Quote:
Originally Posted by J-Rhombus
So I know there are humane societies and shelters, but it seems hard to get a puppy there, especially if you're looking for any more specific type of breed.
At the same time, breeders are scary as it's hard to tell what kind of conditions they keep their puppies in until you're there, and even then it may be hard to tell as you only see what they let you see.
Does anyone have a reliable way to find a puppy if you're looking for a specific breed in a place that allows you to do some due diligence? My sister found hers on Kijiji, but seemed to luck out a bit with the transparency with which the seller conducted herself.
Any ideas? Looking for the brain trust to weigh in.
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You can definitely get a puppy from a rescue, if you are interested. The one thing about rescue puppies is that you likely won't know the breed (you will have an idea based on looks and the mom) or the final size. AARCS is a great rescue and they will definitely have puppies over the summer.
If you are looking for a small breed puppy from a rescue, that will be harder. Smaller dogs are less common as strays, so small breed dogs tend to come from rescues who bring in dogs from other shelters (Little Mutts gets many dogs from LA). It is much harder to bring puppies (versus adult dogs) over the border, so they are much rarer. You can get some small breed puppies from rescues which get them from puppy mills, but the one I know that does that doesn't have the best reputation, so I wouldn't recommend them.
For a small breed puppy, you may want to look at a responsible breeder. A good breeder will do health and genetic testing, vaccinations, deworming. They will ask you a lot of questions (and won't have a problem with you asking a lot of questions either). They likely will also require you to sign a non-breeding agreement. If they do not do these things or they offer to meet you in a parking lot somewhere, those are big red flags that they are not a good breeder.
Definitely avoid a store that sells puppies. They don't come with papers, but charge more than most reputable breeders, there are allegations that their dogs come from puppy mills, and their puppies spend their formative days living in cages / glass boxes, surrounded by strangers. Puppies go through fear periods and to spend that time living in a pet store could lead to behavioural issues in the future.
Good luck with your search!