What places should I avoid when thinking about purchasing a dog.?

Answer 1

Good places to get a dog:
- reputable breeder
- breed rescue group
- animal shelter

Bad places to get a dog
- puppymill
- petstore (petstores sell puppymill puppies)
- backyard breeder

Here's a collection of articles on how to tell 'good' versus 'bad' breeders: http://www.wonderpuppy.net/breeding.htm
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Answer 2

This is definitely very informative!! The first poster made some very good grammatical and fluidity changes, but the article itself is just wonderful! No reputable breeder, breeds for any other reason than for the betterment of the breed... a yorkie-poo or a labradoodle .. to one of the posters up there.. "occasional" breeding does not make you a responsible breeder.. mixed breed dogs are mutts.. there is NOTHING wrong with that, but let's call a spade a spade here.. these dogs are mixed breeds and nothing special, save for the fact that people are willing to pay a fortune for a mixed breed dog, they are just as the writer described them "designer dogs".. there are TONS of these mixes and many others (not to mention pure breds) in shelters and rescues across the globe, do we really need "occasional" breeders adding to those numbers?!?! Oh, and one more thing, then I will get off my soap box.. Did you know that approximately every nine seconds an innocent animal is euthanized for no other reason that for being born?? There are too many unwanted pets and not enough homes for them, please opt to adopt or rescue and if you don't have an absolutely PERFECT show dog, have them spayed or neutered!

Answer 3

Easier than finding places to avoid, here is where to go to get a dog:
1. Your local animal shelter or humane society. They have lots of good dogs (you'd be surprised how many times someone is called up for service, gets cancer or enters a retirement home and a well-mannered, trained dog is now homeless). Or check out websites for breed rescues (such as greyhounds or ratbone rescue).

2. A reputable breeder. How do you find one of those? Go to an obedience competition or agility trial (websites below for more information) and ask the competitors "where did you get your dog? Who do you recommend?" How will you know someone is reputable?
--You can visit and they don't have dozens of dogs.
--They don't advertise in the paper.
--They don't breed constantly. For example, a reputable aussie shepherd breeder I know of mates her top female every two years and after her third litter will retire her from breeding.
--They have eligibility requirements, won't sell a dog to just anyone and are willing to turn you down.

What places to avoid? I'll probably offend a few people with this list but here goes...

1. All petstores. Regardless of where they got their dogs, keeping a dog in a crate with little to no interaction is a good way to produce a neurotic animal.

2. Puppy mills. How do you know one? Any place where they constantly have puppies available, they have dozens of dogs and females are constantly throwing litters. If a female is producing a litter every six months or every year, those litters will become sickly, smaller in number, and are more likely to experience health affects. The animals themselves will be poorly socialized.

3. Anyone who does not feed their dog top of the line dog food. When you visit the breeder, look at the dry food they use. Then go to the website below and look it up. If it isn't one of the top-of-the-line brands like Solid Gold or Inova Evo, than walk away. This isn't an absolute guarantee of a good breeder but it's a good test.

4. Any place that does not provide a full guarantee on health or a willingness to accept returns and refunds on any dog that ends up displaying issues like hip dysplasia. If the breeder has a "buyer beware" attitude or "you bought it, it's your's" than walk. You're probably buying a puppy that doesn't come from good stock and your odds on getting a healthy dog are random.

5. Anyone (a neighbor, a co-worker) who says "our dog just happened to get pregnant and we've got some puppies." A pet dog (ie: not intended for breeded) should be neutered or spayed. Any owner (unless it's a working dog on a farm) who hasn't done so isn't a competent enough breeder for you to trust.

6. Any breeder who offers "designer dogs" (ie: labradoodle, jack-a-rat). This concept is based on two things: producing a dog because it's trendy (and any dog that is trendy will at some point stop being so--that's how trends work) and that just by combing two dogs you can blend their genetics sort of like mixing black and white paint produces a can of gray. That's not how genetics work. If you mate a Jack Russel and a Rat Terrier, you don't necessarily get a calmer version of a Jack Russel. You get a mutt/mixed breed/All American dog that could be just like a Jack Russel in behavior. It's still a crap shoot and any geneticist could tell you that--mixing two breeds doesn't automatically provide a compromise version of the two.

7. Any breeder who doesn't provide registration papers for the dog. And not all registrations are created equal. I'd take a pass on UKCI. And as part of this, the breeder should be able to indicate the lineage of your litter. And no, this by itself doesn't indicate someone is a good breeder, just that I wouldn't trust anyone who couldn't tell me about the line of the dam and the sire.

Answer 4

Always avoid pet shops and free ads in the paper or online.

Obviously you want to avoid back-yard breeders and mills but this isn't always as easy as it sounds.

If you want a purebred puppy, contact your kennel club for a list of breeders but don't assume they are all good.

Contact a breeder and ask questions. They should raise the pups in the home, do hereditary health testing, socialise, worm and de-flea pups etc.

Do not buy from anyone who won't let you visit, who will deliver a pup without meeting you, or who doesn't ask you lots of questions about your experience and lifestyle. Never buy from a third party (rescues excepted obviously).

Rescue centres are a good place to start, as well as breed rescues and responsible caring breeders.

Answer 5

Please do not get a puppy from a pet store. These people get there dogs from Puppy Mill Breeders in bulk. Most of the time the dogs are not true to what they are suppose to be plus tend to have serious health problems. Also, when buying a puppy from a breeder make sure they let you go see the parents of the puppy & how they are kept. All shots, wormed & a shoudl have a vet to give you for reference to make sure they are healthy. Good breeders keep there dogs inside & treat them like family members...not just for breeding. Those people give there dogs away when they can't make money for them anymore.

Good Luck......rememember when getting a puppy. It is going to a forever home & love it like one of the family.

Answer 6

Pet Stores especially. It really depends on what you are looking for. Shelters are great if you just want a dog for a pet. If you want a working or show dog, definitely go through a reputable breeder. You can start at akc.org and look through breeders on there, but you should still ask question to determine which of those is a quality breeder.

Answer 7

Well defiantly not the pet store!!! The dogs there are from puppy mills and are very inbreed and unhealthy!!! I think the local pound is actually the best place to get a healthy dog they are mixed breeds that aren't as inbreed and healthier than any dog from a breeder and they need help!!!

Answer 8

Animal shelters and pet stores are good places to go. Avoid Puppy Mills! Unless you want a 'show dog' I would also avoid breeders.
You can always find a good pet in a Shelter. The dog's in pet stores need good home's too, but check the shelters first.
^_^

Answer 9

pet stores. PLEASE dont buy from them.

go to a rescue, or a dog shelter. if you want a puppy, you can find them at these places too, they are just more difficult to come by.

also, if you buy from a breeder in the newspaper, they are considered a back yard breeder if they do not do health screenings for their animals, properly care for mother, father, puppies-- if they breed the mother too often --- or if they do not care who buys the puppies. (also some breeds such as a boxer, it is not appropriate to breed a white boxer due to health risks)

and also, if you are looking to buy a dog for christmas, please make sure everyone in the house is ok with the addition to the family, you have time to care for and train, and space/time for play.

Answer 10

If you are really considering getting a dog, check here first:
http://www.dogsindanger.com/
and never get more dog than you can realistically keep. Sure Akitas are cool, but not if you have only room enough for a Chihuahua . also, never leave your dog alone, not even in your yard, thugs come and kidnap them to use in pit bull training, no matter what the size.

Answer 11

where i live the best place to avoid getting a dog s at the pet store. puppy mill?