This morning I received a message about a litter of Newfoundland puppies that were allegedly stolen in Ohio.

I did a quick read of the Facebook post and shared it to my personal page and a Newfie-Ohio page.

The litter, which according to the post, has a total of 8 puppies and 7 were stolen.

4 brown and white, 2 black and 1 solid brown puppy. One brown and white was not taken.

The home where the puppies were stolen from is in Jackson, Ohio which is in southern Ohio.

The OP states in a comment that he and his family were out of town and a friend was going over to check on the puppies and the mother who was being kept in a kennel outside.

The dogs were fine Sunday but upon returning home on Monday, the puppies were gone.

Mom was still there.

As the day went on I processed the post.

It’s sad. The puppies are 3 weeks old and should not be away from their mom.

Obviously, the most important thing right now is that the puppies are located and returned to their mother.

But this is also a teaching moment that I can’t let pass.

First, in this day and age, it’s been proven over and over again that leaving pets outside unattended is not a good idea. Southern, Ohio has a high incident of dog theft operations in place.

Second, Ohio, specifically this area, is prime for puppy mills and backyard breeders.

Amish auctions are a hop skip and a jump from this location.

This litter, the one that was stolen, is considered a “rainbow” litter because of the variety of colors.

No reputable breeder would produce this type of litter, especially one on the NCA breeder’s list.

I’ve been telling you and anyone else that emails me asking for a Newfoundland breeder, Ohio has a ton of breeders and only a very small handful are reputable. I’m talking 2, maybe 3 that I would even consider mentioning.

Remember this map?

Ohio is filled with puppy mills, pet shops, and backyard breeders. The map can’t even hold all the dots.

Look where Jackson, Ohio is and look at the green and red dots.

Besides the obvious on the map, Sugarcreek, Apple Creek, Danville, Freso, Millersburg and Baltic all have breeders that sell puppies on online puppy sites and eBay.

My own personal assumption would be that the puppies from this stolen litter were in trouble from the get-go.

I’m mad about it and you should be mad about too. You should be mad that someone stole these puppies, you should be mad that someone bred these puppies and you should be mad that some unsuspecting person is going to eventually wind up with these puppies.

You should be mad that these puppies were put into the Newfoundland dog population by someone who cares nothing about the breed or its welfare.

I know I am because it’s people like you and I that will have to clean up the mess.

One of these puppies will most likely end up in one of the FB Newfie forums or in rescue, maybe with a heart defect, hip dysplasia or temperament issues and the owner will be begging for help.

There will be no health records, no vet check, and no breeder contact information and the dog will suffer.

So what’s going to happen to these puppies?

It’s a no-win situation.

Hopefully, someone has a conscious and they get returned.

Then they’ll be sold. Maybe on eBay, maybe to a pet store or puppy broker, or maybe they’ll go to auction.

If they’re not returned, the same applies.

This is exactly the reason why we need to stop buying from backyard breeders. Stop buying puppies from the Amish. Stop buying puppies from pet stores.

Take the time to research breeders. Contact Rescue. Contact a Breed Ambassador. Contact me. Reach out to someone.

RECAP

RED FLAGS

Brown and white puppies which do not follow breed standard. Breed standards are in place for a reason. Reputable breeders follow breed standards to protect and better the breed.

Rainbow litter-multiple colors

Where’s a picture of momma?

Location, location, location.

Puppies left unattended, outside.

+more that you can easily find when researching the breeder in question

Please share. You can not share this post enough.

*Opinions in this post are based on my own personal experience and knowledge.

*Edited to add- I’ve been made aware that the “breeder” has seen this post. If so, I offer you the opportunity to share why any of this is o.k. with all of us. A responsible breeder that was truly concerned about their puppies would do so.