[Kyllobernese]

I am just curious, have no intention of buying a puppy from the Pet Store but just noticed a bunch of ads with various breeds listed, all saying they are from USDA inspected premises, have seen three vets, etc. As this Pet Store is in Canada, just made me curious. I have never seen an ad like this in a Canadian site in the British Columbia area. What is USDA inspected?

[reverend_maynard]

The USDA is United States Department of Agriculture. I wouldn't put much faith in the fact that any dog-breeding facility has been inspected by them.

There are very few inspectors, so they don't get around very often.

It seems that many violations are allowed to continue with a warning but no follow up inspections.

Even if the dogs are being kept exactly to the letter of the law, it's still a deplorable way for dogs to have to live. Here's a good site with information about where pet shop dogs come from. http://stoppuppymills.org/
Here's one about canadian puppy mills.
http://www.nopuppymillscanada.ca/

[Pai]

When a breeding facility is so large it's run like a livestock yard, it gets USDA inspected. So... it's not a good thing.

[Kyllobernese]

I know that most of the pups in Pet Stores come from Puppy mills so just wondered why they seemed to be advertising the fact or do they think it sounds better if they have been "inspected".

[Pai]

Originally Posted by Kyllobernese

I know that most of the pups in Pet Stores come from Puppy mills so just wondered why they seemed to be advertising the fact or do they think it sounds better if they have been "inspected".

Yep, because many people don't seem to know that even 'USDA approved' living conditions for Mill dogs are still horrible.. I mean, they may not be getting starved or freezing to death in such a place, but living alone in a clean, warm box your entire life is still living alone in a box your entire life.

[RRM_Mom08]

Because most people look at USDA inspected and think that the dogs/animals are well taken care of and are healthy and happy.I do not put much if any faith in USDA inspected with all the cruel conditions in animal slaughter houses and feed lots.

[Willowy]

I guess they want the puppy buyers to think that "USDA inspected" means something good.....it doesn't. Livestock operations---large corporate farms---are USDA inspected. I would not want a family pet coming from something that could be called a "livestock operation". But I guess that's the best thing they could say about the breeder. Just speaking as a consumer (putting all opinions of BYBs and pet stores aside) I'd rather see/hear "puppies raised indoors with the family", "all breeding dogs health and temperment tested", etc. But I think your average consumer doesn't really know what the USDA does, and any kind of inspection looks good at first glance.

[ACampbell]

USDA inspects feedlots, slaughterhouses, etc...I would put 0 stock in the fact that it meant the conditions were good.
It takes a LOT to shutdown a feedlot or slaughterhouse...conditions are typically deplorable and to the point that it will make the general public sick before the USDA will step in and do anything...reason for this? Simple, not enough man power to do the job correctly.
You can have X amount (I don't remember the percentage, it's been awhile since I was in Agriculture class in high school) of sickly livestock that is being butchered and processed before the USDA does anything...generally, the meat you buy at the grocery store isn't that great of quality.
Put it like this, you cannot legally butcher cattle that have been injected with penicillan for 10 days after the injection...that doesn't mean that if it has a respiratory infection that you can't butcher it and toss out the "infected" areas...it's all pretty sick.
Don't take me wrong, I'm not a vegan, I eat meat...but it's still a gross thought. That's why they say to cook steak all the way through instead of leaving it rare etc...beef is a "safe" meat to eat undercooked, unless the animal it came from was ill.

So if a puppy "breeder" is USDA inspected...i would imagine they have a boat load of dogs/puppies to the point where the must be inspected for having so many animals.

[KaseyT]

All breeding operations that sell dogs retail (pet stores) must be UDSA approved. Breeders who sell direct (which includes everything from the most respectable breeders to the most horrendous mills that sell direct online) need not be USDA approved.

There are about 8500 USDA breeding operations and only about 60 inspectors.

[Kyllobernese]

That is what I could not understand about their ad as these dogs are being imported into Canada to the Pet Store so why would they even mention that they were USDA inspected. Makes it sound like they are selling "meat" instead of puppies. As far as I know, Pet Stores in Canada do not have any kind of inspection, just buy their pups from whoever is willing to sell puppies to them. Some of them say they are from local breeders, even if they are not.