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Buying a purebred dog as opposed to adopting from a shelter or rescue group can be a contentious issue. It is, without question, a personal choice that some of us have struggled with, and perhaps unwittingly, indulged in over the years.
~Photographs and Story by Anna Cooke
TO ADOPT OR SHOP?
PART I There are many good options available for adopting a purebred dog, but sometimes a little patience is required. Did you know that many Florida shelters allow you to place your name on a waiting list for a specific breed of dog? Contact your local SPCA or Humane Society and let them know what you’re looking for. Believe it or not, a surprising number of purebred dogs end up at shelters. Check out your local animal services shelter as well. Another option is to contact a local breedspecific rescue organization. Google the name of the breed along with the words “rescue” and “Florida” and the odds are good you’ll find a breed-specific rescue group nearby. The dogs are not necessarily “broken” or “bad dogs.” “Unforeseen circumstances such as death, divorce or financial woes cause many wonderful dogs to end up with rescue groups,” said Dr. Nancy Kay in her summation, “A Dozen Simple Ways to Be Certain You Are Working With a Reputable Breeder.” Which brings us to the third viable option for adopting a purebred dog: buying one from a reputable breeder. Without being judgmental, we wanted to provide as much information as possible to someone who might be considering purchasing a dog. There are no guarantees, but by working with a reputable breeder, theoretically two healthy dogs with solid temperaments have a good chance of producing a healthy litter. As a family, we purchased our first dog, a Siberian Husky, from a pet store many years ago. This was not a planned purchase. The owner of the store told us he would be “getting rid of her” if
someone didn’t buy her within the next few days. She had outgrown her crate, and had a light case of mange. New to the world of dogs, and unaware of what a puppy mill was, we brought her home, and named her Clouseau. We acquired our second dog, Elmo, a wonderful, purebred Golden Retriever, from someone who was goimg through a divorce, and couldn’t handle him anymore. We bought our third dog, a Cockapoo we named Zoe, when a friend in Windemere called to say a friend of hers had the cutest puppy for sale. We went—we fell in love— we bit. A few months later, that same friend had a dog who had puppies of her own, and you guessed it: We went—we fell in love—we bit again. We named her Chloe, and we have never been the same since she came into our lives. At the time, the term backyard breeder was not part of our vocabulary. All we knew was that Zoe and Chloe were two of the most adorable puppies we had ever seen. Rita, a beautiful purebred MinPin, came into our lives after wandering onto our front porch. A neighbor, going through a personal crisis, was unable to care for her and agreed to let us take her. We fell hard in love with Dougie, a purebred Scottish Terrier, after seeing him at several Dunedin Doggie Rescue events. The rescue group volunteers saw how smitten we were, and talked us (easily) into fostering him. We are now known as failed foster parents. Clouseau and Elmo are long gone from this world, although they remain indelibly in our loving memory. Photographs and paintings of them are present throughout our home. Continued on following pageg
Dexter, a Standard Poodle.
34 THE NEW BARKER
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