I WANT a kitten! I WANT a puppy! That breeder has one, let’s get it!
This can be one of the most heart-breaking and costly decisions you will ever make. In today’s society, we want everything to happen instantly and sometimes forget to stop and think.
In some circumstances that works fine, but when it comes to choosing a pet, you need to make sure you are purchasing from the right place.
Sadly this modern world is full of puppy-mills and kitten-farms. These are people aiming to make a quick buck at the expense of vulnerable animals. Minimal care with low grade nutrition - these pets do not have the best start to life, but the “breeder” will sell them to you for top dollar.
So how do you know your pet is not from a puppy-mill or a kitten-farm?
Of course, we recommend choosing a breeder listed on Pedigree Pets. This means they are willing to be transparent and open about their breeding practices (note – ensure the pet is listed through pedigree pets when it’s available). If you find a breeder who is not on Pedigree Pets, ask them why not? Recall - Pedigree Pets aims to bring transparency to the breeding world.
- The first step is to always talk direct with the breeder. It’s a no brainer. They know their pets.
- Ask them; who is their registering body? There are various ones around the world – but don’t take their word for it. Ring/email their registry and ask if they are a current registered breeder (Pedigree Pets has already done this step for you).
- Ask them about their breeding practices, what is their breeding philosophy? Are their pets vaccinated? Microchipped? De-sexed? De-flead? De-wormed? What contracts come with the pets? What information comes with them? What food/other comes with them?
- References. Here is where it starts to get tricky. A website can contain testimonials, with people raving about pets, but these are not independent testimonials. You can ask the breeder for references (e.g. their vet and previous owners). Remember - they will only provide you with “good” ones. You can try google, but this is likely to redirect you back to their website (puppy-mills and kitten-farms have great websites). You can also try social media, asking if anyone has dealings with this breeder, which can be pretty hit and miss. Or look at their facebook page – if you see posts from previous owners, check their profiles to ensure they are a “real” person, not one created to make the breeder look good. Overall, this becomes all about gut feel or intuition.
- Ask for photo’s or videos of the pets in question. If you are local – visit the breeder, but some breeders will not allow this until after first vaccinations have been completed.
