Interesting BF Ad Request

[stationchief]

Ok. I was chattin' with my aunt about this whole BF buzz when it turned into what we want for christmas. My aunt + her hubby wants to get, of all things, get ready for this ... a puppy. She wants a truebred golden lab and asked me if there's gonna be any BF deal at places like PetLand and the like. I totally did a double-take and drew a blank!

 

Any bright ideas? Is the kennel portion of PetsMart having a BF early-bird (or should I say -dog) sale on labs? Or am I just BARKING up the wrong tree? (::cough cough:: sorry, couldn't resist!)

[DaleRider]

My wife's father used to breed goldens.......and she and he strongly suggest you find a reputable local breeder of the puppy instead of using PetLand. Several reasons include: you cannot see the parents (this will give a clue as to the puppy's temperment as an adult, maybe not give a total picture but at least a clue), you can speak personally to the breeder and see how many times the mother has had pups per year (over two litters a year is hazardous for both the pups and mother), you can see the acutal living conditions the puppies have had, you can see the general health and age of the parents. PetLand, on the other hand, isn't too particular from whom they purchase their pups as long as they are AKC reg'd, so they can and do purchase from puppy mills....and puppy mills are terrible for inbreeding, poor living conditions, too many litters per year, etc.

 

Contact the AKC and find a local breeder. You'll be happier in the end and with a healthier dog.

 

But wherever you buy, try to get a puppy with good bone (larger bone structure), good temperment, not overly shy (a golden should be a very gregarious dog so should WANT to be your friend!), and has sound hips.....overbreeding and inbreeding has led to many hip problems including dysplagia which can cripple a dog early in life.

[saturnboy01]

[justbarbour]

I know you can't get papers on them, but there are always plenty of beautiful dogs looking for a good home at your local animal shelter.

[erh12275]

Nope. I have seen the ad for Petsmart(BTW it's not a BF ad just a reg ad for the holiday season) and there is nothing in it about sales on animals themselves. Hope this helps.

[stationchief]

This is gonna sound corny, but I gotta ask. Any puppy mills having a BF sale?

 

I'm interested :) and having too much fun with this all at the same time.

[Spotted1]

Petfinder. There's too many sweet puppys and dogs out there needing rescued from shelters to be going to any Petland and paying out the walnuts for one.

[albrandwood]

My wife's father used to breed goldens.......and she and he strongly suggest you find a reputable local breeder of the puppy instead of using PetLand. Several reasons include: you cannot see the parents (this will give a clue as to the puppy's temperment as an adult, maybe not give a total picture but at least a clue), you can speak personally to the breeder and see how many times the mother has had pups per year (over two litters a year is hazardous for both the pups and mother), you can see the acutal living conditions the puppies have had, you can see the general health and age of the parents. PetLand, on the other hand, isn't too particular from whom they purchase their pups as long as they are AKC reg'd, so they can and do purchase from puppy mills....and puppy mills are terrible for inbreeding, poor living conditions, too many litters per year, etc.

 

Contact the AKC and find a local breeder. You'll be happier in the end and with a healthier dog.

 

But wherever you buy, try to get a puppy with good bone (larger bone structure), good temperment, not overly shy (a golden should be a very gregarious dog so should WANT to be your friend!), and has sound hips.....overbreeding and inbreeding has led to many hip problems including dysplagia which can cripple a dog early in life.

if she REALLY wants a truebred retriever with a pedigree, then I'd second the above.

 

Alternatively, be kind to a dog, and go to a rescue center.

 

Do not support Petland or any other pet shop. They are cruel, and in-humaine places.

 

And PLEASE remind her, that a puppy is for LIFE (approx 10-15 years) not just for Xmas.

 

@

[krissy72]

I strongley agree with DaleRider. I was in Petco last weekend and it just seems so sad to see those pups in the cages. Don't look for a deal on a dog. Having a dog is like having a kid. You wouldn't look for a good deal on a kid, you would look for the best one. Go with a local breeder. Look at the parents. By the way, I have a black lab. They are the best dogs. You won't find a more loyal dog. Good Luck.

[misfire]

In my Petsmart, the pets are local pets from the Humane Society.. while Petland and Petco may be getting puppies from puppy mills, Petsmart seems to be doing the right thing.

 

We got our dog five years ago from Petsmart. $60 to get the pup neutered and give him his shots, and we met with folks from the Humane Society. So if you want a puppy, check Petsmart, or go through Petfinder.com.

 

phew. That was long-winded.

[pinkroses4mommy]

We got a lhasa apso with papers from the classified section of petfinder.com for $50.00 and he's been great! I prefer the classifieds over the shelter listings because you can talk with the owners and find out more about the pet. A lot of the shelters online want you to fill out extensive questionaires and do everything but promise to give them your first born child before you can adopt a pet.

[ama]

I would look into shelters, or, as someone already mentioned - petfinder.com.

Aside from the ethical issues, PetLand/Smart charge outrageous prices for their pets. My sister bought her lamalese puppy from a rescue for $350 - Petland had contacted the center and offered them $400 for each pup, and told them they would list the pups at $1000 in the store. Grah.

[saturnboy01]

I would look into shelters, or, as someone already mentioned - petfinder.com.

Aside from the ethical issues, PetLand/Smart charge outrageous prices for their pets. My sister bought her lamalese puppy from a rescue for $350 - Petland had contacted the center and offered them $400 for each pup, and told them they would list the pups at $1000 in the store. Grah.

Some compaines/people can be-->

[Princess7915]

Dont buy it from a petstore!!! RESCUE and unloved sweetheart! That being said, I don't think I've ever seen a petstore have a sale of anykind on animals, much less BF, so let us know what you find out!!! That's a first I'd say for most of us!! LOL

[edubbrulez]

I wonder if KFC is having a BF sale?

[Gporter34]

This is gonna sound corny, but I gotta ask. Any puppy mills having a BF sale?

 

I'm interested :) and having too much fun with this all at the same time.

Never buy from a puppy mill. We bought a puppy from one not knowing that was what was going on. Our puppy ended up having to be put to sleep because he got so sick and the vet said it was from inbreeding the dogs and it is a common practice of mills. They were reported and are still in business.

[wright1baby]

I know for a fact that our local Petsmart only carries rescue dogs. How do I know? I just adopted the sweetest dog 2 weeks ago. He's a 1 1/2 year old Chihuahua, and he is so well behaived! Even potty trained! I have had "purebred" dogs before and other than the papers, you don't get anything extra. See if you can't feel her out and see how she would feel about rescuing a dog. If she is truely an animal lover, she will fall in love with the fact that she is saving a dogs life and love whatever breed she gets. Good Luck.

[Guest all2tired]

I got my dog (beagle) from the SPCA last April. She's the sweetest little thing, full bred and a hell of a lot cheaper than anywhere else. She cost me a whopping $45.

[Steakgoddess]

Adopt a pet from your local shelter. Unless you are planning on showing or breeding, you don;t need papers. What's the point?

 

I love our Max, we adopted him from the pound in April

[Mommie2one]

Maybe they would have some sales on supplies, but NOT the pets themselves. I have a AKC lab and I bought her from a breeder. Parents were on the grounds and all records were shown to me. I was recommended by another lab owner and everything has worked out great. Hes wonderful.

[happyrat]

I wonder if KFC is having a BF sale?

Never seen that before, but I wonder why not. With all the people around on BF why do fast food places not run sales from oh 11pm to 3am on BF to intice customers to come in. Makes since to me. Thousands of people waiting in line all night might get hungry lol. I hope the one's that are not 24hrs are at least smart enough to open. I know across the street from my BB and Circuit City is a Mcds.

[erh12275]

Never seen that before, but I wonder why not. With all the people around on BF why do fast food places not run sales from oh 11pm to 3am on BF to intice customers to come in. Makes since to me. Thousands of people waiting in line all night might get hungry lol. I hope the one's that are not 24hrs are at least smart enough to open. I know across the street from my BB and Circuit City is a Mcds.

Well I think they don't do it because they don't need to. They figure people will be out shopping and either won't go home to eat or if they do they will be too tired to so they are going to get the business w/ out the discount. I know we will be eating out on BF.

[sperdue]

<----- Not full bred, but fulla heart!

 

Ok. I was chattin' with my aunt about this whole BF buzz when it turned into what we want for christmas. My aunt + her hubby wants to get, of all things, get ready for this ... a puppy. She wants a truebred golden lab and asked me if there's gonna be any BF deal at places like PetLand and the like. I totally did a double-take and drew a blank!

 

Any bright ideas? Is the kennel portion of PetsMart having a BF early-bird (or should I say -dog) sale on labs? Or am I just BARKING up the wrong tree? (::cough cough:: sorry, couldn't resist!)

[ckostyun]

I would HIGHLY reccommend a breeder and not a puppy mill. Also, when choosing a breeder, you can and should ask for references.

[venerdinero]

Adopt a pet from your local shelter. Unless you are planning on showing or breeding, you don;t need papers. What's the point?

 

I'm with Steakgoddess. If you do need papers, find a local breeder through AKC or friends. If not, go to a shelter or find a rescue group for that breed. You'll be glad you did, and so will the dog!!

 

I'm not sure, but it looks like "truebred" might be a specific registered breeder of labs, as opposed to a generic akc registered "pure bred" lab or other dog.

 

As also noted elsewhere, please do think about the responsibilities and costs associated with dog ownership, BEFORE you get the dog - the shelters are overwhelmed already, and it only gets worse after the holidays.

[alimfp]

Oh my, your post had me laughing so hard.

 

Definitely find a certified breeder with papers!!!!!

[DaleRider]

Now, as noted above, one pet store I'd look for a dog from is PetSmart as that store exclusively deals with animals from shelters. The Savannah, GA store, our "local" store, has adoption days 3 out of 4 weekends each month.....they have animals from the Humane Society, Save-A-Life, and two other foster-animal organizations in that county and surrounding area.

 

But some things to remember with goldens....a goregous dog, might I add. The breed is a "buddy" dog breed......and I hope your mother likes to throw a ball......over and over and over and over and over.........and that's just the first 5 minutes of this day. The dog will bring that ball to her to play ALL the time to the point of insanity.

 

The breed has long hair and tend to leave its hair everywhere; vacuuming daily becomes a requirement, not a luxury. Proper grooming, read LOTS and LOTS of brushing, is necessary to prevent hair mats.

 

The breed needs LOTS of exercise; remember, the dog was bred for hunting and chasing birds down.....all day long, and they can go all day long if necessary. This dog is not for apartment dwellers unless you have a very active lifestyle and can take the dog on trips to romp.....a lot. Best situation is a yard...the larger the better.

 

About the yard, prepare for holes, and lots of them. The breed is also a digger.....loves to dig and will leave holes everywhere. What are they digging for? Who knows....but they will and do dig, and dig, and dig.

 

Another charming characteristic.....that lovely face with those soft eyes and wet nose houses a mouth that likes to chew....anything and everything. We've got a rocking chair in our house that was passed down to us from Deb's parents. The front of both runners/rockers was the "teething ring" for a series of goldens. No repairing the runners. And while you can provide alternative chew items for the dog, the dog will invariably find just that thing to chew upon that irritates you the most.

 

Being a water dog, they will try to get into any sort of body of water....puppies have been found lying in their water bowl asleep. They'll play with their water bowl like it was a lake.

 

Goldens are goregous dogs and are nice, even tempered animals with hearts of gold and a bit of Dennis-the-Menace in them.....they cannot help it, it's just them. If your Mom can handle their chewing, hair, appetite, exercise requirements, their buddy "always underfootness", by all means get her one.

 

An alternative animal of similar size, temperment, etc., often overlooked....many times unheard of.....but a little less chewy and demanding of your attention, a bit smarter than Goldens (sometimes not the smartest dog....as Deb has told me, a trainer of Goldens needs several things: patience, patience, and a 2 x 4. The 2 x 4 is to get the dog's attention, which will be distracted at a moment's notice by a cloud, squirrel, bird, sound, leaf blowing by, etc., and will fixate on it no matter how much you're yelling, talking, screaming to it), is the flat coated retriever.

 

Debbie is one of a few who helped resurrect the flatty from virtual "extinction" in the United States as a breed. She was a contributing source/author for the Flat Coat Retriever Society of America's book on flatties, written quite a few years ago. She had worked for over a decade, along with a few other breeders across the country, to save the breed from dying out in the U.S. and is listed in the Society's book as such. She has a soft spot for flatties and prefers them over Goldens, despite the fact she grew up with Goldens around her all the time.

 

Good luck in your search! And remember, the best thing for any animal is a good home with lots of love!!!

[saraczek]

A puppy for christmas....very cute. Hope she finds the perfect one.

 

[jaw690]

I've never posted here before, but I just had to say I would definitely recommend either Petsmart, local adoption, or Petfinder. Petfinder put me in touch with a local mom&pop store that handled adoptions, and that was where I got my husband his puppy five Christmases ago.

 

Of course, I also agree with the 'a puppy is for life' comment since the dog got VERY attached to me, and is now my little shadow.

 

And I wouldn't trade him for the world :)

[timbermommy]

there are rescue agencies per breed of dog as well.. look up a goldie rescue agency.. I work with the great dane and fox hound agencies