Archive for the ‘Puppies’ Category
Buying a puppy online?
Image via Wikipedia
When buying a rescue dog, always start with dog rescue centres as they will learn about the dog before handing it over and will discuss any problems that the dog has or had whilst in their care.
When buying a puppy, where do you go? A Ponterdawe couple bought one online, it was delivered by the breeder with forged papers and despite £200 of vet bills, the puppy died one week later. They can no longer contact the breeder. See the South Wales Evening Post for the full story.
While this is an awful shame and the couple were indeed conned, they made many mistakes which could have kept them out of trouble.
First of all, always see the puppy before buying, don’t buy online or agree to pay until at least this event. Any sellers who have suddenly moved and want to courier the puppy to you should be avoided at all costs, even if the puppy is free. You’ll usually have to hand over courier charges for a puppy which probably doesn’t exist. If there doesn’t seem to be any costs involved, still be wary, when this puppy is stuck in transit and someone need’s money before it dies in a box, you’ll HAVE to pay up just in case the puppy is real.
Secondly, see the parents. Sometimes the father was on loan and is unavailable, but the mother should always be seen. If both parents look healthy, calm, relaxed, non-aggressive and not fearful, they should pass step 1. As the mother in particular teaches the puppy his first lessons in life, coupled with shared DNA, an aggressive dog will often rear aggressive pups. A good breeder will only breed from dogs with a good temperament. When choosing from a litter, don’t choose the frightened one in the corner, pick from the ones who comes to investigate.
Thirdly, inspect the papers thoroughly, know what you’re looking for, question anything that leads you to doubt authenticity.
Finally, go home without the puppy, don’t make any promises, think about it, make phone calls if necessary to check details, see another litter or breeder, choose carefully and make sure you’re ready for the commitment.
There are breeders, and there are puppy farms. (there are also accidentals which I won’t cover). The puppy farms care little about the puppy’s health, they just churn out litter after litter to make as much money as possible. This can be in a large farm yard or a kitchen floor. Good breeders care about every puppy, are meticulous about every single mating and will be the first to want their puppies back if the owner/puppy turned out to be an unsuitable pairing. They will want to know their babies are being looked after properly and some even prefer to do a home check.
Find dogs and breeders on line yes, browse picture after picture and say ‘Awwww’ at every one but always see the puppy and parents in the flesh. Never buy on line! Never buy over the phone! Be as strict with the breeder as you would expect them to be with you and you should be on to a winning companionship.
