The little dog in the photo above was purchased
by Australian Terrier
Rescue, Inc. from an Arkansas puppymill through a Missouri dog auction.
She is registered with the American Kennel Club as an Australian terrier.
She has been bred multiple times, and her puppies sold through pet stores
as Australian terriers, or as breeding stock for other puppymills. Pet
stores, of course, will tell you that their puppies come from breeders
(translate - puppymills), and brokers, people who buy from puppymills to
sell to pet shops. As you can see, she bears little relationship to the
champions featured on my pages, or on the pages of other breeders you may
have seen. She has not been tested for health issues that may affect our
breed, if indeed she is an Australian terrier, and the lack of early socialization
has left her fearful and tense. So while a pet store purchase may provide
an "instant puppy", the wait for a puppy from a reputable breeder will
provide a high quality, healthy, well socialized family member who will
give many years of joy. And, too, the purchase of a puppy from a pet store
fuels the demand for more such puppies, and dooms dogs like this to a loveless
lifetime of poor care.
