In previous blogs I’ve talked about designer dog names and marketing, given examples of how branding increased demand for unwanted dogs and described where dogs come from. In this final blog I discuss my view of mass producing and marketing dogs for profit.

Call it like it is.

Ever wondered why commercial puppy breeding businesses have attracted the name puppy farms, mills and factories? That's how they are run: mass produced with efficiency.  

Efficiency means achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.

• Efficient use of space (smallest, easily maintained spaces for maximum production),
• Efficient use of staff (least number and wages for maximum output e.g 5 full time staff, 5 casual staff for 1500 puppies a year, 300 breeding bitches and 50 breeding dogs),
• Mass quantities produced,
• Fast and high turnover.

A large range of product choice (different types of dog) is also desirable. It is no coincidence that the majority of "designer dogs" are mixes of the smaller breeds. They take up less room. They remain cuter for longer. Cute sells. They have an increased shelf-life as puppies than the larger breeds and will be saleable on display in the pet shop for longer.

Businesses need to make a profit and keep expenses down. The following practices are often not adopted as they do not reduce costs:

• Vet checks, medical care and genetic checks of parents.
• Resting a bitch and not breeding her each time she is in season.
• Keeping puppies for 8 - 10 weeks to avoid problems later in life in preference to moving them on at 4 - 6 weeks.
• Socializing, training and housing puppies in a home environment.
• Housing adult breeding parents in a home environment.

Efficient does not mean ethical.

Many puppy farms are registered and provide the minimum legal requirements. These minimum requirements may not meet the dogs' health, social and psychological needs. Many puppy farms advertise their produce as being "ethically bred". What they mean by this is rarely explained and how they actually breed is far from ethical.

The factory/mill/farm is a primary producer and seldom sells direct to the consumer as this is not cost effective. The other pressing reason is that if the consumer saw how the puppies were produced, they wouldn't be so keen to buy. 

The product is contracted out or sold in bulk to a secondary producer. 

Are yah hearing me?

The dog has become a mass produced commodity at the expense of the dog and the consumer.

Not convinced there's money in mass producing dogs?

The prices of dogs from a large Australian on-line store which only advertises Designer Dogs is from $1295.00 to $1895.00.  Using the average price of $1595.00 and 1500 puppies per year (figures supplied by puppy farm supplier), the on-line store would turn over almost $2.5 million. That’s just selling the produce from one puppy farm. It's a small business (defined by the small number of employees) with a good turnover.

How is the consumer exploited?

A beagle cross can be adopted from a refuge for an adoption fee. This is set to cover the cost of vet care, desexing, housing and feeding until a home is found.  This doesn't really cover costs and the refuge relies further on donations, fund raising, volunteers and government grants.

Change the name to "Beagalier" and you can ask an extra $1000 or more (on-line retail price $1495). Shipping is usually extra. You have just marketed a cross breed for a pedigree price! Actually, that's even more than many pedigrees.

A labrador cross isn't as fetching as the sound of a "Cavador" (Labrador crossed with a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel).  Would one be willing to pay an estimated retail price of $1895 for a labrador cross? 

In conclusion.

With so many existing dogs (both cross breeds and pedigree) waiting for forever homes, and so many others euthanized, this is my opinion;

I find it amoral to mass produce dogs, develop catchy "designer" names in order to increase consumer demand and price and then transport them nationwide for sale.

I used amoral instead of immoral deliberately.

Amoral definition:

"Lacking a moral sense; unconcerned with the rightness or wrongness of something."

I'll reiterate here that abiding by minimum requirements to keep an animal alive and breeding is not the same as providing an environment that causes no harm. Nor does it necessarily provide an environment where a dog can flourish. The law should not be confused with ethics.

I hope this blog series has educated and raised concern about where our puppies come from and the ethical issues that surround their production and sale. I encourage you to look a little deeper and do your own research when the time comes to select a new furry, family member. The action of every individual has the power to influence the conditions in which dogs are bred. Consumer demand drives the wheels of supply. If consumers demand humane practices or walk away, puppy suppliers will need to comply to keep in business.

Video on how Designer Dogs are farmed ABC 7.30 Report on Designer Dogs (Youtube)

Transcript and original video (on right) of the ABC 7.30 Report on Designer Dogs

Where puppies come from - Animals Australia

RSPCA on puppy farms

The maker of the Labradoodle regrets his creation

The links I provide contain valuable information but do not imply that I agree with all content in its entirety.

Part One of this blog series looked at the clever marketing strategy behind naming dogs. Part Two gave two powerful examples of how marketing increased demand for dogs. In Part Three I discuss where dogs come from and why it matters. You may be unpleasantly surprised.

The low down on dog breeders.

1. Registered breeders who care about their dogs concentrate and specialize in one, two or maybe three breeds. They often show their dogs or have a keen interest in performance breeds (agility, obedience, herding, hunting, tracking, guide dogs, assistance dogs, search and rescue etc). It's often a passionate hobby verging on a lifestyle.

2. Backyard breeder is a term used for breeders who are not registered with a club or council. Backyard breeder litters are often the result of accidental breeding of intact family pets. They may also be planned for various reasons, such as to let the children see the miracle of birth before spaying or for profit. 

3. Puppy farms, factories or mills is a term used for commercial breeders who breed dogs in large numbers, usually numerous breeds and often designer breeds. They are often registered breeders with the council. They may, however, be "underground", unregistered breeders which mean their location and name is not easily traced. Sadly, it can literally be underground. They do not usually sell direct to the public but employ contractors to sell the puppies. The contractors used include pet shops, on-line pet sales and individuals. It will seldom be divulged where the puppies come from. Puppies are often described as being from "local breeders" but no contact details are ever provided. The puppies may be represented as being bred in a home environment but there will always be a reason you cannot view the parents or see where they came from e.g. the parent animals are with the in-laws who couldn't cope with the litter, or they're selling the puppy for a friend who had an emergency, or who lives in the country, or who doesn't have a computer to respond to emails.

One example of how puppies are sourced for resale is below. A simple advert on-line.

So, why does it matter where dogs come from?

A quick word on ethics.

Paul and Elder define ethics as "a set of concepts and principles that guide us in determining what behaviour helps or harms sentient creatures".

Breeders may follow the minimum requirements of the law governing provision of food, shelter and exercise. The minimum requirements are exactly that - the bare minimum to keep a dog alive and breeding. This is where ethics differs from legal requirements. Ethics includes a moral obligation to provide the best possible environment and care for a sentient being.

Ethical breeders plan litters and are more interested in their dogs' health, function, structure and temperament than money. They study lineage, know the breed strengths and challenges intimately and get vet checks of parents for genetic disorders.  They won’t breed a dog who may pass on genetic health conditions to offspring. They don't over breed a bitch or breed her too young. The parent animals are living with them in a home environment. They keep puppies for at least 8 weeks to avoid health and behavioural problems later in life. They attend to all vet care. They sell the puppies themselves.

Great breeders bring up the puppies in their home, socialize and train them before you buy. They will be proud to have you see the parents and breeding environment, since they have invested a lot of effort and love in the breeding process.

Exceptional breeders ask YOU lots of questions before allowing you to take one of their precious cargo home. They are eager to keep in touch and enjoy updates. They may offer contracts, often with a clause that they will take back their puppies rather than have them resold or given up. At the expense of losing a "sale", they may suggest that their particular breed is not the best match for the lifestyle you have described.

Knowing where dogs come from means you can make a difference.

An understanding of where a puppy originates and the choice not to purchase that puppy may help prevent parent dogs from being used as breeding machines. Buying a cute puppy to save it from the pet shop cage or nasty, flea-ridden backyard may save that individual puppy. It doesn’t save future puppies from the same conditions. It doesn’t save the parent from subsequent breeding cycles in those conditions. It actually condemns a bitch to more breeding to meet the demand.

Knowledge of ethical breeding procedures also protects the consumer from buying a puppy with future health or behavioural problems that result from poor breeding and selling practices. A bit of research will also be some defence against being misled by false breed claims e.g. hypoallergenic.

Another way to help reduce unethical breeding practices is to consider adoption from a rescue or refuge.  If this is not an option, do some homework and ask lots of questions of the breeder or contractor. If there is transparency and honesty, you will find it easy to obtain answers. If getting questions answered is like pulling teeth, consider it a red flag.

In the fourth and final blog in this series I discuss how big the business of designer dogs has become and why it concerns me with such passion.

Some useful links for those looking for a dog or puppy:

RSPCA Smart Puppy and Dog Buyer's Guide On-line

Smart Puppy Buyer's Guide PDF

Infographic on how to thoughtfully choose a dog

RSPCA Policy on Pet Shops

Dogs’ Refuge Home

Staffy and Bully Breed Rescue (Facebook)

NB The links I provide contain valuable information but do not imply that I agree with the content in its entirety.