| Choosing a Breed |
| Most breeds were originally bred to work in some way; hunting, herding, guarding, tracking or any number of other things. When choosing a dog, you must consider the work that the dog was bred to do. Often a person will fall in love with the looks of a dog or puppy but when that puppy grows up, it may end up in a shelter because the owner can not deal with the very behaviors the dog is bred for. Also remember that the dogs you see performing at agility competitions, sheepdog trials, and hunting expos have had countless hours of training to get to that level of performance but also to keep the dog interested and happy. If you are not willing to put in the time, you will end up instead with a bored dog who barks, chews, escapes, digs, or hunts the neighborhood cats. Here are some websites with questionnaires to help you determine what breeds might fit with your lifestyle. Remember that these are only suggestions, and any breed you consider should be thoroughly researched. Please try to take the tests with an open mind. If you already have a breed in mind, it is very easy to skew the results! Dog Selector Best Dog! Pets Channel Breed Selector Does your dog need to get along well with young children? Check Reliability with Children. |
| Pros and Cons of the: Akita Australian Shepherd Basenji Bernese Mountain Dog Bichon Frise Border Collie Bouvier Boxer Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Chow Dalmatian Doberman Great Dane Mastiff |
| Miniature Pinscher Neopolitan Mastiff Rhodesian Ridgeback Rottweiler Saint Bernard Schnauzer Shar-Pei Shiba Inu Siberian Husky Vizsla Weimaraner Wolf Dog |
| Special information... Much Ado About Poo - Poodle Mixes Deaf Dogs - Being deaf should not be a death sentence for a dog! Deafness is a common problem in Dalmatians and in breeds that have both the merle gene and lots of white markings such as Australian Shepherds. Note: in breeds where this is a problem, no responsible breeder will breed two merle dogs together. |
| Are you ready to own a dog? |
| Having a dog is a major commitment: financially, emotionally, and time-wise. Please consider carefully why you want a dog and if you are really ready to give one everything it needs to be healthy and happy. |
| Christmas Puppies? Hanukkah Kittens? No Christmas Puppies, Please! Puppies as Christmas Presents? Merry Christmas from Ye Olde Pet Shoppe |
| Pets as Presents |
| Information to help you decide: |
| Am I Ready? Students Should Think Twice Before Purchasing Pets Are You Sure You Should Have a Dog? Is This the Best Time to Adopt a Pet? |
| Where to buy? |
| What About an Older Dog? |
| Consider the rewards of adopting a mature or senior dog. |
| Pet Stores and Puppy Mills |
| (I refuse to buy so much as a dog biscuit from any shop that sells live puppies and kittens.) |
| Note: this page is almost entirely text in the interest of fast loading times for people with dial-up connections. Also, for some reason it looks much better in Netscape than IE, which does funny things to the formatting between sections. |
| Breeders |
| Having trouble locating a breeder in your area? Try the AKC Breeder Referral or check with local breed clubs. |
| Shelters and Rescue Organizations |
| Both shelters and rescue organizations can be great places to get a dog. Most of these dogs have been personality tested and in many cases there is even some history on the dog, especially if it was an owner-surrender. Before adopting the dog you will have an opportunity to meet and play with him or her, and perhaps even introduce your existing dog to the potential new pet. Be sure to ask about the return policy in case things do not work out. You can probably find a listing for your local shelter or humane society in the phone book, and look for rescues by typing the breed you are interested in and the word "rescue" into Google. Also try Petfinder to locate rescues and shelters in your area, as well as to browse through photos and descriptions of available pets. |
| We adopted our dog, True, from the fabulous Oregon Humane Society. Check out this great dog who would love to go home with you today! |
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