Dog Selection
It's not like going out and choosing a CD. It's not like picking out an ideal birthday gift either that can be switched off and packed away when the novelty has worn off. It's not like getting a garment that can be handed to the local charity bargain shop when it's a few years old and just doesn't suit your lifestyle any more: - although that's what many people effectively do.
Here's the ANIMALS IN FOCUS guide to adopting a dog. We acknowledge with genuine appreciation the input from the Kennel Union of South Africa (KUSA) and reiterate what we have said on many previous occasions. The only pet adoption routes recommended are through a registered and reputable animal welfare organisation (that STERILISES each and every adopted pet) or through a registered and reputable breeder.
Where to start?
Try answering the questions below and if you have answered "yes” to all of them, you then need to make a decision on what kind of dog to adopt:
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Will there be someone at home to give sufficient quality time to your dog?
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Have you sufficient space for a dog?
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Does your lease / complex allow you to keep a dog?
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Are you prepared to exercise your dog sufficiently?
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Is there open space either near your home or that you are prepared to drive to where you are allowed to exercise your dog if your grounds are not big enough?
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Can you afford veterinary fees?
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Are you prepared to give up time to ensure that your dog has the necessary training to socialise and to learn to obey basic commands like "sit” or "stay”?
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Do you know that some types of dog are more noisy or more energetic than others?
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If you decide to adopt a puppy, are you prepared for some damage in your home ("toileting” accidents or chewing items, for example)
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Have you the time to groom a dog properly or can you afford grooming fees/
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Can you afford to feed your dog properly – and we do mean "properly” – not makeshift diets, the cheapest food available of left-overs!
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Do you appreciate that dogs, like people, grow old and may need special care and attention later in their lives?
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If you cannot leave your dog with responsible relatives or friends when you go on holiday, can you afford the cost of boarding kennels?
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Are you prepared to love and care for a dog all its life, which is often more than ten years: - and not just when it is a cuddly puppy?
Purebred, Cross Bred or SPCA Special?
Adopting a purebred dog means that you will know how big the puppy will grow, what kind of coat it will have, the general temperament to expect etc. But there is no guarantee you will have the world's best specimen. Any dog may fall prey to some disease or have social problems although most of the latter are caused by inadequate training and irresponsible ownership.
With a purebred dog, a responsible breeder will provide you with sight of the registration papers of the mother and perhaps also the father, showing the ancestry. If the puppy has been registered, you will be able to get a Registration Certificate and Certified Three Generation Pedigree as issued to the breeder by the Kennel Union of Southern Africa.
A "crossbred” dog is the result of the mating of two distinct recognised breeds (for example, the mother a Border Collie and the father a Labrador). The crossbred puppy make take the characteristics of either or both parents. You may have a rough idea of how your puppy may grow but there is no guarantee as to size, coat or anything else.
"An SPCA Special” is often taken to mean a mongrel or a "brak” but SPCAs often have purebred dogs available for adoption. Purebred or not, each dog or puppy adopted from an SPCA must be sterilised. If you take your definition of an SPCA "special” to be a mongrel, then the literal definition is a dog born of parents which already have a mixture of breeds. Mongrels can make ideal pets but, no-one can guarantee anything about size, temperament or coat: - it depends which breeds are dominant.
Male or Female?
This decision falls away if the dog or puppy is sterilised, regardless of whether it is male or female. Bitches come into heat, attract males for miles around and be a nuisance to you as well as the neighbours. We all know that unneutered males wander – or try to if there is a sniff of a bitch on heat.
And Other Decisions
It isn't unreasonable to make a decision relating to the size of the dog. Don't forget that even within breeds, sizes vary so (measuring from the shoulder) Standard Poodles can be over 38cm, Miniature Poodles between 28cm and 38cm and the smallest, Toy Poodles coming in at 28cm and under. Then bear in mind that the tallest breed of dog is the Irish Wolfhound at around 81cm. The smallest is the Chihuahua at between 13,5 and 18cm. Libraries and breed clubs are wonderful sources of additional information. But don't forget that if you decide to adopt a cross-bred Great Dane at your local SPCA, you will be looking at a rather a large dog when the puppy grows to full adulthood!
Adoption fees vary from SPCA to SPCA depending on what is included (sterilisation is ALWAYS included and is compulsory). Some include a collar and disc, others microchip identification etc.
Prices of purebred dogs vary and may also depend on availability or background. A Bill of Sale and any conditions attached to the sale should be obtained in writing. There have been cases of people who spent hundreds, if not thousands of Rands on purchasing a cuddly puppy with no receipts or anything, and then they wonder what to do if anything goes wrong.
Many "breeds” of dog are advertised on the Internet at lower prices (can't believe we are talking about "advertising” and "prices” in relation to dogs) than those of reputable breeders. Be cautious, to say the least. Online shopping may be the norm now but it is certainly not recommended for the adoption of pets. Complaints about such purchases continue to proliferate, including the common complaint that the dog was not purebred at all.
Words of warning also go out in relation to gimmicks such as advertising "Labradoodles” as if this was a recognised breed and asking high prices. Many a time, people are fooled and find themselves paying way over the odds for the progeny of an unplanned mating between a Labrador Retriever and a poodle.
And if you do go the "Purebred" Route
Some questions to ask the breeder which anyone reputable will answer without hesitation and give accurate, informed answers:
What are the upsides and downsides of this breed? (all breeds have downsides)
How often are puppies available? (It takes devotion to breed dogs successfully and so be cautious of any breeder who always seems to have puppies available or on the way)
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What are the genetic problems of this breed? (No breed is free from genetic problems)
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Can I see where the puppies were raised?
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May I see the mother and her registration papers?
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Do you provide any written health guarantee on a puppy and over what period of time?
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Do you provide any written offer of compensation against hereditary defects?
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Do you provide a record of vaccinations?
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Do you provide a diet sheet for any puppy I might purchase?
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Could you provide me with the names of any previous puppy buyers from whom I might obtain a written reference?
And finally, if you decide to go this route, two questions to ask yourself:
Page inserted 25/06/2012