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Buying a puppy - information
every breeder should supply
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| This little Westie attended the Pet Expo - but only in her owner's back pack where she could take lots of naps. |
BUYING a pedigree puppy is not just a matter of handing over the money and taking the pup home. There are many considerations both before and after you buy your pup - following are some of the most important:
- Every breeder should have a copy of the breed standard on hand for you read through, and should be able to point out the many advantages of owning a well-bred dog of your chosen breed, as well as any minor or major faults which can occur in that breed.
- Breeders should provide some written instructions on caring for your new puppy and offer any help and advice where necessary to get you and your puppy through each stage of growth. You should also receive a diet sheet telling you what to feed your puppy. If you later wish to change the puppy's diet make sure you do it gradually - a sudden change may upset the puppy's stomach.
- Your puppy should be health checked by your own veterinarian within 48 hours of purchase and any problems relayed to the breeder in writing as soon as possible.
- Puppies should not be released to new homes before seven weeks of age (eight weeks is preferred), at which stage they should have had their first parvo vaccination. If the puppy is older, all vaccinations should be completely up to date.
- Both parents of the puppy should be available for you to view. If the sire lives too far away there should at least be a picture of him for you to see.
- Every breed has its problems, eg. Labradors can have problems with hip dysplasia (HD), elbow dysplasia, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), hereditary cataracts (RC) and to a lesser extent epilepsy. All are detrimental to the dog's health and welfare and careful research needs to be carried out on the sire and dam before selecting a puppy.
- Good Labrador breeders have all their breeding dogs' eyes tested yearly, and their hips and elbows x-rayed and certified to minimise the risk of the above problems in Labradors - other breeds may have the same or totally different genetic diseases that are specific to their breed. Find out about possible problems in your chosen breed of puppy and find out if its parent lines have any such problems. The Kennel Club can help if you need assistance with this.
- Ask for a copy of all certificates required as proof that the parents have had all mandatory tests for genetic diseases in their specific breed. If you find interpretation of test results difficult to understand, write (or phone) to the kennel club for interpretation of test results.
- Ask if the puppy is registered with the NZ Kennel Club (NZKC) and if you will have total ownership of the puppy. The breeder must transfer the ownership after the sale of a NZKC-registered dog within 14 days of that sale unless otherwise agreed in writing by BOTH parties.
- To protect your rights as a buyer, ensure there is a contract of sale for the puppy from the breeder that indicates the dog's pedigree name and NZKC registration number. Also ensure the contract indicates what action the breeder will take if your puppy develops any hereditary problems which could be detrimental to its health and quality of life.
- READ THE CONTRACT before you pay a deposit or purchase a puppy. Some breeders' contracts list deposits as non-refundable.
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Issue 3 Page 2
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Copyright 2003 Paperclip Publishing
All rights reserved
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