Posted on 04/11/2009 6:18:41 PM PDT by Onelifetogive
Never buy from a Pet Shop.
If you buy a puppy from a Pet Store, you have missed the entire point of this site. You don't get to see the parents, you learn nothing about the conditions of the kennels, and you don't get to question the breeders. In short, you are supporting the Puppy Mill industry. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!
See both parents of the puppy.
If the breeders make any excuse for why you can't see both parents, walk away. One of the parents died, ran away, is sick, or is visiting his cousins in Albuquerque…..whatever excuse they make. There are way too many wonderful breeders out there for every breed. You don't have to deal with one where you can't see the parents. See the parents, hold the parents, and play with the parents. If you don't like the parents, you won't like your puppy when he grows up...
(Excerpt) Read more at buyingapuppy.com ...
I don’t buy puppies from breeders. I get shelter dogs. They have been excellent pets and companions.
I agree with you. If all you want from a dog is companionship, get a dog from the shelter. If you want to breed them or use them for a task (hunting, protection) then you need to look into purebred dogs.
Mutts are good dogs, in general. You usually don’t have to worry about the [genetic] problems of a purebred.
Don’t some “pet stores” house rescue animals for adoption? I know that Pet Supermarket does. I think you should recognize that fact and make a distinction between pet stores that are selling toys and food for profit and pet stores that are selling puppies and kittens for profit. Just a thought.
Same here. All of my dogs are from the shelter.
Save a life — get a dog from the shelter.
I had 2 shelter dogs that were very good at protecting. And I have seen hunting dogs turned into shelters. It isn’t just mutts that get dumped.
I have had 2 purebred dogs and 2 mutts. All 4 were loved. ;-)
I think you are right. Thanks.
Tiny had 3 owners by the time I found her in a shelter. She was only 2 years old. Her second owners had turned her in so they could get a purebred dog. They found out that I owned her and wanted her back so they suggested a trade. They said the kids had never managed to break her legs and the vet bills for the purebred were piling up. I told them to pound sand.
You can just as easily save a life, get your dog from a breed rescue organization. Then you’ll know what you are getting.
I was lucky enough to get my purebred Keeshond from the animal shelter. The delight of my life for 15 years, never had a sick day in her life.
I don’t see any advantage in mutts. Many are really great little dogs but they are not in any way superior to purebreds.
They usually lose some genetic defects of purebreds.
I have a friend that has rescued 3 greyhounds. HUGE couch potatoes! ;-)
I have two of my own for the past 4 years. Greyt dogs!
My friend has a sort of a mutt that could not be considered the pick of the gene pool. Part corgi, part terrier, he’s a nice little guy but his body is too heavy for his slender long legs. Pity, he’s not going to have a long lif, as he’s in pain a lot of the time. A corgi, as you know, is a very sturdy little dog, very low to the ground with a heavy body balanced on quite sturdy short legs. A very old breed, they go back more than a thousand years.
I’ll probably stick with rescuing purebreds, Keeshonds and Corgis to be specific. My Kees lived for 17 years, my Cardigan Corgi for 15 and died in an accident. Neither ever had a sick day.
My daughter rescues mutts from the pound and many if not most turn up with terrible problems and don’t have long long lives. We all still mourn one marvelous little pup they rescued who grew and grew and grew to be a huge doggie, probably a collie/afghan mix. Gorgeous wonderful dog, suddenly got extremely awful cancer and died within two weeks of diagnosis. She was perhaps seven. With mutts, you just don’t know what nutritional support the mother dogs got; with purebreds, chances are the breeders did the very best they knew how to insure healthy pups.
Judy is very involved too and works with adoption organizations. Two of her dogs are therapy dogs. One is very good at it as he has lost a leg to cancer. As big as he is he still gets around fine. They really are great dogs.
One of my shelter dogs was allergic to fleas. The vet gave me something for her without telling me that it did heart and liver damage. She died at 8 yrs old. There are quite a few factors in longevity. The vet lived. (the jerk)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.