Did You Ever Make a Mistake and Buy a Mill Dog?

Yes.

Growing up my family always got dogs from BYB, except one- my moms Alaskan Malamute was from a reputable breeder. When me and DH got our first dog together we got a Pomeranian (Missi) from a pet store. She had a great personality, but she also had so many food allergies that we wracked up quite a vet bill finding out what was wrong. Later on she started having problems with her teeth and we had to spend about 300$ getting some pulled. Otherwise she was a good girl, but ouch on the bills getting her healthy.

This wasn't the first mistake me and DH made getting a dog though. I'm ashamed to say we did get two other dogs through BYB. We didn't know any better. It was a compulsive thing, like hey lets get another dog to keep Missi company....We thought heck its cheaper than going to the pet store- Reputable breeders never crossed our minds. Both of those dogs had so many problems we couldn't keep them. It ranged from aggressive behavior, bad health problems some requiring surgery, peeing everywhere no matter how hard we tried to train them. It was stupid and a bad idea and me and DH are both disgusted in our poor decisions (they were both rehomed to people aware of their problems, and had alot more money to help fix them).

It was our lack of research and understanding as to what we were doing, and it cost us hundreds of dollars in the end. I now try to educate my family/ friends on BYB and Mills. I don't want my family to go through what we did or make stupid decisions like we did. Aisha is the only dog we have ever gotten through a reputable breeder. To say the least we aren't expecting the same issues we had with our old dogs, because we know her & her family's health history. I just wish we would have been smarter at the start.

I *think* so, yes from a BYB. When I moved with now DH to Chicago after I graduated college, I was lonely and wanted a puppy to keep me company. I looked online and found this one website. It was a lady who bred yorkies and at the time I just had to have one. I thought everything was alright, and she wasn't selling "teacup" ones, just normal sized yorkies. I never met the parents, and she told us that she would meet us at Walmart with him as she lived in the country and her house is very hard to get too. He came with a puppy package and she was super nice. On on 4 hour drive back home, we stopped so he could go to the bathroom, and he rolled around in the grass like he had never seen or felt it before (he was 4 going on 5 months at the time as she held him for me). So now Moe is 3 years old, with my parents and hasn't had any major health problems *knock on wood* But after viewing her revised website a few weeks ago, I do think she's a BYB as there are pictures of the kennels on there. That was MY first dog, and thankfully I learned alot from this forum and the people here about puppy mills and BYB and now I like to inform my friends about them as well (although some don't like to listen).

I haven't. Cherokee's *my* first dog, and my sister rescued her herself.

My Mom was a BYB of boxers though (apparently our male was from a fairly good breeder..both his parents were shown anyway). And my aunt had a surprisingly healthy husky from a pet shop (I believe obesity actually caused her death and any health problems she had..and that ain't a breeding problem). My uncle has a boxer from a BYB that barely even looks like a boxer, and has some bizarre neurological problem...

I think it's funny that everyone says they didn't know there were "bad" breeders, because I didn't know there were "good" breeders. It was my opinion that anyone that bred dogs was contributing to the millions of homeless ones, and they were all crappy. I thought that up from the time I was aware enough to know anything about it (say 9 or 10) until I joined here. I still can't see myself buying a dog over rescuing one, but I at least don't think badly of everyone who does buy, and I don't wish all breeders would die.

Fortunately no...My parents used to show Irish Setters and bred one litter, so I've been lucky enough to grow up with knowledge about good vs. bad breeders from them. Cadie is from a great breeder (who only bred once), Riley is from the humane society, Ozzie & Kelsey were two of Brenna's puppies, Brenna & Slick were siblings and of a fantastic breeder, and Canis was from the pound. So yeah...lol.

Well my first dog is from a byb. Gobie my minpin has akc papers but with entirely pet pedigree (no champs to speak of) and he is also oversized at 13" and nearly 14 pounds.  He's 12 now and has several lipomas (benign fatty tumors) and was just dx'd with intervertibral disc disease (genetic).

My 2nd dog, Lexi a Bichon and I suppose technically from a byb, but her pedigree has champions in it.  Her breeder was wonderful and the mommas were set up in the house and completely spoiled. She had the puppies nearly completely potty trained and Lexi has been a wonderful dog. A total breeze, wonderful temperament, and her CERF's clear and OFA 'good.'   She was bred twice to champions. She was shown and does have points but I had another puppy coming up so I retired Lexi and started showing the pup.   I kept one pup out of those litters and so she is from a "reputable" breeder, being myself LOL.  

I also had toy poodles from a show breeder, bred one litter and kept a pup.  Both very healthy, gorgeous and poodly temperaments. Wonderful little dogs. 

At one point I had 7 but decided to get out of showing/breeding once I became pregnant myself. I spayed/neutered everyone and kept my 3 oldest and placed 3 in pet homes and sent the last one to her co-owner.

I have to say, even some show breeders are a bit shady.  They might have champions, but they also might have pedigrees full of health problems, lie about it and continue breeding. NO breeder can possibly have perfect 100% healthy dogs. It's a crap shoot and things pop up. Genetics are like that.

Future dogs... I don't know.  I waiver between rescuing and taking my chances on a potentially unhealthy dog, OR going to a show breeder and getting a pup that way (and knowing it's going to look like the breed is supposed to).  I happen to adore poodles, and the faces on the show-bred ones are just gorgeous, as is their conformation and the way they prance around. Beautiful. Nice happy happy dogs too!  I've got my eyes on lowchen also, as I have a good friend who shows them and is very very careful with temperament and health.

Was it a mistake to buy Gobie and Lexi from byb's?  Maybe, but I don't regret one minute having them in my life.  Gobie taught me all lessons "dog" and Lexi has been my loving and loyal baby girl, and by far has the most stable temperament of all 3 of my pooches. :)

Yes. My parents dog, Barney a pure bred parti cocker spaniel, was from a pet store. My best friend's cousin worked at the local pet store, after my 1st Lab passed (13 yrs old from cancer) my best friend called me -knowing I was looking into getting another dog- and said that her cousin had a puppy at the store and they needed to "get rid of" because he had cherry eye and they couldn't sell him due to his condition, and the store owner didn't want to pay for surgery. I drove to the store, fell in love with him, and brought him home. They gave him to me for free, the owner actually said I was doing him a favor- what a pig, I thought.. My parents and I spent $2000 on his surgery, we got him neutered at the same time. After a year, I bought a condo with my fiancee, I wanted to take Barney with me when I moved, but my parents loved him so much they wouldn't let me! Haha, good thing I only live 5 houses from them, now Apollo and Barney are very close buddies. Barney has had no allergies or other health problems, today he's almost 5 years old.

Nope! All of my animals have been shelter rescues, or strays we took in off the streets.

yes.

Maggie came from a puppy broker working out of his house. Not sure if from a puppy mill or just backyard bred. She was sold a s a pekapoo. Turned out to be a shih tzu. Sold at barely 6 weeks old. She had luxating patellas , we had that fixed (knock on wood) She had some seizures, but not since going grain free........no other problems. She is a really sweet and enjoyable dog. The broker was put out of business by the state's AG. He got so greedy that after a parvo outbreak of his puppies he refused to give refunds. Good riddence.

Dixie came from a BYB who supposedly had bred the litter so his kids would have the experience. She was very flea infested, beat up by some other dog that was in the pen also. She came with demodex mange. She outgrew that. No other problems. I would not want to be with out her.

Then I FINALLY got smart. Gracie is a pound puppy. She also is great. She came from the shelter with a severe bladder infection. Now she's fine. She has me thinking that rescue is the way to go.

Puppy Mills no, other mill animals yes.  I was still pretty young when I learned about such things as puppy mills, backyard breeders, and avoiding pet store dogs.  As a kid I was very animal orintatned and through all the shows I watched on national geographic and books I read out of general curiousity, I came to learn about mills and the horrible results they can have.  Sadly however, nothing I read when younger mentioned that dogs aren't the only mill produced animals.  When I was a kid I got a number of small animals from petstores.  I guess I was pretty lucky with most of them, but it was my last petstore purchase that led me to learn petstores are a bad place to by live animals from in general.

In 6th grade, I got a Marhshall's ferret from a petstore.  I thought that was were you got ferrets and the little booklet the store had on Marshall ferrets led me to believe they were the best company in the world to buy ferrets from.  I had done a lot of research on ferrets through books, but sadly they were somewhat outdated.  They spoke of ferrets as being something you would get on the side from a mill that produces ferrets for their fur.  As far as diet it stated to consider yourself lucky if the petstores around you had ferret food because most wouldn't so your best bet would be kitty food.  Needless to say I wish the internet had been more developed back then.  In only four more years are so if I would have boughten my ferrets everything would have been different because of the research material I would have had available.

Although I loved both my ferret boys, Dou and Blade, they both had horrible health problems that caused them to die years before they should have.  It was only when they started to have problems that I learned how horrible Marshall ferrets are genetically.  It was that experience that made me decide I wanted to go with a reputable breeder when I got my dog over a rescue. I know even with the best breeder, health problems can pop up, but I wanted to go with the best odds at getting a healthy well balanced furbaby.  I also love the comfort of knowing I have a breeder who is invested in my dog as I am, and would step in if for some reason I couldn't keep him or something were to happen to me.

Jetta came from a BYB. I knew to NEVER buy a dog from a mill or a store, but I didn't know about BYB's--I was only 14.

When they brought Jetta out she had puke all over her face --she had tummy issues even as a 7 week old pup! She had papers and everything, but that didn't mean much.  She was too young to go with us, not socialized, and very timid and shy. She still is really non-social with strangers and other dogs.

Then came the allergies at about 1 year of age. She itched, scratched, threw up, all the time. It took me until recently to finally have her allergies under control.  Though she still has sensitive skin and a bit of tear staining that a well-bred bichon would not have.

I feel so stupid now for going there. The lady had a sign on her house that said "Luv N Care Pet Farms" Ugh. I figured she was just a breeder, but she had many dogs of different breeds, no parents on site, etc so I know she was a BYB.

 But I love Jetta and wouldn't trade her for anything. I think i was destined to get her and care for her special needs.
 

jettababy

I feel so stupid now for going there. The lady had a sign on her house that said "Luv N Care Pet Farms" Ugh. I figured she was just a breeder, but she had many dogs of different breeds, no parents on site, etc so I know she was a BYB.

That actually sounds more like a broker or small-scale puppy mill to me. "BYB", as I use it, is just someone who breeds their OWN dogs, and therefore has at least the dam on site, just breeds for pet dogs, no health testing, no showing, etc.. My Mom for example just bred our family boxers...

After doing a lot of research on Rascal's doggy family, I think he probably came from what you folks would consider a BYB. (I didn't buy him, my mother did.) He's purebred, and fairly well bred IMO in that he looks nice and close to the breed standard, and I know his breeder did some extensive interviewing and called several times to check up on him, but the dogs had no titles or anything and were not OFAed (etc.). Piecing things together, what I think happened is my mother was desperate for a papillon puppy and searched far and wide, but after 6 months or so got fed up with waiting for a puppy from the show breeders. (I think she was also put off by their interrogations - she once described the breeders to me in an email as "a cult," lol.) I'm guessing that Rascal's breeders were more about making more papillons available to the public than about "improving the breed," but Rascal has been quite healthy and his breeder worked very hard to ensure he was going to a good home, so... I don't know.