08/11/2021
Maybe useful for someone, so wanted to share:
Mistakes to absolutely avoid when we decide to adopt a puppy dog!
Buying from a backyard breeder (Craigslist ad, Facebook ad, parking lot etc)
Selecting a puppy because it’s cute and tiny. Do your research and select a breed or mix-breed that is suitable to your experience, your home situation, your activity level, your training skill.
Forgetting to puppy-proof your home and yard. This could result in an ill or dead puppy.
Not bothering to bring the puppy to a vet immediately for a checkup and to start the vaccines.
Impulse puppy. Don’t decide to get a puppy on a whim and then, with no forethought or planning, go “rescue” a puppy.
Feeding a puppy a raw diet. This is rife with health risks for a puppy (and is not a good choice for adults either, but for puppies it can be lethal). Dogs are not wolves and haven’t been for 30,000 years.
Bringing home a puppy younger than 8 weeks. Puppies need to be with their mother for more than just nutrition. They learn valuable social skills from their mother and littermates.
If someone is selling/re-homing puppies at 5 or 6 weeks, that’s your first clue they’re backyard breeders and those puppies are the result of no forethought or health testing or any other consideration by the breeder.
Bringing the new puppy everywhere with you to show him/her off. Your new puppy needs to finish the DHPP vaccine series and settle into the new home first.
Buying from a pet store (thanks Tracie for pointing this one out-I overlooked it!). Pet stores buy from puppy mills (despite what they will claim). You do NOT want to put money in the pockets of these people.
