They found that 24% of these buyers made their selection on appearance; most (56%) did not see the puppy with its mother prior to purchase.

Other survey findings reveal that people who do buy puppies only do a minimum amount of research. Over 60% of respondents visited just one litter of puppies before deciding on an animal, while 40% spent one week or less on the decision. In addition, researchers found that about 3% of the puppies purchased over the past two years have either died or have been euthanized, while about 36% have experienced health problems.