare facility.
Shelters offer animals at a considerable savings from other sources. Low adoption fees typically include rabies vaccine, spay/neuter, and micro-chip identification, and more. Another perk is that required city/county licenses are available at the same facility.
Area municipal shelters include:
Fairfax County Animal Shelter
4500 West Ox Rd
Fairfax VA
703 830-1100
Humane Society of Fairfax County
4057 Chain Bridge Rd
Fairfax VA
703 385-7387
Humane Society of Fairfax County
15911 Lee Hwy
Centreville VA
703 385-7387
Animal Welfare League of Alexandria
4101 Eisenhower AVe
Alexandria VA
703 746-4774
Animal Welfare League of Arlington
2650 Arlington Mill Dr
Arlington VA
703 931-9241
Humane Rescue Alliance & Medical Center
71 Oglethorpe St NW
Washington DC
202 726-2556
Breed Rescues - Breed rescues specialize in finding homes for a specific breed of pure breed dogs. Usually made up of individuals with a strong knowledge of and affection for the breed, their missions are to assure a dog that must be re-homed is handled humanely and finds the best possible new home.
For breed-specific rescue groups in Northern Virginia, see “Pet Lovers’ Companion”, a free publication available at area animal shelters, or on-line at http://www.petloverscompanion.com/list_cat/dog-rescue-breed/.
Breed rescues’ fees are typically higher than at shelters, but lower than the price of purchasing directly from a breeder.
Responsible Breeders - Contact local/regional breed dog clubs for referrals to responsible breeders of your breed of interest. Responsible breeders will rarely have a pet ready for you to purchase immediately. Rather they will take your application, screen your interest to assure you are a suitable match for the breed’s characteristics, may even make a home visit, and place you on a waiting list for the next available litter. If not planning a breeding, they will likely refer you to another breeder. You can, and should, see one or both of the dog’s parents, and inspect the conditions where the animals are kept and raised. If anything does not “look right” — walk away.
Pet Stores and On-Line Sales - Never buy a pet from these sources! Every dog for sale in a pet store is a puppy mill puppy (the code of ethics of responsible breeders prohibit selling to pet stores) Virginia law requires that pet stores buy only from licensed dealers [which most often are puppy mills]. Purchasing a puppy mill puppy is not rescuing a puppy — it’s promoting continued puppy mill breeding.
With illness and congenital diseases common in puppy mill puppies and the high frequency of disease transmitted during transport from puppy mill to pet stores, you could end up with a pet whose health is severely compromised. Return policies? A pet store’s return policy protects the pet store, not you or the puppy! And once you leave the store with the dog, be aware that the animal may only be returned if there’s an undisclosed illness verified by a veterinarian (usually must be their approved vet), and only within a ten-day time period. Virginia Consumer Protection Act (§59.1-196et seq), amended specifically for pet store issues, provides only limited protection if the animal was certified as “unfit for purchase” or has died.
You can expect to pay premium prices for pet store puppies. Although the pet store likely acquired the dog for a few hundred dollars based on the “economies” practiced by puppy mills, pet stores sell the puppies for thousands of dollars — often double the price that local responsible breeders are charging. You won’t see prices posted at pet stores and you may be able to negotiate a “lower” price than asked —- still hundreds of dollars above the local breeder rates. These pricing manipulations, insurance service side business, and limited consumer protections make puppy sales a profitable business for pet stores at the expense of consumers and animal welfare. As an example, in July 2017, two pet store puppies from a known puppy mill in Iowa were offered at $2400 each. Since the puppies had been in the store an extended period of time recovering from kennel cough, the buyer was able to “negotiate” the price to $1200 each, if both were purchased; $2400 total. This “sale price” was still $200-400 more than these types of dogs sell for from local breeders. The buyer also faced significant medical bills related to the giardia present in both pups and surgery for luxated patella in one dog.
On-line sources are just as risky. On-line sources require you to select a pet without the benefit of seeing it, its health, living conditions, or parents. Pricing is typically only slightly less than pet stores. In some cases, the on-line pet offer is a total fraud and consumers have purchased pets that don’t exist. (See www.oag.state.va.us CONSUMER ALERT: ATTORNEY GENERAL HERRING WARNS VIRGINIA CONSUMERS OF PUREBRED PUPPY SCAM, August 23, 2017).
For more information on where to get a puppy, click here.
WHERE TO GET A PUPPY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA
You’ve waited until the time is right and now you’re ready to get a dog, cat, puppy or kitten. You want to avoid the notorious puppy mills and backyard breeders. What types of dogs are out there and where do you go to find a pet?
“Types” of Dogs Defined:
Pure breed or “breed” dog - can trace its ancestry in a clear line within the same breed. There are approximately 339 separate recognized breeds in the world. [Federation Cynologique Internationale, www.fci.be]
Mixed breed dog - combination of any two or several breeds. Traditionally, affectionally referred to as “mutts”. These mixed breeds often have strong genetic make-ups, having avoided breed specific disease tendencies, e.g., hereditary hip dysplasia in German Shepherds; porto systemic shunt in Yorkshire Terriers; and deafness in Dalmatians.
Hybrid dog - a breeding of two or more specific breeds. Hybrid dogs include for example, “Golden Doodle”, a golden retriever and poodle mix; “Puggle” - a pug and beagle mix; and “Labradoodle” - a Labrador Retriever and poodle mix. Puppy mills typically offer an extended catalog of mixes of hybrid breeds to cater to customer interest without regard to genetic consequences.
Young dog or old dog - A dog is considered a “puppy” until age 9 to 15 months, depending upon the size of the breed; large breeds mature slower than small breeds and thus are still considered puppies for longer. Consider whether you have the time, energy, patience and knowledge to train a puppy or whether you would prefer an adult dog who already has learned the “basics” of house-training and simple commands.
Source Options:
Animal Shelters - First, always consider adoption. There are hundreds of dogs in the Northern Virginia area, of all breeds, sizes, and ages, who are looking for homes. Whether you are interested in a particular pure breed, a mixed breed, a hybrid or “designer” breed, or are open to any dog that “calls out to you”, a dog that meets your criteria is likely available in rescue at a shelter or animal welfare facility.
Shelters offer animals at a considerable savings from other sources. Low adoption fees typically include rabies vaccine, spay/neuter, and micro-chip identification, and more. Another perk is that required city/county licenses are available at the same facility.
Area municipal shelters include:
Fairfax County Animal Shelter
4500 West Ox Rd
Fairfax VA
703 830-1100
Humane Society of Fairfax County
4057 Chain Bridge Rd
Fairfax VA
703 385-7387
Humane Society of Fairfax County
15911 Lee Hwy
Centreville VA
703 385-7387
Animal Welfare League of Alexandria
4101 Eisenhower AVe
Alexandria VA
703 746-4774
Animal Welfare League of Arlington
2650 Arlington Mill Dr
Arlington VA
703 931-9241
Humane Rescue Alliance & Medical Center
71 Oglethorpe St NW
Washington DC
202 726-2556
Breed Rescues - Breed rescues specialize in finding homes for a specific breed of pure breed dogs. Usually made up of individuals with a strong knowledge of and affection for the breed, their missions are to assure a dog that must be re-homed is handled humanely and finds the best possible new home.
For breed-specific rescue groups in Northern Virginia, see “Pet Lovers’ Companion”, a free publication available at area animal shelters, or on-line at http://www.petloverscompanion.com/list_cat/dog-rescue-breed/.
Breed rescues’ fees are typically higher than at shelters, but lower than the price of purchasing directly from a breeder.
Responsible Breeders - Contact local/regional breed dog clubs for referrals to responsible breeders of your breed of interest. Responsible breeders will rarely have a pet ready for you to purchase immediately. Rather they will take your application, screen your interest to assure you are a suitable match for the breed’s characteristics, may even make a home visit, and place you on a waiting list for the next available litter. If not planning a breeding, they will likely refer you to another breeder. You can, and should, see one or both of the dog’s parents, and inspect the conditions where the animals are kept and raised. If anything does not “look right” — walk away.
Pet Stores and On-Line Sales - Never buy a pet from these sources! Every dog for sale in a pet store is a puppy mill puppy (the code of ethics of responsible breeders prohibit selling to pet stores) Virginia law requires that pet stores buy only from licensed dealers [which most often are puppy mills]. Purchasing a puppy mill puppy is not rescuing a puppy — it’s promoting continued puppy mill breeding.
With illness and congenital diseases common in puppy mill puppies and the high frequency of disease transmitted during transport from puppy mill to pet stores, you could end up with a pet whose health is severely compromised. Return policies? A pet store’s return policy protects the pet store, not you or the puppy! And once you leave the store with the dog, be aware that the animal may only be returned if there’s an undisclosed illness verified by a veterinarian (usually must be their approved vet), and only within a ten-day time period. Virginia Consumer Protection Act (§59.1-196et seq), amended specifically for pet store issues, provides only limited protection if the animal was certified as “unfit for purchase” or has died.
You can expect to pay premium prices for pet store puppies. Although the pet store likely acquired the dog for a few hundred dollars based on the “economies” practiced by puppy mills, pet stores sell the puppies for thousands of dollars — often double the price that local responsible breeders are charging. You won’t see prices posted at pet stores and you may be able to negotiate a “lower” price than asked —- still hundreds of dollars above the local breeder rates. These pricing manipulations, insurance service side business, and limited consumer protections make puppy sales a profitable business for pet stores at the expense of consumers and animal welfare. As an example, in July 2017, two pet store puppies from a known puppy mill in Iowa were offered at $2400 each. Since the puppies had been in the store an extended period of time recovering from kennel cough, the buyer was able to “negotiate” the price to $1200 each, if both were purchased; $2400 total. This “sale price” was still $200-400 more than these types of dogs sell for from local breeders. The buyer also faced significant medical bills related to the giardia present in both pups and surgery for luxated patella in one dog.
On-line sources are just as risky. On-line sources require you to select a pet without the benefit of seeing it, its health, living conditions, or parents. Pricing is typically only slightly less than pet stores. In some cases, the on-line pet offer is a total fraud and consumers have purchased pets that don’t exist. (See www.oag.state.va.us CONSUMER ALERT: ATTORNEY GENERAL HERRING WARNS VIRGINIA CONSUMERS OF PUREBRED PUPPY SCAM, August 23, 2017).
For more information on where to get a puppy, click here.
