I got a puppy for Christmas! Information and opinions needed

[lorieMN]

not all pet stores buy from"mills"..i happen to be friends with 3 different people that all own pet stores..they know who they are buying from,they personally go and check out the place..they offer a one year health garantee and cover nearly everything,they love and care for the pets,they are all seen by vets before sale..they are clean and fed and loved..now just becasue someone does testing doesnt mean your pet wont get anything,what if they tested at 3 years old and the dog didnt come up with bad eyes until it was 7?..how does that protect you when you bought a pup out of the dog when the dog was 4?..doesnt do you a bit of good..and I will tell you a story,this is true and I heard it with my own ears at a very large and prestigious dog show here in MN..one handler/breeder that is very well known asked my friend why she didnt breed her siberian,well this siberian is a freak physco from day one,she is beautifull,finished her championship her in the states and even won the national in Canada..and my friend told her what a freak it is and she wont breed her,this handler told her to put the dog on prozac and breed her anyway,then c-sec her and put the pups on any old mutt dog that will take them and to kill the mutt dogs pups..she says she does it all the time..my friend never in a million years would do that and she never bred the dog..but this is the kind of crap coming from AKC show breeders,they wont tell you about what they do behind closed doors,but once you get into their "circle" you would be surprised at what you learn..so go with your gut,buy what you want from where you want and forget what others preach and try to brainwash you with..this is fact heard with my own ears people..

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
An honest breeder that cares about their puppies, will never ever sell a puppy to a pet store.

If you want a puppy, then get it from a breeder, dont even consider a pet store. Trust me, it will save you lots of heartache.

 

[Rosalind]

I understand it can be frustrating filling out applications and dealing with some rescue organizations, but please try the local SPCA or humane society, or the dogs available for adoption at Petsmart on their adoption days, if you're not dead set on a particular breed and are only looking for a companion dog.

Agree w/ what others have said about not buying from a pet store and the importance of getting a dog from a reputable breeder as opposed to a backyard breeder if you want a particular breed. Sure, lots of pet stores guarantee the health of their animal, but typically their guarantee is that if the animal becomes sick, you'll return it to the store and get your money back. They are counting on the fact that most people don't want to do that after they've had the puppy for a month or six, however long it takes for you to find out that the dog has hip dysplasia or cystinurea or whatever. I've known quite a few people who got dogs from supposedly good pet stores and from backyard breeders, and had nothing but heartache from it--sick animals, animals with real temperament problems that no behaviorist can fix, animals with genetic problems and breed problems. The puppy mills will happily let just about any dogs mate and write up AKC papers on the animals based on what breed they most resemble, so you might pay a pet store $800 for a particularly gentle breed, only to find out that it's mixed with half a Preso Canario or Dogo Argentino.

Can you tell us a little more about what you are looking for in a dog that fits your lifestyle?

ETA: Bear in mind that when you play with a dog at first, especially in a store or a shelter, they will act relatively docile because it's a new situation and they are unsure of what to expect. There's a sort of two week long "honeymoon" period between when you bring a dog home and when they start expressing their real personality, and during those two weeks the dog will be really good, sweet, follow you around happily. After 2-3 weeks, the dog will start showing its real behavior patterns. Think of playing with a dog in a store or shelter as a first date, remembering that based on this "first date" you're going to be deciding which dog you'll marry. At shelters, it's usually a good idea to talk to the shelter staff or foster owners about behavior rather than relying on the first date--sorta like talking to your date's parents about her likes, dislikes, interests, bad habits, before agreeing to marry her. Anyone can look good on a first date.

 

[Roosterboy]

Yeah i did the dog breed calculator but i had like 27 dogs come up that "might" be right for me. I like the description of the dogs but most couldn't be found for 100s of mile on petfinder

I found a litter of dogs. Supposedly they are Jack Russel/Shetland Sheep Dogs. They look more like Jack Russel but some resemble sheltie pups with short hair.

I know what shelties are like because my cousin has a bunch of 'em and i have a general idea about jack russels

I know that the puppy in the backyard/shelter/foster/store are different then when you bring them home. My aunt brought home a really come and sweet puppy that turned out to be kinda crazy. This was in part because they didn't have the time to train a dog that couldn't sit still. We all still love her and she knows to sit, not to chew, and she is potty trained as well as knowing some basic commands.

There are 4 female puppies in the litter

1. A really beautiful dog but when we took her out she didn't have much of an attention span ( I mean no attention span) but i think this may just be because not many people had taken her out and she is still young.

2. This girl was larger than the rest. She would play, if i ran she would chase me and come in my lap if i sat on the floor.

3. This one cried.

4. She was very docile, just sat down. She had a longer nose than the rest

I can't really remember any more specifically but i will right again if i see them again


Edit: Our applications were approved for a couple other rescues and are home visit went awesome! They are going to try and help us find a dog that is right for us

 

[lorieMN]

Quote:
An honest breeder that cares about their puppies, will never ever sell a puppy to a pet store.

If you want a puppy, then get it from a breeder, dont even consider a pet store. Trust me, it will save you lots of heartache.

odd the only thing in this story you found to comment on is the pet store part...all I am saying is please dont lump EVERY BREEDER into the same catagory,just like any other profesion there are good and bad people,just becasue they chose to sell to a pet store doesnt make them the devil..maybe they do that because they dont want to deal with all the freaks out there...you know the ones,that want a refund because the puppy barks,or isnt house trained by 8 weeks,or doesnt match the furnature..

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
I would choose either puppy 1 or 2. Good Luck. They sound adorable.


loriMN: read this http://dogs.about.com/cs/generalcare/a/pet_stores.htm i would never lump every breeder into the same catagory, but if the breeder sells to a pet store, then they dont care about their puppys that they are selling.

 

[lorieMN]

Quote:
I would choose either puppy 1 or 2. Good Luck. They sound adorable.


loriMN: read this http://dogs.about.com/cs/generalcare/a/pet_stores.htm i would never lump every breeder into the same catagory, but if the breeder sells to a pet store, then they dont care about their puppys that they are selling.

sundown,while I see where you are getting your information..not ALL pet stores are like what you read about,the one my good friend owns is maybe the exception..she does take back pets she has sold,last week she had a 5 month old kitten brought back because the guys room mates decided they didnt want a cat,she took it back and payed him back and only charged the guy a 25$ restocking fee...which is way more reasonable then any breeder I know of would have been,most breeders will take the pet back,but they arent going to give you a refund..I have personally seen pups sold at her store from big time show kennels with the kennel name on the paper,it doesnt make them bad people..and she is very picky about who buys what,I have seen her talk people out of certain breeds for one reason or another,because they wouldnt be a good fit for that particular family..so again just saying,dont believe everything you read,take everyone at face value and on equal level until they prove they are not worthy

 

[Cara]

A breeder of any kind of repute is not going to sell their puppies through a petstore, end of story. They have no need to, with people generally waiting to buy a puppy from them before the mating has even taken place. Papers don't equal quality.

The petstore setting in itself is not conducive to keeping pups healthy, with all of the foot traffic that could be carrying many serious diseases. It is also a poor environment for the puppies' mental wellbeing.

 

[lorieMN]

Quote:
again and for last time cause its like hitting my head against a wall..open your minds just a little people..NOT ALL PET STORES ARE THE HORRIBLE TERRIBLE DOG BEATING ABUSIVE DIESEASE RIDDEN PLACES SOME PEOPLE NOT TO BE NAMED, ARE BRAINWASHING YOU WITH..some are good caring loveing people,so they make a living off it,arent we all makeing a living off other peoples needs ,wants and desires????

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

I'm very glad you are trying to adopt instead of buying! Good luck, I hope you get one of the puppies or one from the rescue.