You’re thinking about getting a new family member? That’s great! Let’s go over some things to think about before you decide.

Today we will be covering the pros and cons of different places to get a new pet: the shelter (or rescue), breeder, or parking lot (or similar free situation).

Let’s talk first about the “cheapest option,” which is getting the pet from someone for free. These animals are usually from homes that their pet accidentally had puppies or kittens or they cannot take care of the pet and are looking to rehome them. These have most commonly either never visited the veterinarian or have not been in a while. This is a potentially dangerous situation for both the animals you are getting and any animals currently in your home. These pets could have internal or external parasites or an illness that hasn’t been addressed. It is extremely important that if you get an animal from someone else that they give you any veterinary history they have and get them in to your veterinarian as soon as you can.

This would also apply if you found the animal. Taking them to the veterinarian as soon as possible can insure that they are not microchipped (and if they are that the proper channels for transfer can be done) and they are free of disease and parasites.

The next option is from a “breeder.” This is in quotation marks due to most being backyard breeders that are people who happen to be breeding two pets together and selling them. We have rarely seen true breeders which do testing, registering, and make sure the breeding pair are compatible (so no inbreeding) and are healthy enough for breeding. So how do you tell between a true breeder and a backyard breeder? True breeders are able to tell you the lineage of the pets you are purchasing and often come with their first set of vaccines or at least proof of a veterinary visit before they are released. This lineage is good to know for health history purposes as some breeds are more prone to certain types of medical conditions or drug sensitivity. True breeders will also let you see the facility they are staying and the parents. This will give you a good idea about their living conditions and the health and size of the parents. In both cases these pets are rarely spayed or neutered, unless that is part of the breeder agreement. Most breeders also require you to fill out an application and sometimes even a contract that makes sure you are planning on spaying or neutering and can state that if you need to rehome the pet in the future that you will contact them. These breeder pets are normally free of clinical disease and parasites before leaving their facility, but with back yard breeders they may not have had them seen by a veterinarian before they are released. Make sure to check out your breeders credibility by checking out the facility, seeing the parents, and checking veterinary records before purchasing a pet.

The final option is shelter or rescue. These places have their pets spayed or neutered, are up to date on age appropriate vaccines, and are generally microchipped. There is a lot of stigma associated with shelter pets, but most have been tested with other dogs and if they’ve been in a foster home they’ll generally be tested with children, cats, and other dogs. They are not adopted out if they have any clinical illness (acute sickness like kennel cough, parvo, etc.) and all of them have been to a veterinarian prior to adoption. Many of these places have also tested for heartworms, been dewormed, and come with preventative having been given or with them. The fees for these shelters and rescue are lower than that of a breeder and come with more having been done to the pet than either a breeder or for free. This is not to say that all adopted pets are perfect as they can still come with diseases that may need to be addressed (skin/allergy issues, dental disease, heart murmurs, etc.), but generally come with that information given up front so you will know what you are adopting.

In all of these cases it is important to get them established with your veterinarian as soon as you can so that they can look over any paperwork that came with them and make recommendations on the next steps and how to best care for your pet in the future. Some clinics also offer a discount off of your first visit after adoption from a shelter or rescue.

Make sure that your plan for getting a pet includes a visit to the veterinarian for a general check-up and perhaps needing to be spayed or neutered, have vaccinations, preventatives, or screening for intestinal parasites or heartworms. Every pet is different and needs vary, so it is important to go over all of their information with your veterinarian and to not assume everything has been done before you got them.