This is when the pet stores are full of the most popular breeds straight from their suppliers - commercial puppy mills . And, it is not just the pet stores. You need only look in the classified adds of your local paper to see the flood of people trying to turn the family pet into the Christmas Money Maker. If you see a sign in the window of a pet store saying that they buy only from reputable or responsible breeders, you can interpret that as backyard breeders who don't know any better. One need only look at the Code of Ethics of any AKC affiliated Breed Club such as the Dalmatian Club of America , to see that selling puppies to pet stores is absolutely forbiden for it's members.
Responsible breeders insist on screening and selecting the homes for their puppies.
A Responsible breeder will advise people on maintenance aspects of the breed and will turn away people whose life style, committment, or home situation does not fit the breed. That is not the job of a sales clerk in a pet store. Christmas is an unfortunate time of year for most of the puppies born. To many are purchased by people planning to give them away as a gift. It is fine to assist someone with the location and purchase of the right puppy for them - but surprises almost never turn out well for the puppy.