Dog For Sale – Buyer Beware

It’s frightening how people have come to benefit off the backs of our furry friends. But sadly, the world we live in today allows for people who own dogs to do whatever they want with their dog, and then turn around and pass the dog for sale off as an excellent pedigree to well paying new owners. The dog may end up being sickly, and then the owner and the dog are both paying due to someone’s greed. Help a dog by helping yourself. The following is educational information on how to be discriminatory when there is a dog for sale when looking to buy.

When it comes down to it, there are reputable breeders who care about the breed standards when they breed dogs. Their dogs are show dogs that aren’t bred until they are sure they have homes for all the puppies that will be born, and they usually have a wait list. They have references up the wazoo, can give you the registry it’s under, and care deeply about keeping champion lines. Most importantly, they don’t try and sell their dogs until they are mature enough to be taken from their mothers. The old standard was 8 weeks, but we now know that dogs will do best if taken from their mother after 12 weeks. They will have less behavioral problems and be more socially competent. Always keep this in mind when you find a puppy or dog for sale.

Often times, dogs that are purchased from a pet shop come from backyard breeders or puppy mills. Most of us can recall the images of puppies in a small cage, their mothers trapped in there with them, with matted fur and wallowing in their own filth by no choice of their own. The pads are torn open from the wire cages they live in day after day, and their existence is made up of having one litter after another. The only life they’ve ever known is inside a cramped cage with little room to move. You don’t necessarily have to know about the horrors that a dog has gone through just to get a pet into most pet shops, but you’ll often pay for it when your dog comes home sickly or dying. So don’t trust a pet shop to sell you a healthy “registered puppy.”

Look for words like, “From a champion line” or “fully registered” in an advertisement – this is often another red flag. You will want to verify the owner’s information, the dog who won, which champion won, and how far back the lineage goes. A dog can come from a champion line from generations and generations back! That doesn’t necessarily mean their parents were winners. And unless you are very familiar with formidable registries in the dog business, don’t trust anyone just because they say they are registered. Many times, there are registries that have the same initials as a real registry, but doesn’t care about pedigree or breed.

Go to a breeder’s house if possible. If they insist on meeting you in a certain location to give you a dog, it may be a red flag that they are in fact a puppy mill. You should be able to see how the animals are treated. Ask how often the dog is bred. A female should only be bred once every two years. Any more, and it’s not only unhealthy for the female, but produces weaker puppies.

Once you’ve done your research, when you decide to purchase a puppy, don’t be afraid to ask for a money back guarantee.  Also, ask that shipping costs be returned if you get it from somewhere far away.  I wouldn’t really recommend doing this unless your set on a particular breed and you know this is a good breeder, as even if the dog is in good health, there is always a great amount of stress that comes from a dog being in the compartment of a plane.  Stress lowers an animals immune system and makes them more susceptible to disease.  Imagine the diseases that can be caught in the cargo hold of a plane…

Nowadays, there is a pet airline that ships dogs in the main cabin rather than cargo.  They only fly to select cities so far, but it’s a nice change from having to worry about your dog being flown in a cargo rattling around with your luggage.

Get a well dog check for your dog as soon as possible.  Your new dog will most likely need vaccines and to be checked for any diseases she might have.  If there are any problems, you should be able to contact the breeder and ask for your money back, but chances are, you would have to give the dog back.  If you’ve already bonded with the dog, you would have to work something out with the breeder.

When in doubt, adopt. I actually would never buy a dog or any other animal from a breeder again (not including fish, but we do what we can, right?) Shelters are overcrowded with dogs, cats, and other animals that need a home. Depending on the shelter, a dog may be put down simply because there is no room to put the animal. It’s not the shelter’s fault. There are so many unwanted pets, now, who are suffering because there are too many dogs and not enough homes. And all you have to do is walk into a shelter and see these dogs for sale! You might even find a puppy or dog for sale that's the breed you want.

There are so many benefits from adopting a new dog. First of all, there is something incredible about watching an animal get better because you took care of it. When an animal finally accepts that you are going to take good care of them, no matter what their past was, it is one of the most pleasant feelings you can ever experience.

Another benefit is the cost. Most shelters will give you micro chipping, vaccines, spay or neuter, and an overall health check included in the cost of adoption. If you’re concerned about wanting a specific breed, a little research and some luck will find you the breed you want. Now that we have pet finder, it’s a lot easier to connect with shelters, big and small, and find organizations that specialize in certain dog breeds.

Also, in these times, even breeders can't afford to keep their dogs anymore. So the chances of you finding a dog for adoption for the breed you're looking for is far more likely! So definitely consider this option.  If anyone offers you a free dog, think about this: most vets will wave the initial "well dog check" examination (not including shots and test) for pets adopted from a shelter.  Most dogs will already be spayed/neutered, micro-chipped, or have his shots up to date.  A free dog will end up costing you withing several hundreds of dollars to take care of for properly, while a shelter dog doesn't often go over a hundred dollars depending on the shelter type.  It's something to consider.

Once you have your dog, you will need to consider many things, such as dog kennels, doggy day care, dog collars, fleas, obedience, and possibly even clothes, depending on what kind of dog you get.

In the end, we love our dogs, but not everyone does. Education can save a lot of heart ache, and I hope that this will help people in choosing their new companion.