It’s Christmas morning, and you can’t wait to hear the shrieks of delight from your little ones when they see the new puppy they’ve been begging for. Ah, here it comes! The squeals of….what’s that? Horror?
You rush downstairs and see that your living room has been bombed. The tree is lying broken and dismembered, surrounded by torn wrapping paper, chewed up toys and oh my good Christmas goose, what is that smell? There are piles of poo everywhere.
And in the middle of it all, with your daughter’s new iPod cord draped rakishly around its neck, and its tail wagging to see you, is the new puppy. The baby gate is still intact in the kitchen doorway.
Nobody told you a puppy could climb a baby gate!
Note from Santa: Puppy On The Way
There is no better thing for the right child than the right dog. That’s a fact. But experts agree that the single worst time to acquire a family pet is during the holidays. People are busy, excited, tired and running around. Schedules and routines are wacko. Toys are left out and doors are left open.
And here’s something to think about. Many, many Christmas toys are played with until the novelty wears off, and then discarded. Most shelters and virtually every reputable breeder will not place a puppy or a dog during Christmas.
If your kids have their hearts set on a dog, consider this alternative. Have Santa leave doggy toys, a crate and a collar under the tree, with a note saying that the actual puppy will arrive after the holidays. That will give you some time to:
- Discuss the dog care details
- Decide whether to rescue a shelter dog or pick a purebred
- If you go the purebed route, pick the best match for your family
- Choose a reputable breeder
Discuss the Dog Care Details
If you’ve decided to add a dog to your family, be sure to talk about a few things beforehand. Discuss as a family who will be feeding the dog. Who gets to scoop the poop? There will be poop to scoop.
Who will provide daily exercise? How about when it rains? Who will do the house training? Will routine veterinary expenses strain your budget? According to the American Animal Hospital Association, the average pet owner pays $150-350 for veterinary care each year.
Give ’Em ShelterThe next step: Decide whether to go the pound or the purebred route.
If you choose to save a life by getting a shelter dog, do take an experienced dog person along with you, if it is at all possible. Ask the shelter personnel if they know the dog’s past, and whether it’s been around children.
If it’s a puppy, ask what combination of breeds it might be, and how large it might get. A Cocker Spaniel weighs around 12 ounces at birth, and a Great Dane weighs around 16. Not such a big difference. But the Cocker will weigh around 20 pounds in a year, the Great Dane, a whopping 150. Big difference.
Pure as Purebred Snow
If you would rather get a purebred, you need to research, research, research! First, check out what the breed you want was bred to do.
Do you adore your perfect lawn and gardens? Terriers have been bred for centuries to be fanatic diggers. Do you want a dog to lie around sweetly and keep you company while you read? Border Collies have been selectively bred to work at a dead run for hours without a break; lying around is not their specialty. Are gobs of drool not your idea of cuteness? Maybe that adorable Bassett Hound puppy isn’t what you need.
The American Kennel Club Web site is a great resource, and even better, every breed has a parent club with a Web site. If you Google a breed name and add the words “club” and “American” or “America,” you should hit the information jackpot. You will also find links to the official rescue for that breed, which is yet another option.
Selecting The Right Source: Beware the Puppy MillSo you’ve narrowed down a breed and now you are ready to find a breeder. The Internet is the new outlet for the horrors of puppy mills – and to add to the confusion, good breeders have Web sites also. Incredibly, the creepy-crawly for-profit puppy miller will often charge more for their sad little genetic time bomb than a reputable breeder will for their treasured pup. Remember: The puppy miller wants to make a profit. The responsible breeder wants to make a great dog.
Good vs. Bad Breeders: How to Tell the Difference
Here are things that are absolutely imperative, and absolutely routine for a reputable breeder.
- The breeder should have proof of negative test results for genetic disease in both parents.
- The breeder should have a contract stating that you will spay or neuter your pet, and that if for any reason you cannot keep the dog at any time during its lifetime, it will be returned to the breeder, without a refund of the purchase price.
- No puppy should be sold at less than eight weeks of age. Ever.
- Most reputable breeders will require a home visit, or a veterinarian’s recommendation. (No breeder wants one of their precious, carefully planned puppies to end up in the hands of a puppy miller pretending to be a good home.)
- The puppy should be up to date on de-worming and vaccinations and the breeder should provide you with that record. The breeder should also readily provide their vet’s information for a referral.
Here are some other hints that you just might be dealing with a disreputable breeder.
- There are always puppies available.
- Credit cards are accepted.
- The creep, er… breeder wants to meet you somewhere, “more convenient,” rather than letting you see where the puppies have been raised.
- The puppy is registered with an organization other than the AKC. The puppy millers developed their own meaningless breed “registries” when the AKC started suspending the privileges of persons convicted of animal cruelty and neglect. These “papers” are worth nothing. Well, you can use them as a house training aid.
- The Cretin, oh shoot, breeder has multiple breeds of puppies for sale, or is selling anything ending in “doodle.”
Hybrid vigor? Nah, just the genetic problems of both parents. Your designer dog, without health-screened parents, could end up blind from Progressive Retinal Atrophy, lame from hip dysplasia and dead from Addison’s. If you want a designer dog, rescue one from a shelter!
