Where did you get your dog?

[embarrassedabout]

Hi

Where did everyone get their dogs from?
If you didn't adopt a rescue where/how did you find your puppy?

I looked on Champdogs for upcoming litters, chose parents I liked the look of, was added to waiting list.

Once the puppies were born everyone on the waiting list completed a questionnaire.

7 of us were chosen as a good match and went to visit the puppies (could still have been turned down at this point)

Took a while but he's worth it

We have 3 - two from the Blue Cross and one that was bought as a puppy.

For the puppy I...

• used Champdogs and the KC website to get a list of breeders for the breed I wanted
• used good old Google and their websites (where there were any) to narrow down the search to those that I thought might be ok. I also checked for any negative references to their names or kennel names online etc.
• sent those that looked promising a cover letter explaining who I was, my experience, why I wanted a dog and this breed and to ask them if they were hoping for any litters in the future and if they would consider me
• of the few that got back to me saying they were hoping for future litters I then set about researching them more thoroughly. Basically using the internet to really check they were who they said they were. e.g. I got Battendog from a breed judge and it was very easy to check that's who she was as she was mentioned in several online articles covering shows etc
• I then shortlisted two and asked to go on their lists but was clear and honest I was on both lists. One of them had a litter (luckily my first choice) when expected the other other didn't.
• I then visited her, before puppies were born, to check I was happy. I then visited again when they were here.

Both of mine are rescue - one was 6 months and the other was born in the rescue

Local breeder we met at a dog show.

Two were young adult rescues from a breed-specific rescue.

The pedigree puppy was from a breeder I met via mutual friends in dog showing and dog agility. I was invited to a breed club show to introduce myself and meet the breeders and dogs whose lines I was interested in, then went on several waiting lists ('rare' breed, small litters!) until the right one came along.

Elderly rescue. Well I'm fostering really but she seems to have wormed her way in.

I think I'd always get an older dog. She is a total sweetheart.

Mind you I said that about cats too.

He came with a flatshare, and I took him with me when I left, as he'd already been passed down a chain of owners.

Not entirely textbook!

SSPCA. Total chance. We assumed they'd say no immediately as we had two youngish children. Turned out they'd not long had a litter of pups in and there was one left....

Puppy farm (obviously we were not aware of this at the time)

Internet advert for a working litter. Spoke to the guy on the phone in detail. Visited when pups 3 weeks old and was shown pix of the dam working. Talked lots to the breeder. Looked at pedigree of the litter (and later checked coefficient of inbreeding - nice and low). Visited puppies again at 6 weeks. Got pup at 8 weeks. Breeder v interested in our circumstances and has kept in contact. Pup has turned into a bloody fabulous dog.

Battersea London , he was a handed in as a stray to a vet in Enfield and was about 15 weeks old .

I wanted a terrier (idiot that I am) so I went to a breed specific website.
I

Several from rescue centres .
Puppies I get from word of mouth and breeders that I know through work

Greyhound Trust was paired with a 4 year old ex racer he is a total sweetheart

Breed specific club via kennel club.
Found the breed (rare) we wanted after much research, went to Discover Dogs at Crufts, then went on a club breed walk, met breeders, went on a list or two, waited and now have the puppy we wanted.
We were grilled by the breeder before we were accepted as potential owners and are in daily contact.

Bella is a rescue and a total sweetheart apart from when she gets me up before six to watch her sleep until eight.

From a 'free to good home' advert on my work's staff intranet. He was 18 months old and a border collie from a puppy farm, first time dog owners with a small child and a baby. He was mad as a box of frogs, never been lead trained. He's still a handful despite about eleventy billion training classes, a behaviourist and many fiendish brain training games. Wasn't socialised, is reactive, is anxious, barks, herds, is a collie...and he's nine now. No signs of sensible breaking out!

I'm glad I got him though, I dread to think where he might have ended up. Dead for nipping probably. I could happily off him for the 4am barking alone (not really I luffs him).

A home breeder, but we saw the whole litter and were able to choose the one we wanted, we saw the mum and the dad, she came registered to kneel club, first vets chacks, wormed, chipped and fleed so a reputable breeder.

Dog 1: from a friend whose dog had puppies. We live in a big village and she still sees both parents and her siblings out on walks, it's sweet.

Dog 2: rescued via Many Tears, he was a stud dog on a puppy farm. When I seeing him snoozing on my bed with his legs in the air like a dead fly it almost makes me want to cry to think how he probably used to live. I adore him.

Local breeder. Did lots of checking out. Saw her with sibs and mum. Still in touch with breeder and other owners of siblings. In future I would rescue but this wasn't possible this time as the breeds we wanted (allergy suffer in family) was only available at Many Tears etc and they wanted no children and a resident dog.

We got pup from Champdogs. Did a lot of research through KC too. Only two breeders of this breed in Scotland so quite easy to research. We are part of a meet up group too where he has meet quite a few of his siblings.

From a rescue, I fostered her, no one wanted her, shes dog friendly, kid friendly, a doddle to walk, house trained, doesn't chew. Is fine to be left, but still no one wanted her, she actually reminded me of me (having been raised in a children's home unwanted) so I officially adopted her :-)

Gumtree, I didn't mean to, he was the breed I wanted but not KC registered. I just went to look, met both parents and they were lovely, deposit paid there and then.

This one - Battersea
Last one - I rescued as a stray
One I got as an 11-year-old - had all the papers and was a pedigree Staffy - seller was a Kennel Club judge. He and wife had apparently several bitches that lived in other households (now would be RED FLAG of course). I now realise this was a form of puppy farming (albeit they were proper pedigree dogs with KC papers) - we viewed the puppies in their back garden enclosure - no mother - puppies looked OK and I chose one - my parents had wanted to wait for new litter due soon. My dog was lovely but after we got home he had a bit of diarrhoea and two small patches of mange. Not so good. In those days we thought if they came from "reputable breeder (!)" that was the right way to get your puppy. Now, of course, we know what to look out for more.