• Do you really want a dog?

  • Do you have time for a dog?
  • Is your home suitable for a dog?
    
  • What about an outside dog?
  • Can you afford a dog?
  • Do you have patience enough for a dog?
  • Who really wants the dog?
  • What if he's not the dog you wanted or expected?
  • Why do you want a dog?

  
  What kind of dog do you want?

  • Do you want a purebred or a mix?
  • Is a puppy or an adult a better choice for you?
  • Do you want a large, medium, or small dog?
  • Is a male or female a better pet?
  • What about grooming?
  • How do you choose a breed or mix?
  • The Petdogs-L Breed Chart
    
    

• Where should you get a dog?

  • What's wrong with pet shops?
  • What about a dog from the classifieds?
  • How about a shelter dog?
  • What's a rescue dog?
  • How do you adopt a rescue?
  • How do you choose a rescuer?
  • Is a rescue dog better than a shelter dog?
  • Should you buy from a breeder?
  • Where do you find a breeder?
  • How do can you identify a good breeder?
  • What do you look for when visiting a breeder?
  • How much does a purebred puppy from a breeder cost?
    
    

• Links and resources

   

Why is getting a dog such a big deal?

Because with any luck, you are choosing a companion and roommate for the next 10 to 15 years.

Unfortunately it often doesn't work out that way, and you and your dog face the heartbreak of parting ways...very often to the detriment of the dog. Dogs in U.S. shelters have about a 25 percent chance of getting out of there alive...purebreds as well as mixed breeds are euthanized daily. Rescue for many breeds is overtaxed and they have to turn down dogs far too often.

No one is happy when a dog doesn't work out. No one enjoys taking a dog to a shelter or returning him to a breeder. The family is heartbroken, the shelter workers are frustrated, and the dog is confused. What went wrong?

To a great extent, a dog is only what we make of him. Usually what went wrong is that the owners were unprepared. Perhaps this was the wrong breed or mix; maybe the timing was off; perhaps an adult dog would have been a better choice than a puppy. Or the owners simply had no idea how much time and expense adopting a dog would require.

We hope the section on Getting a Dog will help you choose wisely and avoid having to read "Getting Rid of a Dog" at a later point.

We start with Do you really want a dog? This article and the ones linked to it will give you all the information you need to make that very important decision! That puppy in the park was awfully cute, but be sure you know what living with him entails. You may decide to postpone getting a dog, decide on a less demanding pet, or realize that you don't want to deal with the day-to-day requirements of pet ownership at all.

After that, we'll help you choose what kind of dog you want: purebred or mix, large or small, long- or short-haired, male or female, puppy or adult.

Next up is where you get your dog. You'll learn why you should never, ever buy a puppy from a pet shop, find out about shelter dogs, dogs from want ads in the paper, rescue dogs, and dogs from breeders. We'll tell you how to choose a shelter dog, what sort of rescuer you want to deal with, where to find good breeders and how to approach them.

And that one thing that is so difficult to find out sometimes...what does a purebred puppy from a good breeder cost? Why does the price vary from breed to breed and breeder to breeder? What does it cost to breed a litter?

If you can think of anything else you need to know, click finally on Links and resources for even more information on getting a dog.

Let's get started! ------------------------> Next