Buying a puppy online???

[cbg1027]

Just FYI folks.....16 pages in to the thread and haven't heard from OP since page 1....makes you wonder.

Also, I am confused by this post but it appears OP didn't care to read anyone's advice....so as I was inferring before......troll???

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2688961
See post #7

 

[dixonismydog]

Just FYI folks.....16 pages in to the thread and haven't heard from OP since page 1....makes you wonder.

Also, I am confused by this post but it appears OP didn't care to read anyone's advice....so as I was inferring before......troll???

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2688961
See post #7

Hmmmmm.....yeah.....I have to agree....good catch. Has already purchased the puppy! I think we're smelling a troll.......

 

[princessmom29]

I am sorry but the argument that a shelter puppy is not as save as a breeder puppy is just a lie. You really do not know how that shelter dog was handle and you also do not know how the breeder puppy was handle unless you were there 100% of the time. There are dogs that come pregnant to the shelter and are handle with care and love since the begging so it is just an excuse. Especially in really young dogs. We have our own very small rescue and we have 5 dogs of our own. Three of them were rescue as puppies right before they were going to be put down (ages were 12 weeks -16 weeks ) it is such a short amount of time that really will not impact on the dog behavior unless it is a breeding problem. From that day they been socialize, train, etc and they are wonderful dogs. Most trainers will say there is not such a things as a bad dog just a bad dog owner or an owner that doesn't understand their dog (or genetic problems). I could understand the argument in adopting an older dog from the shelter but not a puppy. Our dogs range from 3 years to 6 and we never ever had a problem. They been around babies, kids, older people, other dogs, cats.

Sorry, but that is not the whole story. Yes, a shelter puppy can be properly socalized for the beghinning, but you still don't know what kind of mental or physical defect is carried by the parents, grandperents ect. My BIL has had dogs come in the were shelter or puppy mill dogs who were fine the first couple of years and then suddenly turned on thier owners and because very aggressive, angry, ect. Iti s like a human with apasycotic break. It is common when some breeds are not bred carefully, most notably poodles, pareticularly full size. It can happen in any breed however, and the results can be catastrophic. One minute you have loving family pet and the next you have one that will bite anything that gets close to it. Sadly, there is nothing they can do but put the dog down.

 

[jodifla]

I want to make it clear nobody here has convinced me to ever buy a dog.

If someone wants to pay thousands of dollars so be it. I know for myself I never would buy a dog and I certainly would never expect anyone to convince me otherwise. Why breed or buy while a shelter dog dies.

The shelter dogs around here certainly arent' free. They start at $300 and go up from there. For about twice the price, I can have a puppy from a reputable breeder and get exactly the right type of dog for my family.

When I was at the dog show recently, one of the biggest in the country, many people bred their dogs, and all of them have websites. It's not the website per se that's the issue. It's the homework you do to check out each breeder.

 

[louey]

The shelter dogs around here certainly arent' free. They start at $300 and go up from there. For about twice the price, I can have a puppy from a reputable breeder and get exactly the right type of dog for my family.

When I was at the dog show recently, one of the biggest in the country, many people bred their dogs, and all of them have websites. It's not the website per se that's the issue. It's the homework you do to check out each breeder.

I posted about my puppymill rescue earlier in this post, and will say again that it is not cheap to vet a rescue. When you adopt they have been spay/neutered, teeth cleaned, chipped, and shots. In addition to all that she also had to have surgery on both her knees, this cost was absorbed by the rescue. So $300+ is not that much to add a furkid to your family JMO

 

[tonilea]

Hmmmmm.....yeah.....I have to agree....good catch. Has already purchased the puppy! I think we're smelling a troll.......

Or.... maybe she/he had no idea the question would create a firestorm. Just because the person was a)overwhelmed, b)simply chose not to take some of the advice offered, or c)didn't want to be involved in the debate doesn't make them a troll.

The other post, by the OP, doesn't say if she adopted, purchase, found, or stole (just kidding!) the puppy.

 

[jodifla]

I posted about my puppymill rescue earlier in this post, and will say again that it is not cheap to vet a rescue. When you adopt they have been spay/neutered, teeth cleaned, chipped, and shots. In addition to all that she also had to have surgery on both her knees, this cost was absorbed by the rescue. So $300+ is not that much to add a furkid to your family JMO

Actually, I do agree....I was just pointing out that shelter/rescue dogs aren't that much in different in price than the breeders I've been talking to.

 

[marie1203]

A shelter puppy is likely as SAFE as a breeder puppy, because you can socialize them yourself, but you have ZERO medical history on them normally, so you can get a quite sick dog...straight out of one of those puppy mills.

That was not what was being said and shelters will often have the info if it comes from a puppy mill. There is plenty of mutt puppies out there that have higher chances to have less problems.

 

[Swalphin]

The shelter dogs around here certainly arent' free. They start at $300 and go up from there. For about twice the price, I can have a puppy from a reputable breeder and get exactly the right type of dog for my family.

When I was at the dog show recently, one of the biggest in the country, many people bred their dogs, and all of them have websites. It's not the website per se that's the issue. It's the homework you do to check out each breeder.

Bringing a pet any pet into your home has a financial impact. I have never paid $300 for my rescues, cats or dogs. I live in a big city in the SE. There is one progam here if you adopt from a city/county shelter, there are hundreds of vets who partcipate, you are given a voucher for a subsatantial discount to getting the animal fixed and vaccintated if it has not already been done by the resuce. And if you do not get it done they will be knocking on your door, you have to send in proof within X amount of days. You and I are obviously from very different schools on this matter. I would never buy a dog. I have had wonderful pets with all of my rescues and I would not trade that for the world.

I do know people who have purchsed dogs one a King Charles the other a Golden. The Golden was a PK, that is a big deal breeder where I live, well you want to talk about $$$$$ on health issues. Sadly they did not live past 6 yrs of age. The King Charles also from a well known breeder cost $2500, and again health problems after health problems.

You obviously feel strongly about your beliefs as do I about mine, and that is fine.

 

[marie1203]

Sorry, but that is not the whole story. Yes, a shelter puppy can be properly socalized for the beghinning, but you still don't know what kind of mental or physical defect is carried by the parents, grandperents ect. My BIL has had dogs come in the were shelter or puppy mill dogs who were fine the first couple of years and then suddenly turned on thier owners and because very aggressive, angry, ect. Iti s like a human with apasycotic break. It is common when some breeds are not bred carefully, most notably poodles, pareticularly full size. It can happen in any breed however, and the results can be catastrophic. One minute you have loving family pet and the next you have one that will bite anything that gets close to it. Sadly, there is nothing they can do but put the dog down.

This will be a very minimal amount of shelter puppies. You are more likely to get that behavior buying from and bad breeder/puppymills. Since there are so very few good breeders. Plenty of mutt puppies out there.

 

[CouponCon]

Or.... maybe she/he had no idea the question would create a firestorm. Just because the person was a)overwhelmed, b)simply chose not to take some of the advice offered, or c)didn't want to be involved in the debate doesn't make them a troll.

The other post, by the OP, doesn't say if she adopted, purchase, found, or stole (just kidding!) the puppy.

Agree

 

[jodifla]

That was not what was being said and shelters will often have the info if it comes from a puppy mill. There is plenty of mutt puppies out there that have higher chances to have less problems.

The thing that worries me about mutts is the size factor...you don't know how big the dog will get when you buy a puppy. I'm also looking for a specific type of dog.

I also would be pretty suspect of any health info that came from a puppy mill...wouldn't you?

 

[marie1203]

The thing that worries me about mutts is the size factor...you don't know how big the dog will get when you buy a puppy. I'm also looking for a specific type of dog.

I also would be pretty suspect of any health info that came from a puppy mill...wouldn't you?

I have a puppy mill dog. We were young and naive and didn't know about puppy mills. We had to spend $2500 in vet bills 3 days after we got them because he was invested with parasites which cause other issues(even thought we had a health guarantee, which meant they wanted to exchange the dog). He never had any behavior issues in fact he acts like a lab because he was raised with one. We had some health issues nothing major but he still only 5. It is the chance that we took and now we are responsible for him. The reason we don't want him to have health issues is because we don't want to see him suffer. It is a coin we tossed he could turn up he doesn't have any future health issues but he could. We know as of now one of his knees have some cartilage problem but the vet said it might no ever develop and it hasn't in 4 years. Would I rather go pay thousands of dollars for a "healthy" dog or go to the pound. A million times I would go to the pound. Because even if at the end it would cost me more in vet bills I know that I am giving a dog a second chance at a loving life that they deserve. Not having health genetic health issues doesn't always mean less vet bills. Last year we spend over $8,000 in vet bills and no one our dogs have genetic problems just like anyone sometimes they get sick. One got a stomach infection that the vet thought it come from eating a fungus (since our yard is 1 acre there was no way we could found out what it was), a bloody nose that turn out to be nothing. Vet bills end up being expensive because they have to rule down things since they can't talk to the patient. Like the bloody nose it could of been nose cancer but he could of just hit his nose. You also have to put it in perspective at the shelter you pay less than $150 for a dog including a spay certificate worth $50. If I want a good breed do will pay well over $1500. I can put all that money into future vet bills if needed. In our rescue we charge $180 and that includes all shots, microchip, spayed/neutered. That will even you give more extra money just in case scenario.

 

[louey]

The thing that worries me about mutts is the size factor...you don't know how big the dog will get when you buy a puppy. I'm also looking for a specific type of dog.

I also would be pretty suspect of any health info that came from a puppy mill...wouldn't you?

Most dogs rescued from a puppymill are given a thorough checkup by the rescue, also most of the rescues coming from puppymills are not puppies. Not saying some rescued aren't puppies, mills are mostly made up of Adult Puppy Producing Dogs. Seriously you never know what your getting, whether you rescue or buy, you just don't and thats JMO

 

[tlbwriter]

The thing that worries me about mutts is the size factor...you don't know how big the dog will get when you buy a puppy.

Yeah, we got a rescue puppy who we figured would grow into a terrier-size dog... he turned out to be a 55 lb lapdog!

 

[princessmom29]

This will be a very minimal amount of shelter puppies. You are more likely to get that behavior buying from and bad breeder/puppymills. Since there are so very few good breeders. Plenty of mutt puppies out there.

I don't understand how you are more likely to get this behavior by buying a puppy rather than adopting for a sheter?? If I am purchasing a puppy, wether mixed breed or purebred, I can screen for a reputable breeder and see the parents of the puppy. I would be more likely to get a healthy dog this way than adopting form a shelter. You might have an argument for purebred puppy form a puppy mill versus mixed breed frm a shelter, but comparing apples to apples you are more likely to get a healthy dog from a known environment and set of parents that from ana unknown situation if you do your homework and stick to reputable sorces.

 

[CinRell]

The shelter dogs around here certainly arent' free. They start at $300 and go up from there. For about twice the price, I can have a puppy from a reputable breeder and get exactly the right type of dog for my family.

When I was at the dog show recently, one of the biggest in the country, many people bred their dogs, and all of them have websites. It's not the website per se that's the issue. It's the homework you do to check out each breeder.

In central / south florida? Shelter dogs START at $300 and go up? That's an outright lie. And I know this for a FACT.

And those of you arguing "well you don't know a shelter dog's background so that makes it no different than buying from a backyard breeder" seriously don't get it. It's not just about YOU.. it's about the breeding parents suffering at the hands of the breeder, using them to make a buck.

If you're ok with this.. go for it. Support a backyard breeder or puppy mill!

But stop grasping at straws to try to convince the rest of us that it's "ok" to allow this to continue.

 

[CinRell]

Yes, cockers have been overbred and can be nippy. The cocker puppy I got from a family breeder (oh, the horror!) never bit anyone in his 16 years; the cocker adult I got from a rescue was a snapper and actually bit my husband. I always had to worry when people were around her.

Do cockers bite, yes, but getting KILLED by one is exceedingly rare, like one report in 20 years. In 30 years in journalism, I've never written the headline, "Cocker spaniel kills child." I've written several pit bull headlines.....including ones where the people were killed. And there was a terrible case just last month: (not our story though)

I can throw out stories too... and I am in journalism as well as rescue... It is a shame you chose to write about pit bulls ... why point out the breed? And do you ever bother to write about the great things pits do?

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/articles/alaska.html
A three-year-old pit bull named Marley is credited with saving a little girl in Alaska from a house fire in early December.

Marley, a black and white dog who looks like Pete from the Little Rascals television show, grabbed the back of six-year-old Autumn Marley's jacket to drag her out of the burning house.

http://www.zootoo.com/petnews/straydogsaveswomanchildheldatk-993
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The wandering 65-pound Pit Bull mix might have seemed menacing to some passerby, but one woman will always remember him as her "guardian angel."

The dog, which authorities think is lost and not a stray, successfully thwarted a robbery attack on a mother and her 2-year-old son, who were held at knifepoint Monday afternoon.

http://www.dogsinthenews.com/stories/070301a.php
Pit Bull saves 2 women from deadly cobra,
dies wagging his tail

The children in the Fronteras household refer to their dog as "kuya" ("big brother"), and he certainly proved it on the day he sacrificed his life to protect the family.

http://www.dogsinthenews.com/issues/0104/articles/010426a.htm
Pit Bull Saves Man's Life, Dies a Hero
Good thing Gaston County, North Carolina doesn't have a ban on pit bulls, or this man wouldn't be alive this morning.

Steve Carpacca, 41, was asleep in his mobile home at 3:15am when his pit bull ran into the bedroom and started barking frantically.

The man awoke to a room filled with smoke and immediately ran outside. When he realized that his dog had not followed him, he rushed back into the blazing trailer, armed with two 5-pound fire extinguishers, but the fire was already out of control.

Four fire departments responded to the call, and it took a total of 15 firefighters to douse the flames. The dog never made it out; fire crews found the little hero's body in the hall just outside Mr. Carpacca's bedroom.


And I certainly hope you are 100% sure they were pits, and didn't depend on someone's misjudgement?
http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

Yes.. little dogs can kill.
http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/2001/pomeranian.html


Sorry to be so OT but PP is the type of attitude that makes me SO angry!

 

[jodifla]

In central / south florida? Shelter dogs START at $300 and go up? That's an outright lie. And I know this for a FACT.

And those of you arguing "well you don't know a shelter dog's background so that makes it no different than buying from a backyard breeder" seriously don't get it. It's not just about YOU.. it's about the breeding parents suffering at the hands of the breeder, using them to make a buck.

If you're ok with this.. go for it. Support a backyard breeder or puppy mill!

But stop grasping at straws to try to convince the rest of us that it's "ok" to allow this to continue.

Look again at my location before you accuse me of lying. This is outside of Detroit where the rescues are charging $300.

I haven't bought any of my dogs from puppy mills. Not sure how you are coming up with the outlandish idea anyone on this thread "supports" them. I got my first cocker from a family who bred their two family pets. These dogs were not "suffering." They had maybe one litter every year or two. He was my favorite dog ever, and will be hard to top (He did have a lot of health problems after he hit about 9 years old, though.)

My other cocker was a rescue dog. She was much older than the rescue told us, has severe health issues the rescue didn't tell us about, and died after we only had her 6 years and had spent thousands of dollars on her.

 

[jodifla]

I can throw out stories too... and I am in journalism as well as rescue... It is a shame you chose to write about pit bulls ... why point out the breed? And do you ever bother to write about the great things pits do?

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/articles/alaska.html
A three-year-old pit bull named Marley is credited with saving a little girl in Alaska from a house fire in early December.

Marley, a black and white dog who looks like Pete from the Little Rascals television show, grabbed the back of six-year-old Autumn Marley's jacket to drag her out of the burning house.

http://www.zootoo.com/petnews/straydogsaveswomanchildheldatk-993
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The wandering 65-pound Pit Bull mix might have seemed menacing to some passerby, but one woman will always remember him as her "guardian angel."

The dog, which authorities think is lost and not a stray, successfully thwarted a robbery attack on a mother and her 2-year-old son, who were held at knifepoint Monday afternoon.

http://www.dogsinthenews.com/stories/070301a.php
Pit Bull saves 2 women from deadly cobra,
dies wagging his tail

The children in the Fronteras household refer to their dog as "kuya" ("big brother"), and he certainly proved it on the day he sacrificed his life to protect the family.

http://www.dogsinthenews.com/issues/0104/articles/010426a.htm
Pit Bull Saves Man's Life, Dies a Hero
Good thing Gaston County, North Carolina doesn't have a ban on pit bulls, or this man wouldn't be alive this morning.

Steve Carpacca, 41, was asleep in his mobile home at 3:15am when his pit bull ran into the bedroom and started barking frantically.

The man awoke to a room filled with smoke and immediately ran outside. When he realized that his dog had not followed him, he rushed back into the blazing trailer, armed with two 5-pound fire extinguishers, but the fire was already out of control.

Four fire departments responded to the call, and it took a total of 15 firefighters to douse the flames. The dog never made it out; fire crews found the little hero's body in the hall just outside Mr. Carpacca's bedroom.


And I certainly hope you are 100% sure they were pits, and didn't depend on someone's misjudgement?
http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

Yes.. little dogs can kill.
http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/2001/pomeranian.html


Sorry to be so OT but PP is the type of attitude that makes me SO angry!

I don't write about pit bulls. I edit the stories once they come to the newsroom.

And dog killing a person is still news, and we cover those stories. And the ones that have hit my desk have been pit bulls. I had three deaths in a month or so.