Adoptions

Puppy Mill Survey Results

In October 2011, the San Francisco SPCA conducted a survey of dog and cat guardians in the San Francisco Bay Area. A total of 708 people participated in the survey, which was conducted online and by phone.

	Total	Gender	Guardianship
San Francisco Residents	300	42% male 58% female	47% cat 53% dog
Non-San Francisco Residents (Bay Area)	408	33% male 67% female	31% cat 69% dog

Where did you get your dog?

Purchased online: 18%
From a breeder: 15% --> nearly half of these were not interviewed by breeder
From a pet store: 7%

How did you get your dog?

Shipped or delivered: 37%
Picked up from breeder: 32%
From a shelter: 30%

If you got your dog from a breeder, did the breeder interview you?

Yes: 58%
No: 42%

Would you buy a dog from a puppy mill?

Yes: 12%
No: 69%
Don’t know what a puppy mill is: 19%

How many dogs do you have?

One: 64%
Two: 28%
Three: 6%
Four +: 2%

How many cats do you have?

One: 55%
Two: 29%
Three: 8%
Four +: 8%

Is your pet spayed/neutered?

Yes: 85%
No: 12%
Don’t know: 3%

Is your pet microchipped?

Yes: 50%
No: 49%
Don’t know: 2%

Other points of interest

For those who got their dogs online, 58% said breed was the most important factor
Of the people who said they would not buy from a puppy mill, 35% of them had their dog shipped or delivered.
51% of those who purchased dogs online would not knowingly purchase from a puppy mill

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