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Finding a responsible breeder

If you’ve decided to buy from a dog breeder, you’ll want to ensure that the puppy you’re buying is healthy and happy and that you’re not unwittingly funding the cruel puppy trade.

If you are looking to buy a pedigree puppy, have a look on the Kennel Club website for Kennel Club Assured Breeders of the breed you’re interested in.  A good breeder will probably have a waiting list for puppies – a happy, healthy dog is worth the wait.

Here are some great tips on spotting a responsible breeder, or identifying a breeder who’s only interest is profit:

Recognising a responsible breeder

A responsible breeder will:

A responsible breeder won’t:

Spend time chatting to you on the phone and will arrange a time for you to visit to meet their puppies, along with their mum and siblings, in the place where they were born and raised.

Rush you into parting with cash in exchange for a puppy.

Be able to put you in touch with the owners of the sire (dad).

Try to fob you off by saying that the mother is at the vets, asleep or out for a walk. If mum isn’t there, then the puppy wasn’t bred there.

Be happy to have more than one meeting to ensure you and the puppy are compatible.

Offer to deliver a puppy to you or meet you somewhere random like a car park.

Be happy to answer all of your questions and ask you just as many to make sure their puppies are going to a good home.

Say “it’s normal for the breed” about any health issues like snoring – all puppies should be born with the best chance of living happy, healthy lives whatever breed they are.

Be happy to show you their local authority license if they are breeding and selling pets as a business (to make a profit).

Use Kennel Club Registration (or any other registration) as a guarantee of quality or health and happiness.

Provide genuine paperwork/certificates for puppy vaccinations, microchipping (which is a legal requirement), worming and results for health tests where relevant.

Have various types of puppies for sale.