Do you want to buy a puppy, or rescue a kitten?  Many people know that pet stores are among the worst places to buy pets, but then are stumped at finding a “good” place to purchase the pet of their choice. If you are in the market for a pet, or are know somebody who is, this is a valuable guide to follow.

Adoption from a Shelter

Animal shelters are excellent places to acquire pets, although technically this is an adoption rather than a purchase. Many people think of shelters only as places to find pet cats and dogs (kittens and puppies too) but in fact they often have other types of pets for adoption. These exotic animals often have people on waiting lists for them so they may come and go quickly.

Animal Shelters and Humane Societies are awesome places to get pets, not just because you are saving a life, but because you are not rewarding cruelty, and ultimately are often getting a pet for a much better price than taking a free pet! How can it be cheaper than free you might wonder... Simple, the animal shelter gets the pets vet checked, vaccinated, dewormed, and so forth before putting it up for adoption.

If you get a free kitten, you must take it to the vet yourself for all these needs to be met (at least if you are a good owner you do), and as shelters are non-profit and get these services at a reduced rate due to bulk, it is generally cheaper to adopt than for you to take a pet to the vet yourself. What happens when you take the free kitten to a vet and find out it has a heart defect that needs a $1000 surgery? The animal shelter will have already checked for problems like this, and given you a limited health guarantee.

Also shelters are always available to help with questions, concerns, and problems. They want the pet to have a good home so are honest.

To find an animal shelter look in your local phone book or contact a veterinarian. Some animal shelters have websites where you can view their adoptable pets, but most do not keep these up to date so a visit to the shelter is always best.

photo by author

Reputable Breeder

It is hard for most people to tell the difference between a Reputable Breeder, a backyard breeder, and a mill. Reputable breeders are the best to buy from, backyard breeders are not idea and many over charge for their pets, and mills should never be supported (you are not saving a pet, you are rewarding them for cruel mass breeding animals).

Below are the Rules of Thumb for Finding a Reputable Breeder. In order to be a reputable breeder ALL the facts must be true, according to breed, and type of animal.

• All animals must be registered (and therefore all will be purebred).
• All breeding animals must attend shows to prove their worth, earning championship titles, before being bred.
• All breeding animals should also have genetic tests done by a veterinarian prior to breeding (specifically with dogs, hips, eyes, ears).
• Reputable breeders do not advertise litters for sale, they get waiting lists of interested parties BEFORE breeding their animals. (Horse breeders might be an exception).
• Reputable breeders screen potential buyers to make sure the buyer knows how to care for the animal correctly.
• Reputable breeders offer health guarantees, and genetic guarantees and (again with the possible exception of horse breeders) will take any pet back during its lifetime should the owner fail to be able to care for it.
• Reputable breeders sell directly to the public and will allow the public to inspect their facilities, and meet the parent animals.
• Will usually specialize only in one breed.

Reputable breeders can be found by attending shows, exhibitions, talking to veterinarians, pet clubs, and so on, or by getting a magazine devoted to that breed, or type of animal. They may have websites but do NOT advertise litters for sale, and will never advertise in the newspaper or on sites such as craigslist.

Even though their prices may be high, Reputable Breeders do not make a profit, they invest so much in showing their animals and promoting them, that the money from the off spring balances things out. They breed to improve the breed, not to improve their lifestyle.

Back Yard Breeders

You can easily find back yard breeders through ads of puppies for sale, or kittens for sale, free pets, and so forth.

Use caution when buying from these folks, they are often selling lower quality animals at inflated prices. They are only a step above mills, in that they take care of the parent animals a bit better.

Because they have done nothing to prove their dogs were worth breeding, and have not passed any genetic health tests, you may pay for a pup from a backyard breeder that requires major dental surgery, or has a heart defect, or behavior issues, for which they offer no guarantee.

The only advantages of buying pets from a backyard breeder over a Reputable one is that their prices may be lower, and they are easier to find.

Back yard breeders are easy to find, they advertise in newspapers and on the Internet regularly, just be sure not to support anyone whose place is filthy or overrun with animals -report them instead of rewarding them – you are not saving animals lives when you put money into the pocket of poor breeders.

Breed Rescues

Very similar to shelters, breed rescues offer specific animals that once had a home but were surrendered for whatever reason.

These breed rescues can be found on-line although it should be noted they are not easy to find, and you may not have one in your area for the breed, or type of animal, you are looking for.

Mature Pets for Sale or Free

Sometimes owners have their pets for sale (or offer them for free), animals, that they cannot keep for whatever reason. These pets are often listed in the local newspaper, or in on-line sites such as craigslist.

General Rules of Thumb for Buying and Adopting Pets

• Never pay a cent for a pet that has not been seen by a veterinarian and vaccinated, dewormed, and so forth.
• Ask the seller what food the pet is on, they should supply you with a days worth of food.
• Get everything in writing (guarantees, sale price, deposits paid), and always get a receipt.
• Do your research to, make sure you are getting the right kind of pet and know what you are getting in for.  Some sellers might not be honest about problems associated with the animal type they are selling.
• Ask them if they have a return policy (you might not get your money back you made a bad decision, but should always take pets back if you cannot keep it for any reason).

Related Links

How Buying from Pet Stores Supports Cruelty

The Difference between Buying, Adopting, and Rescuing