When evaluating dogs, these are some things you should be looking for:

1. Does the puppy/dog have discharge from the eyes, nose, or anus? Does it appear healthy? 

2. Is the coat soft, full, and clean?

3. Does the puppy/dog exhibit fear when around or near the breeder?

4. Does the facility appear clean and sterile?

5. Does the puppy/dog have plenty of energy when awake yet calm down easily when gently stroked?

6. Does the breeder seem knowledgeable about Shetland Sheepdogs?

7. Does the breeder have not more than two breeds of dogs and one litter at a time?

8. Does the breeder provide pictures and info on both parents?

9. Does the breeder suggest or insist upon spay/neutering? *Good sign of reputable breeder*

10. Does the breeder offer both parents' medical records? *Good sign of reputable breeder*

11. Does the breeder ask that you fill out a questionnaire (as buyer)? *Good sign of reputable breeder*

12. Can the breeder direct us to a puppy/dog that best fits our lifestyle?

13. Are the pedigrees 3-5 generations back?

14. How many titled dogs are in the first 3 generations?

15. Does the breeder wish to be informed of the puppy/dogs accomplishments and problems throughout the duration of its life?

16. Do you feel comfortable with the breeder?

17. Do you feel pressured by the breeder or like you're asking too many questions?

18. Does the breeder ask: (where the puppy/dog will live; if the residence has a fenced yard; area for the puppy/dog to sleep, exercise, play; knowledge of how to paper train a puppy; any other animals; or will the dog enter conformation, obedience, rally, agility, service work, companion dog, etc.?)

by Pat Schaap

1. Been on 7 different surfaces: carpet, concrete, wood, vinyl, grass, dirt, gravel, woodchips, etc......

2. Played with 7 different types of objects: big balls, small balls, soft fabric toys, fuzzy toys, squeaky toys, paper or cardboard items, metal items, wooden items, milk jugs, etc.......

3. Been in 7 different locations: front yard, back yard, basement, kitchen, car, garage, laundry room, bathroom, crate, kennel, etc....

4. Met and played with 7 new people: including children and older adults.

5. Been exposed to 7 challenges: climb on a box, climb off a box, go through a tunnel, climb steps, go down steps, climb over obstacles,  play hide and seek, go in and out a doorway with a step up or down, run  around a fence....

6. Eaten from 7 different containers: metal, plastic, cardboard, paper, china, pie plate, frying pan, etc....

7. Eaten in 7 different locations: crate, yard, kitchen, basement, laundry room, bathroom, x-pen, etc...

The breeding pair should have been tested for the following to ensure healthy offspring:
Hip Clearance (OFA)                      Eye Clearance (CERF)
Thyroid Checked                             Screened for Von Willebraun's Disease
Cleared for any other hereditary diseases common to the breed **

My Sheltie, Romantic, was one of many breeder bitches out of a puppy mill busted in October, 2003 outside of Wilmington, NC. She was about 6 years old and had whelped 4-6 litters. All the puppies were sold to pet stores with falsified AKC papers. Hers had even been altered, so there was no way to track her pedigree. 

The dogs were kept in home made cages, stacked one on the other. They were never let out of the cages and were filthy when they were seized. All the shelties except mine were HW+. Romantic had lost many of her teeth and many more are so worn down they are just little slivers of a teeth. Her nose was bald where she had been sticking her nose through the wire. The flies had eaten the tips of her ears off and she had a double ear infection. 

Since she was never allowed out of her cage, she could not walk, much less run and play. She had no idea about the world and things that are innate to dogs, such as a prey drive and a herding instinct were gone. I have had to use food to teach her chase a thrown toy, but she still hasn't figured out an actual retrieve. Still, she will only go after the one toy I taught her to "retrieve". She has no herding instinct at all and her only motivation is food. 

For the first six months I had her, she was more like a piece of furniture than an actual dog. The list of things her life in a puppy mill has done to her is much longer and makes me too sad to try to recall them all. But Romantic has improved leaps and bounds. Through hard work by both of us, she can now compete in AKC events (she had been deemed too lame just last fall) and is one leg from her RA title. She is a different dog today than the one I brought home in March of 2004.

I really wish people could know Romantic and other Shelties’ stories of the life in a puppy mill before they buy a dog from a pet store. I think if people knew the truth about where pet store dogs came from, they would pressure pet stores not to buy these dogs. Unfortunately, as long as there is a demand, there will always be a supply.

-Bryn

From the Troubled Shelties Yahoo Group List

Seen above - Oakley, came not from a puppy mill but from a reputable AKC breeder. He came with AKC papers, health records and a guarantee. He is happy, healthy, loving, playful, intelligent and well-adjusted. Puppy mills do not provide such assurances.