Where do I go to get a dog?

Photo by John Talbot

If you have decided to get a dog, the next question is where to go? Of course, my first suggestion is going to be a shelter or a rescue, which is full of every breed and every age of dog ready to love you, but we'll get back to that.

1. How do I find a registered breeder?
If you are dead-set on getting a pure-bred dog from a breeder, it's important that you know how to identify a breeder from a puppy mill. The American Kennel Club has a list of breeders by breed. This is the most reliable source. Asking your local vet would be another. He may know of a liter being born, however, it may not have its papers.

2. What is a puppy mill?
If you decide to search your local paper or Craigslist, you could easily end up in a puppy mill. If you buy from a local pet store, sadly, you are most likely supporting a local puppy mill. What is a puppy mill? Google "puppy mill" and look at the images. You won't like what you see. A dog is kept in a small cage, barely big enough to hold her and forced to produce liter after liter year after year until she is past her breeding age. Then she is usually killed or dumped into a shelter.

Beware, as many of the puppies that come out of these situations, unfortunately, have behavior and/or health problems. I could go on and on about these mills, but I will spare you… please don’t support them. For more information and to help stop puppy mills, visit The Humane Society or the ASPCA. 


3. Can I get a puppy from a rescue?
Rescues have the widest range of dogs available. They find liters of all breeds, so they frequently have puppies available if you truly want a puppy. And right now, it's puppy season, so the rescues and shelters are overrun with them!

There are websites, such as Adoptapet.com, that will help you in your search. It allows you to sign up and put in your area, the breed, age, etc. of animal you are looking for. Shelters in your area are tied in with this service. As animals come into the shelter, their info and picture go up onto their site. If it fits into the category of what you are looking for, you get an email with the picture of the dog with contact information.  One more great thing about this service, is many times they test to see if the dog is housebroken, kennel trained, good with other dogs, cats, and children. What more could you ask for!