Where is the best place to get a puppy?
Your local animal shelter or rescue organization can help you find the right match for your family. There are also breed-specific rescue groups for every breed of dog, including “designer” or “hybrids” like labradoodles and puggles. The Shelter Pet Project can help you find a great dog or puppy in your area!
Why should you not buy a puppy from a pet store?
Puppies sold at pet stores often have serious health or psychological problems. Some of the illnesses common to pet store puppies include zoonotic diseases which can be spread to other pets and humans. Buyers are often faced with enormous vet bills or even the death of the puppy within days or weeks of purchase.
Should I get a dog from a breeder or pet store?
Pet store puppies can be more expensive than those from shelters and reputable breeders for many reasons. First and foremost, pet stores operate as a business and will sell a puppy for as high of a price as they can. Second, your puppy will likely need more veterinary care than the average puppy.
Why do people buy dogs from a breeder?
There are many good reasons to buy a well-bred purebred dog from a responsible breeder. The first, of course, is predictability. Because ethical breeders spend lots of time socializing, caring for, and observing their puppies, they will be able to recommend the puppy most likely to fit best into your life.
What do I need to do when buying a dog from a breeder?
Visit the breeder on-site to see the conditions in which the puppy is living and meet the parents. Visit multiple times to learn the puppy’s personality and see if it’s a match for your needs. Obtain reliable contact information for the breeder so they don’t disappear and you can contact them if something goes wrong.
What do breeders look for in owners?
Responsible breeders do as much interviewing and questioning as the buyers to make sure their puppies go to the homes best suited for their breeds’ temperaments and energy levels. Breeders want their puppies to be happy and the new owners to be happy, so assuring they make a good match is crucial.
What should you not say to a dog breeder?
Don’t use commodified terms – like “stock” or “product”. Don’t expect to turn up, pay money, and get a puppy. That is not how the process works. We don’t need to get the puppy ‘off our hands’, so don’t bargain or haggle.
How do breeders decide who gets what puppy?
Most breeders don’t allow buyers to choose their own puppies anyway. They pick puppies for the buyers based on what the buyer has specified they are looking for.
What questions do Breeders ask you?
Questions you should ask a puppy breeder
- Can I see the puppies with their mum?
- How old are the puppies?
- Are the puppies weaned?
- How old is mum?
- How many litters has mum had?
- Have the puppies been wormed?
- Have the puppies had any vaccinations?
- Does the puppy look healthy – clean eyes, ears and bottom?