Best place to get a Puppy

xzanti

We're thinking of getting our Son a puppy in the near future.. we've decided that as soon as he's old enough to name it himself we'll get one.. he's 2 now.

Obviously it'll be the Family dog, not just his, but it'll be nice to have a puppy that'll grow up along side him..

Where is the best place to get a puppy.. I know puppy farms and pet shops and the likes are frowned upon in this day and age, and rightly so.. so what are the most humane/ethical ways of procuring a young pup?

Also, any other advice that can be offered will be great.

Thanks in advance.

Whispered

Personally, I would look at rescue. There are pros and a few cons to this.

Cons: The dog is not likely to come with papers, or any real pedigree. To me that wouldn't matter at all, it might to you.

Like everything you would still have to be careful who you rescue from as not all rescues are made equally (PM's from users here would be able to help you there)

Parents of the pups would not have been health tested. This is not a huge problem for some breeds, but for others it might be.

You might have to wait or travel to find the right dog, but this would happen if you were to go to a good breeder anyway.

You have to pass a home visit.

Pros: You save a life. There are always puppies and young dogs available in rescues. When you home one, another poundie takes its place.

If you decide to go for an older dog, then you can look for one who has been in foster with young kids, you will be told about their personality, and they will be nearly or totally house trained.

The dog will come chipped, vaccinated and neutered or with a neutering voucher if the dog is young.

You should (if the rescue is any good) have backup for the lifetime of the dog. You know that god forbid if anything was to happen to you, the rescue will look after the dog.

You are not supporting people who breed only for money.

A lot of people think rescue dogs have something wrong with them, or that you cannot get certain breeds in rescue. This is not usually the case. The only thing wrong with a pound dog, is the owner who put it there.

There are other ways of course to ethically get a dog, but that would be my choice.

Tranceypoo

Whispered wrote: »

The only thing wrong with a pound dog, is the owner who put it there.
.

Surely that needs to be an official slogan of Irish Pounds/Rescues?!!

lorebringer

+ a million on the rescue idea - most dogs/pups will be assessed to ensure they are a right match for you and your circimstances. Unfortunately, as a result of the christmas market, there will be quite a few pups over the next few months put into shelters (usually somewhere between the age of 2 - 6 months). Many will not advertise these pups and you will need to go into them and enquire. As Whispered so beautifully put it - the only thing wrong with dogs in pounds (and shelters!) is the owners that put them there.

anniehoo

Im another +1 for rescues or Pound dogs. If you let us know what area you are we can PM you links if you like to have a browse and get an idea of each rescues ethos and rehoming criteria(some are more stricter than others).

Now, i may be shot for saying this but there is also NOTHING wrong with buying a pedigree puppy from a reputable breeder either if you feel rescuing is not for you. If you feel there is a breed you like and its traits are something you think would suit your family...then do your research until its coming out of your ears. Research the breed qualities, possible medical conditions it may get, what nutritional and exercise requirements it needs etc. Whether you buy or rescue the same applies. But most importantly research your breeder thoroughly!!!!!!!!!

Yes, there's plenty of dogs needing homes but there are also very ethical breeders in this country too, you just need to watch out for the puppy farmers making a quick buck and dont have the animals welfare at heart. You should be prepared to wait for a good litter, you should be able to view the parents and their living conditions, you should be able to contact previous buyers and see how they're getting on,you should be able to get a puppy health checked BEFORE committing to payment and the breeder should be more than happy to answer literally any question you may have.

fatmammycat

OP, I walk my dog most morning with a pack of good-humoured well balanced dogs who, with the exception of mine and a KCS, all came from the pound and I can attest that these dogs are just the sweetest animals I've ever come across. So happy-go-lucky and even tempered. Even the older rescue dog, who was initially dog-reactive has now found his place and enjoys his outing with little or no fuss. I don't think I ever realised how many wonderful dogs wind up in the pound through no fault of their own and could be- given the chance- a wonderful addition to any household.

xzanti

Thanks very much everyone.. lot of great advice there to think about

Much appreciated.

Bullseye1

Personally I wouldn't get a puppy unless I'm willing to do all the work if your son shows no interest. It's unfair on your son and the puppy. If you are willing to so the work if your son doesn't want the dog then what are your other requirements? Size, level of exercise and time you would be willing to spend daily, budget on food, insurance for the dog etc.

bleary

Some pounds would be reluctant to home a puppy with under 5s , they can be a bit nippy. Personally we got our first dog when i was that age and have some small scars to prove it. My parents held the view that it was our fault not the dogs... They were probably right.
A very good breeder or a rescue will vet the owners as much as the dog to ensure a good fit.

xzanti

Bullseye1 wrote: »

Personally I wouldn't get a puppy unless I'm willing to do all the work if your son shows no interest. It's unfair on your son and the puppy.

I said in my OP that it will be the Family Dog.. I'm hardly expecting a 2 year old to look after it.

I have been researching various breeds for a while now.. This is not something that we are taking lightly.

I am well aware of the care that a dog needs.

Sadderday

xzanti wrote: »

I said in my OP that it will be the Family Dog.. I'm hardly expecting a 2 year old to look after it.

I have been researching various breeds for a while now.. This is not something that we are taking lightly.

I am well aware of the care that a dog needs.

which breed are you thinking of? a labrador by any chance? please revert by PM if so, have some advice and buyer beware notes for anyone looking to purchase labarador pups. it's just based on experience of buying 2 lab pups last yr that ended in absolute tragedy that could have been avoided if we had this advice.

Also note - paying more for your pup doesnt mean all is what it seems.

xzanti

We are leaning towards a Pointer.

Sadderday

xzanti wrote: »

We are leaning towards a Pointer.

Ok, so if this pointer is to double up as a family dog and a working dog .... you should probably have him hip scored, eyes tested and make sure he is fully vaccinated and from a working mother/father.

you may also need to dedicate time to train the dog to retrieve and limit the time that the pup is chased around by the child.

If he is just for fun, gud luck and enjoy - beware of personal ads though, the pictures can be lovely and you could pick up a nice pup for free but you do need to research where a pup is coming from to avoid mistakingly buying from a puppy farm or a chancer - make sure you see the pup in the breeders home, see the parents and make sure all is ok.... I would advise that regardless of what a breeder tells you.. when you buy a pup, get him to your local vet asap and make sure that he is fully vaccinated.

andreac

Pointers are working dogs and need a huge amount of stimulation and exercise.
Your average daily walk/exercise would not be enough for these dogs.

People dont realise that working dogs dont fair well in the average home as they arent being exercise and stimulated enough, so just be aware of that.

Sigma Force

Deffo go with a rescue pup, pure bred as well as mixes come in to rescues all the time. You just need to find a rescue that will match up the right one for you and some will not home to homes with young children but many do so maybe have a look around and check things out, send a few e-mails etc. before you go to visit and don't just pick one because you feel you have to because it's hard when you see so many needing homes so just keep an open mind when looking.

If you pick any working breed you will have to work extra hard with that dog and puppies will chew little small pieces of kids toys and swallow them etc. so it's like going back to basics like with a toddler where you can't leave anything within reach or on the floor. But I don't see anything wrong with getting a puppy as a family dog to grow up with your son, you know already the work in entails and do consider the pup if you plan on having more kids that you will still have the energy and time for the pup.

If you are in the Dublin area maybe try <snip> you can also find lists of rescues on irishanimals.ie for your own peace of mind ask plenty of questions and a good rescue will give you lots of advice. There's also little books on puppy care you can get in most book shops the RSPCA has a small basic one which is a handy one to start with, usually found in most book shops.

xzanti

Thanks again everyone..

We are in a very rural part of Kildare.. lots of land around us for the dog to be walked.. and a large fenced in garden also.. obviously it would not be allowed to roam free.

As I said, we are still very much still at the 'thinking' phase, no immediate plans to do anything, plenty of time.. but lots of great info here to chew on ('scuse the pun )

Bid08

rescue pup for definite if you can get a pointer if thats what you decide to go with

Whispered

My father has a pointer. He works with her and she's still mad as a hatter. However she is one of the absolute sweetest little girls I've ever met. She has a fantastic temperament.

DBB

I LOVE pointers, especially English Pointers (are you thinking English or German OP?). Mad as hatters indeed, but they rarely have sharp edges to their temperament. Great dogs for an active family, very underrated as an active family pet in fact.

doubter

Second that on pointers - but keep in mind, they are hunting dogs..I am personally aware of pointer cross pups at the minute and I think there a specific pointer rescues in Ireland.Good luck.Please go with rescue.:D

Synyster Shadow

there's a gorgeous pointer in the village I live in and he went missing for weeks the man had a huge reward up for him and he's now back home so that just shows how great a dog they are now you see the dog with him everywhere even driving in the van