You are Here   >>> Breed Advice >>> Puppy Welfare advice >>> Getting a Puppy as a pet

Debbie has a website - SafePets UK - at -  http://safepetsuk.wordpress.com

How to Buy a Dog Safely - By Debbie Connolly

Bad breeding isn't just about puppy farms, it's about selfish people breeding pets and selling to anyone with the money.  It's about greedy people putting any two dogs together to make more pedigrees and not health testing.

Do not buy from bad breeders, you are NOT rescuing a puppy, you are contributing to a miserable trade.

It's only because people buy them that this trade still exists. 

Do not support bad breeding, where do you think all the rescue dogs come from?

RESCUE

Remember, there are many excellent rescues around and specialist breed rescues. A good one will vaccinate and neuter the dogs and many microchip. Good rescues have tested the dogs and will only let you take something suitable.

I've written about this before, this version is my funny one, but the point is the same, don't fall for lies.  Here are the excuses you will hear on your search for the best puppy and the translation.

Debbie Connolly

They're not Kennel Club registered, they're just pets, you're not showing it are you?
I have stolen/found this dog and I'm not 100% certain that next doors dog isn't a cross.
or
I bought this pedigree dog from a breeder who sensibly endorsed the paperwork to stop me registering the puppies until I did the health tests.  I didn't bother.

I don't need health tests, look at the parents, don't they look fine to you?
I am Superman and have x-ray vision.  This enables me to know whether my dogs have any form of illness.  Don't tell anyone because I am retired.

It will cost you another £100, but I can KC register it if you want?
It really costs £15 a puppy, but I can see you are too stupid to know that.  Also see first point above.

This registration is better than the KC one, that's just for show dogs/snobs
It isn't and none of them are.  My dog might be a cross, but this certificate enabled me to add £150 to the price.

I don't have the mother because.......
She got run over/belongs to my terminally ill relative/had to go stay at friends because she's upset puppies are going.  I really hope the terminally ill one gets you as I got these from a friend/puppy farm and that story usually embarrasses people into not asking questions.

There's only one puppy because I sold the rest, this is the last one.
I steal puppies regularly and pass them on to idiots.  Yes, he is big for 8 weeks isn't he?

I have health tested, but haven't got the certificates back yet, vet said the dogs hips were fine.
My relative is delusional and thinks he is Superman or a vet.

I have KC registered them, but the KC takes ages
Just give me the money, and I will string you along for ages when you will not care any more because you will be attached to the dog.  Don't I look honest guv?

I've had to put Mum out there, she doesn't like people taking the puppies
Yes I know she is trying to smash the window to get to you, surely you know what hormones do?  Please ignore the bandage I am wearing, that's a coincidence.

I will meet you at the services as I live up a mountain/am having work done/happen to be going your way.
I am amazed you are stupid enough to do this.  When I roll my window down and put my hand out for the money, you give it to me!  You do make it so easy for us puppy farmers, I thank you.

It's a new/rare colour so it costs more
Basically I messed up the breeding as I used the first dog I found. You haven't done your research either, so when I tell you this dog will win Crufts because it is a rare colour, you'll believe me.  Yes, stripes are normal on a Labrador.

Likely to have or develop social problems - congenital and conditioned. Most likely to develop socially linked behavioural problems including aggression. Also probably collie cross of some sort. Pedigree information is often unavailable and if available is sometimes false.  .

Unfortunately, because these problems are often inherent or congenital, they predetermine the quality, course and extent of the dogs life and therefore negate the benefits and whole point of raising a pup.

The expression 'Horses for Courses' comes to mind. If a pup is from a line that has been selectively bred for generations to have strong working drive and instinct, you may expect it to have problems adapting to a lifestyle where it is not allowed to follow its instincts.

Such a pup in a pet home is most likely to develop obsessive behavioural problems due to frustration brought on by the dogs inability to fulfil its developing instincts. These many potential problems may include possessiveness and aggression. Also more likely to develop hyperactive behaviour due to over stimulation in a pet environment.

Unfortunately, because these problems are often inherent or conditioned, they predetermine the quality, course and extent of the dogs life and can negate the benefits and whole point of raising a pup. More in the Breed Advice/The Working Sheepdog section of our website.

Privately bred pup - very hit and miss. It depends on the quality of the bloodlines and the skill of the breeder.

Unregistered (or registered) pups from registered parents are a better choice. For the parents or pups to be registered, the parents must be registered and eye screened and cleared. The pedigree can be researched and information about temperament and working ability in previous generations Etc, can be obtained and considered. 

However, there still remains the problem of the skill of the breeder. Registered breeders use registered bloodlines. Sometimes these bloodlines can develop certain less desirable characteristics due to an overzealous inbreeding program in past generations (see Pedigree dogs exposed). A pre-disposition towards timid and fearful behaviour is a common example of this. 

Many of these 'less stable' offspring are sold on and then bred from by members of the public - sometimes deliberately for profit. Pedigree papers can be forged. This is also a high risk area. 

More information on our website - Breed Advice/Roy Goutte - Importance of correct breeding and method.

Research into bloodlines will indicate that certain lines are more suited to certain sorts of work or discipline. At least that is the theory - one has to allow for breeders mistakes and natural throwbacks. 

There are two recognised registers in the UK. The Kennel Club (KC) and the International Sheepdog Society (ISDS). Both these groups keep stud books and registers of breeders. More info in the Breed Profile section of our website.

For a lifestyle of a companion and pet you will need a well balanced pup with good social conditioning to other animals and humans, a researchable pedigree so that working drive and temperament can be determined as well as the general genetic health of the line.

If looking for good temperament, it is not the temperament of the parents that should be the deciding factor, it is the grandparents and great grandparents you really need to research. Simply seeing the parents and noting they are of good temperament is inadequate information. 

The saying 'you get what you had, not what you've got' is used frequently to sum this up.  This simply means that the inherited characteristics from grandparents, great-grandparents and generations prior to them are more likely to influence the characteristics the puppy will display as it matures than the characteristics of its immediate parents.

The ISDS is the register of working Border Collies (Sheep Dogs) and therefore not a good choice as the source of a pup for companion or pet ownership purposes. If you want a sheepdog, go to an ISDS registered breeder, but not for a pet.

The Kennel Club is the register for companion dogs and therefore more appropriate for people seeking a pet. KC breeders will often claim that they  breed for a specific discipline. A dog from some lines may be more suited to be a Show Dog or better for Agility, Flyball, Obedience, Working Trials, Herding. Some breeders claim they breed for temperament best suited to the Pet/Companion market. But still be cautious as Pedigree Dogs Exposed has revealed that even some registered Kennel Club breeders may not have the dogs best interest at heart and the Kennel Club itself has not been that good at supervising and maintaining the standards of the breeders on its register..

Some bloodlines are dual registered - that is to say that the breeder has registered with both the KC and the ISDS. Pups from these lines should also be avoided. ISDS registration of a KC line is unnecessary and is frequently used by KC registered breeders to add credibility and a sense of tradition to a line. KC registration of an ISDS line is also unnecessary, but can be exploited by an ISDS registered breeder to increase the potential market for their pups by appealing to the pet market. Duel registered bloodlines indicate to us that the breeders motivation is purely commercial - no matter what scale their breeding operation appears to be. They are simply trying to

Watch out because there is always a risk that you will be offered pups that have been rejected for a particular discipline because they fall short in one way or another. Temperament is often a factor in such rejections. Look into those breeders who are breeding for temperament and character and are open and honest about their activities. If in doubt walk away.

It pays to research. It may sound long winded and over cautious, however should be well worth the effort as you are most likely to end up with a pup that is most suited to the lifestyle you intend for it. 

Some people who have contacted us with a pup to re-home have said they only bought the pup because they felt sorry for it and only intended to keep it until it was back on its feet and then re-home it through a rescue.

Although we applaud the sentiment behind this reasoning we have to point out that it is not that simple to re-home a dog these days. Rescue centres are inundated with unwanted or homeless animals. People are often horrified to find out that they will have to keep their dog for weeks or months before space comes up at a decent rescue.

The dealer who sold the pup has their money and is encouraged by the fact that they have offloaded their stock to a gullible member of the public. They go out and do it again, and again, and again. The only way to stop them is to stop buying from them.

Also - due to the sheer number of dogs being turned away by real rescue services because they are already overloaded and cannot take another dog in, we see the proliferation of opportunist businesses, posing as rescues, who make their profits by exploiting people in desperate situations. Some of these will charge you to take the dog in and will offload it to anyone willing within a few hours for more profit without spending a penny. Others may use some of the money they charge you to put your dog down - pocketing the balance as profit.

What an opportunity you offer them - they can set up a business where they get their stock given freely and may also get a cash bonus when the stock arrives. Everything they earn is pure profit. It belies the expression "there is no such thing as a free lunch" - for them there is. These people are no better than unscrupulous dealers and puppy farmers. They are all part of the problem we face in animal rescue today.

Think well before you buy any puppy - any breed - you should be able to guarantee that you are able to give a dog a full and happy life - a quality life - for many  years - for the expected duration of a dogs life. If you only see your own wishes and don't think of the dogs needs and make them your priority you really should be rethinking your motivation.

Copyright - Border Collie Rescue - 3037504