Janie Grace Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I don't feel the need to have a purebred dog but we do want a puppy. How do you go about finding one? There are numerous breeders for all the different purebred breeds out there, but who "breeds" mutts? Or is my only option a shelter puppy (which seems hard to come by, at least at our shelter)? We're not open to ALL mixed breeds of course -- we still have certain characteristics we'd like/not like. I realize that with a stray/shelter dog, there is an element of risk b/c you can't know for sure what all you're getting. But aren't there people whose lab dog became pregnant by a collie/retriever mix and they want to sell those puppies (being hypothetical on breeds here -- I just mean the breeds are KNOWN but the puppies aren't purebred dogs). Am I making sense? (Sorry someone is asking about math as I type, better scoot.) Thanks for any ideas!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Check your local paper. Here, kijiji has listings. Craig's list too. I remember seeing ads that named the mom's breed, and father was identified as 'sneaky neighbour dog' :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 In my area we generally hear about those puppies in the newspaper or on Craigslist. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We found both of our mixed-breed puppies via Petfinder. Just plug in the type of animal you're looking for, a breed you're interested in, your zip code, and the radius you're willing to drive. It will come back with matches from rescues and shelters. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We got ours from the pet store. The lady was bringing in a box of puppies as we were looking for one. The mother was a German short-hair pointer and the father was "that blasted Basset hound from next door." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We got one from a local email list for pets that need homes and the other from a lab rescue. Both were essentially rescue dogs. I would not do the Craig's List/Kijiji thing unless I was very careful. So many of those dogs are from backyard breeders and will cause big bills and heartache in the long run. My parents little mixed breed terrier was one from a backyard breeder (they did not take my advice :glare:) and has had several long term health issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennsmile Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Craiglist or pound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennsmile Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We got one from a local email list for pets that need homes and the other from a lab rescue. Both were essentially rescue dogs. I would not do the Craig's List/Kijiji thing unless I was very careful. So many of those dogs are from backyard breeders and will cause big bills and heartache in the long run. My parents little mixed breed terrier was one from a backyard breeder (they did not take my advice :glare:) and has had several long term health issues. I have done craigslist. But I am picky I want them to have all their vaccines and be spayed/neutered so I get a little older do that people are selling for next to nothing or free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted October 18, 2011 Author Share Posted October 18, 2011 We got one from a local email list for pets that need homes and the other from a lab rescue. Both were essentially rescue dogs. I would not do the Craig's List/Kijiji thing unless I was very careful. So many of those dogs are from backyard breeders and will cause big bills and heartache in the long run. My parents little mixed breed terrier was one from a backyard breeder (they did not take my advice :glare:) and has had several long term health issues. Can you explain this? What is a backyard breeder and why do their dogs have health issues? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We found both of our mixed-breed puppies via Petfinder. Just plug in the type of animal you're looking for, a breed you're interested in, your zip code, and the radius you're willing to drive. It will come back with matches from rescues and shelters. Good luck! I found my wonderful, darling, best-friend of a dog on Petfinder, too. Because we have cats in the house, I wanted a puppy to maximize the chances that the dog would learn to get along. (It half worked. She's good friends with one cat, mortal enemies with the other. Sigh.) I also needed a dog that wouldn't get too large. And, selfishly, I wanted one that was fluffy. I had done some research and had a mental list of breeds I thought would be nice to have in the mix, but I didn't care all that much about it. I searched Petfinder a couple of times a day for a few months until I found a puppy that met the criteria. Bringing her home is absolutely one of the best decisions of my adult life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer67 Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We got our dog at an animal shelter. They go down south and rescue pups from puppy mills, bring them up here, nurse them back to good health, and then put up for adoption. Our lab mix is 6 yo. We love him to pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingnlearning Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 My mutt was born in the pound! I got her when she was 3 months old, 12 years ago. I also have purebreds and even dared to raise a litter of puppies. :D But I do love my pound dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Petfinder led us to a shelter of sorts. (The county doesn't have a physical shelter, but instead has a few people who foster the animals, so our dog lived with several other puppies at a woman's home.) We got our mixed breed puppy in July and have been smitten ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 (edited) Can you explain this? What is a backyard breeder and why do their dogs have health issues? Thanks! In a nutshell, purebred dogs can have genetic health and temperament problems that are specific to the breed. No breed is exempt from this. Mixed breeds are not healthier than purebred dogs ... they can have genetic health problems too since they are mixtures of purebred dogs. Here are some links about the differences between backyard breeders (and puppy mills - BYBs on steroids) and reputable breeders. http://www.almosthomerescue.org/whatisbyb/whatisbyb.htm http://www.boxermap.com/reputablebreeder.html http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1448 This is a link to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club - USA. Scroll down to health information to find out the health problems that beset this breed. You can do this for any AKC recognized breed; they all have national clubs with the health information posted on their websites. Mixed breed dogs are mixtures of purebreds and can inherit these health problems. http://www.ckcsc.org/ This is what has happened to the Bernese Mountain Dog: Life Expectancy: About 6-8 years. The average lifespan of the Bernese has decreased in recent years from 10-12 yrs to 6-8 yrs. The BMD Club of America did a health survey in 2000 with 1,322 dogs. The average age of death was 7.2 yrs. Cancer is unfortunately a very large part of the Berner world and many Berners die young. http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/bernesemountain.htm All that said, if I were going to get a mixed breed puppy, I would go to a shelter because I would be willing to take the health risks in order to rescue the dog. I would probably not get a puppy, though, on the theory that the temperament, behavior, and ease of training of an adult dog would be more ascertainable. OTOH, behavior problems could crop up later that are a result of the adult dog's prior life, which would likely not be a problem with a young puppy. Edited October 18, 2011 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Can you explain this? What is a backyard breeder and why do their dogs have health issues? Thanks! Rough Collie explained it well. Add to that, lot of backyard breeders are just small puppy mills. They don't work on training, don't keep the puppies living conditions clean, breed their dogs regardless of health issues, don't watch for temperament issues, sell their puppies too young (leads to socialization problems), it goes on and on. They just want to get a puppy to the age that they can sell it for a few hundred dollars. You can't raise a puppy to a saleable age for some of the prices these people are charging and do a half-decent job of it. Rescue puppies can have similar issues of course (our lab/pit mix has a couple of minor issues) but generally with them you've got a guarantee that they have had their shots and such and a contract saying you can (and must) return the dog if there are any issues. If we went out to find another dog today I'd only consider a) a reputable breeder, b) a reputable rescue or shelter or maybe c) a friend or friend of a friend who found themselves with a surprise batch of puppies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyrooch Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 (edited) We have adopted 3 of our animals from the local animal shelter. 2 cats and 1 dog. We love all three of them to pieces. :001_smile: I am a BIG advocate of adopting from the animal shelter because I really like the idea of saving a life. There are so many lost or abandoned animals out there and many of them have to be put down because of overpopulation and the innability to find them homes. Adopting from an animal shelter saves lives and you can find some of the sweetest animals. I can't even imagine my kitties and my doggie having to be been put down. :confused: Sage is our dog and he is the most lovable dog. He is very smart too. He is a mixed breed (mutt :D) and we adore him to pieces. By adopting him from the shelter we were able to get a wonderful pet and also have the joy of saving his life. Another perk of adopting from a shelter is that the adoption fees are generally low and include a great deal. Our shelter pets were either $25-$35 each and the fee included ALL vaccines and the pet was also spayed or neutered. Heck, you can't even get shots for $35. Let alone the spay or neuter. They also offered 3 months of obiedence training for our dog Sage for free. This would be quite helpful if you were to get a puppy. The low fees are because they really do want to find these animals homes. They aren't really trying to make money. They just want to recoup some of their expenses so that they can continue to help other animals. Edited October 18, 2011 by mommyrooch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We got our current girl from a small rescue listing onn petfinders. I was amazed to discover how many rescue groups there are that aren't specific breed rescues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Rescue organization. We found our puppy through Ratbone Rescues and it was an awesome experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We got our current girl from a small rescue listing onn petfinders. My darling girl came to me through a small rescue operation, too. The mother dog and three puppies were dumped at a high-kill shelter because, "She kept getting pregnant." The woman who runs the rescue essentially out of her house brought them home and made sure the puppies were adopted. Unfortunately, by the time the rescue lady found them, the mother was quite ill (heartworm, maybe?). She survived long enough to nurse the puppies but died right about the time the babies went off to their new homes. My puppy came home with me healthy and happy and with all of the appropriate shots and medical care. She was, at that point, still too little to be spayed. So, I had to take care of that once she was ready. I think I paid a fee of about $65. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We got our dog at an animal shelter. They go down south and rescue pups from puppy mills, bring them up here, nurse them back to good health, and then put up for adoption. Our lab mix is 6 yo. We love him to pieces. :iagree: I volunteer at an animal shelter and we have a similar situation with getting dogs from southern states. The puppies do not last long there once they are put up for adoption, so check back frequently. All dogs adopted from our shelter have age appropriate vaccines and are spayed/neutered. If the dog is getting treatment for a disease, the shelter continues to pay for finishing the treatment plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We got our pup from the shelter too. In our case, we got an older puppy who'd been in a foster home. We missed out on the super-cute tiny puppy stage, but in exchange we got a pup who was already house-broken and partly trained, and we've got a fabulous pet-sitter to boot. :) He's a beagle-Aussie-mystery, and he's such a good dog. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenpatty Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We got our dog from an ad on craigslist. I knew we wanted some kind of lab mix that was young and house trained, so I kept watching the ads until I saw one. She is a great dog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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