How & where to buy a puppy

Adding a puppy to your home is both exciting and a serious responsibility. Here's how to prepare.

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How we determine which dogs fit in each home 

At times when we do an adoption, or select a home for a specific dog, we end up with other applicants upset their home was not selected. This is never a personal slight against each applicant even though many feel this way. Our goal is always to place a dog in the home that best fits their specific needs and the familys needs. 

Sometimes, this is a breed determination as well. High energy dogs, like Shepherds and Labradors, are not the ideal dogs for apartment life or a family with limited availability to exercise them.  However, there there are exceptions to breed specific traits at times.  A shih tzu that would normally thrive well in an apartment may be unusually 

energetic and need more room to run. Just as that Boxer may be uncharacteristically low energy and would thrive 

just fine with a less active home. Most of the time these applicants would make a great home for another dog.  We will try to find them that dog if they give us the opportunity to select the dog that fits their lifestyle needs. 

When we select a home for a dog there are several things we consider: 

What does this specific dog thrive 

on? 

Is it high or low energy? 

Does this dog seem to need a fence, or not? 

Is this dog good with kids/cats/dogs? 

If yes, what ages will work?

Does this dog tend to bark? 

What type of housing situation is suitable for the dogs noise level?

What are the typical behavior characteristics of this breed and the specific dog? 

Does this dog need a fence? 

Do the people work alot? Does the dog have anxiety issues if so?

What kind of stimulation will the dog need?

What experience does the home need for that specific dog? 

Generally, we will provide a thorough description of the dogs needs on their adoption biography. Some times

we may be able to see on an application if the applicant would make a good candidate or not for that dog.  Sometimes it requires a phone conversation. The more detail an application provides, the more information we have to pair them correctly.   A puppy, for example, is not usually a fit for a home with typical working hours. Puppies have small bladders and need to be left out frequently. We almost always recommend crate training, but for some dogs this is even more imperative. 

Perhaps they have a fearful nature, and their crate is their safe spot. Or, they may have an ornery side when there 

is no one there to guide them. Those dogs would not fit a home that is against the crate training method. 

Other times we have applicants who are interested due to the look/size/breed of the dog and they haven’t done research on that dog's specific needs. Poodles/Doodles are a breed we end up inundated with applications for. While they can make great pets, they do come with a lot of responsibility. Professional grooming is necessary and costly. Poodles were intended to be working dogs. They are highly intelligent and have a desire to please. On this same note, in the wrong home with the wrong training techniques, a poodle/doodle can learn unfavorable behaviors and tendencies that are hard to break. They also tend to need a lot of companionship and exercise. 

They often get lonely and/or have separation anxiety. We haven’t yet met one that isn’t adorable, that is for sure! 

Since they come with a lot of responsibility, they are not usually the best fit for first time pet owners. 

We have guidelines we look at, but every dog is unique.  We dont have many blanket policies and we evaluate every situation. This means, despite what breed they are, their home needs are also unique to them. We require all our dogs stay in foster a minimum of 2 weeks before we place them up for adoption. This is so that we can get a better sense of their temperament and needs. Sometimes, if they have been available and a home has not yet been selected, we may modify some of their needs as we learn more about them. We won’t make exceptions to the home we are looking for typically because we feel that the dog needs those guidelines to thrive. If we have a dog that we say needs a fence, some do come with this requirement but not all, and you do not have one, please do not take it personal that you are not selected. We aren’t saying you are not a good home. Itd just not the right home for that specific dog. Even if you have had that breed for years. That specific dog is unique, and that dog’s needs are unique. If you want to work with us we will absolutely get you approved and find a dog that fits your homes needs.