The Best Advice You Could Ever Get About Choosing and Buying A Puppy or Dog During Lockdown
When you are looking for the right companion to share your life and become your best friend, choosing the right breed of dog is not something to be rushed. Take your time and do your research; try and find a dog that matches you as a person and your lifestyle.
What are the Most Popular Breeds of Dogs?
When looking at dog breeds, you would be literally quite barking mad if you didn’t take a look at these breeds. Labrador Retrievers are the number one choice of most people and make a lovely addition to the family, or you may be intrigued and want to investigate Silver Lab Puppies, a great family pet, especially for active homes. However, you may have heard the mutterings of controversial dialogue going around regarding the attractive silver coat of the Silver Labrador Retrievers.
The price that they are being sold for is the main reasoning behind the controversy. But that aside, they are a fantastic breed of dog that are happier in family environments, making them a worthy contender on your search to find your new family member and pet.
Buying a puppy: here are the most popular dog breeds:
- Labrador Retriever
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- French Bulldog
- Bulldog
- Beagle
- Poodle
- Rottweiler
- Yorkshire Terrier
- German Shorthaired Pointer
How Do You Find The Right Dog or Puppy?
One factor to consider is if you want a long or short-haired dog. If you’re allergic to dogs like Boston Terriers, look for hypoallergenic dogs that don’t shed. There are so many breeds, but finding the right one to fit your lifestyle, your home, and the environment can be a massive challenge; click on the following link to help you get a little closer to finding man’s best friend and the right dog to become a member of your family.
Buying a Puppy During Lockdown
So, you’ve found the perfect puppy of your dreams; what’s next? But before you get too engrossed in your new purchase, you should think about following these steps to ensure that you are making the right choice for yourself and the puppy. It would be best if you considered the following:
- Do you have the commitment required to care for the life of your puppy?
- Your lifestyle may have to alter or change to accommodate your new addition.
- Selecting the right breed that works with your home environment, energy, and exercise levels.
Please be sure that the puppy you are buying has not come from a puppy farm, as many may have experienced health and well-being issues. Do not buy puppies from pet shops as they usually purchase puppy farms are the usual source of the puppies they sell, with much more interested in financial gain than welfare.
However difficult it may be to have to walk away from a little bundle of fluff, make sure that you ask the right questions. Think about asking the following questions before you go to look at a litter of puppies:
Questions about the breeder:
- Did they breed the puppy, and was it at their home?
- Is where you are visiting the puppy the place where they were born?
- Are you able to see the other puppies in the litter?
- Will you be able to meet the puppy’s mother?
- Have the puppies’ parents been screened for any health issues or hereditary conditions?
If the breeder can provide you with the answers to these questions, you may be assured that you are buying from a caring, committed breeder.
Buying a puppy: questions to ask about the puppies:
- Have the puppies got any health-related issues?
- Have the puppies been wormed?
- Will the puppy have been vaccinated before you take it home?
- What type of food are the puppies eating, and do they eat well?
To learn more, you can download further information and a checklist to take to your visit. It would help if you also considered the following regarding the Coronavirus Pandemic, current restrictions, and lockdowns.
Although it is not illegal to buy a puppy during lockdown or restrictions, you must purchase a puppy responsibly and not be drawn into the whims of picking a puppy online and having it shipped to your doorstep.
To buy a puppy responsibly takes time and commitment and involves travel, visiting people’s homes, and interacting with other people in one-to-one situations, with the prospect of limited social distancing or mask-wearing. These elements may cause you to step outside what is legally acceptable, placing you and others at risk, in addition to the financial implications and potential loss.
Can You Travel To View A Litter of Puppies During Restrictions and a Lockdown?
Many areas face restrictions and changes in the tier systems, alongside potential new lockdowns. You may need to take all of this into the equation when considering buying a puppy at this time. In many areas where the place sits within the highest tier of restriction, you are only allowed to travel for essential purposes, sadly buying a puppy or visiting a litter in someone else’s home falls outside of the remit, and you could be breaking the law.
However, restrictions aside, if you do your research well, you will find hidden within the government guidelines that the answer is NO!
If you have already agreed and paid for your puppy, you will still not be allowed to collect the puppy in a restricted area legally. If, however, the breeder is a registered business, it may be permissible for the puppy to be delivered to you as long as it does not contravene any tier restrictions or break the law.
You will also have to consider vaccinations, visits to the vets, and the list is endless. It may be a game-changer owning a puppy or dog, but you should also really consider the long-term impact of your actions, not just on you but also on others and your own family.
So, for now, you may have to stick to watching your pet Goldfish instead, or at least a bit of carrot on a string, until next year when you’ve had your vaccinations, and you can start to step back out into the wider world.
