Hello friends! In these Coronavirus times, many people are asking how to find a pup just like us. Some of you know that we are Puppy Mill Refugees so we won’t recommend where we came from. But, to answer this question what we decided to do is “phone a friend”.
Our trainer knows a lot about this stuff. Her name is Gia Savocchi @thinkingcanine and she has helped us learn a lot of cool stuff like sitting on a box and she always has the treats!!! Have a look at her website! www.thinkingcanine.com.
The first decision you have to make is to adopt or to find a breeder. We will warn you that it’s not easy to find a white fluffy puppy in the middle of a pandemic at a rescue. But there are a lot of good people out there where you can try. Near us, on Long Island, there is @littleshelter or @yorkie911.
If you decide the breeder route, the first thing you need to think about is what kind of dog you would like. You can go to www.akc.org and check out the “find a puppy” section and look for a responsible breeder.
Brody is a Maltese and Hammy is a Maltipoo. If you want to find Maltese breeders you can also look at www.americanmaltese.org.
According to Gia, you need to ask a lot of good questions. Here is what to ask and why:
- To make sure your pup is healthy ask if your breeder does health testing on the pups to make sure they are not passing along bad traits. Certain breeds have genetic traits you need to watch out for. Hammy and Brody both had DNA tests and all they are all good!
- Also, check that your puppy is raised in a home environment and is being actively engaged. A lot of breeders have Facebook groups to share all about your puppy and his or her parents.
- It is important that you can meet the Mommy and Daddy of your pup and make sure they are friendly. If the breeder won’t let you meet the family that’s a sign that they are from a puppy mill or the parents are not nice.
- A good breeder will pick your puppy for you based on your family’s needs and situation i.e. small children, show dogs, elderly, etc.
- Be prepared, the breeder will ask you for references to make sure you will be a good parent. This is generally your Vet, who they will ask if you are taking care of your pets responsibly.