The Australian Labradoodle Is Not Immune From Puppy Mill Breeders

First let me get this off my chest… breeders who sell to known puppy mills are no better than the puppy mill breeder…. I am sure someone will email me and tell me how wrong I am to write about these breeders and that it could happen to anyone but let me say that if you ever once were on the other end and got dogs from these filthy hell hole breeders that you would be as sickened and angry as I am. Hold ON HERE IT COMES and grab a tissue.

Do not be fooled by the smile on this dog’s face. He looks clean, he smells better than he once did. He eats better now than he ever did. This is Sawyer. My dream dog. My once hopeful stud boy. I picked him up from his breeder’s home in Tennessee or rather rescued him from his caged life of hell. When I took him home he was infested with worms, reeked like a New York City trash can and had hip dysplasia. It took months to rehabilitate and glue his broken shell back together. I spent many days just crying with sadness because I couldn’t believe that someone would have mistreated this poor dog and damaged his soul. I remember standing at the door for 3 hours while he stood in my back yard not allowing me to get near him; he stood in the cold November rain and shivered. He wanted to come in so badly but was too afraid. I stood inside the kitchen soaking wet crying and begging him to come in. I pulled out cheese, hamburger, ice cream, steak; I made a trail of food from the yard into the house and he wouldn’t touch it. Night fell on us and I dried off and changed clothes but he still wouldn’t come in the house. I finally had to get a bed sheet and with my husbands help cornered him and tossed the sheet over him.

He was purchased from a well known breeder who offered a warranty and a guarantee on his health. We promptly started health testing him when he got home. Sadly he failed his OFA and was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. His breeder refuses even after receiving proof to honor her warranty. She herself admitted that she has never tested her dogs but yet sells them at a premium rate. Do not be fooled by claims of health and being told “I have never had a dog with hip issues”. Look for proof of testing. She never cried a day in her life for this dog.

This is Sawyer, I cry when asked about him, he will always have a special place in my heart.

I will never forget the breeder’s 70 plus acres of property, her security gate, the 1 mile drive from the road back to her house. I saw old rusted crates stacked along the drive, driving past a dog run out by some trees I saw a dog house and 4 small dogs, I parked next to a car port type structure that housed several cages stacked on top of one another in rows, inside the cages were chickens, rabbits, cats, ferrets and other small animals. There were several small shack like out buildings. I walked up to the door and knocked, no one answered but I had called 5 minutes prior so they knew I was there. I opened the door leaning inside
to say Hello; looking around there were empty cages everywhere and bags of Purina stacked 10 or more bags high, empty bags and other trash scattered on the floor. I backed out and at that point still hadn’t grasped that I was standing in a puppy mill. Back out on the porch I called the breeder to alert them that I was there, looking up I was faced with 2 dobermans not looking very happy, I later learned that they were nice. The breeder’s husband came out and directed me into the house through another door. I entered a room with a desk, sofa, 2 recliners, a TV, door covered with bed sheets and walls lined with dog crates stacked
from floor to ceiling, wall to wall, filled with filthy dogs. I had arrived with enough cash to buy 4 dogs. One of the dogs was a female, she had just delivered puppies 3 weeks prior, her teats were engorged and infected, matted and scared I told the breeder I couldn’t take her from her puppies. In the cage above them I found Sawyer, then referred to as Prado. He was scared and my heart broke seeing him. I was offered a puppy from the breeder’s recent 3 week old litter, she said I could take it home today. I passed it up. I drove home with a pit in my stomach but vowed to take care of and do the right thing by those dogs.

Sawyer’s now lives with a good friend of mine in Louisville, KY. He has a dog brother who keeps him in line, he has been trained and know several tricks; can wave, high five, pray, dance, roll over… and many more. I get letters from Sawyer every few months and everyone of his letters makes me cry. He is doing great and is a good boy. I love you Sawyer.

Another sad story starts with an Oregon breeder sending me a dog in whelp, the dog was due 2 weeks after she arrived. I took the fluffy white dog out of her crate at the airport holding her in the air to shine my smile upon her face and once again found myself looking into sad scared eyes. Taking her home, praying on my drive home that she wasn’t a freak. Letting her run in my back yard I watched her and knew right away she wasn’t pregnant, her sides sunk in, underweight but pretty. I took her to the vet to confirm her pregnancy and the vet told me what I already knew. I had her groomed to get her pee stained and matted coat into
presentable shape; I was called by the groomer to tell me she had bit her. Took her home to have her a few days later bite my 11 year old daughter and to later have her bite a guest in my home and my vet the day I returned her to her breeder.

Being told stories from clients about an Indiana breeder who is breeding a dog that was either hit by a car or stepped on, the story was told to me by multiple clients who claimed to visit the breeder and was told the dog had a funny limp and was skittish because of her accident, unfortunately the cause of the accident change based on who was visiting. Called by a out of state breeder to be told that this same Indiana breeder was selling puppies out of the trunk of her car in a parking lot, the puppies were being sold for $200.00 and not spayed or neutered.

Calls from other concerned customers who visited an Iowa breeder; was advised in order to visit she first had to pay for a puppy. Arriving to play with the puppies they found the adult dogs matted and dirty, so dirty even that to touch them or have the dogs brush up against them would soil their clothes and leave an awful stench. Hearing barking in a side room where they were able to gain a quick peek revealed dogs in crates stacked from floor to ceiling.

Calls from a different client reported a visit to a neighboring Iowa breeder with a similar story.

I will continue to report on stories from clients and my experiences with puppy mill breeders.

Here are other dogs who were found in puppy mills across the United States. Please support ethical breeding and do not buy pets from pet stores or puppy mills. The Labradoodle is a companion dog and should not be raised in a kennel, they need human companionship and thrive on being loved.

Contact Me if You Would Like To Avoid Breeders Like Those Mentioned Above
WARNING THE PICTURES BELOW ARE GRAPHIC
please take the time to look at each picture, don’t close your eyesIf after looking at these pictures your heart needs to rescue a doodle contact Idog.biz

Puppymills are a huge problem in the United States. If you are unclear of what a puppymill is take a look at the pictures below. They are sickening and; REAL. This type of life for millions of poor unfortunate dogs are a reality everyday. For many dogs they are confined in conditions like this for their entire life until they are no longer able to breed (to make their capturers money) then they are killed. The dogs you see in these pictures are VERY lucky as they are being photographed because they were rescued. So many dogs do not hit the dog lottery & make it out alive.

How can you help? DO NOT EVER EVER EVER BUY A DOG/PUPPY FROM A PET STORE OR MARKET, OR SWAP MEET. THE DOGS YOU SEE ARE ADORABLE AND; CUTE. BUT THEY WERE BORN IN CONDITIONS LIKE THIS AND ARE 90% OF THE TIME VERY SICK AND; MOST DIE VERY SOON AFTER THEY GO TO THEIR NEW HOMES. PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT THE PUPPY MILLERS BY BUYING THEIR PUPS FROM PET STORES…

Prison gates won’t open up for me