What's the diff between BYB and puppy mill?

[Lolas Dad]

If you want to know where all the USDA puppy mills are go to the link and do a search. You can see if they had any violations and what the violations were.

USDA - APHIS - ANIMAL CARE - ACTIVE SEARCH

A good article on USDA puppy mills can be found on the following link.



The USDA and Puppy Mills

Some text copied and pasted from the link above

What compliance means with the AWA
It’s important to note exactly what inspectors are looking for when they arrive at a USDA licensed kennel. Their job is to make sure breeders are adhering to the minimum standards set forth by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). They can look at a facility with hundreds of dogs in small cages, desperate for human attention, and note no violations.

That’s because the AWA does nothing to ensure dogs are happy, or live a quality life. It’s not written into the regulations, and therefore is not something the USDA enforces. Here are some quick facts about the minimum standards set forth by the USDA:
-Inspections are “Risk-based,” meaning that facilities that meet a certain criteria are inspected “as seldom as once every 2 to 3 years.” (source)
-Cage size: must be 6 inches larger than the size of the dog, on all sides
-Up to 12 dogs can be housed in one cage
-Dogs never have to be let out of their cages. Breeders only need to have an exercise plan
-There is no limit to the number dogs a breeder can have—many have over 1,000
-There is no age limit for breeding dogs. If a dog is able to produce puppies for ten years, that’s how long they could be in the facility

USDA rules and regulations in the next link. If anyone has a lawyer in the family they can tell you what this document says. (41 pages)

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_wel...ds/awa/awa.pdf

[Boemy]

I wouldn't trust USDA certification as far as I could throw it (which is not very far, considering it's an intangible . . . thing.) They make their money by keeping agriculture/farmers in business, not by shutting them down. They're more of an agriculture lobbying group than an agriculture regulatory group. They test a bare fraction of meat animals for disease, I don't believe for a minute they are going to "waste their time" checking up on non-meat animals for the animals' own health, without the spectre of people getting ill from consuming the animal down the line.

(And even then their only concern would be that people getting ill would be "bad PR.")

[colliewog]

agree that the difference between mills and BYBs is quantity and the purpose of the dogs. Most BYBs breed this pet to that pet, either to make 'a little money', or one of the many others, such as "she's such a sweet/pretty/smart dog".

Puppy mills are "milling" - producing in mass quantities for consumers - and there is no regard for the emotional well-being of the dog. Given, some are clean and well cared for, but the human-animal bond is missing.

Then there is the 'show miller', a newer phenomenon where they are show breeders who breed large quantities and flood the market. They have show winners, but they too lack the bond and true understanding of their dogs' personalities and what they have to offer (besides their 'cute' or 'show winning' factors).

[adojrts]

Originally Posted by colliewog

Then there is the 'show miller', a newer phenomenon where they are show breeders who breed large quantities and flood the market. They have show winners, but they too lack the bond and true understanding of their dogs' personalities and what they have to offer (besides their 'cute' or 'show winning' factors).

This so true ^^^^, drives me nuts too at the number of dogs they produce. They claim to *know* their dogs, they claim that they know the temperaments of the dogs, but my arguement for years has been ......How can they? How can you truly know a dog unless you actually live with it? And these breeders do very well in the ring and they sell a lot of pups to 'pet' people............oh but the dog have such awesome temperament.......BS, how can they really know?? In short they can't.