The week leading up to Valentine’s Day is an especially popular time to get a puppy, according to sales data from PuppySpot.com, a trusted service that places healthy puppies into happy homes. Thus, in celebration of the holiday of love and related increase in puppy additions, PuppySpot advises on the importance of responsible puppy sourcing and to consider the following tips when getting a puppy this Valentine’s Day.
- Know your puppy's origin. It’s valuable to know and understand a puppy’s history including where the puppy was born and raised, details on the puppy’s parents, current state of care, and more. When armed with this information, an owner will be better equipped and prepared to take care of a puppy based on individual needs.
2. Ask for a veterinary health report. Whether getting a puppy directly from a breeder, at a shelter, through a rescue or by another retail source, it’s important to have the puppy examined by a licensed veterinarian and get answers to crucial questions such as whether the puppy is up-to-date on all vaccinations and whether the puppy has been thoroughly examined and/or treated for any conditions.
3. Owners should choose a purebred or mixed breed that is right for their lifestyle. While all puppies are adorable and it’s easy to fall in love at first sight, it’s important to do a reasoned, deliberate search and be honest with oneself about what type of dog matches well with its potential forever home. For example, a large dog that requires a lot of exercise may not be a great fit for an owner who works long hours and lives in a small apartment without a yard or a heavy-shedding dog may not be a good fit if any family member has allergies.
4. Make sure the puppy has been properly socialized. Regardless of where you get a puppy, it’s imperative that the breeder, shelter, rescue or retailer have a consistent socialization program in place where the puppy has regular interaction not only with other dogs or puppies in its litter, but also people – both adults and children.
5. Read reviews on the source of your puppy. It is invaluable to hear what other dog lovers’ experiences are with a potential puppy source. Reputable sources will make it easy to access authentic reviews so you can gain insight from others who have worked with the puppy source in the past. You should not have to take the source’s word for how things work, and past customers are uniquely positioned to provide you with detail into the process and help validate the source’s legitimacy, as well as alleviate other potential concerns.
6. Be prepared for the responsibility. Bringing home a furry friend is a serious commitment. Unless it’s for your kids, spouse or partner, and you are prepared for the commitment, surprising someone you love with a puppy is not recommended. A caring, responsible source that truly cares about their puppies’ well-being will screen each customer—with a focus on the recipient and the final living environment of the puppy in the case of a gift-- to make sure the potential owner knows what it takes and is prepared to commit the next 10-15 years to raising the dog.
“It's a huge decision to add a furry member to the family, which is why it's critical to verify a puppy comes from a responsible, trusted source,” says Greg Liberman, Chief Executive Officer at PuppySpot.com. “That’s why we do not just ask for trust, we earn it through transparency and action by not only screening our breeders and customers, but also soliciting feedback from every puppy customer and using a third-party administered system to post each and every review on our website so every prospective puppy owner knows exactly who they are dealing with and what to expect."
For more information about PuppySpot, visit www.PuppySpot.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
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