A sad reality of living in the Midwest is that we have some of the highest concentrations of puppy mills in the country.  Although not all commercial breeding operations should be considered puppy mills, some are licensed by the USDA and have as many as 250 breeding dogs.  As you can imagine, the conditions are often deplorable, with the animals lacking appropriate nutrition, health care, clean living quarters, opportunities to socialize, and human contact. 

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We can put an end to puppy mills with the right legislation, so be sure to support any bills in your area that provide protections against commercial breeding facilities.  And be sure you don't support these operations.  It can be hard to know that you are purchasing a dog from a puppy mill because they often use brokers and pet stores to sell their puppies.  Here are some things to look for which are signs of good breeders.

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1. The dog is not listed on a 3rd party website.

2. The breeder only breeds one or two types of dogs.

3. Dogs are not bred under 2 years of age, do not breed dogs every heat cycle, and retire after 2-4 litters.

4. They do health testing for common health issues of the breed you are purchasing.  For Cavaliers, you want to look for heart and hip testing at least.  Be sure tests are within the last year.

5. They invite you to their breeding site and  you see the condition the dogs are raised in.  Ideally this is a home environment, but if it is a barn it should be clean, and the dogs should be well socialized with people and spend time outdoors in grass and inside a home.

6. They allow you to meet both the mother and father dogs, and those dogs are sociable, pleasant, and appear to be in good health.  Mother dogs can look a little rough after raising a litter, but should be in general good condition.

7. They offer at least a 1 year health guarantee.

8. They ask that you return the dog if it ever needs to be rehomed or has behavioral issues.