Advice please - starting out on a doggy journey!

[bigredtractor]

Hi,

I'd appreciate some advice- we're moving from a flat to a house in the next 6 months and would like to get a dog.

I've always had dogs in the family but not since I left home and got married so know what dogs need. We have one DS who'll be 2 soon and my (elderly, dog-loving) grandmother lives with us too. The house has a v small garden but we live next to a lovely big park, v close to the sea so plenty of great walks nearby.

We'd like a smallish dog- border terrier or similar and would prefer a puppy so that the dog will always be used to our family members.

What should we be looking for when we start our search? What are the benchmarks for welfare of both the mum and the puppy? Where's the best place to start looking (we're in Edinburgh)?

All advice v welcome!!

The main thing is to avoid dogs from puppy farms and back yard breeders, and to know that they go to great lengths to disguise the fact they are a puppy farm. There's another thread about those at the moment, if you want to know more. Even apart from the animal welfare perspective, from the point of view of your wallet, these puppies are more likely to have health and behavioural problems (and hence cost more in vet bills etc). Unfortunately most pedigrees come from puppy farms, so having a pedigree doesn't mean you've found a good breeder.

If you decide on a particular breed, then you either need to find a reputable breeder or breed rescue (people on here might be able to suggest either and a breed club can help too). A good breeder will health-check the parents for hip scores etc. They will also ask you lots and lots of questions to make sure that you are a good home, and will keep the puppies in good conditions when they are being socialized to normal household life. They will have a wait-list because they don't produce puppies until they know they have homes to go to. Anyone who has puppies available immediately is most likely not a good breeder.

One thing to look for with either a rescue or a breeder is a guarantee that at any point during the lifetime of the dog, if you can no longer look after it, they will take the dog back. This gives you peace of mind that should the worst happen, your dog will be okay.

There are lots of puppies available in rescue too and then you are saving two lives - the puppy you get from them, and also another dog (because it makes space for the rescue to take another dog in). Other people can probably suggest a good rescue in Edinburgh if you'd like to go that route.