Acquiring a new puppy

[YellowLioness]

Pure bred or mongrel? Pet store or humane society?

Faye and I recently have decided to add on to our childless lives and get puppies. So, I decided that I'd post up about our findings.

First off, we did research on dog breeds to find out what kind of dog would be best for us. I chose Keeshonden because I've had them before. Faye ended up going with Springer Spaniels.

We both decided to go with pure breds because you basically know what you're getting into. Mongrels, who could come from a variety of breeds, can turn out almost any way.

The second step was to find a breeder. After doing research, I decided that pet stores were not the way to go. First off, you don't know what quality of dog you're getting. Certain breeds are genetically prone to certian problems, and certain breeds have several problems. For example, collies are prone to blindness due to the shape of their skull and are also prone to hip displasia (common in larger dogs).

I suggest going to Siriusdog.com to find out health information about the puppy of your choice.

If a dog is poorly bred, you could be getting yourself in a world of trouble. Also, pet stores often buy from puppy farms, which are a great evil in and of themselves.

When going to a breeder, your best bet is to go to a hobby breeder- one who breeds for the love of a particular breed.
"Back Yard" breeders are no better then pet stores. They often don't know the quality of the animals that they're breeding, and only breed for profit and not to better the type of dog that they're selling.

Another good thing about breeders is that a good one will give you a health, or genetic, guarentee on their pups for a period of two years. Also, you know which dogs your dog was bred from, so you know what problems to expect.

A good breeder will have their dogs registered with CERF (canine eye registry) or OFA (which checks for the bone structure (hips, elbows, etc) of the dogs.

Knowing these things, it was time to go breeder shopping. Faye chose a good breeder close to her home who owned both of the dogs that she bred. I ended up choosing a breeder in OK, one who is a member of the Keeshonden Club of America, and who breeds and shows her animals, offers a contract, health guarantee, and who will send me pictures of my puppy when he is born.

She asked me many questions about myself, Beanie, and our other pets. Some of the questions were pretty personal, but she had to have the information in order to place the best puppy in our household.

Now, I'm getting ready to send in a deposit for my puppy, and have already filled out the contract.

Faye's puppies have already been born, and she's picked out the newest member of the family. He's adorable!

I'll keep you all posted on how things are going!

[Star]

Congratulations on your new little puppy additions!

I agree with the pet stores and puppy farms. even some breeders are just as bad as those are.

We adopted 2 dogs from the humane society years ago. We had those dogs for a good 12 years then we had to give them up because we were moving into an apartment. But, we did make sure they went to good homes so they're fine and well taken care of.

Those 2 dogs that we adopted were the most loyal dogs we've ever owned in our lives. They weren't mean dogs at all but would've died for us all at the same time. One was a malamute and the other was a sheppard mut. Our girls were small when we adopted the dogs and the dogs would watch the girls and make sure they were safe. It was the cutest thing.

The little dog we have now, the one we got our youngest daughter for her 8th birthday, we bought from a lady who breeds chihuahuas. Her house was disgusting but the dog did have his vet papers and was being taken care of. He's been a loyal and excellent little dog too. He wasn't house trained when we got him, he was 1 year old (should've been but he wasn't) but it didn't take him long to learn that. My daughter taught him all kinds of tricks and turned him into such a sucky dog, it's funny.

Sometimes, the ones that make the best dogs are the ones that you save. That's been my experience. I would adopt another dog from the humane society is i decided to get another one. That would be the first place I go.

[Merika]

Originally Posted by YellowLioness

Faye's puppies have already been born, and she's picked out the newest member of the family. He's adorable!

She sent me pics of what that type of puppy looks like...and they are SOOO CUTE!

I don't think it matters where you get them from or what type of puppy....as long as it steals your heart. I'm prone to prefere Bulldogs and Boxers because I like their smooshed up faces.

Dogs are a lot of work though. I only have one because of my son. I would never get a dog just for myself. I would never get a cat for myself either. I'm not a 'pet' person at all.

[Star]

If I didn't have any kids, I wouldn't have any pets either. They are a lot of work and they can be a hassle when you want to take a trip or something like that.

[Duke]

I'm too cheap to go to a breeder and get a guaranteed dog. I don't mind getting my pet from the SPCA or anywhere else. I agree with the pet store thing because many of the pets you see there actually look like they've been doped.

[YellowLioness]

Star- yeah, I hear you about the whole traveling thing. Especially when you've got a puppy. Beanie and I will end up finding someone to dog sit for us when we take our trip to Scotland to get married.

Duke- Yeah, I hear that! Most people say that. The reason that I'm getting a specific kind of dog is that it's tied in with my memories of my grandma, who raised me.

[Duke]

That's pretty cool YL and a good reason. If I should ever get a dog (prolly when I'm older) I want a Golden Retreiver or a Lab. I love those dogs.

[Merika]

YL.....why don't you start a new thread about your upcoming wedding? Are you going to get married in the castle? Have you been there before? Etc...etc.....inquiring minds want to know!!! I have tons of questions.

Sorry....now back to puppies..... It's not just finding someone to keep the pets during a trip. I actually just don't get any personal pleasure from OWNING a pet in the first place. If I didn't have one....I wouldn't miss it.

I'm glad there are people in the world who really love and protect animals (like Faybelle)...cause if it were up to me....I don't care. I'm not mean to animals and I love my own ...but I don't have a warm feeling in my heart for any particular type of animal.

[YellowLioness]

Faye brought home Conner on Friday night at around 8 p.m. His full name is "Conner's Caberet," and he's already proven himself to be a smart little boy!
He will sit with some prompting, already understands that he needs to go to the door when he wants to use the bathroom, and is treating the kitties well.
Faye said that his first night was a little rough, but that when she put his kennell in her bedroom he chilled out and was good.
She says his favorite toy is his teddy bear!

I have pictures of Conner when he was younger. He's a gorgeous boy! Nice head, but he may be too big to show. Regardless of that, Faye is thinking of entering him in field trials.

He's already gotten into her feather boas, so she knows he'll be a great bird dog!

[YellowLioness]

in general is the protector of the underdog. LOL.

[Merika]

We used a crate with our last puppy...and he just loved that thing. Even now, he sleeps under the big coffee table or dining room table...unless he can convince someone else to share the better portion of their bed with him. (He's gotten so BIG!)

I always though crates were mean...until I actually used one.

[Duke]

It's not mean so long as he's not locked up in it.

[YellowLioness]

Actually, it's not so mean, hon.

I'd rather crate train my puppy then come home one day and find that he's gotten into something bad for him (by bad I mean electrical chords, poisonous substances, dog food (puppies over eat frequently), or possibly physically hurt by running into something when you're not there.

Dogs actually like crates, especially hunting dogs and the older breeds of dogs (like some spitzes, Malamutes, etc)
It reminds them of living in a den.

Now, if you leave him in there all the time with no other animals for stimulation, and you use the crate as a means of punishment rather then for a bed/travel contraption, then yeah, it is pretty mean.

Crate training a dog should not be an excuse to neglect your pet.

[Stone]

My Dog was creat trained only for 1 year then he was completely fine.

I ALMOST adopted a mini doberman pincher last night, that was lost and Noah T ball game but someone called the dog catcher.... I think I'll call and see if his owners retreived him if not.. I want him :?