Puppy…or No Puppy

Published March 7th, 2008

Over the years, many clients have consulted with me before choosing a canine family member.  The three most common questions asked are about what breed to get, where to get a dog, and whether to get a puppy.  This article was written to help you decide between getting a new puppy versus adopting an older dog, and where to get one.  This decision should be based largely on your current living situation, time and financial commitments, as well as your value system.

Before I launch into the pros and cons of young puppy vs. older dog, a few paragraphs on where to get a dog.  Whatever you do, don’t buy from a pet store.  This may sound harsh, but it’s one of the few things I have a strong opinion about:  Every year, millions of beautiful animals are euthanized in North America because of our pet overpopulation problem.  There are so many wonderful puppies and adult dogs waiting for loving homes at humane societies, shelters, rescues, and from reputable dog breeders.  Unfortunately, pet stores, who buy animals as inventory, don’t fall into this category.  From a pet store you will often buy a way overpriced puppy that came from a puppy mill or a “backyard” breeder.  Puppy mills breed dogs indiscriminately under horrible living conditions and sell them in bulk to places that need large amounts of dogs–like pet stores.  My other concern with pet stores is that they will often charge $500-1500 for a mix breed dog or ”purebred” with no registration papers, and none of that money is going to a worthy cause.   Buying a dog from a pet store, no matter how cute, only means that you’re creating more of a demand for the puppy mill industry–the dog will just be replaced the next day by another one from the pile.  I promise you can find the perfect dog for your family from somewhere other than a pet store.

If you have your heart set on a purebred you have 2 options: 1) You can be patient and call your local shelters, local paper, the pound, or a rescue organization for that breed.  Yes, you can find a purebred at a rescue or a shelter!  The shelter will often work with you to get the dog spayed or neutered (if they haven’t been already), and usually the adoption fee will include at least some of the vaccines and possibly even the surgery. 2) If you want to pay money to a breeder, do your research and find a reputable one who will give you information on the dog, show you where they came from, guarantee them, and register them.  If you want to know how good the breeder is, get referrals from people you know.  You can also ask them for 3 references, and follow up on all of them.

My place of preference for getting a dog is a shelter, rescue, or clinic.  It’s true, you may not get an exact background on where the dog came from, or their lineage, but it doesn’t matter to me (besides, I’ve had so many clients who bought a puppy from a pet store and were told the wrong mix anyway).  It’s their furry little face and award winning personality that gets me every time.  They all are so deserving of a second chance at a happy life.  Right now, I have 2 Labrador Retrievers:  One came in for a euthanasia at a clinic where I was working, and the other was disqualified from a seeing eye dog program.  Both of these wonderful souls would have met a bad end before even reaching adulthood because of having painful hip dysplasia, but now have a terrific life!  

I’ve listed a couple of pros and cons for getting a puppy vs. an older dog below.  It really does depend on your financial and time commitment, lifestyle, as well as your values: 

Pros of getting a puppy

• You can train them from day one
• You might be able to have more history on them
• You can watch them grow

Cons of getting a puppy

• Large time commitment and responsibility in the first few months to veterinary visits and training
• Need to be prepared financially for 3 sets of vaccines, sterilization surgery, puppy classes, and any medical emergencies, on top of the cost of getting the puppy

Pros of getting an older dog

• They should have some basic training, and will likely already be housetrained
• They may be calmer and less maintenance that a puppy
• They are often so happy to be back in a home they settle in nicely

Cons of getting an older dog

• May have some outstanding behavioural issues–these can generally be fixed with love, patience, and obedience training
• May have some outstanding medical issues…or maybe not, there is no guarantee when you get any dog that they will be perfectly healthy in the long term

The compromise

Why not consider adopting or rescuing an older puppy (in the 6-12 month range), and you can get the best of both worlds.  This is what we have done, and it’s worked out great for everybody involved.

Just a note on senior dog adoption:  Always keep an eye out in your network of contacts for someone who’d be interested in adopting an older dog.  It’s very sad when they’ve lived so much of their life in the safety and security of what they know, and then are cast out.  They really don’t understand what is going on, and shelter life is often very hard on them–these are the dogs they have the hardest time adopting out.  They have so much love to give, and really do adapt well to a loving permanent home.  If you know someone who might be an ideal candidate for an older dog, please suggest this to them.

Whatever you do, please take the time to do your homework, prepare financially, and when you’re ready, open your home to a great animal.  They have nothing but unconditional loyalty to us, the least we can do is plan and choose accordingly.  Read the fine print first on any purchase or adoption contract, and make sure that you are 100% comfortable with the terms.  No matter who joins your family, young or old, I hope you enjoy many years of a wonderful bond with them.

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