How To Search For That Perfect Puppy.

I tell anyone that I talk to that has a new puppy, they are in "puppy boot camp." I say that with kindness, though. I honestly think most people have no idea what it takes to raise a happy, healthy, well socialized puppy, into a fabulous adult, companion animal.

Picking out the correct breed, if you are set on a purebred, is paramount to both you and the pup being happy together. (I personally think breed rescues or shelters are the way to go.) Make a list of the characteristics you are looking for. i.e. laid-back, doesn't shed, etc. The correct size for you family is a must. If you live in a small house or apartment/condo, you don't want a Great Dane.

Study about each breed are interested in. This is a must. If you have anyone with allergies in the household, that needs to be taken into consideration. Things like that are so important. I hear so many stories of people that buy a dog, just to have to give it away or put it down, because of allergies. Yes, put down. I know of people that just had the dog put down. Cruel, but so true. Go to www.dogchannel.com/breedfinder to help with finding that perfect dog.

The best way to find a dog is to check out all the shelters, breed rescues, going to a dog show, contacting the local kennel club or talking to other dog lovers that you know. Our local club is http://www.huntingtonkennelclub.org/.

Now, you have selected the perfect dog, what is next. Supplies! The correct puppy food is essential. Puppies need more protein than adult dogs due to they are growing and burning lots and lots of energy. If the breeder or shelter is feeding a good food and not something like Ol'
Roy, continue with that food. If you or your vet feels that the food needs to be changed, make sure it is puppy or a growth formula food. A crate is the next purchase. I have a post on crate training on this blog in the archives. Most dogs love to sleep in their crates at night or for short periods during the day, Dogs are pack animals and den animals, so a crate is like home to them.

ID tags or a microchip is next. A chip is great as it holds all the vital info about your dog and your address and phone #'s. Fit you pup with a good collar and leash. Getting an adjustable collar is the best way to go. That way, you don't have to buy a collar every other week. Toys are a must and a good comb, if you have a pup with a long coat.

Puppy-proofing your home is a must. Prepare your schedule ahead of time. Learning will go faster if you have your pup on a schedule-and stick to it!! House train from day one. And, be consistent. Remember, you have a baby, be easy and don't get stressed out. You will end up taking it out on the dog. And, regular vet visits are a must, too. You have to get all the vaccinations for you puppy. If you have a puppy that requires grooming, I suggest finding a good groomer in your area and taking the pup at 12 wks. old for the first groom. Last, but not least, a good, group obedience class.

If you do what I suggest, you will have a happy, well-adjusted puppy, and you will be happy, too.

Please Read This For The Sake of Puppy Mill Dogs.

My eyes have finally dried up from crying at what I saw on the video of a puppy mill in Wayne County, NC. The 20 rescuers were tending to emaciated dogs with untreated lacerations, severely matted fur and serious skin and eye infections. The dogs had been living in unheated cages inside unventilated barns and outhouses. There were 300 dogs.

I just sat and cried at the horror I saw. There was a female Lhasa Apso, that couldn't see, from severe eye infections, no hair, due to severe skin problems, with one, tiny, tiny newborn puppy. She was so intent on doing her "job," of nursing this poor, poor pup, that when they took the newborn, she became frantic, so they gave the baby back to her, trying to keep her calm. I just cried and cried. I am starting to cry again, writing this.

Amanda Arrington of the Humane Society of the United States, placed calls to 2 people that were either Congressmen or Senators of that district and insisted they come to that facility and see, first hand, what was happening in their districts. They came and they saw the horror, and now are acting on it. I wish our legislators would do the same. I am going to contact the HSUS's John Goodwin, and see what I have to do to get video of the 1000 dogs that were rescued from the kennel in Parkersburg, and any other video they have of kennels in our state. I know they have them, so I can take it to Congressman Rahall. If possible, the Governor.

People, just because you see cute, pretty little puppies in a pet store, doesn't mean that they came from a "jolly, happy" place. They didn't. The puppies are the lucky ones. They get out of a life of just getting bred and bred and bred, until they are no longer viable breeding machines and then they are killed, usually very inhumanely. This happens, this is reality. Please go to this website and view the video on the puppy mill bust in NC. http://www.hsus.org/.

It is hard to watch, but it needs to be seen by everyone. Oprah had a great expose' on puppy mills last year, and I think it needs to be re-aired. We are such that if we don't see it, it doesn't exist. I am sorry, but that is how I feel most people are. "If I don't know about it, it doesn't concern me." "Someone else will take care of it." "I don't want to get involved. I might make someone mad." These are things that people say. And that is why these horrid people get away with what they do with the dogs that they breed to death and are nothing more to them than a "cash crop."

Please, please go to the website and watch the video. I implore you. For the animals sake!!

Stop The Puppy Mills By Not Patronizing Puppy Pet Stores.

Today at work at Just Dogs! Gourmet, a family came in with a really pretty Yorkie. As I started to make conversation and hold the puppy, I was really impressed by this puppy's thick coat. I was shocked to find out that it came from a pet store chain. But, as I talked further, and found out the supposed age of this pup, I knew they had been taken advantage of. They said the pup was 12 wks. old. I have groomed dogs for many, many years, and have never, never seen a 12 wk. old pup with this type of coat. Then, I looked at the mouth and teeth. Low and behold, the pup is roughly 6 to 8 mo. old.

Here is another case of a pet store lying to sell a dog. The pup looked healthy, and for this family's sake, I hope so. They have to get her to the vet in 4 days from purchase, which was yesterday, Sat. Of course, I told them that any breeder that uses pet stores to sell their pups is not reputable. And, they wanted to know why. So, being me, I told them. I said, "did you see the parents of this pup?" "Did you talk to the breeder?" Each question I asked, they replied with "no."

No matter what, pet stores sell puppy mill pups. And, people pay these huge prices for dogs that usually end up with health or behavioral issues. Not in every case, I know of some that are O.K., but more often than not, there are problems. In LA, they are striving to have a puppy-store free LA, CA. The store that prompted this is called Puppy Love in Beverly Hills, CA. This store was selling really sick puppies from puppy mills. I think they sold to some major movie stars, and that is the reason it was brought into the limelight. The movies stars jumped on the bandwagon to stop pet stores from selling puppies and supporting puppy mills.

A puppy mill is a large, commercial breeding facility that is nothing more than an assembly line breeding place where the dogs are not cared for and are just a "cash" crop. The Amish are some of the worst for puppy mills. Stop the mills! Protest against places like this or any place that sells puppies. Remember, no reputable breeder uses a pet store or the Internet. Always research the breed you want and research the breeder you pick. Personally, I am an advocate of breed specific rescue groups, , or a shelter dog.

Get Involved-You Can Be Anonymous!

What do you do when you see a dog that isn't being treated right? Do you call the authorities or animal control, or do you just shake your head and say, "poor dog?" Most people do the latter, and just go on about their day. Well, the other day, I didn't just go about my day. I have some people that live in my sub-division, and I know them well, that have a Basset Hound. This dog is really pretty and seemed to be a nice dog.

Well, sometime ago, the woman came to my church with her aunt. She told me that the Basset was pottying in the house. She said that he goes to the door, but doesn't alert them. Well, I am sorry, but he is alerting them by going to the door. They are just too lazy to go to the door and let him out. Well, I told her about this great thing called "Poochie Bells." They are bells on a designer ribbon that you hang on your door and the dog hits the bells to let you know when they have to go out. Well, that just went over like a lead balloon. She said he was hopeless and had to stay outside or in his crate most of the time. I just cringed.

Sorry, I regressed. Back to what I did. The other day, it was blistering cold and he was outside, lying on the cold ground, no blanket or house or anything. And, when I say nothing, I mean nothing. He didn't even have a bowl for food or water. I was on my way to work at Just Dogs! Gourmet, when I passed their house and saw him, curled up in a tight ball. I crossed the railroad tracks, stopped to wait on traffic to pull out on Rt. 2, when I said to myself, enough is enough. My husband had a blanket in the back seat of his truck, key word, "had." I pulled across Rt. 2 and turned around and came back across the tracks and turned on the street that paralleled the side of their house and stopped.

I got out, opened the door, pulled the blanket out, walked over and he ran away, of course, till he got to the end of his chain, and I talked to him, put the blanket down, and left. As I backed up and turned around, I looked and he was standing on it, sniffing it. Well, I went to work, and when I came back, the blanket was gone, and he was still outside, curled up, trying to stay warm. I am calling animal control tomorrow. I didn't want to go that route, but it seems the only way. It really surprises me out this couple. They have had dogs before, and didn't do this.

I don't want to make them mad, but I really don't care at this point. I was hoping they would take the hint and, if not bring him in, at least put out something for him to make a nest on. If more people would stop and do something, maybe the plight of the animals would lessen. But, our society is such that it is a world of "I don't want to get involved." Stand up, get involved. Remember, you don't have to give your name when you call animal control. I know they are slow to respond, but, if you call enough times, they will come out. Be persistent. I am, and it seems to work.