by Ann Johnson

Created on: November 03, 2008   Last Updated: November 24, 2008

When the time comes to buy the family a pet, where the pet comes from depends on what the family decides it needs in a pet. What breed are you after, what size, what age and how much do you want to spend?

If the decision is made that it doesn't matter what breed of animal, as long as it is friendly and suits your needs, then buying your new pet from the pound or shelter is a great idea and a much cheaper option. We hear daily of the huge number of animals being abandoned, lost or mistreated, waiting in the shelters for some kind person to save them. Most shelters will happily let you get one on one with a prospective pet to see if they like you, and more importantly, if you like them. Pets brought from a shelter are usually desexed, micro chipped, wormed and health checked before being put up for sale. They are also usually of mixed breeding, and older animals, so you need to be sure you have the patience to retrain or reteach an animal which may have already picked up some bad habits. Buying a pup from a shelter can be risky, as you probably won't know the full extent of its breeding until you have already taken it home and lived with it for a while.

If your preference is a purebred pet, you will need to do some homework on the breeders in your area. Just because someone breeds purebred dogs or cats, does not always mean they are good breeders! Going to the place where the animals are kept, and watching the interaction between both the breeders and the parents of the animals if possible, is a great indication of the temperament your new pet may inherit.

Of course buying a purebred animal can also mean you are buying problems, so be sure to research the possible breeding problems with the animals you are looking at, and ask questions of the breeders. There is nothing worse than paying lots of money for an animal which is going to spend much of its life, and your hard earned money, at a vet surgery correcting breeding problems.

Pets are fun, loving and are FOR LIFE, so chose wisely armed with all the information you can gather and make a well informed choice.

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