Copthorne VetsWell spring has finally sprung bringing with it Mr Hall’s first holiday of the year, so Pet watch will be brought to you this week by myself, Shropshire’s favourite lurcher, Ralphie.
I don’t know about you but I’ve certainly been enjoying the lighter evenings, it’s great to get out and meet up with all my doggy chums of an evening. During the winter months I hardly see my friends at all and we have loads to catch up on. It was especially great to see puppy ‘Wilson’ who has now grown into a healthy and handsome Beagle dog rather than a cute bundle of ears and fluff.
Mum says that being a veterinary nurse is a great job with all the puppies and kittens she gets to cuddle, but it can be sad too when young animals are poorly, or if they’ve not had the good start in life that Wilson did.
Getting a puppy is a really exciting time and if you’re thinking about taking the plunge and adding a canine companion to your family, it’s important to go about it the right way, to ensure you have a happy healthy friend for life.
For starters you need to choose a breed that suits your lifestyle, do lots of research and speak to other owners about their experiences of different dog breeds before making a decision. You may choose a pedigree, or maybe a ‘Heinz 57’ but whatever you decide it’s vital to ensure the puppy you are adopting comes to you from a reputable breeder.
Sadly not all dog breeders are dog lovers and breed dogs on a commercial scale simply for financial gain, these so called ‘puppy farms’ are the worst possible place from which to obtain a puppy and should be avoided at all costs. The poor bitches who live at these places have up to two litters of puppies per year and spend the majority of their lives in pens unable to do all the things that lucky dogs like me get to enjoy, like playing with my friends and going for lovely walks with mum and Bolt. This means that neither they nor their puppies get the vital social skills they need to become well adjusted pets. The bitches have also rarely had any type of tests, such as hip or eye scoring, meaning more likelihood of genetic problems being passed to their offsprings, as well as the risk of puppies carrying diseases which are likely to be transmitted when lots of dogs are kept in one place.
Be wary of advertisements for several different breeds of dog, or someone offering to meet you somewhere with the puppy rather than going to their premises. These dogs are likely to be from a puppy farm.
It is vital that before adoption you visit your new puppy in its home environment with its litter mates and mother, all of whom should be lively and friendly. If you are suspicious that the place you are visiting may be a puppy farm then don’t be tempted to buy a puppy to ‘rescue’ it, as the only way the cruel practice of puppy farming will stop is if people stop buying the puppies.
A good breeder will be happy for you to visit the litter more than once before making a decision and will have wormed your new pup and possibly started a course of vaccinations before you collect him.
Of course I may be biased, but if you go about it the right way then bringing a dog into your life should be one of the best things you ever do!
