Our comments regarding puppy mills and brokers are general ones, and are not meant as an indictment of all persons engaged in brokering as being involved in cruel or abusive conduct.  There are, no doubt, individual brokers who have established relationships with breeders who keep their dogs under sanitary and loving conditions.  In this case, however, even though there is no abuse going on and in fact the dogs and puppies involved are well treated, most reputable breeders will tell you that we believe that this type of arrangement is still profoundly wrong.  The direct relationship between breeder and owner, critical to the life-long well being of the dog and enjoyment of the owner, is never formed.   The checks and balances that are created when informed buyers come to the homes of reputable breeders and establish that relationship do not exist in a buyer-broker-breeder chain.  This type of breeder is under no pressure to engage in thoughtful breeding practices and vigorous health checking.  The only protections provided to the puppies and buyers are the minimum standards required by law, assuming they are met, and quite frankly they are pathetically weak in many cases, far below those of breed clubs and dog organizations to which reputable breeders belong.   

The truth is that a dog is not a commodity like a car or a washing machine.  You don't want a puppy that was manufactured at a distant site by strangers and sold to you at retail by someone who knows little of the process and is motivated only by a sales commission.  Ask a broker why they are do what they do.  The answer will probably something like "I want to make people happy," combined possibly with an admission that profit is a factor as well.  What they almost certainly won't say is that they believe in protecting and improving upon the particular breed of dog they are offering puppies from.  Anyone who can't give this answer believably, in our opinion should be avoided at all costs.  If a pure-bred puppy from a reputable breeder is truly out of your reach financially, we recommend that you consider adoption before the purchase of a "cut-rate" dog.  The sad truth is that a dog adopted from your local shelter may well have been once sold in a pet shop or by an unscrupulous broker.   Whatever you do, we ask that you not help perpetuate the puppy mill trend.