How to pick your next best friend:
So you’ve decided to get a dog. You’re ready to feed, clean up after, train, take to the vet when needed, and work through problems and love them for the next 10-20 years? You’ve done your research on which breed might work with your lifestyle. So how do you find the right dog for you?
Shelter and Rescue:
I recommend starting at a shelter or rescue to find your next family member. Did you know 1 in 4 (25%-30%) of the dogs at the shelter are PUREBRED dogs? You’ll probably find a great dog there plus you’ll feel good about giving a homeless animal a home, and you’ll be saving a life.
Most dogs are there due to nothing they have done, but for human excuses, to name a few: “cost and or lack of time”, “new baby”, “Divorce”, “moving”, or “allergies”. Training is important for ALL dogs, because some dogs are there due to a lack of socialization and/or a lack of some simple basic training.
Responsible shelters assess the animals’ health and temperament in order to make the best matches possible. When dogs are dropped off the staff always tries to get a complete history of that animal. As the volunteers work with those animals they get to know them, and the ones that are brought in as strays as well. If you don’t find one the first week you go, keep going; new animals come in all the time. Talk to an Adoption Counselor–they will help you. Many shelters provide medical services, follow-up assistance, dog training and behavior counseling. They usually have the animal spayed and neutered and given the first set of shots, and offer low cost vaccine clinics or can at least give you numbers for low cost clinics in the area.
Rescue groups try and pull their particular breed out of shelters and try to find them homes, so that they are not put to sleep. They are usually run by people who know that particular breed in-depth, and are a wealth of knowledge. Adoption fees vary due to their cost and how many dogs they have pulled and if any of the animals they have taken in needed special treatment, example: a broken leg or heartworm treatment. But rescues have only so many foster homes to put them in; when you adopt from a rescue, again you save a life because now that foster home can take in a new dog. Be sure to find out about any rescue group you contact, how they care for their animals or even how they decide which animals are adoptable, and if they have any pre-adoption requirements or post adoption services.
There are so many dogs and so few homes, if buying from a breeder you are putting an animal to sleep at the shelter.
I follow this motto: If you’re not a part of the solution you’re a part of the problem.
Pet Store:
NEVER buy a dog from a Pet Store, they get supplied from Puppy Mills and or brokers who get pups from puppy mills. No reputable breeder sells to Pet Stores. Breeders want to know who gets their pups, they will ask lots of questions to make sure you are a good fit with their pups. They get them health certified from a licensed vet, and will give you a guarantee return on any defects or genetic problems, and any time you may have to give them up, reputable breeders don’t want to see their pups end up at shelters. Check out the HSUS website to check for the latest reports on USDA inspections and who failed them.
Referral:
Get a referral from your vet or trusted friends, contact the local breeder club, or visit dog shows, those are the dogs that are proving they are the best because an unbiased eye (judge) is picking them.
Breeders: how to identify a good one? That article is coming soon.
