29/06/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/1KtCrDnvaA/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Lately I’ve noticed an interesting trend - people increasingly expect puppies to be sold the same way we sell consumer goods:
• Afterpay
• Zip
• Credit card payments
• Refunds
• Replacement puppies
• Guarantees
• Change of mind policies
To be clear - I don’t have a problem with these questions. We live in a world where almost everything can be financed, so why wouldn’t people ask?
What interests me is something else.
As dog lovers, we often say that dogs are family members, companions, friends and living creatures with their own personalities and needs. Yet many of the expectations placed on breeders are exactly the same expectations we place on retailers, and that makes me wonder - what do we actually want dogs to be?
Because there are different breeding models around the world.
There is the commercial model popular in some countries - large facilities, large numbers of dogs, a steady supply of puppies and business systems designed to meet consumer demand.
And there is the hobby breeder model - a handful of dogs living in the home, sleeping on couches, travelling with the family and receiving individual attention throughout their lives.
Most people tell me they support responsible preservation breeders. They want puppies raised in homes, breeders who know every dog personally and dogs treated as companions rather than livestock.
What often gets forgotten is that this model comes with limitations.
There are only a small number of puppies available each year. Waiting lists are common and can sometimes stretch for many months or even years. Show and breeding prospects may require an even longer wait.
Each puppy is individually planned, born in the breeder’s home and raised with constant care, attention and socialisation.
That level of individual attention is only possible because the number of dogs and puppies remains small.
But many of those same people expect the purchasing experience of a commercial business.
The reality is that these two models are built on completely different foundations.
A breeder with five dogs cannot operate like a business with five hundred.
You can choose one model or the other, but you cannot realistically expect one to function like the other.
Markets respond to demand.
Puppy farms do not appear out of thin air. They exist because there is a market for what they offer - large numbers of puppies, predictable availability and consumer convenience.
And unlike hobby breeders, large commercial businesses have the resources to hire consultants, lobby governments, influence policy and shape legislation in ways that benefit their business mode - that is simply the reality of how industries work.
If society continues to demand dogs as consumer goods, the industry will continue moving in that direction.
So perhaps it is time to decide what matters more.
Do we want dogs to remain companion animals and family members?
Or are we comfortable treating them as livestock produced to meet consumer demand?
Because the answer to that question will shape the future of dog breeding far more than any breeder ever will.
