A quick Google search seems to indicate it's a bad idea.
Getting a new dog
- Thread starter Zenthar
- Start date
I'm in the same boat with our oldest cat. He's 17, will be 18 in July.
Scam. Go to ARL or Furry Friends and be done with it.
Search for breeders online, but go in person. You should be able to find breeders for most breeds within the surrounding states. Puppies are a 10+ year commitment, it's worth taking a day out of your life to meet your breeders and see the operation.
Also on that note. If you're trying to buy online because it's less expensive, don't. Puppies are expensive for a reason. You don't want a breeder that cuts corners like not getting proper vet care. Again, this is a 10+ year commitment, spend the money up front to make sure your new best friend is the best it can be.
Puppies, like babies, are great fun, particularly if they belong to someone else. After several great successes with adult dogs, I swore I’d never bring a puppy into the house again. But when the wife decided we were getting one, we were able to find one to adopt from a local rescue without too much trouble.
I don’t get the breed-specific thing, but if that’s your cup of tea, agree with what others have said - find a well-regarded breeder and meet them (and the dog) in person.
If someone is bringing a dog in to their house and don't think that meeting it first is essential then I think their reasons for wanting a dog might be skewed or at least not fully thought out.
No offense intended for anyone thinking about that route.
Most any non-beginner guitarists wouldn't dare buy an instrument unseen or held and played. They might intend to keep it for years and years like you hope to do with a dog, but we're comparing a hunk of wood you can keep in a case in a closet and a living animal that needs daily care.
No offense intended for anyone thinking about that route.
Most any non-beginner guitarists wouldn't dare buy an instrument unseen or held and played. They might intend to keep it for years and years like you hope to do with a dog, but we're comparing a hunk of wood you can keep in a case in a closet and a living animal that needs daily care.
when we got our first boxer, we didn't do this.
he was over in nebraska but we got constant updates/pictures. turned out to be a fantastic dog. i think the puppy will behave the way you train it to behave.
now for our second one, we did go visit because we already had the first and wanted to see who worked well together.
I searched the AKC website to find registered breeders. But otherwise talk to them about what vet appointments they'll have before you pick them up. Even down to the food they feed them to make sure they're using high quality food. Also find out how many litters they've had and how many the mother has had. If anything seems flakey, ask for references of owners from previous litters. That's not always available, but many breeders have enough repeat customers that they get to know them.
If they're close enough to visit at least once do that. Pay attention to their setup - cleanliness, safety, comfort, etc. Ask what specific vet they use. Call that vet and ask their opinion.
If it's a bigger operation that has multiple employees ask how many they employ, what they handle, etc. Talk to the employees too. If it's a shady place or is bordering on "puppy mill" the employees will be less on-guard and might give more useful info about how the dogs are actually treated.
The primary goal is to find a good dog for yourself. I think the secondary goal should be to not support breeders with bad practices. They don't deserve your money.
Last year this was difficult to do in person, so we had several zoom calls with the breeder to pick the puppy and see how it acts.
One other piece of advice I forgot. Put in a deposit and get on a waiting list early, before the litter is born. That way you can typically get an early selection of puppies so you can pick exactly the traits that you want.
If you're looking for a specific breed, see if there's a breed-specific rescue. We got a German Shorthair/German Wirehair mix in November from Great Plains Pointer Rescue (https://www.greatpointers.org/). I had been following them for a while hoping they'd get a puppy and when they finally did I lucked out that it was already in Des Moines so we were put at the top of the list. He's at a trainer right now and it looks like we're going to have a nice pet/hunting dog.
Agreed, I wanted to test drive my wife before marriage, no interest in those Ukrainian mail order brides.
Do not buy online. There was a setup here in Iowa, where they were claiming to be a rescue, and selling dogs to wealthy Chiburb people for thousands of dollars. The dogs were actually from puppy mills. They got some jail time for that, but the mills that were involved are still operating.
Some chain stores charge so much they will FINANCE your pet, again thousands and thousands of dollars and often puppy mill origins.
Go to a local rescue, there are boatloads of them and all those dogs/cats need homes.
GF & I are involved in this doing medical fostering for the shelters. We've had a fell terrier who had nearly fatal diabetes because his owner was a stoner, a cat that was flat out neglected to almost death in a semi-hoarding situation, and now a little affie who got run over by a truck, had to have tail/spine surgery, and will have to have a rear leg amputated soon. And is absolutely the sweetest little dog you have ever met.
My point is that shelter pets are often the sweetest and most loving ones you will ever find. People seem to think they are defective somehow, but that has been the exact opposite of my experience.
Here is a list of very well run rescues, mostly in eastern Iowa:
CC Rescue Partners
Some chain stores charge so much they will FINANCE your pet, again thousands and thousands of dollars and often puppy mill origins.
Go to a local rescue, there are boatloads of them and all those dogs/cats need homes.
GF & I are involved in this doing medical fostering for the shelters. We've had a fell terrier who had nearly fatal diabetes because his owner was a stoner, a cat that was flat out neglected to almost death in a semi-hoarding situation, and now a little affie who got run over by a truck, had to have tail/spine surgery, and will have to have a rear leg amputated soon. And is absolutely the sweetest little dog you have ever met.
My point is that shelter pets are often the sweetest and most loving ones you will ever find. People seem to think they are defective somehow, but that has been the exact opposite of my experience.
Here is a list of very well run rescues, mostly in eastern Iowa:
CC Rescue Partners
This is a great point. A good breeder will treat the mother like family, maybe a litter a year.
The other thing is meet them, and trust your instinct. If they seem like the types that treat their animals like their kids, that's good. If they seem shifty or money focused, that's not so good. Trust your gut.
If anyone is currently in the market for a puppy. My cousin and his family breed bernedoodles half an hour south of des moines. They raise only a few litters a year. A Facebook post from a few weeks ago said they will have some puppies ready for their homes in the beginning of June. Not sure if they are spoken for or not.
Here is their website.
picketfencebernedoodles.com
Here is their website.
About Picket Fence Bernedoodles | Indianola, Iowa
Picket Fence Bernedoodles strives to breed F1 and F1b Bernedoodles that are healthy, have a kind and calm temperament, intelligence and to be the best pet for your home. Our dogs are our family pets, thus the big picket fence line we installed around our yard. They roam our 2-acre yard and are...
picketfencebernedoodles.com
I can't believe people pay a ton of money for these 'designer' breeds which are really just mutts. It's crazy. Good for your cousin taking advantage of the fad.If anyone is currently in the market for a puppy. My cousin and his family breed bernedoodles half an hour south of des moines. They raise only a few litters a year. A Facebook post from a few weeks ago said they will have some puppies ready for their homes in the beginning of June. Not sure if they are spoken for or not.
Here is their website.
About Picket Fence Bernedoodles | Indianola, Iowa
Picket Fence Bernedoodles strives to breed F1 and F1b Bernedoodles that are healthy, have a kind and calm temperament, intelligence and to be the best pet for your home. Our dogs are our family pets, thus the big picket fence line we installed around our yard. They roam our 2-acre yard and are...
My favorite are the people who pay 500-1k for a dog who just ends up at the shelter a few weeks later because "they didn't know dogs were so much work."
We got a poodle mix and find the lack of shedding to be well worth the price. Plus, I save enough on the allergy medicine that I'll make up for the cost pretty quick.
But I guess it depends on why you're getting a mix.
