Advice for a Prospective New Owner

My wife and I are both dog lovers and finally ready to take the
plunge.

I have no idea how to go about obtaining a dog. All I know is I would
like a puppy. Pure-breed is not a necessity, in fact I'm not even sure
exactly what kind of breed we want (I would love a labrador retriever
but we'll probably go with a more medium-size breed).

I don't want to just walk into a pet store. What are my options for
getting a new puppy? I would happily adopt a stray so long as it was
still young and had a good personality.

Any advice would be appreciated.

"DaveR" wrote in message
...
My wife and I are both dog lovers and finally ready to take the
plunge.

I have no idea how to go about obtaining a dog. All I know is I would
like a puppy. Pure-breed is not a necessity, in fact I'm not even sure
exactly what kind of breed we want (I would love a labrador retriever
but we'll probably go with a more medium-size breed).

I don't want to just walk into a pet store. What are my options for
getting a new puppy? I would happily adopt a stray so long as it was
still young and had a good personality.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I'm "visiting" here from some of the cats groups. However, a good place to
start looking is to go to: http://www.petfinder.org/

In the left-hand frame, enter your zip code, type of animal you want to
adopt (in your case = dog, and you may want to leave breed blank or you
could experiment with it), age, etc. I suggest you use expanded search,
then click on "go." You should see a selection of dogs/puppies available at
animal shelters in your area. Click on the name of the individual dog to
see a picture and description. This is a great way to see general
availability (but remember that there will probably be a number of other
prospects at the animal shelter that may not be pictured on the web site).

MaryL

Okay... here's one way to start out.

You and your wife sit down and SEPERATELY write down a list of
characteristics you each want in your dog.... size, type of coat (long
short, medium, hard, soft), how often professional grooming is needed,
how often maintenance grooming or just owner grooming only is needed,
how much shedding is acceptable, activity level indoors and outdoors,
how easily the dog trains, attitude toward children, toward adult
strangers, is the breed suitable for first time dog owners.

Once you each have your own list made out, rank order the items. Then
negotiate to form one list.

Now start reading books such as the _AKC Dog Book_ (or under Breeds at
the AKC website, http://www.akc.org ), _Buying Your Purebred Puppy_, and
match your list to the breeds. Remember that many mixed breeds of
probable parentage will often closely resemble a specific breed in
appearance and the same or the other behavior profile. Oh, if the book
has less than a page devoted to most breeds, it's marginal in providing
adequate and correct information. I find most or the "pick your dog"
surveys on the web to be incorrect, often about critical
characteristics of a breed.....

Once you've narrowed things down, start talking with owners, responsible
breeders, obedience trainers, and groomers about the breeds you are
considering. Visit the national breed club websites linked through the
AKC website.....

Turn it into an adventure! Have fun!

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia

I have no idea how to go about obtaining a dog. All I know is I would
like a puppy. Pure-breed is not a necessity, in fact I'm not even sure
exactly what kind of breed we want (I would love a labrador retriever
but we'll probably go with a more medium-size breed).

I don't want to just walk into a pet store. What are my options for
getting a new puppy? I would happily adopt a stray so long as it was
still young and had a good personality.

Try your local shelters and rescue organizations. They can give you info on the
behavior they have observed in their animals and many are good at matching one
of their dogs with the right families.

If you decide on a specific breed - the rescue orgs for that breed will give
you alot of information on the breed- pluses and negatives. They can also refer
you to reputible breeders if you decide on that route as opposed to a rescue
dog.

Please try to avoid the pet shop puppies.
It is very hard if not impossible to find a well bred puppy at them although
they all look precious and call out to you to adopt them.

-sunny