We have made the recent decision to get a puppy. I don’t know about you but when it is even mentioned to me that maybe we should get an animal I am all over it. I absolutely adore animals and would love to surround myself with a menagerie of pets. One night my husband came into bed and mentioned that maybe we should get a puppy to have a playmate for our aging bulldog as well as a transition pet for our 3.5 yr old daughter. To be honest, he wanted to get a puppy for me because he knew that I will be an absolute wreck when my girl Elsa goes. So you can imagine my excitement when he told me about getting a puppy.
Although I would love to get a rescue or foster a dog, we just don’t have the circumstances to be able to have a rescue. So get off my back about it!! I kid, I kid. I just think that my 3.5 yr old sasquatch and working full time from home as well as already having a dog and a cat, I just figure it would be easier to mold a puppy into our family then to force a dog to try to mold to ours.
In the past when I got my dog Elsa, who is an Olde English Bulldogge, I thought I had done my research. Well I was wrong. I never asked the breeder any questions about how they are raising their dogs. How the breeding process works etc. There was no contract and to be honest, the home that I got her from was a bit scary. I know the breeder loves her dogs, but sometimes that is not enough.
Bulldog breeds, as well as other breeds, are prone to many health issues and responsible breeding is really required in order for the breed to survive and give the puppies the best chance at the happiest and healthiest life possible. Now Elsa is certainly the happiest and sweetest dog I have ever met, but she is a lemon dog. Everything is wrong with her. Allergies, arthritis, tumors, you name it.
We are going to be getting a Newfoundland in July, and this is another breed that can be prone to health issues if they are not responsibly breed. I made to sure to ask LOTS of questions and check with other owners of what to look out for. Testing is very important with certain breeds to make sure that a dog is not being bred that is genetically prone to hip/elbow/knee issues. That would be irresponsible in this day and age of modern testing.
Here are some of the questions that I felt were the most important questions to ask a dog breeder that can really help you prepare for bringing your puppy home.
What are some of the questions that you have asked a dog breeder that you feel are very important?
-Karen
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