Did you know? 

We have been made aware that there is false information circulating about Coco's Heart buying dogs from breeders to "flip" for profits. The false information includes that we spend upwards of $1000 on individual dogs from auctions and breeders. This is not true, so we put together the following information to share with each of you! It is a long one- but we hope helpful on understanding how Coco's Heart operates in regard to welcoming dogs from breeding backgrounds. At any given time there are hundreds of dogs hoping to come to rescue from all backgrounds...they are our focus...funding our rescue efforts is our focus...saving dogs is our focus....but clarifying this information about dogs from breeding backgrounds is important. 

Fact: 

The number of dogs from breeding backgrounds (local and not) that need help has amplified over the last couple of years, especially recently. It seems all of the backyard breeders, local small and commercial breeders, and mills all overproduced and have less demand now and need rescue placement. First, we want to address auctions as those tend to be where clarity is needed.

The auction facts:

Do you pay fees?

Yes! We pay fees for most incoming dogs from all areas.

Do breeders profit?

No! We place a safety net bid that ensures the dog has a chance to make it to rescue, and out of the mill and cycle, but without profits to breeders. How? Breeders have hard costs associated with placing a dog in the auction. This includes a consignment fee, rabies vaccination, vet inspection, health certificate and transport to sale. Our safety bid totals LESS than these hard costs (our cost / safety bids range from $10-75 for reference), so the breeder does not make any money- and almost always loses money. However, these costs are in line with what we pay for rabies, exam, and health certificate for any dog we welcome to rescue from out of state from shelters, rural areas, etc (for reference- we pay $80+ minimum for the same care before the dogs from rural areas arrive). It is important to remember these are not reputable breeders, and these dogs deserve rescue and a good life. We refuse to let a breeder profit but also we recognize the importance of rescue for these souls. We feel it is unethical leaving them behind if a minimum safety bid (that again- aligns with the costs of the services they would need to get to us anyways)accomplishes that AND does not allow a profit to the breeder. We try to accept any dog that the minimal safety bid helps. In addition, we try to take any dog that is not claimed after the auction. Many of our dogs with high medical needs and veterinary care costs come from this background. We do not "cherry pick", we try to make room for whatever dog is available for the minimum safety bid. Lately- that has been a lot because mills and breeders have overproduced greatly with low-demand....(which is good)...and this is the chance these dogs need at love-filled family lives. The only exception to when we will bid fees beyond the minimum is when there is a kennel closure. Our bid for kennel closures or significant downsizing is currently $100. This is because 1) the dog likely gets their only chance out of the puppy mill cycle and 2) the dollars do not go into perpetuating the problem as the kennel is closing down/not adding more dogs. We see these as the one-shot these dogs have at knowing any kind of real life and getting OUT of mill life, and without contributing to the cycle. When we have received dogs from these backgrounds we have often been brought to tears. They are often the dogs that have been stuck living in miserable conditions their entire lives and have no idea what home life is about. There have been times in history that some exceptions have been made to our minimum bid when special consideration is warranted. The people who participate in auctions are largely puppy millers/commercial breeders...which is why rescue tries to get them out...because otherwise they end up going from one mill to another. 

 We have paid more then the minimum safety bid in kennel closures (mentioned above). Our current bid in those situations is $100 and it is still unlikely there is a profit- and if so it is marginal (and we believe worth it knowing it is not going into the cycle as the kennel is closing and the dog gets out). For example, there was a public post several years ago when we were heartbroken about a group of labs in shockingly sad state and our supporters raised funding to pay $200 to help those poor souls. We always try to evaluate and make the best decisions we can with the information we are provided. With how many need help right now our minimum safety bid welcomes a large number (we cannot help them all at that number, but max out our foster capacity). We do not attend the auctions, or participate in monitoring it, we just accept whoever the minimum safety bid catches. *It is important to note that the rescuer works with a large number of rescue groups, each with their own criteria on auctions. Some organizations place higher bids, and they have their own logic, but Coco's Heart does not. 

Many, many, many of the breeder dogs coming to rescue right now are straight surrenders....puppies, litters, and adults. The rescuer has worked hard to facilitate that and we always try to make room for those dogs because the fact they are being surrendered in large numbers was unheard of until recently. There are local breeders that have surrendered dogs in large numbers recently too. It is unreal. Bottom line- we do our best to welcome whomever we can, and to give them the lives they deserve, without contributing to any profits. 

The general operations facts: 

As mentioned, at Coco's Heart we will pay fees to cover the costs of veterinary care and fees required (including health certificate and rabies) but absolutely do not want there to be a profit if we help dogs at auction. However, by providing the minimal fees those dogs get a chance at rescue and not alternatives- such as being destroyed or staying within the puppy mill cycle. These are likely their only chance out of the system. As you know, they often live extremely sad lives the longer they are within the mills, and without the love and care they deserve.

The rescuer that we work with will network with rescues to see if any rescues have room if there is an auction. We will let her know what approx. number of dogs we can try to find fosters for them. If so, on our behalf she will let them know that she can help whatever number of dogs that is by placing a minimum safety bid that will not allow a profit but will cover the veterinary care and fees to get them into rescue. At the end of the auction if there are dogs that were not sold then we try to make room for them too. The rescuer tries to arrange transport for any dog needing help so that they are not left behind and destroyed. She also has helped work with the auction site to ensure this is a location for safe surrenders. Any dogs that are over the age of 6 years old, or have medical concerns, that are not allowed in the auction can be safely surrendered there and we try to find a way to get them a spot in rescue. It is hard, because we do not often have any of that information until the very last minute, but we try really hard to ensure no dog is left behind as the likelihood of them being destroyed is high.

The rescuer has worked through the surrender program above to get the mills to surrender vs. go to auction at all. THIS IS AMAZING AND A HUGE FEAT! We welcome a high number of those surrenders. One fact recently shared is that one of the kennels started with over 700 adult breeding dogs. That breeder is now down to under 280. She is surrendering those dogs to the rescuer instead of sending them to auction. This is a huge feat because those dogs are out of the puppy mill system once and for all. What is incredible is that that is just stats from one location. We are thrilled those dogs are being surrendered to rescue instead of the alternatives. The costs associated with the surrenders are the veterinary care and transport. Fun fact: the same applies to our shelter partners- we reimburse for veterinary and transport costs. 

The rescuer also reports any health concerns to the appropriate State Board of Veterinary Health. This is important as puppy mills are legal, but being sure they take any proven concerns to the proper channels is important...hoping that eventually they will need to provide better care for the animals until they (hopefully) get their chance out. While some of the dogs have been arriving in reasonable condition lately, the majority over time have not.

We always try to do the best we can and make ethical decisions. That will always be extremely important to us. We think helping them is really important. These dogs tend to have the most problems and continue to. The fluffy French Bulldog we currently have in rescue (local breeder surrender) is likely going to have upwards of $10,000 in medical care and surgery needs. The English Bulldogs are always a mess. The adults and seniors are typically in the saddest shape. The puppies often come covered in filth, urine, and feces and are under socialized. They also often come in with serious medical concerns...not always visible to the eye. We are happy to have the opportunity to give them the care they need and to end the breeding cycles.

With all of this being said, some people are passionate about not spending a dime on helping these dogs. However, this is the best plan that feels right to us at the moment. We constantly navigate and reevaluate to be sure we are making ethical decisions.

As always we encourage everyone to take a stand against puppy mills. We hope there is a day there is no need for our help in this faucet. Until then we will continue to navigate the best we can, striving to make the most difference and also not putting money into the hand of irresponsible breeders.

Please email our director if you would like to discuss anything! We appreciate you!

Sincerely,

Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue
May 24th, 2023