You’ve decided you’re ready to purchase a poodle.  You’ve done your research and familiarized yourself with the breed, decided which   gender you’d prefer, and made sure you are adequately equipped to take  excellent care of your new pet.  Where should you go to buy it?

There is really only one answer to that question: buy from a   reputable breeder.  Thanks to increased media attention, puppy   mills have been exposed as the horrific places they are, and most people   know that they should never buy from such a place.  However, some  people feel that they are rescuing the puppy.  That may be true,  but you may also end up with an inferior dog.  In the long run,  whenever you buy from a puppy mill you help keep them in business,  and condemn many more dogs to the same fate.

PUPPIES FROM PET STORES

People often think pet stores are a acceptable alternative.    They are not.  Most pet stores buy their puppies from puppy  mills.  These poor babies are transported in crates in huge trucks,  then kept in small cages until sold.  They are completely   un-socialized, and many die in transit.  That means the pet store  must increase the price to make up for the puppy losses.  Buy  leashes and collars and beds and toys from pet stores, but don’t buy  puppies.

You may think we are saying this out of pure self-interest, since  Homestead Poodles is a reputable breeder.  Of course, we’d love to  let you take one of our home-raised puppies into your family.  But  if you don’t buy from us, please buy from another reputable breeder, and don’t support trafficking of puppies.