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A 2024 journal article from MDPI entitled, "Ethical Concerns about Fashionable Dog Breeding"

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A 2024 journal article from MDPI entitled, "Ethical Concerns about Fashionable Dog Breeding"

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A 2019 journal article from Journal of Applied Amial Ethics research titled, " Turning Up the Volume on Mans Best Friend: Ethical Issues Associated with Commercial Dog Breeding"

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A 2019 journal article from Journal of Applied Amial Ethics research titled, " Turning Up the Volume on Mans Best Friend: Ethical Issues Associated with Commercial Dog Breeding"

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A 2018 journal article from ELSEVIER entitled, "Using the mini C-BARQ to investigate the effects of puppy farming on dog behavior"

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A 2018 journal article from ELSEVIER entitled, "Using the mini C-BARQ to investigate the effects of puppy farming on dog behavior"

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A 2024 website from PETA entitled, "Why no one should ever support a dog breeder"

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A 2024 website from PETA entitled, "Why no one should ever support a dog breeder"

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Simple: Breeding animals is killing them. Every time a breeder brings another puppy into the world, a dog waiting in an animal shelter or struggling to survive on the streets loses a chance at finding a loving home.

What's a dog breeder?

Anyone who forces dogs to reproduce in order to make a profit is a breeder. Some may be small-time "backyard" operations, whereas others are filthy industrial-sized puppy mills. Regardless of size, every breeder is responsible for exacerbating the overpopulation crisis.

Breeding dogs is cruel and irresponsible, especially given the extensiveness of companion animal overpopulation. Dog breeders treat living individuals as commodities to be genetically manipulated for profit. In this industry, many dogs are kept in hutches, crates, and cages, where they're in constant isolation, never experiencing the affection of a loving family.

How are dog breeders exacerbating the overpopulation crisis?

There's no excuse for bringing more puppies into the world. On any given day in the U.S., an estimated 70 million homeless dogs and cats are struggling to survive. Of the millions of animals who enter shelters each year, about half must be euthanized for humane reasons or because no suitable homes exist for them. Every time a dog is bred, homeless dogs lose the opportunity to have a good life.

Few, if any, breeders require that the puppies they sell be spayed or neutered, so they would soon be able to have litters of their own, adding to the overpopulation crisis. Breeders don't see dogs as individuals with personalities and specific needs-they just see dollar signs. When trends arise around particular breeds-such as the craze for huskies fueled by HBO's Game of Thrones-breeders churn out dogs to make money and accommodate humans' desire to be part of the most recent fad. But many animals who are purchased on a whim end up neglected or abandoned after their novelty wears off and the people who bought them realize how much work, time, and expense is involved in caring for a living, feeling being.

Some of these dogs will end up in animal shelters, but millions of others will suffer and die alone and uncounted every year-after being hit by cars or attacked by other animals, succumbing to disease or the elements, or enduring other awful fates.

What are puppy mills?

Since millions of dogs suffer and die every year because no suitable homes exist for them, breeding a dog even once is irresponsible and unethical. The dog-breeding industry includes puppy mills -hellish mass-breeding facilities in which dogs are treated like puppy-producing machines and never given any love or attention or even the opportunity to stretch their legs.

PETA has exposed breeders who keep dogs confined to filthy cages that are barely larger than their own bodies, causing them extreme suffering and distress. Kept in cramped wooden hutches with wire flooring, in small pens, or chained to trees with little to no shelter from the elements, they suffer from illnesses and injuries. Dogs coming from these horrific compounds are often denied needed veterinary care and deprived of any semblance of socialization. Imagine being forced to live amid your own waste, with pus-filled wounds, agonizing ear infections, and deadly parasites-this is the reality of life in a puppy mill.

Puppy-mill breeders force dogs to reproduce repeatedly until their bodies wear out from the strain of being continually pregnant in such impoverished, harsh conditions. At that point, female dogs are worthless to a breeder and are often dumped at an animal shelter, auctioned off, or cruelly killed.

Puppy mills sell the puppies they produce to pet stores or directly to buyers over the internet.

Do puppy mills and breeders really sell sick dogs?

Genetic defects are rampant in any breeding scenario. These can include physical problems that require costly veterinary treatment as well as anxiety- and fear-based disorders that often frustrate people who buy "purebreds," leading them to abandon the dogs.

Breeders' obsession with "pure" bloodlines leads to inbreeding. This causes painful and life-threatening disabilities in "purebred" dogs, including crippling hip dysplasia, blindness, deafness, heart defects, skin problems, and epilepsy. Dogs don't care whether their appearance conforms to a judge's standards, but they're the ones who suffer the consequences of genetic manipulation.
If you bought an American Kennel Club-registered dog who became ill or aggressive or who died prematurely, please let us know.
What's the difference between buying dogs from breeders and adopting from a shelter?

Socially conscious animal shelters require that dogs have all recommended vaccinations, are spayed or neutered, and have been socialized well enough to become part of a human family. They screen families thoroughly and enforce an adoption fee to ensure that the potential adopter is ready for a lifetime commitment to the animal. And unlike breeders, shelters don't exacerbate the overpopulation crisis by producing even more animals.

What if I want a specific breed?

If you're determined to have a dog of a specific breed, many are waiting to be adopted-one in four dogs in animal shelters is a "purebred." In addition, there are adoption groups seeking homes for dogs of just about every breed. Petfinder.com is a great resource. If everyone were to stop buying puppies from pet stores and breeders, there would be no market for mass-produced puppies, puppy mills and breeders would go out of business, and fewer dogs would suffer.

Why are backyard breeders bad?

Individual dog breeders are just as unethical as any puppy mill but on a smaller scale. Not only is using an animal's reproductive ability to make a quick buck lazy and wrong-doing so also adds to the overpopulation and homelessness crisis, just as puppy mills do.

And just like puppy mills, breeders often breed dogs with health problems, passing along congenital issues that cause suffering in litter after litter.

Is breeding your own dog a bad idea, too?

It's irresponsible to bring more dogs into the world when countless dogs are dying every day because there are no homes for them. Animal companions typically also have longer, healthier lives if they're spayed or neutered.

Does breeding shorten a dog's life?

Pregnancy and birth in any species come with inherent risks to mothers, including death. Spaying eliminates the stress and discomfort that females endure during heat periods, eliminates the risk of uterine cancer, and greatly reduces the risk of mammary cancer. Neutering makes males far less likely to roam and fight, prevents testicular cancer, and reduces the risk of prostate cancer.

Is PETA against owning pets?

At PETA, we love and respect the animal companions who share our homes. We encourage people who have the time, money, patience, commitment, and love needed to care for an animal for life to adopt one from a shelter-or, better yet, to adopt two compatible animals so that they can provide each other with companionship.

What we are against is breeding more animals, especially since there are nowhere near enough good homes for all the animals who already exist-which results in almost unimaginable suffering. Please read PETA's full position on "pets" for more information on this issue.

How can I help take down dog breeders and puppy mills?

Never buy animals from puppy mills, breeders, or pet stores. These cruel businesses keep operating only because people continue to give them money. If you're prepared to care for an animal properly and for a lifetime, adopt from a shelter and be sure to schedule a spay or neuter appointment right away if your new animal companion hasn't already been sterilized.

And please, inform others on this topic. Speak out against breeders and pet stores, and if you know of anyone who's thinking of purchasing a dog, share this page with them to help them understand why they should adopt from an animal shelter instead.

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From breeding dogs with congenital defects to worsening the overpopulation crisis, breeders hurt dogs. Learn why you should never buy from one.

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A 2020 Website from Animal Emergency Service, " Overbreeding- A Major animal welfare issue" 

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A 2020 Website from Animal Emergency Service, " Overbreeding- A Major animal welfare issue" 

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Overbreeding involves breeding an animal more than its body can safely handle resulting in detrimental health effects to the mother and her puppies as well as the overpopulation and subsequent euthanasia of many unwanted animals every year.

The health concerns of overbreeding

Dogs are monoestrus breeders meaning that they have one breeding cycle per year, however this can vary between breeds. If a particular bloodline is continuously bred this amplifies both the good and bad attributes of the breed. Common health problems of overbreeding include:

Eye problems and hearing loss

Joint problems, such as hip dysplasia

Respiratory issues, such as in the case of flat-faced breeds

Birthing difficulties

Multiple litter also pose the risk of hygiene concerns and deadly viruses and parasites such as parvovirus and hook worm which are rapidly spread. The mother can be severely affected by malnutrition, hypocalcaemia (potentially life-threatening low levels of calcium), uterine infections, and mastitis.

Responsible breeding includes being aware of the health issues affecting the particular breed and breeding away from these defects. It also involves the regular worming and vaccinating of the litter, microchipping and ensuring they are supplied with adequate nutrition.

What is backyard breeding?

Backyard breeding is also a term used to describe the irresponsible breeding of animals and usually occurs due to ignorance or neglect. Where breeding is accidental as a result of an owner not desexing their pet, the health of the pet can be put at risk as most owners are unaware of the special requirements of a pregnant or nursing mother and her litter. In other cases, pets are deliberately bred so that the offspring can be sold and it is often these cases where overbreeding occurs.

The term puppy farm is used when breeding is conducted on a large scale and in poor conditions. These intensive breeding facilities fail to meet the dogs' behavioural, social and/or physiological needs and may involve:

Extreme confinement in which the animal may never be allowed to venture out of its cage

Inadequate veterinary and general care, such as grooming and parasite control

Unhygienic conditions

Overcrowding

Lack of socialisation

Puppy farms and overbreeding represent a major animal welfare issue in Australia with many states introducing new legislation such as the mandatory desexing and/or registration of breeders to combat this serious issue.

What distinguishes unethical backyard breeders from responsible breeders are the standards the breeder meets and whether the demand for a litter is known before the mother is bred. however, as puppies and kittens from backyard breeders may be sold through any means including the internet and online ads such as Gumtree, newspaper ads, markets and even pet shops, the only way to ensure an animal has not been bred in appalling and unethical circumstances is to visit the breeding facility and assess the conditions for yourself.

The consequences of overpopulation

In addition to the significant health concerns for both the mother and her litter, overbreeding is the principal contributor to the already significant numbers of unwanted companion animals resulting in full and overcrowded shelters and rescue groups all across Australia. Sadly, the breeding of pets and the resulting overpopulation leads to the euthanasia of thousands of healthy unwanted animals every year. At Animal Emergency Service, we have hundreds of kittens surrendered and dumped on our doors each year and it breaks our hearts.

But you can do something about it - be a responsible owner, speak to your local vet about desexing your pet, and choose to adopt don't shop!

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Overbreeding - A Major Animal Welfare Issue

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Overbreeding involves breeding an animal more than its body can safely handle resulting in detrimental health effects to the mother and her puppies.

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A 2025 website from The Tuffs Daily entitled, "Looks can kill"

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A 2025 website from The Tuffs Daily entitled, "Looks can kill"

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Staring at a litter of puppies, the first to go are the ones with unique colorings, mixes of merle, little white boots or floppy ears. These days, people pick their pets based on how cute they think they are. But are these really the characteristics that pet owners should be searching for?

For generations, dogs have been bred for key traits that allow them to best serve the roles they play in society. Some uses of these traits include therapy, hunting, sports, police work and medical and genomics research. Because of this, certain dog breeds like golden retrievers are known for their gentle disposition and patient temperament, becoming one of the top choices for a family dog. T he German shepherd, on the other hand, is often found as a part of K-9 units, specially trained for law enforcement to detect drugs and for search and rescue, as well as for suspect apprehension . Their intelligence and confidence give them the vital traits needed to be good working dogs.

Breeders have focused on manipulating the characteristics of dogs to create breeds not just for their temperament but also for their visuals. For example, dogs have been selectively bred for their floppy ears as a result of human preference for that trait. However, this has led to unintended health consequences for those dogs, including increased ear infections.

And that's not the only trait that has been bred for. A well-loved small dog breed is the French bulldog. With their short stature and trademark 'bat ears,' they are a favorite dog breed among pet owners. However, they are brachycephalic - have a short flat face - which results in them developing breathing problems due to shortened air passages from their set-back noses.

Brachycephalic breeds are also highly predisposed to other health disorders such as respiratory, eye and spinal diseases. These health problems have shortened their lifespans, reducing them by an average of 4.1 years compared to dogs with longer muzzles .

These issues have also been found in other species. In Persian cats, this brachycephalic breed has resulted in breeders noting malformations of their facial bones, resulting in a number of cases of internal hydrocephalus, which is the buildup of cerebrospinal fluid within the brain's ventricles.

Even pet rabbits, particularly the Netherland dwarf, have been found to have shorter, flatter skulls compared to wild rabbits. And this brachycephalism has been shown to increase health problems, especially dentition.

Researchers believe that there is a preference for brachycephalic rabbit breeds due to "baby-schema" since the shortening of their skull makes humans view them as cuter and more adorable in appearance. What's worse is that these common brachycephalic breeds are still among the most common breeds of dogs, cats and rabbits that are highly sought after by pet owners.

Additionally, due to the prevalence of these health problems, pet owners who choose to own these breeds must be willing to pay extensive vet bills. Moreover, owners have been found to be more emotionally attached to pets with health issues. This creates a phenomenon known as savior syndrome, where owners develop breed loyalty and purposely seek out the emotional investment that comes from taking care of a breed that requires more care. So instead of ignoring breeds with inherent health problems, they seek them out.

Even when we look back at history, we see that inbreeding among humans causes a higher frequency of health problems and diseases, and the same problem starts to arise in pet populations. With many dogs selectively purebred, this practice puts them at a greater risk of developing health problems that decrease their lifespan. Not to mention, this practice decreases their genetic diversity and biodiversity. In fact, one study found that mixed breeds were reported to live on average 1.2 years longer than size-matched purebred dogs.

Breeding for aesthetics has resulted in genetic disorders, health problems and a loss of biodiversity. A s society's preferences evolve, a growing ethical concern has emerged around whether health or appearance is being prioritized. Rather than valuing pets solely for their aesthetic appeal, researchers believe that pet owners should observe the whole picture. In today's generation, where a wealth of information can be found on the internet, f uture pet owners can educate themselves on the background of different breeds to understand what practices they are supporting . For example, owners can consider adopting animals from rescues instead of purchasing from breeders, thereby avoiding support for potentially harmful practices. This empowers pet owners to make better informed decisions and see for themselves that cuteness doesn't always equate to good health.

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Staring at a litter of puppies, the first to go are the ones with unique colorings, mixes of merle, little white boots, or floppy ears. These days people pick their pets based on how cute they think they are. But are these really the characteristics that pet owners should be searching for?

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A 2024 website from FOX news titled, " More than 200 animals rescued from poor living conditions, breeding operations

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A 2024 website from FOX news titled, " More than 200 animals rescued from poor living conditions, breeding operations

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More than 200 animals rescued from poor living conditions, breeding operation

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Officials said several of the dogs had matted fur and some had open wounds.

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2025 website from msn entitled, " How Humans Broke a Mans Best Friend, the downside of dog breeding"

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2025 website from msn entitled, " How Humans Broke a Mans Best Friend, the downside of dog breeding"

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How Humans Broke Man’s Best Friend - The Downside of Dog Breeding

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The pug’s flat face and tight, corkscrew tail didn’t appear by accident; we engineered them. That “baby-faced” muzzle crushes airway space, making heat regulation and simple breathing a struggle. Dental crowding is common because the normal number of teeth are jammed into a shortened jaw. And that double-curled tail so many people adore? It’s linked …

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A 2021 journal article titled, "Dog Tethering in Slovakia: Legal, Ethical and Behavioral Aspects and Dog Welfare Implications"

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A 2021 journal article titled, "Dog Tethering in Slovakia: Legal, Ethical and Behavioral Aspects and Dog Welfare Implications"