Many commercial breeders are now using the internet to sell puppies. They get twice the money they got from brokers and the customer never sees how their dogs are kept. Any puppies that aren't sold by 8 weeks are brokered.

So what is a person to do? How do they know they are not supporting the suffering of adult breeding dogs? How can they tell if a place is a puppy mill?

There are many red flags that you should watch for. Everyone's opinion of a puppy mill differs, so you must decide what is acceptable to you. The most important thing to me is that the adults are properly cared for and the puppies are healthy. Here are some questions to ask of a breeder when considering buying a puppy over the internet:

1. Are you the breeder of these puppies? Many 'brokers' are now online, selling other people's puppies for them.

2. How many adult dogs do you and your family own and co-own? Be sure to ask about the family. Many puppy mills put dogs in friends and families' names so to avoid detection by USDA, state, and AKC inspectors.

3. How many breeds do you have? Some good breeders may raise more than one breed, but these are few and far between. Normally a breeder specializes in one breed and knows everything about that breed.

4. Are you state or USDA licensed? Many states require breeders of all kinds to be licensed, but USDA only requires breeders to be licensed if they have over 3 breeding females and sell through brokers and pet stores. So if someone is USDA licensed, they are probably a commercial kennel.

5. Can I call you and talk? This is the best way to get a good idea what a breeder is about. If for some reason they won't give you their phone number, DON'T BUY A PUPPY FROM THEM. Don't let them call you...get their phone number and call them!

After these initial questions, you should have a feel for whether you want to buy from that breeder. But remember, the internet is full of lies. While one website may show that they raise only Yorkies, the person may have opened up 5 or 6 other websites for other breeds. Here are some tools to research the integrity of a internet breeder:

Who Is--a great way to find out who owns a website. This will only work if the website name is actually owned by an individual. There are plenty of free websites out on the web and you will not be able to find who actually owns a website through free sites (Geocities, Angelfire, etc.). To use Who Is, click on the link below and in the search box, type only the website name, like "NoPuppyMills.com", do not add http or www.

http://www.networksolutions.com/cgi-bin/whois/whois

Reverse Phone Number-- Another great tool. Use this to see who a phone number belongs to:

http://www.infospace.com/_1_4M7FUOP0WPLK8O__info.msn/redirs_all.htm?pgtarg=pplrl

Once you know who you are dealing with, you can use the other links provided on my website for researching breeders, brokers, AKC suspensions, USDA licenses, USDA Press Releases, etc. Don't be afraid to ask questions of a breeder. Ask them if they keep their dogs on wire. Ask them how many times the dam has been bred. When you get them on the phone, ask them the sire and dam's name. This usually throws a lot of commercial kennels because they seldom name their dogs for anything other than paper work. The dogs go by assigned USDA numbers. Ask for references of past puppies they sold. Ask their vet's name and number. You are buying a puppy that will live with your family for the next 10-20 years. Don't be in a hurry. Research your breed. Consider a rescue. Do your research and you should end up with a happy, healthy, loving puppy that comes from a reputable breeder.

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