quote:
Please dont buy from any pet store for a puppy. they are just puppy mills and are interested in the money. If you want a new dog go to the American Kennel Club http://www.akc.org/ and go to thier list of reputable Breeders. Or go to the animal shelter (http://www.brazosanimalshelter.org/)in bryan all those dogs need home and some are the designer breeds that you would pay much more for at a pet store. There is also a website Petfinder.com and you can look up almost any pet on there from shelters across the country.
As a former breeder, I agree with Amy's post here whole-heartedly. You buy a dog from a breeder that does things correctly (professional with show dogs and/or multiple litters a year or quality backyard breeder) and you'll get a healthier dog, usually for the same or a more affordable price. That said, beware of places that don't look to have a quality kennel setup and/or cannot easily produce papers with regard to veterinary care or, if pure-bred, the animal's lineage.
The best basic pieces of advice I can give are as follows:
1) if anything about the breeder or site makes you feel a little wary or uncomfortable, listen to your gut.
2) ask the breeder if they have a dog that they consider "pet quality" and let them know you have no interest in breeding it or extending the lineage...major faults to those that breed animals or show animals are very minor to the typical pet owner. An example of this is a Shar-Pei (what we bred) or Chow that doesn't have a solid black tongue, an animal with a broken or crooked tail, an animal that is born with a non-standard color, etc. These animals will usually be just as good of a pet, have the same sort of health, disposition and life but will cost less for you.
3)Talk to them about their policies with regard to partial refunds or monetary assistance if the animal is ill or terminal. This conversation will let you realize before hand if the breeder is the type to replace the animal rather than assist with it. Most good breeders will take an animal back if it is deemed to have a serious illness or help with a partial refund or monetary assistance for moderate to serious illness. That said, please be realistic...don't expect any breeder to pay $1200 for a surgery on a $500 purchase.
4) If they don't know the date the animal was born, run...a big breeder might not be certain but can produce it very quickly...a reputable small breeder will know it immediately. I realize this probably sounds silly, but I have always considered it a way to get a feeling for how serious they take breeding and helps eliminate the shade-tree folks.
5) If they won't let you talk to their regular vet, run. Any reputable breeder has a very good relationship with their veterinarian.
If you have any other questions, post them to the thread...there are a lot of very knowledgeable animal folks on the boards.
Good luck!
