Getting a puppy from a newspaper or shelter?

blessedmomof3

I was wondering if I was to get a puppy would it be better to get one through a local humane society or through a newspaper advertisement. Also, I was also trying to decide if a purebred or a mixed breed would be better for a family that has 3 children ages 10, 5 , and 3 years old.

dragongsd

Just be careful as shelters are full of dogs that have
problems. Why alot of them are there.
Newspaper can be good and bad too.
Ask alot of questions and hope for the best.

Curbside Prophet

Newspaper advertisements are not a good idea. I would say that all newspaper ads selling pups are back-yard breeders. You want to avoid these people at all costs. Why? Because a responsible breeder would not advertise in a newspaper. They don't need to, their reputation speaks for itself. So, IMO, avoid the newspaper, unless you're looking at an ad for a rescue organization. It's true that many shelter dogs have problems, their biggest problem being they don't have a home with a loving owner who will work with them. A lot of the time the problems they have is they bark too much, or they grew to be too big, or they were never properly socialized or housetrained. However, these problems can be corrected by the knowledgeable dog owner. Many shelter dogs are also fostered out or tested for temperment, so unlike a new born pup, you can geta better feel for what you're willing to train or not. Purebred or not, it doesnt matter. There are purebred rescues if you want to have a specific type of dog, but aren't willing to wait for a puppy from a breeder with a reputation (It can take a few years sometimes). Considering that you have three children, it would be safe to assume they take up a good portion of your time. Therefore, searching for a good breeder may not be on the list of important things to do. So my opinion would be try visiting a shelter first, maybe more than one. And get a feel for the types of dogs they have. Visit with a few that you like, and ask questions from the staff about the dog's temperment. Does he of she get along with other dogs? Why is he or she here? If they know anything about the dog's past. Stuff like that.

But one question you need to ask yourself before getting a dog is...do you have time for a dog? Everydog needs training, exercise, and healthy living environment. If you can say to yourself that with three kids you can still find time to walk the dog daily, teach it the rules of the house, and feed them on a schedule, GREAT!!! You have my vote.

Snowshoe

You're right on the money, Curb, as per usual.

Newspaper ads are dangerous for puppy buyers. The people who would advertise their dogs in the newspaper really don't know anything about the people who are getting their puppies, and they don't care.

Did you know that labratory personnel often buy puppies posted in the newspaper for labratory testing? they search for ads that say "Free to good home," or "Litter of pups- $50 each," or some such.

If someone is willing to take that kind of chance with their puppies, then it's probably safe to say that they took other chances too...

In case you aren't sure what I'm getting at, consider this:

Say you are specifically interested in a mineature poodle. Mineature poodles can have a host of health problems, ranging from a luxated patella (where the knee cap slips off) to cataracs (yes, dogs can get 'em too). They can also get a type of rage disorder, where they can get extremely vicious for no reason.

If a breeder is not concerned, or has no knowlege of these defects and breeds their dogs anyway, YOU as a buyer could be potentially placed in a bad situation.

You could have one of your children attacked, or, you could end up spending thousands of dollars in vet bills.

It is likely that if a person would be careless enough to place an add in the newspaper for their puppies, they would probably be careless enough to breed poor quality dogs.

Now, consider yourself a shelter dog. All shelter dogs must be temperment tested before they are placed in new homes. Plus, they are spayed or neutered on site, so that is one less thing for you to worry about. You can find most any kind of dog in a shelter- mixed breed, pure breed, or even a "designer dog," if that is what you are after.

Shelter dogs will be up to date with their shots. Plus, you will have the satisfaction that you have saved a life.

What could be better then that?

And, just because a dog is in the shelter doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it. People get rid of dogs for all kinds of reasons- maybe they moved, perhaps they had a child who developed an allergy, maybe there was a divorce...

that's just to let you know that there are many reasons for a shelter dog to be in the pen.

In regards to what another poster said about making sure you have enough time- that is where getting an older dog comes in to play. You can go through the shelter or a rescue organization, and you can get a dog that's already house trained.

From what you've said, a puppy would be too demanding for your family situation.

Hope this helps!

workingdog

Shelter dogs are allways soooo greatfull when they get a home. They will shower you with tons of love and devotion. I'm not kidding, you can see it in their faces.

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Cheetah

This is not true. There are many reasons dogs are dumped at shelters that are no fault of the dog. Here are some top reasons:

• "We're moving."
• "The dog got too big/grew up."
• "We had/are having a baby."
• "To teach our kid a lesson."
• "My new boyfriend/girlfriend/whatever doesn't like dogs."
• "Member of the family is allergic."

Those are just a few. In fact, my shelter dog, Eevee (in avatar) was dumped at the pound for that first reason, and she is the best dog I've ever had.

I'd NEVER buy a dog from the newspaper. There are too many BYBs in there. Any reputable breeder does not even have to advertise a litter.

DogAdvocat

Curbside, Snowshoe, and Cheetah gave you good advice, but I'd like to add a couple of things. First, if you are getting a puppy from a shelter, you need to be prepared for the dog to possibly grow to be bigger than you thought he'd be -- AND you need to still make a commitment to him, just like you would your children, no matter how big he is. With a dog, that's a lifetime commitment because his life may depend on it.

If you get a puppy from a newspaper ad, they may or may not know who the father is, and sometimes seeing the mother really doesn't tell you all that much. I had a puppy from a 40# dalmatian looking dog, who turned out to be a 95# lab mix, without a spot on him, and golden in color.

Newspaper ads for older dogs are okay, because it's likely to be from a person or family that has to give up the dog and are trying to do it without taking it to the pound. And since you have a 3 year old child, I'd really suggest you get a dog that's been tried with kids and likes them. You can't tell this with a puppy. It's only something you'll know with an adult dog. Not all puppies grow up liking children, especially if they have children that are rough with them as puppies -- and 3 year olds have a lot to learn about how to treat animals.

Keno's Mom

IMO the shelter is better simply cause the newspaper ad dogs are usually backyard breeders who want to make money. While some of the shelter pups may have some problems, many are there because the owners moved and couldn't keep them or a similar situation.

If you want a purebred type, check out the breed rescue groups and let them know your kid's ages, etc. - they probably would be better to match the right dog for your family

Lorina

When I worked at a shelter, the number one reason owners brought in their dogs was they were moving and couldn't take the dog with them. Other top reasons were that the dog was too big, too active (a lot of times elderly people who got a high energy puppy like a lab or border collie), or "the landlord found out and we're not allowed to have dogs."

Or in other words, there was something wrong with the owner, not with the dog.

Keno's Mom

Amen to the "something wrong with the owner - not the dog". Too many people "impulse" buy a dog/cat without researching the breed. Then they dispose of it when its no longer cute, convienent, etc.

Sawyer

I have nothing to add to the wonderful advice you've already recieved so I'd like to add a personal note. My kids are 1 and 4 - we adopted from a shelter. One of things that was very helpful to me was to research training, puppies, and breeds at the library first. This gave me a good start and prepared me for my dog's arrival - a dog needs every advantage possible to thrive in your home. You have your hands full, no doubt, and a dog will certainly make them fuller! Of course, you know all to well about being prepared

And I can't help but to add - people toss out dogs like garbage every day for many reasons and they end up in shelters desperate for a home. This is a commentary on humans, not canines.

babydolwv

i totally agree with the shelter buying is better... we had been looking for a dog for a while made the mistake of looking in the paper ( this might be a long story but here goes) we had been doing both checking our local shelter and the paper as we could afford an exspensive payment on a dog... well we wanted a puppy (i do have a 6 and 4 yr old) as we thought it would be better to get a puppy with no habbits of there own... could start from the begining teaching...well we had been looking for a while not for a specific dog and found a boston terrior with papers for $100 bucks in the paper......thought it was cheap for a dog with papers but anyway... so i called the ppl said she was 2 yrs old and they just wanted to find a good home for her...so i went thro the normal questions with the owner before making any major decisions....ofcourse #1 being is she good with kids??? owner said yes she was great with kids.... so i decussed it with hubby and he called him to go over anything i had not missed... told the guy we would take her....she seemed to be a sweet dog...seemed to mind well and ofcourse was housetrained, but we noticed quite a few signed of over breeding in her on the way home...so stopped at the vet to have her checked well they were booked so couldnt get in till the following monday it was a friday....so we brought her home and she seemed to be good with the boys....until i gave her a bone and the oldest sat down beside her... reckon he put his hand to close to her mouth and she bite him, thank goodness wasnt anything major was more or less a warning hey back off....well the next day while kids were playing she snapped at the younger one... she was laying right next to him, but i reckon him jumping scared her....so we just went thro a set of rules no bones for her and no jumping around the dog until she is a bit more settled down and completely use to us....well later on that nite while sitting in my lap she tried to bite my husband and the only way to get her away from him was to literally throw her in the floor (i hated that but he had not other options) once in the floor she tried to continue and run at my husband.... so once we finally got her calmed down (or should i say my husband did cause i was in the other room histeracall think omg what if that had been 1 of my children!!) hubby called the owners to inform them of the incident....the wife answered the phone and so hubby told her what had happened she said her i will let u talk to my husband and ask she handed him the phone my husband heard the lady say "u didnt tell them she bites???" so that was my lovely experience with buying from the paper and it will never happen again...the dog we have not we got from out local shelter...got her first set of shots before she left as well as dewormed for percausions...they also paid for her first vet visit and her spaying.... and also told us if we had any probs with in so many days we could bring her bk and either get another dog or a certificate to get another when they had one we wanted with lasted a lifetime no exspiration on it.... but i must say she is the sweetest thing ever.... and yes she seems to be getting a bit bigger than we had originally planned as we were not completely sure what she was mixed with...we knew for sure wire hair terrior and lab as her sister looked identical to a lab but she has the wire haired terrior (wild hair) lmao.....but anywho... i will no longer get a dog from the paper as there is not garantee what u r getting and if u get something like we did u cant garantee u will get your money bk or another dog in it place as u can with a shelter.......so its so long wasnt sure how to make the story short....

DogAdvocat

I'm sorry you had that experience. I think I would have at least threatened to sue them. They sold you the dog under false pretenses, and they also endangered the dog. Not all owner give-ups come with that much baggage though, but I sure understand how you feel.

babydolwv

oh yeah i forgot 1 important detail the owner did take the dog bk and gave us our money bk or we would have taken the option to sue them.....i still felt bad for the poor dog cause we think part of the reason she was like she was, was because of over breeding her and i hated sending her bk to that place, but we had no other options....

DogAdvocat

What do you mean by overbreeding? When I use that term I mean the dog has been bred too many times - had too many litters. I'm not sure how that could cause aggression though.

Could you explain further?

babydolwv

yes i meant by being bred to many times...honestly we were not sure if that could cause it or not, but when we went in to try to set up a vet visit a nurse was in the waiting room ans she said from the looks of her belly she was over bred. more or less just guessing...lol the guy actually told us that she has her last litter about 7 or 8 months before that and it should be about time for her to have another heat and when she did to call him if we wanted to bred her...so that lead us to believe that she has been bred every heat...

but as i said we were not sure if that could cause it or not...was just a guess

Bleuracer

I'de consider fostered dogs the best cause they are being cared for by concerned volunteers and are getting socialize and you can ask the caregivers what the downfaults are. Furthermore, I personally wouldnt buy a purebred unless it was a rescue cause there way too many pups and kittens getting put down daily cause they can't find a home. Why pay someone so they can make a profit when you can save a pet.

DogAdvocat

Ok, yes, it does sound like she was overbred, poor little munchkin. But I sincerely doubt that's what caused the aggression. It's more likely because of the way she was treated, or not trained properly, or even something she inherited. It could have been anything. Ideally she should be seen by a behaviorist to see if it's simply a matter of retraining. But that's not your responsibility, and your family's safety has to come first.

I hope the next time they are honest with her potential new home so that they can make an informed decision and get help with how to handle her.

babydolwv

yes i felt real bad that we had to take her back, but as u said my family comes first...I was so glad when she did that my children were asleep so they didnt have to see it...it scared me and i know it would of them..you would think when i asked if she was good with kids the first thing he should of said was that she bites or has bitten before, but obviously they really didnt care all they wanted was to get rid of her or get there money... I have always been honest with any dog we have had to get rid of.... makes me sad but sometime you just have to do what you have to do... but anyway... im not sure exactly y she went crazy like she did... i just hope she found a good home and someone to love her....

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