Where to get a puppy? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Where to get a puppy?

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mimico_polak

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Hey all,
I can't seem to find my older thread that had to do with dogs, so unfortunately had to start a new one.

Looks like my wife is getting onboard with the puppy idea, and we're tossing it around more often nowadays. We have narrowed it down to a few mid-sized (sub-50lb) dogs that we would like to focus on, and that are ideally good with kids, short haired, don't shed TOO much (I know it's impossible) but we have a short/med hair preference.

Some of the top ones are:
- boxer
- Aussie something (wife can't remember her client's dog breed)
- German pointer
- Hungarian Viszla
- Beagle
- Boston Terrier

I'd prefer to get one private, but obviously COVID has jacked the price up heavily. Although I have read that people have started returning the 'COVID dogs' as they got them for company, and found it's not for them, or are anticipating lifting restrictions so an adopted dog would also work for us.

Outside of Kijiji I'm not even sure where to look for one.

We have the space for a dog (40x50 back yard) so not too worried about that, and walking is no issue as we all enjoy it. I'm sure dogs would love chilling at the cottage too.

Def needs to be good with kids though (2 and 4).

Thanks!
 
Yeah I’d hit the shelters first. Plenty of good animals looking for a home. A more senior dog may even be a better first choice to have a more chill integration into the family.

The loss will come sooner and that’s unfortunate but inevitable.
 
Puppies might be like lumber at the moment.
Lots of people wanted dogs, when they were worried about the lockdown.
Especially, after the curfew in Québec.
 
We were originally thinking about a 1-2 year old, but right now we are still learning about what may be best.

So are there specific shelters that do adoption? Or just hit them up one by one?
 
As a starting point, you could call your local vet clinic (or see if it is possible to visit - this might be easier a couple of weeks from now). They might have animals that people have given up for whatever reason, or they may have leads to other places that have rescues. Be prepared. Last time I did that, I came home with two cats.
 
mimico_polak said:
We were originally thinking about a 1-2 year old, but right now we are still learning about what may be best.

So are there specific shelters that do adoption? Or just hit them up one by one?
Click to expand...

When we were looking for ours we hit up every humane society shelter in the area. Then we went to one called “friendly giants”, very nearly adopted a big bear of a dog from there but eventually we adopted our two from a shelter near Cornwall where they had been rescued from a puppy mill in Quebec. We have friends that have adopted rescued dogs from Russia/Northern Canada etc. You could start by fostering a dog and then seeing if the fit is good. Make sure you understand what potential vet costs can be. They can be pretty eye opening. Full disclosure…one of our dogs has bad hips, he had them when he was born, it doesn’t bother him that much right now and we wouldn’t have changed a thing. He has had ACL surgery too and that was pricey but again. All pretty good now.
 
Oh yeah…everyone says “don’t get two”. No idea why, we wouldn’t ever get a dog on their own again I don’t think. Two together are great company for each other. The only bad part is that they teach each other their bad habits.
 
We adopted our dog going on 4 years ago. Found him on petfinder.com. Finding a 'puppy' may be a bit more difficult than finding an adult dog but the rescue organizations that we were working with had a 2 week no pressure trial period to make sure that the dog and your (your family) are compatible. At that time, adoption fees were incredibly low - $400.00

We adopted a Shiba Inu cross from Thailand through a local rescue organization that works with Soi Dog. He is a bloody delightful gem (on left). The shepherd/lab to his right is my daughters dog. Also extremely delightful.

Good luck.

oKokynE.jpg
 
Beautiful cat @ToSlow. Unfortunately I realized I have an allergy to cats (after I had my last cat).

We had her for 12 years, was a good cat. Pain in the ass but a great cat.
 
Brian P said:
Rescue one.
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I have always found mongrels to be a lot less trouble and expense than pure bred dogs. Genetic diversity and Darwin's law make them adapt to be fitter as pets than any purebred I've had. Easier to train, friendlier, and lower vet bills.

They are just as lovable as pure breads.
 
Mad Mike said:
I have always found mongrels to be a lot less trouble and expense than pure bred dogs. Genetic diversity and Darwin's law make them adapt to be fitter as pets than any purebred I've had. Easier to train, friendlier, and lower vet bills.

They are just as lovable as pure breads.
Click to expand...
That’s actually something we were curious. Is it better to have a pure bred dog, or a mix?

How is pet insurance typically?
 
ToSlow said:
This guy was a kijiji find, Russian Blue


View attachment 49057View attachment 49057
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I have one too. 1622124895134.png
Mine has all the behavioral characteristics -- super friendly, smart, can do a few tricks, and is a fierce hunter.

He's an outdoor cat - he's taken on foxes, coyotes and regularly drags home dinner that he shares with his housemate (a Husky).

He also comes along on walks, no leash. He stays 10' behind me happily walking up to 3km.
 
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