Where Will You Find Your New Dog?
You know the type of dog you
want and preparations for his
arrival are under way. Have you decided where you will get him from?
Pet Shops.
We have all seen that cute bundle of fluff, those huge brown eyes, that
"Please take me with you," appealing look in a pet shop
window
and
been tempted to take a pet shop puppy home with us. Those wistful
glances
are hard to resist aren't they? But do beware of the impulse
buy.
Pretty is not always perfect! You, and probably not
even the
store owner has any idea of the history of the puppy offered for sale.
He
may appear well, but no one knows if he is carrying an infectious
disease
or how well he has been reared. He will be unsettled and longing for a
friendly
human to adopt him and it is a very tempting thing to do. Only if you
are
prepared for negative consequences as well as positive ones should you
hand
over your cash and leave with the puppy. Of course there are many
perfectly
happy and well adjusted dogs that originally came from a pet shop, but
do
be on guard and find out as much as you can about the puppy before
you buy him, and do have him vet checked as soon as
possible
after
taking him home.
Animal
Shelters.
Charity based societies such as the RSPCA, Battersea Dogs' Home and
others (see the Links in the left hand margin for more info on
important dog websites) do have pedigree adult dogs and puppies that
desperately need re-homing as well as mongrels. There is a modest
adoption fee, but the cost is considerably less than that charged by a
breeder.
All dogs from shelters are given the all-clear healthwise and are
usually vaccinated and often neutered or spayed. You would
also
be notified by the society of any problems the dog (paricularly an
adult one) has considering it has likely had some stress in its life
and may need extra care to overcome this. Buying a dog from a shelter
will give you the satisfaction of knowing that you have saved a life
and given an unwantd dog a loving, permanent
home. Remember to check out all of the dogs in the
shelter as
the
first one you see may not be the ideal one for you. Ask the staff in
charge
of the dogs to tell you all that they know about their characters and
background. They should tell you if the dog is good with children, cats
and other animals.
Puppy
Farms.
Beware of buying a puppy from a breeder who sells many different types
of popular dogs. These kennels are usually nothing more than
"factories" regularly turning out puppies in order to make money. The
parent dogs will not have been reared in a home environment and the
puppies will have had very little human contact or attention. By all
means check the kennels and dogs as there may be genuine breeders, but
take extra special care in your observations. Also beware of any
kennels that offer very young puppies as fully vaccinated. The shot
they have had is probably only a temporary injection and the puppy will
not be fully protected. It is not usual for puppies to have their final
vaccinations before the age of 12 weeks.
If you are
seriously thinking
of buying from a puppy farm, please read Puppy Watch
first.
Newspaper
Adverts.
There are hundreds of ads. in free advertising papers. Most of these
will be genuine sales, but be vigilant.
Always check out the puppies and their mother if possible. Some people
may have a beautiful pedigree dog and mate it to another of the same
breed without going into the lineage or genetics of either parent
properly. Look carefully for any defects in the puppies such as leg,
hip or eye problems. Proper breeders have their dogs vet checked for
any abnormalities before continuing the breeding programme.
Breeders.
Dog breeders have a reputation to keep up and will ensure that puppies
they have for sale are of fine quality. Some puppies offered
for
sale by breeders are the ones that were not quite good enough for the
show ring, but
only a well trained eye would be able to detect this. Do not be put off
by
the puppy that is the last in the litter to be sold as this one may
have been
held back by the breeder as a potential show dog, so therefore could be
a
better puppy than the litter mates sold earlier. Also the runt of the
litter
often proves to be the 'ugly duckling' about to transformed into the
'beautiful
swan'. Breeders are truly concerned about the welfare of the puppies
they
sell and should always be willing to offer any advice concerning after
care
or special needs for the breed. In fact you may be
scrutinised
for
suitability as an owner by the breeder just as much as you scrutinise
the
worthiness of the puppy you plan to buy. The more common breeds of dog
are
often readily available, but should you want a rarer breed you may have
to
contact the breeder and pre-order a puppy from his next planned litter.
To
locate breeders check out the weekly magazines, Our Dogs
or Dog
World. The Kennel Club will send you names and addresses of
breeders if
you send a stamped addressed envelope as will secretaries of dog breed
clubs.
Local vets may also be able to help.
You are about to
buy your dog, do you know What
to Look For?
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