Best Places to Adopt a Puppy

if you are considering adding a puppy to your home, as a prospective dog owner a lot of research awaits you around the corner. With thousands of dogs abandoned and surrendered to shelters each year, you really want to make sure that you make a well informed decision and that you know well where your puppy is coming from. Finding a puppy is not really the hard part here, the real issue is finding a puppy from a reputable source that you can fully trust.

An overwhelming number of puppies can be adopted in the U.S . from various places: pet stores, local shelters, humans societies, breed rescues, breeders, farms, flea markets and even over the Internet. With so many puppy sources, prospective puppy owners may easily feel overwhelmed from the abundance of choices. It is really not a matter of choosing a puppy, as puppies are highly adoptable beings, but ultimatey knowing where to choose from. Following is a brief rundown of the most popular ways to adopt a puppy in the U.S.

• From the Shelter

With hundreds of dogs surrendered to shelters each year, this seems to be the most compassionate way to adopt a four legged friend. Very likely each shelter is populated by an abundance of dams with litters of pups already weaned and ready to go home. Having spotted a possible puppy to take home, prospective puppy owners should ask the shelter various questions so to ensure a good match. Many shelters now offer agreements where dog owners must commit to spay or neuter the puppy once it reaches a certain age.

• From Breed Rescues

If you are aiming to adopt a puppy belonging to a particular breed, a good choice would be to stop by your closest breed rescue first. These groups are typically ran by a group of volunteers passionate and knowledgeable about particular dog breeds. These dedicated groups often will be of great assistance in making the best choice.

• From Breeders

There are breeders and breeders, so it is very important to ensure that you are dealing with a reputable and ethical one that adhere to the Code of Ethics for breeders. Reputable breeders are often found at dog shows or may be listed under the National Club of the specific breed prospective puppy owners are looking for. Good breeders will temperament test their breeding stock and ensure they are free from hereditary disorders. Often both dam and sire are OFA certified and CERF certified. It is highly advisable to stay away from back yard breeders who tend to breed for profit only and advertise their litters on newspapers especially around Christmas time.

Obviously, there are many other sources for finding puppies in the U.S. however they are not recommended. Adopting a puppy from a pet store is high risk because often these puppies come from puppy mills which engage in mass producing puppies with genetic disorders and serious diseases. Newspaper ads and ''free to good home'' signs are to be wary about because there are no guarantees on the puppy's temperament and/or presence of any genetic disorders that may show up later in life.