Support

Electing to rescue a dog instead of answering a dog sale advert on the internet means you’re serious about dog welfare. To repay this commitment, many shelters will support you and offer a wealth of information and advice about their animals. They can show you which breeds would most suit your lifestyle, and offer options you may never have considered.

Choice

There aren’t many places where you can visit dogs of all different types and breeds. Many dog rescue shelters will have a range of animals for you to choose from. Even pedigree animals can end up being rescued, so the choice is limitless even if it does seem like every other dog is a Staffie.

Age

Puppies are lovely, but they take an enormous amount of time and patience. That’s something that not all of us realise when we look at all those dogs sale adverts with pictures of cute fluffy animals in them.

If puppies aren’t your thing, then a shelter will have a range of dogs at different ages. It is entirely possible to miss out the puppy stage altogether if you rescue an older dog.

Older dogs will also have their personality already, so it’s easier to know what you’re getting. Puppies are something of a mystery until their character evolves. Knowing already what a dog is like allows you to make a more informed decision as to whether the dog is suitable for you or not.

Health

Many dogs sale adverts are placed by puppy farms, which often sell substandard animals with inherent health problems. Even healthy puppies may need veterinary care during its young life.

A rescue dog will have been fully checked over and have any problems rectified before being made available. Often, the dogs are spayed or neutered too, which save money and care for the new owner. There will be no worry about worms, fleas or other parasites and no hidden health problems when you rescue a dog.

Conscience

Rescuing a dog is simply a better thing to do that buying one from a dog sale ad. It helps the dog, the shelter and society at large. It’s a small step to reducing the number of dogs who have to be put down each year. More importantly, it helps a dog have a happy and fulfilling life.

A puppy farm breeds dogs for pure profit with no regard for the health and wellbeing of the dogs. They can also be referred to all puppy mills, and are simply breeding facilities for breeding as many dogs for as little cost as possible.

Typically they will be mass producing puppies and their living conditions will be far from ideal. When you’re answering a dog sale advertisement, you need to make sure you’re buying from a reputable breeder and not one of these farms.

Fortunately, there are a few things to look out for, which we will outline here.

Adopt a Puppy if You Can

There are so many puppies in shelters and rescue groups that it would be far better to adopt one than buy one from a dg sale advert. There is usually a huge choice of breeds, some will have their own rescue organisations. Talk to them before buying one, you could save a dog from a less than ideal life.

Be Careful with Dogs Sale Advertisements

Puppy farms tend to advertise exclusively on the internet and in free papers. Many reputable breeders do too, so it’s important to be careful. Check out our article on questions to ask breeders to weed out the farmers.

Visit the Breeder

Then visit the puppies and ensure you see them with their mother, or both parents. This will tell you a lot about how the puppy was brought up. While you’re not looking for four-star luxury, you are looking for welfare. That means ready supplies of food and water, warmth,  a little comfort and cleanliness.

You will get a feeling for the breeder and the type of operation they run from spending time with them. If anything seems a little off, walk away. Our instincts are sharper than we give them credit for and can often pick up things we cannot.

As animal lovers, we need to put a stop to this practice as soon as possible. The easiest, and quickest way to do this is by taking the money out of it. By not buying puppies from these farms, they will gradually close down, leaving the market free for reputable breeders and happy, healthy puppies.

The prevalence of these dog sale adverts in our newspapers and on the internet is testament to the fact that we love our dogs. However, it is universally recognised among welfare groups that there are too many breeders selling too many dogs.

Look in any free-ad paper, or on any advertising website and you will see hundreds of dogs sale adverts advertising everything from mongrels to show dogs. The choice of breeder is huge, and takes research to get right. We have compiled a list of questions you should ask the breeder when answering a dog sale advertisement.

Where do your adult dogs live?

Knowing how the parents are cared for, or not, is an important indicator of the quality of the breeder. The living conditions should match the type of dog. Outdoor dogs like Alaskan Malamutes should ideally live outdoors, with plenty of space. Indoor dogs should have somewhere warm, with space to play.

Where were the puppies born? Where are they being raised?

Another important indicator of the quality of the breeder. The dog sale advert can say anything, so you need to ask the questions. Puppies should be born and raised in a warm, safe environment away from other dogs. They should also be handled regularly to ensure they aren’t afraid of people.

How many litters did you have last year?

Breeders who squeeze as many litters out of their dams as possible are to be avoided at all costs. Litters can end up weak and dams exhausted. There is no right answer here, but the fewer the better.

Tell me about the sire and dam

You want to know that both parents are healthy, have good HIP scores, and no underlying health issues. It would also be nice to know any particular characteristics of the parents.

What are some of the health issues present in the breed?

Many breeds have a susceptibility to certain health issues. It’s important to know any that your new puppy may inherit. This is particularly important for pedigree dog sales.

Do you have pictures of pups from previous litters now they are fully grown?

This is a nice to have, but not essential. It allows you to roughly gauge how large the dog will be and give you an idea of what it may look like.

Can you provide me with a list of references of people who have pups from you?

Most reputable breeders will be able to provide references. It’s an established part of the industry. If you receive a list, make sure you talk to them.

Can you provide at least one veterinary reference?

A vet is about as impartial as you can get. Each litter will be inspected before they are handed over and each parent should have a health score. Again, if you get the vet reference, make sure you use it.

How long have you bred this breed? Do you breed others?

Knowledge is power, and the longer a breeder has had a particular type of dog, the more they should know about it. A breeder who has many breeds may not have the focus needed to produce happy, healthy litters.

Dog sale adverts are all over, but it isn’t as simple as phoning and collecting. You need to be especially careful, and check out the breeder before handing over your money.

The choice you make can affect the next 10-15 years of your life, so it shouldn’t be made lightly. All breeders with dogs sale adverts will tell you their breed is perfect for you, but you need to select the right one for your situation long before you talk to them.

Breed Characteristics

There are over 200 recognised breeds of dogs in the UK, and many more cross-breeds. Choosing the right one for you is the most important decision you can make about a dog.

First up should be the size. As you will know, dogs vary in size from the tiny Chihuahua to the Great Dane, and everything in-between. Some people will like bigger dogs, and some will prefer something smaller. The decision should not be a cosmetic one, but one based on your ability to handle the dog and for it to fit into your life.

Breed characteristics also play a part in any decision. Each breed has different qualities that you need to assess before even looking at the dog sale advertisements. For example, a Labrador is a faithful friend, but needs lots of company, so isn’t good at being left on its own all day. A Collie is a great family pet and brilliant with children, but is very intelligent. A Collie needs mental stimulation as well as physical to keep them happy.

It’s important for any prospective owner to research their preferred breed before making a purchase. It not only has to fit in with your lifestyle, you need to be able to provide what it needs.

Pedigree or Mongrel

This is an eternal question that will rage on forever. Purists will say pedigree is the only way to go, whereas most vets and other dog lovers will say mongrel. Dog sale adverts will often charge more for pedigree dogs, but that isn’t the only consideration.

Pedigree dogs are more predictable than cross breeds and they have an established lineage that can indicate any particular traits and health issues. If you want to know exactly what your dog will be like, a pedigree may offer what you need.

However, pedigree dogs are extremely inbred and often have hereditary health issues. Their gene pool is often weak and many animal lovers dislike this aspect of the pedigree system.

Mongrel dogs or cross-breeds aren’t so predictable. They can have traits of both parents, or none of them. If you like mystery, a mongrel would be ideal. Dog sale adverts with mongrels tend to be cheaper too.

The main advantage of non-pedigree dogs is health. Coming from a much wider, more diverse gene pool means these dogs are often healthier, stronger and less prone to hereditary problems. That isn’t to say there won’t be any, but the chances are lower.

Looks

Only once you have covered the previous points should you consider the looks of the dog. The problem is that we are all predisposed to certain dogs, and this doesn’t always match our lifestyles, which is why we have put looks last.

There is no point buying a Husky because they look lovely if you cannot cope with walking them for miles a day. While you may have your heart set on a snow dog, if you can’t give them what they need, you’re both going to end up unhappy.