Royal Chimes in on Getting a Puppy

Royal here to comment on Jenn’s blog “Advantages of Getting a New Puppy.” If you are serious about adopting a puppy, there are a few things that are really good to know.

Jenn adopted me when I was 10 weeks old from my breeder Katrina. She did lots of research before finding Katrina and that included asking lots of questions and talking to lots of people about who was breeding healthy, happy dogs. Once Jenn found Katrina, she had to be on a waiting list for a puppy. Good breeders that are breeding puppies for mental and physical health usually already have homes for every puppy they breed before they are born. Be prepared to wait for the puppy you want.

But what makes a “good” breeder anyway?

Good breeders like Katrina are experts in their breed, are choosy about potential adopters, are in demand, raise their litters of puppies indoors with their families, and breed on a schedule that promotes the overall health of the mother dog, sometimes once a year if that.

Good breeders know that raising puppies is a lot of work and they do everything to promote healthy puppies by keeping their puppies for at least 8 weeks providing socialization experiences. I was kept with my mom Lacy and my siblings until I was 10 weeks old. This provided me with lots of learning experiences that I might not have gotten if I were adopted when I was younger.

Katrina and her whole family worked really hard to take care of me and my siblings day and night. We went on field trips to all sorts of different places, each puppy got experience being handled and groomed everyday, we got to play with new things every day and meet new people. Whew! But all that time and effort gave me the absolute best start in life.

So when I got to Jenn, I was already confident, housetrained, well socialized and ready to bond with my new family. Jenn just continued the good work that Katrina started.

Not all puppies are as lucky as me. There are humans that breed puppies for money and don’t give them the care or socialization they need. Beware of humans that sell puppies online and on places like Craig’s List.

You can stack the deck in your favor, if you are set on getting a puppy for your family. Be sure to thoroughly check out your breeder. Good breeders are the best resource for ensuring your puppy’s bright future.