Joining the WALK AWAY means you will not support USDA dog breeders or the outlets that sell USDA puppies.
The end sellers of USDA puppies are pet stores that sell puppies, online websites, puppy broker websites that sell and ship puppies sight unseen, social media pages and classified ads.
The fact that the USDA dog breeders are legal and federally licensed allows sellers to mislead consumers with statements such as, “Our breeders are legal and licensed so they are not puppy mills.”
America’s shelters and rescues are full of amazing adoptable dogs.
Please visit your local shelters, rescues and adoption centers before you think about buying a dog from a breeder. Fall in love with a shelter dog, save a life and help end puppy mill breeders.
If you have your heart set on buying a dog from a breeder, please make sure the breeder is not USDA licensed and will let you pick the dog up from his/her home.
- Always meet the mother dog so you can see her mental and physical condition.
- Ask the breeder if you can see where all of his/her breeding dogs live.
- If they give excuses why you are not able to see where all of his dogs live, walk away.
Every breed has a national breed club, visit the breed club to learn about the breed and the show or preservation breeders that breed for the betterment of the health and welfare of the dog. These clubs have a code of ethics for their breeders and hold themselves to a higher standard.