The best Places to Find a Puppy or Dog

There is almost a 100 percent chance the puppies a pet store sells come from terrible places called puppy mills.

Puppy mills typically breed the female dogs two or three times a year until the dogs no longer produce healthy and large litters. Then the dog is killed. Sometimes she is killed by a shot in the head, sometimes she is killed by being placed in a homemade gas chamber that is filled from carbon monoxide from an enginge exhaust.

Likewise, websites that are always advertising the sale of multiple breeds of puppies are almost always puppy mills selling direct, or retailers selling puppy mill puppies.

Frequently, the buyers purchase puppies from pet stores or online sources on impulse and have little idea of how raise a puppy. Many times because of the condition the enrivronment the puppies came from, or because of breeding of mother and son, or brother and sister, the puppies may be prone to physical and genetic problems.

Pet shops and online sites will usually claim they are selling puppies from small local sellers. However do the math. If an urban pet shop only sells three puppies a day, that means in a year it will have sold more than a 1000 puppies of various breeds. Frankly, no small local breeder is going to be able to produce that kind of quantity of puppies.

Frequently pet shops and websites will justify the cost of their puppies by claiming they are AKC registered. They probably are. But, an AKC registration means nothing more than the parents of the puppy were of the same breed. AKC registration also does not mean the puppy is physically or mentally sound. The AKC even makes that statement on their web ste.

If you purchase a puppy, take the time to see where it was born, meet the breeder, and see the puppy along with its siblings and its mother and if available the father.

There are three primary sources for a sound puppy or a dog.They are an animal shelter, a breed rescue group, and a reputable breeder.

I suggest before you adopt or purchase a puppy or dog you go to your local library and borrow a couple of good general books on raising and keeping a dog, as well as breed-specific books that are about the breed of dog you may be interested in having as part of your family.

Most of all I urge you to understand that when you bring a puppy or a dog into your home you are bringing a living, feeling, being into you home, not a stuffed toy.

You should make sure you are ready to make a lasting committment, have the necessary equipment and supplies for your new puppy and dog. Most importantly, you should realize it is a puppy or dog you are bringing home. It will be a traumatic change for s/he. S/he is not a robot and probably will present some demands and challenges such as being walked, possibly housebreaking, socializaton.

If you and your family are not 100 percent committed to making your home a happy and secure forever home for your new puppy or dog then buy a stuffed animal. Otherwise, you wil be miserable and your puppy or dog will be worse than miserable, and the outcome will probably be bad.

As my mommy use to say, "It is better to have never had a dog than to have one whose life you made miserable."

Since I was abandoned by my owners and saved by a no-kill animal shelter, I am a proponent of finding a puppy or a dog at one of these places.

If you are patient you can usually find the age and breed or type of dog for which you are looking. And don't forget mixed breed dogs have many attributes. The main thing is to find a puppy or dog which matches you and your home.

it may take visits to different shelters, or numerous visits to the same shelter, but patience will usually win out. Here is a link to a national list of shelters. http://www.petfinder.com/awo/index.cgi?action=state&state=&limit=100

x

Another great place to find a dog is at breed rescue organizations. As their name implies these associations concentrate on one breed of dog, and the dogs are usually cared for by foster homes until they are placed. The humans who are involved in these organizations love the breed of dog their group is invovled in.

Since i am a Labrador Retriever I must admit I have my bias to which breed rescue group I most favor. However, to be fair, here is a link to a naitonal all breed rescue list, http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm

You can also google the specific breed you are interested and the state or area in which you live.

A good reputable breeder is a third option. This can be a good option if you are looking for a puppy of a specific breed. By dealing directly with a breeder you can see the environment the puppy was born into, see its mother and usually its father.

Once you decide upon the breed you wish to bring home, look for the local breeders club in your area. Or, you can link into http://www.akc.org/breederinfo/breeder_search.cfm . This list provides a list of most the breed associations in the United States.

Many people know me as the Black Lab who turns Green. My human and I are available to provide ten minute to thirty minute discussions on recycling in terms of understanding the consequences of what happens when we throw something away. Since I am a recycled (adopted) dog, it is appropriate for me to talk about recycling. For more informaiton you can learn more about me at my website.

And last of all a final reminder. If you aren't ready to make a lasting committment to make your home a forever home for the puppy or dog you adopt or purchase... than forget about the dog and get a stuffed animal.