How to Tell If a Puppy Really Came From an Ethical Breeder

The puppy mill problem is real, even here

Singapore is small, tightly regulated, and rightly proud of its AVS licensing system — but licensing alone does not guarantee ethics. A shop can hold every legal permit and still source from overseas mass-breeding facilities where breeding dogs live their entire lives in stacked cages. If you're buying a puppy, the single most powerful thing you can do is ask questions. This is the checklist we use ourselves at Furgive You SG, and it's the checklist you're welcome to use on us.

1. Can you meet the mother?

In-country, an ethical breeder always lets you meet the puppy's mother. In Singapore, that's rarely possible because almost every quality puppy is imported — so instead, an ethical importer should be able to show you photos and video of the mother, the whelping area, and the breeder's home. If a seller can't or won't show you where the puppy came from, walk away.

2. Where is the breeder, and can you look them up?

Every Furgive You puppy is imported from a named, individual breeder in Australia, the UK, Ireland or New Zealand — countries with strong animal welfare enforcement and traceable breeder registries. Ask your seller for the breeder's name, kennel name and location. Then Google them. Ethical breeders have a public presence: a website, a Facebook page, testimonials, sometimes a waiting list. Puppy mills do not.

3. What health testing was done on the parents?

Different breeds are prone to different genetic conditions — hip dysplasia in retrievers, mitral valve disease in cavaliers, luxating patellas in small breeds, PRA (progressive retinal atrophy) in poodles. A serious breeder tests the parents before breeding and can produce the certificates. If a seller shrugs when you ask about health testing, that's a red flag. If they produce a folder of OFA, BVA/KC or Orivet certificates, that's a green flag.

4. How many litters a year does this mother have?

A responsible breeder has one, at most two litters per female per year, and retires her by six or seven years old. A puppy mill will breed every heat cycle, back-to-back, until the female's body gives out. Ask.

5. At what age can the puppy come home?

Puppies should never leave their mother before eight weeks — ideally ten. Those weeks with siblings and mum are when they learn bite inhibition, dog-to-dog communication, and basic emotional regulation. If a seller is willing to release a puppy at six or seven weeks, they are prioritising cashflow over welfare.

6. What vaccinations, deworming and microchipping have been done?

You should receive a dated, signed vaccination card, deworming schedule and microchip document at collection. If a seller says 'I'll send it to you later' — don't accept the puppy. This paperwork is the difference between a $2,000 vet emergency and a smooth first month.

7. Do they ask you questions back?

This is the most underrated green flag. An ethical breeder or importer wants to know about you — your family, your flat, your working hours, your experience with dogs. If a seller doesn't ask you a single question and is just eager to close the sale, they don't care where the puppy ends up. At Furgive You we've politely declined to sell to prospective owners who weren't ready, and we'll continue to.

8. What happens if it doesn't work out?

Every ethical seller offers a take-back clause: if for any reason you can't keep the puppy at any point in its life, they will help rehome it rather than let it end up at a shelter. Ask what happens if the puppy has a serious congenital condition diagnosed in the first year. A quality seller stands behind their puppies.

9. Are the facilities clean and calm — or chaotic?

If you're visiting a showroom in Singapore, look and listen. Puppies should be in clean pens with fresh water, toys and space to play. Staff should be gentle and knowledgeable. If puppies look thin, if the room smells strongly of urine, if the answer to every question is 'let me check', trust your gut and leave.

10. Are they AVS-licensed, and do they show the licence?

In Singapore, every pet shop or importer must hold a valid AVS licence and display the licence number publicly. Ours is AS24C00019 (Furgive You Pte Ltd, UEN 202407996H). You can search any AVS licence on avs.gov.sg to verify it. If a seller refuses to give a licence number, they are operating illegally.

The final gut check

Buying a puppy is one of the biggest decisions your family will make this decade. Take the time. Visit more than one seller. Ask uncomfortable questions. The good ones will welcome them — the bad ones will get defensive. Every puppy deserves a lifetime of love, and it starts with the person who brings them home choosing wisely.

How ethical importers actually vet overseas breeders

From the buyer's side, the questions above tell you a lot. But it's worth understanding what a serious importer does behind the scenes, because the real welfare work happens months before a puppy ever lands in Singapore. At Furgive You SG we start every new breeder relationship with a video call — we ask to see the whelping room, the exercise yards, the adult dogs, and the parents of any upcoming litter. We ask for veterinary records, breed-specific health test certificates, and the breeder's national registration number. If we can't verify all of that, we don't work with them.

We then place a small first order — sometimes a single puppy — and observe how the breeder communicates through the pregnancy, weaning and pre-flight preparation. Ethical breeders send weekly photos and updates without being asked, disclose any health issues immediately, and only release puppies once they've hit their weight, weaning and vaccination milestones. Breeders who go quiet, rush timelines, or push us to accept puppies younger than agreed are removed from our supplier list — no exceptions.

On the Singapore side, every imported puppy passes through an AVS-approved quarantine and health check on arrival before being released to us. This is a legal requirement, and it's also a genuine safety net: any puppy showing signs of illness at that stage is treated at our cost, not yours, before ever meeting a future family.

Adoption, rescue and the honest trade-offs

One last thing worth saying openly: buying a puppy is not the only ethical path to dog ownership in Singapore. SOSD, ASD, Causes for Animals and Voices for Animals all rehome wonderful adult dogs and older puppies, and Project ADORE makes it possible to legally keep many of them in an HDB flat. If your lifestyle suits an adult dog whose temperament is already known, adoption is often the kinder choice, and we'll happily point you toward the right rescue if that's a better fit than one of our breeds.