The answer to the question is definitely “it depends”. Pet shops are the best places to buy dog supplies like food, leashes and collars, bowls and feeders, beddings and beds, safety gates and doors, toys, grooming and health care products and more. There are pet shops that provide pet grooming and dog training aside from selling doggie items. Ramps, steps, travel accessories, bling-bling for your dog – name it and a pet shop retails it. Some pet shops are even venues for pet adoption. However, pet shops may not be the best place to buy your puppy.

It is best to buy purebred puppies with papers from legitimate dog breeders. These breeders can be found in most Kennel and Breed clubs. These organisations have legitimate dog breeders as members and they are probably the best ones who know the how’s and why’s and what’s of dog breeding.

You can also find good dog breeders from dog shows or in obedience and herding competitions. Breeders abound in these places and most are more than willing to give you information on who are the best breeders of the dog breed that you want.
A responsible dog breeder will be able to tell you much about their dogs and the different breeds. Take note if the breeder knows all the dogs and puppies in his kennel by their names and if he could tell you some of their characteristics. You would not want to be led into buying from one of those puppy mills – a place that churns out puppies for the sole purpose of making fast money. A good breeder should be able to tell you the pedigree or bloodlines of the puppy’s sire and dam.

Visit your local dog rescue mission and find out if they have a dog or puppy for you to adopt. You can also consider adopting a dog from an animal shelter. In the UK, there are plenty of animal rescue organisations that will be more than willing to give you a dog. However, not all dogs at these centres are purebred. Majority are mixed bred. It is interesting to note that a great number of these animals are not “problem” animals in terms of them being sick or having behavioural problems. Most are literally homeless as they were abandoned by their owners.

You should avoid buying a dog from backyard breeders. These are “breeders” who do not care about their dogs and are just breeding them for the sake of making money. These so called breeders may not even have the necessary licenses and health permits to breed.

Make sure that you don’t buy from pet shops that source their puppies from puppy mills. Though puppies from puppy mills are in a sense better off from those coming from backyard breeders, health screening is minimal from these puppy mills.
Instead of buying puppies, why not consider dog adoption? You can help “rehome” homeless dogs and saved them from being euthanised. Ask your local pet shop if they facilitate dog adoptions.

Author Bio: Find the best supplies and goods for your pets at the nearest pet shops in your city.

Category: Pets
Keywords: pet shops, pets