That puppy in the window!

All the posts labelled That puppy in the window! are dedicated to the dogs who are worse-off due our mistakes, intentional or not!  Being a new pet owner myself and having learnt some very harsh lessons, I feel obligated to share them with you.
So you decided to get a pet? A puppy or a kitten possibly. Is your mind conjuring up a “cute” puppy??


How would you go about it? Would you just go to that shop near your house and get one? Or ask around for a  person who sells puppies and pick one? Or would you check for puppies online and find breeders in your city that sell pups?



In India atleast, from what I have seen there are 3 major factors that determine this choice – Breed, looks & price!

Let us quickly review these criteria:

Breed – Often, too little thought is put into the breed of the dog. Breed is often selected based on size and appearance. The importance of choosing the right breed cannot be discussed in this one post but heres a quick summary – at the very least you, need to think of the following when you are choosing the breed of your dog:

1. Do you want a working dog?
2. How big is your house, how much yard space can you give your dog?
3. How big do you want your dog to be; saw its mom? 
4. How much exercise does your dog need daily? Can you provide it?
5. Are the the weather conditions in your city suitable for the breed?  
6. Would you want dog to be a guard dog?
7. What will you do if the dog gets too big and powerful to handle? 
8. Are you a lap-dog person?
9. Are you willing to put up with a dog that sheds hair?
10. Do you want a "show dog"?

Although it should not be the deciding factor, take a breed selector quiz online, it’ll give you an idea of the factors that the choice of breed should be based on!

Appearance – possibly the most misleading criteria. Like they say appearances can be deceptive; but in this case, it can not only be deceptive but potentially quite disturbing for both you and the dog  if you base your choice solely or mainly on the appearance. Consider these things when you are considering getting a puppy thats “cute”.

1. How was this puppy bred? Did the breeder test the parents for genetic defects and health before breeding? Or is he/ she a backyard breeder? Genetic issues like Degenerative Myelopathy can show up later in life and be very painful for both the dog and you!
2. Is the puppy registered? Are the parents registered? In India, the puppy (if coming from a responsible breeder) will mostly be registered with the Kennel Club of India! Pure-bred dogs will usually have their pedigree on the Pedigree Database!
3. Is the puppy socialised? Is the breeder aware of puppy imprinting?
4. Does the puppy confirm to the breed standard? Does the puppy’s mom confirm to the standard?
5. How did the breeder choose the two dogs for breeding?

In India, where the dog industry is actually quite undeveloped for the most part, you may find that the breeder has no idea what you are talking about when you ask these questions. If you are buying from a family who keeps dogs and doesnt bother with the above, I’m not saying it is bad. I’m just saying you should be aware and prepared for the issues the puppy may have! Our two puppies were bought from a puppy mill, only we didn’t know it then. It doesnt make the happiness our dogs bring us any less, we love them just the same. But we all need to be aware. The other thing that goes into  this decision is – for every puppy we buy intentionally from a puppy mill for whatever reason, we are endorsing the practice. Do we want to do that?

Price – Price is important, not just the price of the puppy but also the cost of maintaining it. Do your homework on the probable expenses of every kind – food, vaccinations, vet visits, medical emergencies, kennels or yard fencing, etc. Regarding the price of purchasing the dog,  the lower a dog/ puppy is priced by a seller, the harder you need to inquire why! I’ll leave it to you to figure this one out! :)

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