Looking for a dog?

Nomatter if you are looking for your first dog or have had dogs before this text might be useful to you. 

Purebreed or a mix?

Buying a purebred dog is more than "having a fancy dog with papers", it is a certificate that the parents of the puppy have gotten a through healthcheck by the vet, and passed the clubs rules and regulations for registering a puppy. The good thing about that is that the risk of getting a sick puppy in the longrun is slimmer than one with parents that were not healthchecked. You may have to pay more, but with less vetvisists you will pay less in the longrun. A good breeder should have papers to show from the vet that the dog is checked. What they check depend on the breeds health issues. Because they all got one. If a breeder says their breed has no health concerns, look away.

If you however prefer crossbreeds, don't look for first and cutest designerbreed, consider looking for a fitting companion in the local shelter. Cause all puppies are cute and so many dogs are dumped when they aren't fun anymore and are being put down for being unwanted. Many of them don't even have behavior problems.

Puppy or adult?

They both have their pro's and con's. If you get an adult you not only give that dog love and a home, but you know right from the start if you two are compatible or not. If you get a puppy you get a baby. It will see the world with it's mouth and won't have bladdercontrol. The good thing about a puppy is that you can shape it yourself, the good thing about an adult is that you don't have to deal with the teenager age. The teenager age is the #1 reason people give up their dog because they did not think it through, did not know how to handle it, or realized they got too much dog.

If you want a puppy, whatever you do, do not buy from a petstore! You ever asked yourself where the petstore puppies come from? They come from puppymills where adults are in tiny cages, never gets bathed, brushed, taken for walks, or even be indoors. They live on wire floor where the feces isnt cleaned out, they have fleas, they have infections, and are being bred like a factory. Dogs sometimes live in a group together and it is not uncommon to see dogs dying in there and the puppymillkeepers couldn't care less that it died. They are often matted badly, and they breed both purebreeds and designerdogs just because they know people like them and they can make money out of it.

Google "Puppy Mills" and look at some pictures. I promise you you will see that in your mind when you see the petstore puppies nomatter how cute they may be. Never buy a puppy just because you feel sorry for it! Each penny they get is saying "I support what you do." and gives them a reason to continue. In fact, even if you buy food or leashes in a store that sells puppies, you are still giving money for it to continue.

Oh my gosh! This is hard! How do I find myself a dog?

It is actually not as hard as it seems. First you are honest to yourself. Make a list answer the following questions.

• How much am I working?
• How much spare time do I have to spend on the dog?
• What is my energy level? High, medium or low?
• How much time do I want to spend on coatcare?
• What size of dog do I want?
• What do I want to do with my dog? 
• Want is the worst traits my dream dog can have?
• Do I travel a lot? Will the dog come along or can I find a dogsitter?
• Do I have any allergies in my family?

Adapt the dog to YOU and not tell yourself you will exercise more just to fit yourself in to the dog. Cause lets face it, if you cant hold a newyears resolution to yourself, then you wont change for a dog either. A dog lives around 15 years, and it's better to have a dog that has lower energy than you do and train it up than having a high energy dog and try to tone it down. Trust me it never ends happy.

If you have filled in this list there's two things you can do. Either you do your research and try to find a dog that fits these criterias. Or, you contact me. I love helping people finding the right breed. And yes, you may say "I prefer hanging ears" or "I prefer fluffy dogs." But remember that you are looking for a best friend. If you choose a dog that fits your personality you will love it nomatter what it looks like because you will fit together like a hand and glove. It's better than having a pretty dog who is so much work and chores that you are stressing out and still dont make ends meet. There are around 450 dogbreeds in the world so I promise you that there's a dog for you out there.

And if you buy a dog from the shelter or some rescue group, you can take this list to them and they will pair you up with a suitable dog if they have one.

Got any questions? Feel free to use the contact form or email me. :)