Reply to Clueless about dogs -- what type to get as our first pet?

Forum Index » Pets

Reply to "Clueless about dogs -- what type to get as our first pet?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]If you don't have anything in mind yet, one tip is to visit your local Petsmart on the weekends. Most have adoption events on the weekend where rescue organizations bring their available dogs for a meet and greet. It is a low pressure, non-committal way to meet a lot of dogs, and to have your kids be introduced to dogs. You can get a better sense for what type of dogs might work. In this area, a lot of rescued dogs are hound mixes. But I have seen everything, because lots of people get different breeds then have to rehome. You could google for "adoption events" in your city and probably find a list of places.

Lost dog rescue foundation would be a good place to check. They will adopt to families with kids under 10. You can also foster dogs for shorter periods of time in between adoption events and bring them back to the next one, which helps out the organization and would give you a chance to see how a dog fits in your home.

I think a corgi might work for you guys but I'm not sure how easy they are to find in this area and how far you're willing to go. If you do get a purebred, you should look for a breeder that actively shows in conformation and does health testing. Keep in mind that corgis have become quite popular lately and these breeders may have wait lists, you may have to go out of town (to PA for instance) and a puppy will likely be between $1000 to $1500. BEWARE of those who charge a lot more but offer more puppies faster, those who charge different prices for different colors or male/female, those who have "lots" of litters and dogs available, those who have both parents on premises or own both parents for every litter they have (typically in order to keep genetic diversity and make the right match, reputable breeders find dogs as far away as they need to, not within their own kennel). These are all red flags, as is no health testing of the parents.

A cavalier is a great option, but due to a lack of genetic diversity, they can have some serious health issues. You definitely would need to search out a very reputable breeder and it is not easy. Prepare to wait up to a year. I love cavaliers, but it's not in the cards for us.

I have and was raised with shelties, which were brought up earlier in the thread. Shelties are hugely variable in terms of size and personalities for whatever reasons. There is variation among every breed but shelties it can be to an extreme. I have seen purebred shelties as little as 12 lbs and as big as 50 with a "pedigree" - i.e. known that all the dog's ancestors were AKC shelties. Most shelties bark a lot but I have one who doesn't. Some are very friendly and some are partially feral. If you get a sheltie puppy you would have to be prepared for basically everything. They are very sensitive and loving to whoever they attach onto but tend to have a lot of anxiety and are very needy in all ways. This breed would be good for people like me who want a perpetual baby and something to do all the time. Not so much for those who want an on the go dog that fits a variety of situations. Also, it may not like your kids. We have a great sheltie rescue in the area, Northern Virginia Sheltie Rescue, and they provide very detailed and honest descriptions about each dog's behavior in the foster homes and how easy they are to keep, how they are with kids and other dogs etc. Shelties CAN be great family dogs, but I hesitate to recommend getting a puppy unless you're okay with your life being ruled by a sheltie's whims for the next 15 years.

Because you have a child under 10, that may rule out rescues and breeders or they may want to see how your children interact with the dogs and puppies first (which is a good idea regardless to start having your children meet dogs and teach them how to interact). If you don't know dog body language well yourself, then definitely research into it and then teach your children how to recognize signs that a dog is seeking interaction or shying away. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics