It’s a Big Deal!

Buying a pup is a big deal. People buy cars and even homes that don’t last as long as their relationships with their dogs. You will likely be living with and looking at the pup for 12-15 years as they become part of your family.  Don’t hesitate to ask questions and to get the pup you want even if you end up waiting a little longer to get the right one or paying a little more. Remember, it is a big deal. To further emphasize the point, you can think about where you or members of your family were 15 years ago. If you have small children, where will they be 12-15 years from now? Being comfortable with the kennel or person you are getting the pup from is important. There are all kinds of different things that allow one to be comfortable with a purchase. I look for the opportunity to talk with the person I am buying the pup from. Ideally, I would also get to visit the location but that isn’t always an option, but I ask if I can visit anyway. The kennel having a website is also important to me. It gives some legitimacy to the seller as a rule, although I know there are exceptions on either side of that opinion. Getting current pictures is a nice touch. Important considerations for buying a pup include but are not limited to – good health, socialization, good history (pedigree, past litters, well designed kennels or homes of origin), intelligence, shedding, energy levels, etc… Do your research. The AKC has a great set of resources for specifics about each breed although one stroke does not paint the entire picture for a breed. There are also “clubs” that generally provide good resources. Social media is a little tricky as there are a number of groups out there that will warn you that you are destined for problems no matter which way you turn. Some of them seem determined to keep others out of their sorority or fraternity of glorious and disciplined dog owners. Within each breed there are also almost separate categories of traits that go along with the purpose of the dogs. In my kennels it would be “Show” vs “Hunting”.  Those things will be discussed in later blogs.