Where To Get Your Dog: Shelters

If you read my previous post, you can probably tell I'm not a huge fan of breeders. The truth is, there are MILLIONS of dogs in shelters around the country. So why add more, when we don't have homes for the ones we have? Do you want a specific breed?  You can find virtually any breed or dog in a shelter somewhere, you just need to know where to look. Petfinder.com is a great place to look. You can put in the breed and your location, and Petfinder will find your perfect best friend. It searches all the shelters with in a specific radius around your home for what you are looking for. Do you want a beautiful and majestic Dogo Argentino? There are 75 in shelters across America. Looking for a hunting companion? There are almost 25,000 labs looking for homes across America!

There are two kinds of shelters. The first is your local ASPCA associated humane society. This shelter gets many dogs from the city, like strays. They can have some great catches there, but they often have limited resources. There are also what are called "No-kill" shelters. The difference is pretty obvious. When your humane society gets too full, they have decisions to make. They can't just stop taking in dogs, so they unfortunately have to put down some of them. The ones suffer are the ones that are deemed less adoptable. Some dogs are harder to find homes for, "bully breeds", black dogs, Chihuahuas and old dogs are among the hardest to find homes for. No-kill shelters don't have to make these decisions. They often have foster homes for problem dogs so they can help those dogs become more adoptable. But because of this, they often have to charge higher adoption fees. They invest more into the dogs, so to stay operational; they have to raise fees to cover those costs.

Getting a dog from a shelter is often less expensive than a breeder. If you get a brand new puppy from a shelter, they usually come with most of their shots, and fixed as well. Lots of shelters also offer microchips with the price of their adoption fee. Adoption fees range from $100-$300 depending on the shelter, age and what they include in the fee.

When you go to a shelter, ask to interact with the puppy. Do they shy away from you, or do they seem warm and happy? If you want a very social puppy, then pick one that is social from the start. If you want a more independent puppy, then look for one who is sniffing around, but that looks comfortable. Ask the shelter attendant if they know anything about the puppy, like how they are with other dogs or children. The same goes for adult dogs. Understand that shelter dogs are probably going to need some TLC before they really settle into you home. 

When ever you adopt a puppy, plan on taking a training class. It helps them to bond to you, and helps to build their confidence. And, just like with a breeder, do research into the breed, or breeds you are interested in before you adopt, so you know what your getting into. 

Happy Training,

Lauren

Where to Get Your Dog: Breeders

The first place many people start when thinking about getting a puppy is a breeder. Breeders are people who take two purebred dogs (hopefully) and make more dogs. The problem with breeders is that its hard to tell if they are good breeders or not. Most of the breeders who advertise on Craigslist, or in the local paper are what I would call a "Back Yard Breeder". This is a person who gets a dog, and thinks "I just paid $600 for this purebred dog, lets find another and make babies. If we have 6 puppies, that $3,600 with out me doing much work!" The reason you want to avoid these people is because they see this as an investment, not creating life. Any time money is involved with animals, corners inevitably get cut. Maybe they aren't getting as good of food as they deserve, or maybe they aren't getting the vet care they need. When you have puppies, they are living, breathing, loving creatures that need care and attention. I've seen a lot of puppies come into my store that are from back yard breeders, and are way to young to be weaned to solid food, let alone away from their moms. The first weeks of a puppies life can help shape how they look at the world, and if they aren't getting the attention from humans, they may shy away from human contact in the future. 

When looking at breeders, ask a few things to figure out if they are a good, reputable breeder or not. 

•  How many times has the mom have puppies? if its more than two, they are probably trying to get more out of her than is good for her. Having puppies, like having babies, is hard on the body. 

•  Ask how many adult dogs they have around. The more dogs, the less likely they are able to give good, consistent care to all of them, and again, they are probably just trying to get as much money out of it at they can. Good breeders are doing it to better the breed, not make as many puppies as possible. Also if they breed more than one type of dog, its a red flag, for the same reason.

•  Ask about what they look for in their breeding stock. Temperament and health should be at the top of the list, and physical attributes shouldn't really be mentioned, unless they are breeding show dogs. Anyone who claims to breed the smallest, or biggest, or funny colors should also be avoided. Playing with genetics this way causes health issues. Tea cup dogs are usually dogs that have a dwarfism, which causes its own health issues.

•  Do they get genetic testing before they breed? Many breeds are plagued by genetic problems, that can be avoided by simply not breeding the dogs that have genetic issues. 

•  Do they have a waiting list? Good breeders wait until they have homes lined up before breeding their dogs. 

•  Do they have a contract? Contracts are important because it shows that they are concerned about the dogs after they leave. Many will specify that if you ever need to find the dog a new home, you bring it back to them. They also should want to know if your dog ends up with any health issues so that can remove related dogs from the breeding, if necessary. 

Can you meet the parent dogs? This is important so you can see their health and temperament. If the dogs look unhealthy, they probably are, and the puppy probably will be too. If you are looking for something very specific in your dog, then a breeder might be the place you find your perfect puppy. Breeders are great if you want a hunting dog or a working dog, but often if you just want a companion, a shelter dog might be perfect!

If you decide to go with a dog from a breeder, be sure to do a lot of research on the breed before you buy. Beagles like Gus are adorable, but are also stubborn and full of energy. Border Collies are incredibly smart, but need lots of stimulation or they become escape artists. Be sure to ask the breeder, and anyone else you know who has the breed in question, how the dogs really behave. Remember though, breeders are trying to sell you something, so they often sugar coat things, which is why  suggest doing extra research.

Happy Training,
Lauren.