Wholesale Breeders and Brokers

Wholesale breeders are classified as Class 'A' Dealers with USDA. Anyone who breeds and sells puppies for the wholesale pet market (pet stores), is a wholesale breeder.

Before the invention of microwave ovens, we had 'ovens'. Now the 'old fashioned ovens' are called Conventional Ovens. Before the invention of push button phones, we had 'phones'. Now the 'old fashioned phones' are known as Rotary Phones. Before the 'invention' of puppy mills, we had 'breeders'. Now the 'old fashioned breeders' are known as Reputable Breeders. Throughout this site I refer to the word 'breeders' many times. Please be advised that unless I say Reputable Breeder I am referring to Wholesale Breeders. You can read the Animal Welfare Act for a more detailed description of wholesale breeders.

Wholesale breeders normally sell their puppies to brokers. Brokers are classified as Class 'B' Dealers with USDA. A broker can be a breeder also, and more often than not, they are. Their primary business is buying all of the puppies that a breeder can produce. They sell the puppies to the pet shops. Some brokers put restrictions on puppies with defects such as, underbite, overbite, cryptorchid, hernia, etc. but normally a breeder in good standing with their broker can sell these puppies at a reduced price to the broker. A breeder will not normally sell puppies 'out the door' (to buyers like you and me) unless the puppy has been rejected by the broker or the breeder knows that a puppy has a problem. An example:

The breeder has a Maltese puppy that has a small umbilical hernia. The breeder normally gets $800 for each puppy but the broker docks the puppy $100 for the hernia. Maltese are selling for $2000. in the local newspapers, the breeder advertises the puppy for $1200 in the newspaper (and of course it sells right away because it is so cheap) and even with the cost of the ad, and the repair of the hernia, the breeder still makes more than the broker pays for the 'good' puppies.

One of the biggest problems that a breeder faces is the size of their puppies. I'II stick with the Maltese for an example. The broker will not (and can not) buy any puppy before it is 8 weeks old. Most breeders live in rural areas and buyers for the brokers meet the breeders at a local establishment. In our area, the brokers meet everyone at a small gas station on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. Maltese puppies must be under 2.5 pounds at 8 weeks or they are docked in price. If you are so unfortunate as to have a litter born on Wednesday morning, your puppy will be a day short of going to the brokers on the pick up day. Obviously, most puppies will grow quite a bit in a week's time so the puppy will be larger and docked in price the next week when it is old enough to sell.

The solution is quite easy. Make all puppies birth dates on Tuesdays! If you have a female that usually produces large puppies, make their birthdate a week earlier! This is why so many young puppies (under 8 weeks) are often seen in pet stores with papers that show they are 9 weeks or more. I know that this happens. Many know that this happens. I can't say if the AKC knows that this happens, but I can assure you that if they checked the breeds that have weight restrictions from the broker (almost all the toy breeds), they would find that a huge percent of the brokered puppies were born on the same day of the week as the date of transfer to the broker. I know one breeder whose puppies were ALWAYS born on Tuesday. I can't believe that she got away with it for so long.

Most broker days are on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. The reason is quite simple. The brokers are required to hold all dogs for 5 days. A puppy bought on Tuesday is ready to leave the broker's on Sunday and is to the pet shop by Tuesday. A Thursday pup is at the pet shop by the following Thursday and even has a few days to break the stress induced diarrhea before the weekend shoppers arrive. There are many tricks of the trade that draw in unsuspecting buyers like you and me. Pet shops, for example are using new advertising tricks by saying, "We buy only from reputable breeders" or "We buy only from local breeders". I called one such ad I saw in Tucson and told them I was from Missouri and was traveling out there for the holidays and I heard I could sell puppies directly to them. The said, "Sure!" They went on to say that while they required that the puppies have AKC papers, they only destroy them. They said that all puppies are spayed/neutered before they leave the pet shop. Does this make them better than other pet shops? If I were a puppy mill in Missouri, and the pet shop in Arizona spays/neuters the puppies, does it make any difference to the caged parents of the puppies? Now if that same pet shop required proof of the spaying of the dam of the litter....I'd give the green light to buy from them!

Another trick of the trade is co-ownership. Pet shop owners across the United States have gone into co-ownership with breeders across the Midwest. Since the pet shop owners are selling their own puppies, the Midwest breeder is not wholesaling they are retailing, and therefore they do not have to be licensed. And still yet another trick is Dog Farms. You can see proof of this yourself by picking up any major newspaper. In it you will find many different ads with the same phone number. beagle puppies: 555-I212 Keep scanning and you will find poodle puppies: 555-12I2 Usually 5-10 breeds will be represented by the same phone number but since you are only looking for poodles, you don't notice the other ads. Usually the person running the ad will meet you somewhere, "(Uh, I have to go right by there to deliver a puppy to a handicapped lady" You never know any difference. If they do allow you to come to their place, they only bring out the breed of dog that you called about. You can hear the dogs in the other room but you don't ask. What you don't know.... These puppies are shipped in from primarily the Midwest, just like the pet store pups. Just another trick of the trade.

For those of you living on the East or West Coasts, you know how hard it is to find a good breeder. The internet has become a wonderful tool for both breeders and buyers. My personal belief is that in the very near future, the internet will replace pet shops. The question is, how do you know if you have found a good breeder on the internet? For every good breeder that is now using the internet, there are puppy mills that also have a website. Some are so bold as to list all their breeds on one site. This should be a red flag to you. Some even state with pride that they are USDA and State inspected/licensed. Another red flag. Unfortunately, if life was full of red flags, we would never make mistakes. Many of the puppy mills are now making separate web pages for each and every breed they have.

I get email all the time from people who are looking for a purebred puppy. All I can say is that most of the time you 'get a feeling'. Don't ignore that feeling and always consult with a veterinarian before buying a puppy. He can usually refer you to a good breeder, as well as set you up with your all important 'first visit'

Originally Posted 2009/Updated January 2021