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Writer's pictureRachel R. Baum

The right way to get a purebred puppy

Yes, I know. My motto, theme song, tag line, reason for living, is “Don’t Shop! Adopt!


Only 1 out of every 10 homeless dogs finds a permanent home.

The rest end up in shelters or euthanized.

That said, the purebred dog will always be an attraction for some people.

Some of the purebred puppies I have been training lately have had their fair share of behavioral problems.

Of course, all dogs need training to help them become well-behaved members of the family. Popular breeds – Labrador Retrievers, for example, or hybrids like Golden Doodles, are sometimes bred more for looks than for temperament. I’ve noticed purebred puppies that are way more hyperactive than a typical puppy should be. Some are even aggressive, beyond the expected jumping and nipping that all puppies do. I’ve seen more 6 week old puppies, which is too young for a pup to be leaving her mom and littermates. There have been puppies shipped across country that arrive sick – very sick. And I’ve seen people coming home with 2 puppies from the same litter, even though going in, they had no intention of getting more than one. This happens when the wily breeder claims that “these two are the last ones left…they love each other…we just hate to separate them.”

As we know from the proliferation of puppy mills and backyard breeders, there are some very wrong ways of obtaining a purebred dog.

THE VERY WRONG WAYS OF GETTING A PUREBRED DOG:

  1. Pet stores, the ones that sell dogs, not the ones with adoption clinics.

Pet stores, despite reassurances to the contrary, mainly get their puppies from puppy mills. You are not “rescuing” a pet store dog. You are making room for yet another puppy mill dog to take its place.

  1. Craigslist.

Reputable breeders DO NOT advertise on Craigslist. You might find a less expensive purebred on Craigslist, but you will be buying a dog that is potentially sick or was bred indiscriminately, with resulting behavior problems.

  1. Want ads in the newspaper, print or online.

See Craigslist above.

  1. Facebook.

See Craigslist above.

backyard-breeder
  1. A friend of a friend of a friend.

Unless he or she is a professional breeder, you are getting the same deal as you would through a Craigslist ad.

  1. A breeder who says she’ll meet you at a gas station with the puppy.

This means she doesn’t want you to see the condition of her facility, or meet the puppy’s parents, who probably have behavior issues.

  1. Any breeder that will ship the puppy to you.

No puppy should have to endure a stint in the cargo hold of an airplane. Besides, you want to visit the breeder’s facility to make sure it’s clean, to meet your prospective puppy’s mother and father, and that the dogs and puppies there are happy and healthy.

There is only one legitimate way to find that purebred puppy you want:


Go to the American Kennel Club (AKC) web site and use the online tool there to find the breed you want and a reputable breeder in your area.

The AKC also has a link to help you find a purebred dog through breed-specific rescue groups.

If you absolutely positively have to have a purebred puppy, please click here to read “The truth about purebred dogs.” Because even with the best possible breeder, there are no assurances that your purebred puppy will become the dog of your dreams.

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