Chapter 5 - How to Know The Best Source For Your Dog

Introduction

Now that you have a good insight into what kind of dog will likely fit best in your home, you now need to decide where to get your new dog. When you are ready to get your dog, you have a wide variety of options for how and where to look. You can get a dog directly from a breeder or from a rescue group. Some people get great pleasure knowing they saved a dog from an animal shelter. Other people think pet shops are a good source for dogs while still others start with classified ads in the newspaper. With the widespread availability of the Internet, you can use the Web to find your dog. You might also find a dog that someone is giving away "free to a good home". Your vet may even know of some puppies for sale. With all these possibilities, is any one choice better than the others? The answer to this question is: it depends on your priorities. What is most important to you? Do you want to find a dog with the least chance of having a genetic disease or would you rather use the source that is quickest and easiest? This is just one of the trade-offs we will explore in this chapter. No matter where you decide to look, you should always remember there is only one primary source for dogs. Although there are many different kinds, the only source that produces dogs are their breeders. Everyone else offering a dog for sale is a reseller. If you don't get a dog directly from a breeder, one of the keys to controlling your risk when you acquire a dog is to determine what kind of breeder produced the dog you are thinking about getting for, as you will soon learn, each type of breeder introduces a different level of risk for producing dogs with genetically based medical and/or behavior problems. Before we go any further let me say there is no approach that always results in a perfect outcome. Each source for obtaining a dog has its own benefits, drawbacks, and risks. But once you understand the advantages and disadvantages of each approach, you have the information to decide for yourself which approach is most appropriate for you and your situation. Let's start by discussing the different categories of breeders and where you are most likely to come across their dogs.