To ask honestly where you got your dog from

[wowowwow]

Ours came from an ad on Pets4homes. Had no idea this wasn’t good. Dog has been fine though.

Whyisitsodifficult depends on your local rescues. our local place where happy to let us home our dog, we had two DC 5 and 7 at the time.

Also look for breed specific rescues, lots of their dogs are with foster families who can really assess what the dog is ok with.

“Breeder” covers a broad spectrum from puppy farms and backyard breeders, to people who only breed a single litter every couple of years, have every health check under the sun and are very involved in the ‘dog world’ (breed judges, working/competing, etc).

Both of our dogs came from little rescue centres. The first did no checks at all, we literally went to look and walked out with a wonderful dog. The second rescue centre did more checks on us and our home but didn't have a problem with us having a young child since she came from a family they knew she was good with kids.

KC reg breeder

All three of my Weimaraners have come from a registered breeder - two from the same one, the third from her kennel man who breeds under his own prefix. All have had the same bloodlines and are from working stock. I have had a rescue dog before, but he had so many problems. I like to know the history of the dog I'm getting and going back to the same breeder, I get that.

Both from KC breeders. Truthfully would only ever buy from a reputable breeder.

From a breeder. We needed a “working type” dog both in breed and temperament, due to slightly unique circumstances- in the end though, he’s been the most pampered lap dog you’ve ever met (though he’s a lurcher so it’s more like he’s a lap+legs+on top of your head dog.

Breeder recommended by the secretary of the breed club. They're an endangered breed, so not easy to come by, and I had to practically pass an audition to get put in touch with her.

By the time I got the second one, I knew a lot more people in the breed and put my name down with several breeders who I respected and whose dogs had solid temperaments. Lola Loudmouth came from the first one to have a puppy available. She's 14 now and still a delightful dog.

The first dog I had was an accidental acquisition. I was looking after him for a friend of a friend who temporarily had to go back to her parents to live and couldn't take him with her. She then got a job that involved a lot of travelling so couldn't have him back, and I'd got very fond of him, so I kept him.

Breeder. They told us she had had the appropriate jabs etc when we took her home and then the day after started bleeding from her bottom. Many £’s and vet trips later she was fine. Vet said breeder lied. She will be 8 later this year.

An advert in the local paper

My first dog I got from Gumtree. I was young and stupid and looking back it was clearly not a great breeder. I was lucky in that he never had any health or behavioural problems at all, except he did die at the lower end of his breed's average life expectancy from cancer. He was my heart dog, one in a million and I don't regret getting him for a second.

The breeder I got my current dog from I found on champdogs, and travelled a roundtrip of over 600 miles, twice, to go and visit the litter, and then again to pick up our puppy. He's more than worth it, and we're going to get a half sibling of his from a planned litter next year from the same breeder.

I did look at rescues this time around, but because we have young children and two cats we weren't having any luck so decided to go down the puppy route.

And our older dog also from a (different) breeder. Made of steel he is and 15yrs old this month.

one from a newspaper adverts from accidental breeders (irish setter + labrator mux, beautiful), one via a friend of a friend (accidental breeding of hunting dogs), one from s friend who got divorced (irish wulfhound)

Local rescue.
We were fortunate to find one that could be rehomed with children. He is perfect.

From a charity. Breeders are immoral. That's just a silly thing to say. Our breeder is well know throughout the breed as she is so determined to stamp out inherent breed problems with Dalmatians. She absolutely vetted us, the whole family had to go to get to be scrutinized and we had to sign a contract to say the dog would go back to her if any problems. Not sure that is enforceable in reality, but she was adamant that she would have him back if any problems arose. He's perfect 7 years on and only ever been to the vet once (apart from usual vaccinations). He's so healthy and very glad we did our research and waited almost a year for her to breed - she has a couple of bitches and only breeds every now and then. There are good diligent breeders out there

From my sisters next door neighbour who was in her 90s and a wheelchair user. Her son bought her a puppy to keep her company. She couldn't even bend down to feed him or change his water.
When he came to us he was almost one, had never been for a walk on a lead or been allowed to run free.
He was a handful at first but he is perfect for us now.
I guess he is an informal rescue.

A lovely local lady/breeder. Who had a a great if chaotic household. Full of animals and children. So by the time our pup came nothing fazed her because she had seen or heard it all before

Got him from facebook. A page called Doodles for rehoming. It connects poodle cross owners who for some reason or another would like to rehome their dog with people who would like to home them.

A registered kennel club breeder award winning.

I looked at ads on pre loved and pets4home though. Just so happened I came across her.

I always do all the research a can with pets.

2 were the puppies of a stray that moved into my friends garden and gave birth before we could catch her.

2 foster fails. (I foster loads of puppies for our local rescue)

DDog1 from a carefully researched breeder, from health tested parents and we met all his direct line on the female side up to his great great grandmother.
DDog2 is a recent rescue from a council dog pound, found on the streets.

An online rescue charity on FB, they dont have a shelter and all the dogs are fostered until they are rehomed. Staffie cross with some labrador in him, he is bonkers and isnt exactly a guard dog but he is such a character. We love him and he brings something we never had before.

From a rescue centre that rehomes dogs from high kill shelters in states like Georgia, Mississippi, etc. So he's from the southern end of the country.

Got my cats from another rescue centre, they're from almost the most northernmost part of east coast US.

Guess which prefers the snow?

My dog just now came from gumtree. She was only 1 1/2 and very thin and only had a plastic bottle to play with (she's a very playful dog and has almost as many toys as my toddler now!).

She was left home alone all day every day as she was taken in by that girl after her original owner gave her away as (the dogs) brother picked on her. She had been passed all around the family before they got fed up with her :(

I practically threw £50 at the owner and took her home there and then.

She's 10 now and my loyal mutt. She still has anxiety issues and doesn't like other dogs but there's not a bad bone in her. I don't know how anyone couldn't want her.

From a breeder.
I would have loved to have got a rescue but my son has severe autism and he's very unpredictable behaviour wise and quite flappy and loud.
I couldn't risk getting an older dog that I didn't know if it would cope with his outburst so decided it had to be a young puppy so they could grow together and it would just see his behaviour as normal.
All good so far 10 months we've had him.