Puppies Versus Adults

Genetically we humans are 'hard-wired' to subconsciously respond to a puppy or kitten before an older dog or cat.  But depending on your lifestyle, this might not be a good choice for you:

• TIME AND ENERGY: Do you work away from the home?  Will you be gone most of the day?  Expect a puppy to whine or cry throughout the day whenever they feel lonely and sorry for themselves - they too are 'hard-wired' to do this so their mother or the pack can find them.  Will your neighbors be bothered by this?  Will you be irritated and worn out when you come home, and especially if a neighbor meets you at the door to tell you they have heard your new puppy throughout the day?  Will you really have the energy and serenity to clean up after the puppy's 8-hour day after you've had a tough one yourself?  Will you have enough energy to then feed, train and play with the puppy until the time you yourself go to bed?  What if the puppy decides to spend most of their night playing and crying?  How willingly are you to lose countless nights of sleep until they mature enough to not feel lonely or neglected in the middle of the night?  Depending upon the size and breed of the dog, this can be anywhere from a year to three - Labrador Retrievers are notoriously known to not leave the puppy stage until they are three years or older!  If you are a working person, an older dog is more content to be alone while you are at work than a puppy is (and usually less destructive!).
   
• MONEY: EVERYTHING about a puppy the first few years of their lives is expensive.  Puppy food is more expensive... the larger the puppy grows, the more they eat.  Vaccinations and boosters required the first few years are expensive --- but adult dogs require them only once a year (and in the case of rabies, once only every three years).  Halters, leashes and collars either are outgrown or get destroyed when a puppy is cutting teeth and the items are left where they can get to them.  Personal items (and shoes!!!) are favorites of puppies to chew on - the more it smells like you (or is valuable to you somehow), the more likely the puppy is to locate it and chew on it or destroy it.  Can you really handle Aunt Martha's vintage heirloom to be chewed upon or destroyed?
   
• WYSIWYG: Or 'what you see is what you get' does not apply to an older dog whereas with a puppy despite the small size initially, they can get huge.  If size is a concern to you, or your living quarters are small now, imagine how much smaller they will get when a puppy you bought or adopted at two pounds initially, grows into a MUCH larger dog by a year old.  Even if you are able to see both the mom and dad, that is still not a guarantee the puppy will be the same size or smaller.
   
• POTTY TRAINING:  It is a myth that all males mark... marking is a form of dominance, not sex.  There are many breeds where the female is usually the dominant one and more apt to mark than a male.  And unless you have neutralized ANY residual uric crystals that were laid previously by another canine (even years ago), they can lay dormant until humidity (or the AC) reactivates them and provides a trigger smell for your new puppy.  Smell is everything to a dog and forty times more acute than the human smell... puppies learn potty training from their mother and follow their nose to the spot she urinated at.  Even human smells left behind (a toddler who sat down on your carpet with a wet diaper) can leave the trigger for a puppy to find.  An adult dog has usually been given training and knows that either a training pad or the outside is the proper place to go potty.  An adult dog knows to read a human's body language for clues as to what is right or wrong - a puppy does not.  Potty training (again, depending upon the breed) can last six months or more.  Some breeds are notoriously hard to be potty train.  It is not uncommon to completely replace carpeting after going through potty training - and if the puppy had free access to your entire home - that means carpeting throughout your home!
   
• JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM:  The puppymill business is a multi-billion dollar unregulated business and accordingly, for every 10 puppies born this year, only 1 will have a home and grow old until they die a natural and healthy death.  Currently, the United States kills over 6 million companion pets each year in the shelters.  And this is a HUGE drain on our tax dollars - yours and mine.   When you buy puppies from petshops, you are providing a market and livelihood for this barbaric and horrific business... we cannot get ahead of this by spaying and neutering only, nor by adopting dogs and puppies from the shelters and rescues.  The ONLY way we can get ahead of this puppymill business is to stop the cashflow into their coffers.  Puppymill puppies are known for behavior issues and vastly increased vet bills... why support the millers to begin with?  Dry up their sales and see the eventual outcome.  Or better yet... think about the $25 to $50 the miller got for selling their puppy and what YOU paid for it at a petshop... Feel good about it now?  Even worse?  The moms and dads NEVER leave the millers' cages and are bred until they can breed no longer, then are killed without ever feeling grass beneath their feet.

If, after reading all of this, you decide you ABSOLUTELY have to have a puppy instead of adopting an adult dog, take the time to visit a local shelter or rescue... spend time with the dog or puppy you intend to adopt.  Observe them as they interact with other dogs and humans - ask questions of those fostering or taking care of the dogs and puppies.  If you don't like the answers or observe this dog or puppy will not fit into your time constraints, lifestyle, commitment levels - then move on.  Many companion pets are less manually-intensive to care for... that might be your answer!