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As seen on Today Tonight screened nationally on Monday 10 November 2003.  To see the article on Channel 7's Website, click here.  Wording in italics is my own.

Puppy Factories

REPORTER: David Richardson
BROADCAST DATE: November 10, 2003

Officially they're called designer dog reproduction units but critics call them puppy factories - farms set up to mass produce new breeds of designer dogs with names like labradoodles, spanoodles, pugaliers and spanadors.

Designer dog breeds are the latest fad in pet ownership but the concept has alarmed traditional breeders. Some have even accused Australia's favourite gardener Don Burke of promoting designer breeding through his TV show.

Peter Cornford runs Freedom Kennels, a puppy farm in South Australia. "What we do will not satisfy 100 per cent of the population," he said.  "That 20 per cent out there that don't like what we do, that's their problem."  Mr Cornford has bred more than 2500 designer dogs in the past 10 years and he's angry about criticism levelled at him.  Since 1993 (23 year period) I have bred 120 puppies - big difference isn't it?.

"We get criticised for having them on concrete in welcome sheds, we get criticised for having them on dirt running around - hey we can't win," he said.

In the past animal liberationists have staged illegal raids on designer puppy farms to document the dogs' living conditions.

Klaus Keck and his wife Nancy are breeders of pedigree Neapolitan mastiffs. Both are members of the Canine Council and are dead against designer dogs.  "The puppies would be virtually factory produced while the bitches are simply there as reproductive machines," Mr Keck said.

"We don't wear designer clothes when they're out of date and so what's going to happen to these designer dogs when they're no longer in fashion?"

Some pedigree breeders have accused celebrity gardener Don Burke of pushing elaborate cross breeds with names like labradoodles, spanoodles, pugaliers and spanadors.

TV's gardening guru told Today Tonight he had 40 years' experience in breeding and genetics and said cross breeding was simply common sense.  In birds not dogs!

Dr Rob Zammit knows all about Don Burke's canine passions, having worked for him as resident TV vet.

"In practice we are seeing problems with some of these dogs and I think if Don was aware of that he might think twice about it," Dr Zammit said.  He thinks his former boss is barking up the wrong tree.  "I don't think cross breeding is necessarily of value in this case," Dr Zammit said.

"There is a concept called 'hybrid vigour' where you cross two different breeds and you get an animal that is stronger and sounder but to do that you have to start with the right genetic material to begin with - and that's not happening."  Dr Zammit says a dog called Jessie is a prime example of the potential problems with breeding designer dogs.

"Poor little Jessie has breathing problems, has had all her life," he said.  "She also has bad knees, she's had one operated on the other one is clicking in and out of joint so she's stretching all the time and crying out in pain, that's why she's hobbling now.."

But designer dog breeders claim these problems don't occur - that there are no Jessie's because the flaws have been bred out.

"That's surely a lie, it has to be," Dr Zammit said. "There's too much scientific evidence that weights against such a claim."

 The RSPCA's Leanne Ayers was hard pressed to find one pedigree dog dumped in the RSPCA cages. This is because the dumpage rate for pedigree purebred dogs is extremely low and reputable breeders screen their puppy buyers closely unlike these other people who sell to the first person with the cash.  Reputable registered breeders have waiting lists - they do not always have puppies available. Reputable registered breeders also will always take a dog they have bred back if there is a need for re-homing.  In other words, they aware of their responsibilities to the puppies they breed.

"No animal is a fashion accessory," she said. "It's a commitment for potentially 15 to 20 years of that animal's life."

So do we need designer dogs?

"It's hard to believe that we need them when you consider we've had 64,000 dogs surrendered to the RSPCA nationally just in the last financial year," Ms Ayers said.  Yet some puppy farms are pumping out 750 new pups per year, all of specially designed breeds.

"You wouldn't know what the temperaments are like," Mr Keck warned.

"You don't know any hereditary diseases that might have been carried forward or otherwise. They market them on the basis of hybrid vigour but that is completely and utterly unproven."

Dr Zammit confirms there are sometimes health issues with designer dogs.

"We still get lots of dogs with hip problems, elbow problems, knee problems," he said.  "Even though they're crossed between two specific breeds to develop a designer dog doesn't mean you're going to get a sound dog," he said.

Pedigree dog clubs have called for tougher regulations on puppy farms to bring them into line with their pure-bred counterparts. Puppy farmers obey no rules and bitches at Puppy farms can be bred every season of their life until they die - registered breeders are bound by the rules and regulations of their respective Canine Associations.

Dr Zammit says he wouldn't choose a designer dog over a traditional breed.  "I'd go for the pure bred myself and that's what I recommend to people because they know what they're getting for their money," he said.

Puppy Farms are not just restricted to people breeding cross-breed dogs.  There are registered breeders who "puppy farm" as well.  Beware of a breeder who has numerous (8 or more) unsterilised bitches on their property that are all breeding stock.  This may well be a puppy farmer.

A good breeder is interested in YOU. They will question you intensely about your experience with their breed. They will ensure that you are going to love and care for their puppy.

They will provide diet sheets for you to be able to continue the same feeding program. They will show an interest in puppy's future and offer to take puppy back if somehow down the track you cannot keep him\her.

Puppy will have received his/her first and sometimes (depending upon age) second vaccination and been checked by a vet. The breeders will have certificates from the vet to prove that puppy is vaccinated at least once. 

Puppy will be healthy to look at. He\she will be playful and happy. No swollen tummy that indicates worms. Puppy will have received worming treatment from four weeks of age.  Puppies and mother (in fact all dogs on the property) will be kept in a clean environment.  Mother should be a happy, healthy and well mannered girl.

Good breeders should be extremely knowledgeable about their breed and able to answer any questions that you have.

Good luck in your endeavour to find that perfect family member.  I hope that you make the right choice in selecting a pet for your family.

The choice is ultimately yours but ............

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!