Your Choice matters!

Buying a Pet is No Longer About Exercising Your Choice

Let's start with something we've all said, or heard someone say- 

"It's my choice. I want a specific breed. I'm not hurting anyone."

And on the surface, that sounds reasonable. You're bringing an animal into your home, giving it a good life, loving it well. What could possibly be wrong with that?

The answer isn't in your home. It's in the place that dog came from.

When you buy a dog from a neighbourhood "breeder", you are not just making a lifestyle choice. You are participating in an unregulated industry that is responsible for animal abuse. And most of us — until someone tells us — have no idea what that industry actually looks like from the inside.

At the centre of every breeding operation is a female dog.

She is bred from her very first heat. She is given hormonal injections so she comes into heat faster and produces more litters. Her body is not given adequate time to recover between pregnancies. She is not the product. Her puppies are.

She lives in a cage. No walks. No sunlight. No enrichment. Her only purpose is to produce the next litter. Most breeding dogs do not know what a good life feels like — because they have never been allowed to live one.

She is not fed well. Not enough to be comfortable. Certainly not enough to support the nutritional demands of repeated pregnancies. The money made from selling her puppies does not come back to her — not even a fraction of it.

And her body pays the price.

A female dog's uterus needs months to recover after every pregnancy. When that time is not given, infections, hormonal disorders, and exhaustion follow.

One of the most common consequences is a condition called PYOMETRA 

[Read here: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/pyometra-in-dogs] — a potentially fatal uterine infection that develops after repeated heat cycles without adequate recovery. One in four unspayed female dogs develops this before the age of ten. In a breeding facility with no veterinary care, she simply doesn't survive it.

There is also MASTITIS [Read here: https://www.msdvetmanual.com/reproductive-system/mastitis-in-small-animals/mastitis-in-small-animals] — infection of the mammary glands from repeated pregnancies in unsanitary conditions. There is the kind of exhaustion that doesn't show up on an X-ray but lives in an animal that has never once been allowed to just be a dog.

When she can no longer produce healthy pups — she is discarded. Abandoned with health issues you can't fathom.

Source of image, TOI article: This Rotweiller was rescued after it was found in a severely malnourished state with an illegal breeder.

This is not rare. Rescuers across India consistently report taking in breeder discards — extremely sick, malnourished; many of which don't make it despite treatment because after years of abuse, their bodies give up.

Let that sink in.

There is also the inbreeding problem — and this one follows the puppy home.

Because Indian breeders cannot import foreign breeds for civilian use, they produce these dogs locally, often by breeding closely related animals to maintain a purebred lineage. The result is genetic disorders passed down through generations. Hip dysplasia. Epilepsy. Heart conditions. Deafness. If you have ever wondered why your pedigreed Lab or Golden has joint problems young, or why certain breeds seem to come with a vet bill built in — this is a significant part of the answer. 

Source of image, TOI article: This Great Dane was abandoned after breeders noticed it was born with deformed legs—result of inbreeding

The suffering doesn't stay in the breeding facility. It travels home with the puppy.

India does have rules for dog breeders [Read here : https://awbi.in/awbi-pdf/dog_breeding_marketing_rules_2017.pdf]. Female dogs are supposed to be at least 18 months before their first mating. They cannot be bred in two consecutive seasons. They cannot be mated more than five times in their lifetime. Inbreeding is banned.

The maximum penalty for violating these rules — for animal cruelty — is fifty rupees.

Now look at what the rest of the world considers acceptable.

In the UK, dog breeding laws were significantly strengthened in 2025 [Read here: https://www.midlanddachshundclub.co.uk/uk-dog-breeding-law-changes-2025/]. A female dog cannot be bred more than three times in her entire lifetime. Breeders must maintain hygienic, stress-free environments. Veterinary care standards are mandatory. Puppies can only be sold directly by the breeder — no third party sales. The penalty for violating these rules? Up to £5,000 in fines and potential imprisonment.

In Germany, proposed legislation limits breeders to caring for no more than three breeding females with puppies at any given time, with strict regulations on living conditions including the size and temperature of whelping spaces.

Across the European Union [link: https://www.animalrescuesforchange.org/pets-breeders-animals-laws-in-the-united-states-vs-europe-eu], mandatory registration and traceability systems for breeders are standard practice. Microchipping is compulsory. Breeding for extreme physical traits that cause suffering — like the flat faces of Pugs and French Bulldogs — is regulated or outright restricted in several member states.

In India — fifty rupees. The contrast does not need further explanation.

If you have bought a pet before — maybe you didn't know any of this. Most people don't. The industry is designed to keep the transaction clean and the source invisible. You see a healthy, adorable puppy. You don't see the mother.

This is not about guilt for a choice you made without this information.

It is about what you do with the information now that you have it. Because that is what choices do. They build character.

Shelters across India are overflowing with dogs of every breed — Indies, Labs, Goldens, Huskies, Beagles — waiting for a home. They are already here. They are already waiting.

Buying a pet is a choice. 

Adoption is also a choice.

Only one of them doesn't cause someone their suffering.

About the Author: 

- Ira is a pet parent to Sparkle, Sunshine, and Twinkle.

She owns The Souvenir Called Life — a handcrafted journaling and memory keeping brand. Through her pet advocacy platform @chamkili.dhoop, she writes and speaks about animal welfare and responsible pet ownership in India.