Getting a Puppy vs Rescuing a Dog!!
Authored by Hollie Furey
We have been seeing a lot of clients with their new puppies recently for first vaccinations! Due to this, we have produced a helpful and honest guide on how to go about rescuing a dog or purchasing a puppy!
Key Points:
When you rehome a dog, you'll give an abandoned or unwanted animal the chance of a happy future!
Getting a dog or puppy is a major lifestyle adjustment that needs serious consideration before jumping into!
We would advise before getting a puppy to do some research on the breed that you are buying and the health conditions for that breed/ cross of breeds.
Before rehoming a dog or buying a puppy we would advise speaking to one of our veterinary team for advice beforehand. You can book an appointment here.
Rescuing a Dog
Reasons why Rescue Dogs are great!
We currently have a huge overpopulation of dogs and buying a puppy is contributing to this. There are lots of dogs in rescue shelters looking for a home!!
Rescuing a dog avoids promoting the puppy farming industry. Puppy farming is the term used when some breeders prioritise profit over animal health and welfare. Dogs are often kept isolated in small pens and used to produce multiple litters a year. Puppies are then sold to unsuspecting owners. These puppies may have health problems later in life due to their unfortunate start in life.
It is generally cheaper to purchase a rescue dog than a pure breed puppy. Often owners are expected to donate to the shelter a fixed fee prior to adopting, whereas buying a puppy can be very expensive! In most cases when you rehome a dog that animal will have already been neutered by the charity. The cost for buying a pure breed puppy can be thousands of pounds.
A rescue dog may already be house-trained compared to a puppy which would potentially involve months of house training and accidents!
If you already have a dog(s) at home, then whether an owner can adopt a rescue depends on the space available and the ability of the owner to ensure that all pets are happy and stress-free. Each animal would need its own safe, quiet space. Some pets may prefer to be the only pet in the household while others may like company!
Potential Challenges of Rescue Dogs:
You don’t necessarily know the history and behaviour issues of a rescue dog. This can be a risk particularly if you have small children at home and adopt a rescue dog that has not been brought up with children.
Generally, we have noticed that dogs rescued from Eastern European countries travelling to the UK are often very nervous and have behaviour issues often due to their history and the trauma of travel.
Some rescue dogs come with pre-existing medical conditions that would not be covered on pet insurance policies, whereas if you are getting a puppy, you would be starting with a clean slate.
Tips for Buying a Puppy
We would advise that if you are buying a puppy from a breeder then you should ask to see at least one parent at the breeders’ home. This helps to reduce the chances of buying a puppy from a puppy farm or under suspicious circumstances. You should be given Kennel Club documentation of the parents if you are buying a pure breed.
Breeder License
Also ask the breeder if they have a licence for breeding. If it is a one-off mating/ hobby breeder situation, then they will not have a licence. If they are breeding regularly then they should be licenced by the local authority in their area.
No Younger than 8 Weeks Old & Vaccinated
Puppies should not leave their mother any younger than 8 weeks old. At 8 weeks old they should have had their first vaccinations against serious diseases such as Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus and Leptospirosis with the breeder and also be microchipped. You can read more about vaccinations here.
Often at a puppy’s first vaccination the vet will ask the breeder about treating for worms. You can read more about worming in dogs here.
Common Checks for your Breeder
Check whether the breeder keeps in touch with previous puppies bred by them and if so could you ask to speak to their current owners for advice? This shows that the breeder has not got anything suspicious to hide or is breeding animals with known health problems.
Often a breeder will give new puppy owners an information pack about the breed, vaccinations, microchipping, feeding and care to new owners.
Is the person selling the puppy asking you questions about how you will care for the puppy? This is a good sign because it shows that the breeder cares who is purchasing each puppy rather than just selling for financial gain.
Check if the breed you want can be Insured
Some dog breeds are not insured by the High Street Insurers such as the American Bulldog XL so it is best to do some research before getting your puppy!
Higher Price does NOT mean a ‘better’ Dog
The most expensive puppies are not necessarily the ‘best’ or disease free. There is a huge market for selling puppies and particularly pedigree dogs since COVID lockdown.
