How a vet chooses a puppy
Choosing an ethical source for a new puppy
My husband and I wanted a medium-sized pet with excellent health and longevity, and not too much energy. We wanted to be there from the beginning, so we could give our dog the best start possible. We assumed our new puppy would want us. We knew about health, loved walks in nature, understood enrichment, and worked from home.
We are lucky to have a wonderful local humane society, and followed their available dogs closely. I wanted a smaller and younger dog than the large breed adolescent dogs they had in large supply. There is a problem with people surrendering dogs when they grow from cute to knocking grandma over. Easy puppies with great early care tend to stick in their first home. I wonder if my choice of an easier puppy reflects my burnout from work as a veterinarian.
An ethical alternative to adopting from a shelter is helping out friends or family in need. Our past dogs were gifts from family. They were aged one to seven, and we loved them dearly, but we did not choose to bring them into existence, name them, or raise them as puppies. Adopting them was often a way to keep dogs in our loved ones' lives when they could no longer live with them.
Ethical breeders are a third option. These are people professionally breeding dogs for sale while recognising their responsibilities for the welfare of the parents and their offspring. How a breeder proves this is usually through some combination of health testing, building behaviour resiliency, careful selection of new homes, and willingness to rehome an unwanted dog. We picked a standard poodle because I know a few vets who are fans of poodles, I saw them live a little longer than average, and I wanted a dog with a shaveable, not a shedding coat.
As I will share, Maddy was not an easy puppy, or an easy adult, but I hope she would have chosen us if she had had the choice. Dogs have very few choices in where they live and who they live with. The best I can do is listen to her in her life with me and allow her to choose as much as possible as we go forward.
