USDA LICENSE
The USDA has licensing requirements for dog breeders on both a state and federal level. Their main objectives are proper care of dogs and to protect the public.
Their most effective tool for protecting the public is that no one but a licensed breeder is can legally ship (via airlines or ground shipping) a puppy to a customer. To be clear a purchase made from an unlicensed breeder is to be made in person, face to face, so that the puppy buyer has the opportunity to evaluate the condition of the puppy, the disposition of the parents, the living environment the puppy is raised in, the accuracy of the paperwork.
For the licensed breeder, the USDA inspectors arrive unannounced and inspect all aspects of the breeding program basically in your place. The USDA requires every puppy to have a complete veterinary exam before leaving the breeder. This is why a licensed breeder is allowed to legally ship a puppy to you.
Some of the principal requirements of licensing are the same checklist a puppy buyer should require of an unlicensed breeder. Adult dogs must be in optimum weight and health. Bright shiny eyes, clean sparkling teeth, beautiful groomed hair coats, and trimmed toenails. Access to clean water, access to high quality food, access to the outdoors, exercise and training schedules, access to temperature controlled indoors, comfy places to lay and sleep and quality fencing in pristine condition.
There are stipulations for an attending veterinarian that require documentation verifying that each dog is in good health, parasite free, completely vaccinated and maintained on preventative heartworm and flea/tick medication. Additionally, the veterinarian is also required to do on site inspections.
Beyond that there is record keeping (also required by AKC inspectors) that verifies where every puppy has been placed and where the retired adults reside. The adults are all micro chipped so that any of these overseeing organizations can verify the documentation presented.
While this is only a partial list, I feel like any reputable breeder would certainly perform all these requirements and more, so the licensing requirements for me are not burdensome at all.
The USDA offers seminars and webinars at little to no cost to continue to support breeder education. They have a public access website that allows anyone to look up a breeder and verify that they carry a current license and if there have been any infractions. Very useful tools for the puppy buyer.
I am a preservation breeder. I want to know our next generation will have these amazing dogs as a life choice. Without organizations like the USDA and AKC groups like PETA will win the fight and we will lose the legacy of the purebred dogs. Already AKC has a list of breeds that are close to extinction.
Their most effective tool for protecting the public is that no one but a licensed breeder is can legally ship (via airlines or ground shipping) a puppy to a customer. To be clear a purchase made from an unlicensed breeder is to be made in person, face to face, so that the puppy buyer has the opportunity to evaluate the condition of the puppy, the disposition of the parents, the living environment the puppy is raised in, the accuracy of the paperwork.
For the licensed breeder, the USDA inspectors arrive unannounced and inspect all aspects of the breeding program basically in your place. The USDA requires every puppy to have a complete veterinary exam before leaving the breeder. This is why a licensed breeder is allowed to legally ship a puppy to you.
Some of the principal requirements of licensing are the same checklist a puppy buyer should require of an unlicensed breeder. Adult dogs must be in optimum weight and health. Bright shiny eyes, clean sparkling teeth, beautiful groomed hair coats, and trimmed toenails. Access to clean water, access to high quality food, access to the outdoors, exercise and training schedules, access to temperature controlled indoors, comfy places to lay and sleep and quality fencing in pristine condition.
There are stipulations for an attending veterinarian that require documentation verifying that each dog is in good health, parasite free, completely vaccinated and maintained on preventative heartworm and flea/tick medication. Additionally, the veterinarian is also required to do on site inspections.
Beyond that there is record keeping (also required by AKC inspectors) that verifies where every puppy has been placed and where the retired adults reside. The adults are all micro chipped so that any of these overseeing organizations can verify the documentation presented.
While this is only a partial list, I feel like any reputable breeder would certainly perform all these requirements and more, so the licensing requirements for me are not burdensome at all.
The USDA offers seminars and webinars at little to no cost to continue to support breeder education. They have a public access website that allows anyone to look up a breeder and verify that they carry a current license and if there have been any infractions. Very useful tools for the puppy buyer.
I am a preservation breeder. I want to know our next generation will have these amazing dogs as a life choice. Without organizations like the USDA and AKC groups like PETA will win the fight and we will lose the legacy of the purebred dogs. Already AKC has a list of breeds that are close to extinction.
The public can search the USDA database to check the status of any licensed breeder at the link below