With many people working from home or furloughed, it may seem like the perfect time to get a new pet. We share our top tips for making sure your new pet has the best start in your family.

Getting a puppy?

It might be tempting to get a puppy however it requires a lot of time, money and investment to ensure they have the best start possible. If you do feel ready to take on the commitment then there are important things to consider.

Firstly, it is important to do plenty of research on the right breed for you and your family. Certain breeds can be quite high maintenance in terms of exercise or grooming requirements. It may be easy to walk a dog for 2 hours a day during lockdown but will there be the time once things get back to normal? There are plenty of online resources about breeds, so do your research and find the right breed that suits your family.

Secondly, it is vitally important to find a reputable breeder. There are a large number of puppies bred on puppy farms in the UK or illegally imported from other countries. The mothers of these pups are often kept in awful conditions and mated constantly to keep up with the demand. Puppies can sometimes be delivered to a middle-man who will advertise the pups and keep them in their home, to make it look like they have come from someone reliable. The rules have changed recently in an attempt to prevent this from happening but unfortunately there will always be unscrupulous breeders trying to make easy money. The consequence of buying a dog from a puppy farm can be dangerous: puppies are more likely to come with illnesses such as intestinal worms, diarrhoea and skin conditions. Some of these problems can be life-threatening. These dogs will also not be sufficiently socalised in their early lives, or bred from parents with unsuitable temperaments, so may later develop behavioural problems.

Red flags:

• Private websites that have a lot of dogs for sale – even if the website looks professional and attractive, it can still be a puppy farm
• Sellers offering to drop off puppies – this could be because they do not want you to see the conditions they are kept in, or that they have been imported from abroad
• If you go to visit and mum isn’t there – some may say “Oh, mum is just out on a walk”. This is unlikely to be the truth
• If you visit and mum is very nervous or kept away from you – a nervous mum is at risk of producing nervous pups. Ideally one or both parents should be seen and you should interact with them, making sure they look happy and healthy
• Dogs kept outside – while this isn’t illegal, puppies that have grown up in an outdoor kennel will not be used to living in a home environment and at more risk of being nervous and aggressive, and will unlikely be toilet trained.
• Puppies that are ready to go before 8 weeks old – pups should not leave their mum until they are 8 weeks old, except in certain circumstances e.g. hand reared. Ask the breeder for the date of birth. After 8 weeks old it is a legal requirement for puppies to be microchipped, so all puppies should be chipped by the time you collect them
• Working/farm dogs – these may suit some families but they have very high requirements for mental and physical stimulation

Top tips:

• Use a puppy contract – a group including the RSPCA have developed a guide that can be used for the breeder to complete, so you have as much information as possible about the pup you are about to purchase.
• Ask for their breeding license number – anyone breeding 3 or more litters in 12 months or breeding puppies and advertising a business of selling them (irrespective of the number of litters produced per year) must be registered with the council. If they are unable to provide this it is likely they are not reputable breeders and the puppy may be from a puppy farm.
• Visit the breeder, ask for photos, make sure mum is around. Look at the condition of where the dogs are kept. It may be tempting to take a pup even if the surroundings are less than ideal, as you feel it may be a case of saving the puppy. Unfortunately, this will only perpetuate the problem as they have still had your business and will continue to breed more dogs. It is best to report any suspicious circumstances to Trading Standards.

Getting a rescue?

Many people choose to rehome dogs. Rescue centres can have dogs of all ages and breeds so it is always worth contacting your local rescue centres.  Most rescue centres have altered how they are working due to COVID so check with them what they are doing with regards to rehoming at this time.  Dogs usually have their behaviour assessed by a trained behaviourist and previous owners can often provide thorough histories. Most of these dogs have lived in homes previously so are already possibly house-trained, know basic commands and fit in very easily into their new homes. Other dogs may require a little more input from a new owner, but the rescues should provide you with support and any information you may need. Rescue centres give you the chance to meet the dog and spend time with them to see if they’ll be the perfect fit for you and your family.

There are a huge number of rescue dogs in UK rescues just waiting for homes, with nearly 70,000 dogs being taken in as strays across the UK between April 2018 and March 2019 according to a Dogs Trust survey.

Resources:

A great resource for researching and finding the best puppy for you: https://puppycontract.org.uk/

Lucy’s Law: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lucys-law-spells-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-puppy-farming

Legislation of puppy breeding: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/animal-welfare-boosted-by-new-law-coming-into-force