In fact, if someone made a t-shirt that said “Don’t Buy A Puppy, You Idiot” I would totally buy that t-shirt and wear it every time I went to Westfield or anywhere else that prays on innocent people who think they’re going out to buy school shoes or a blender and come home with some kind of ‘Ooodle’ that cost $1000.
Technically, I am not one of those people but I did once buy a puppy-on-a-whim and the end result was the same: disaster.
Many years ago I wanted another baby. So I bought a Labrador puppy. See the logic gap between those two sentences? No, neither did I. Which is how I came to wake up on Saturday morning obsessed with the idea of buying a puppy and like some demented child, hit the phone hard until I finally tracked down an 8 week old yellow lab in a pet store across the other side of the city.
Faster than you can say “get some therapy, it’s cheaper”, I’d spent more than a grand on Indy the puppy and all the doggy accoutrements that, apparently, she required.
Clearly, I’d forgotten the part where I had a toddler at home and that’s where hell began. The IDEA of having two children – I mean a child and a puppy – was, in my head, a fantastic one. In practice, the simultaneous attempt at toilet training was a fast track to bonkers.
It only took me a couple of weeks to realise I had screwed up in a major way. You see, I still wanted another baby. And now I had stained carpet and a small child who was often smeared in dog poo. This was not ideal. And have I mentioned that the cute novelty of a puppy gets tired really fast?
Speaking of fast, I’m not terribly proud of the speed at which I decided Indy would be happier living with another family. Almost as fast as I realised I would be happier too.
Having mercifully found said family (active outdoorsy types who came complete with dog-loving 8 year old boy), I fretted about the emotional effect it would have on my two year old to lose his beloved puppy. The day Indy left us, he waved bye bye and never mentioned her again. Meanwhile, I did a happy dance around my house without having to watch where I put my feet.
A few weeks ago a friend bumped into the woman who adopted Indy and learnt that Indy, who is now eleven years old, had just won Slimmer Of The Year in the Labrador category after losing 10kgs. Before that, she resembled a beer keg.
It turns out I’m not the only person to have spectacularly bad judgement when it comes to combining kids and puppies. A couple of years ago when friends bought a puppy for their 7-year-old daughter, I tried to intervene. “You’re on crack,” I shouted tactfully. “But Ava wants a puppy!’ said the Dad. ‘She loves dogs!” “Every child wants a puppy!” I argued. “But the child doesn’t have to deal with the puppy! You do!” Sure enough, a year later the puppy had been found a new home and I was spray painting “I TOLD YOU SO” on their front fence.
Last weekend I was sitting with a couple of other mothers at a child’s birthday party. The topic of conversation: ‘How Impulsively Buying A Puppy Was The Dumbest Thing I Ever Did’. It’s a trap made vastly more common by the proliferation of puppy stores in shopping malls. One woman had called her husband from Westfield where she’d fallen in love with a chocolate Labrador. “Do whatever you think is right,” he said. So she bought him. “THAT’S what you thought was right?” he exclaimed when he got home. Six months later, Buddy had a new home.
Another woman was still deep in puppy regret. Her purebred had chewed up numerous bits of furniture, all her shoes and half the children’s toys. “The kids begged us for a puppy but when we went on holidays for two weeks, they didn’t even mention his name” she said before admitting she’d been Googling the life expectancy of that particular breed. When she discovered it was 15 years, she’d burst into tears.
Funnily enough, I have never met anyone who adopted a dog from the pound and regretted it. A few years after the Indy disaster, we went to a dogs’ home and adopted a small 18-month-old mutt who adds huge value to our lives and has done from the moment we brought him home.
Everyone seems to agree that pound dogs remain forever grateful to you for rescuing them. Adopting a homeless adult dog is one hundred shades of wonderful and I can’t recommend it enough. Now I just need a t-shirt that says that.
Have you ever had Pet Regret? Ever saved an animal from death row? What do you think about puppy shops?
If you’re even thinking of getting a pet, please start by looking around the RSPCA website or searching online for your local animal shelter which probably have their own site- there are thousands of dogs and cats you can see online and I guarantee you’ll fall in love while contemplating saving a life.
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PS – DON’T FORGET TO CHECK BACK FOR A CONSTANTLY UPDATED OSCAR FROCKWATCH FRENZY THROUGHOUT THE DAY….
Top Comments
Thank you for this story - it is a subject very dear to me. Across Australia, hundreds of thousands of perfectly nice dogs are put down every single year in council pounds and shelters, simply because too many people breed puppies, and too many people dump their dogs. Pure bred dogs, cross breeds, old, young, big, small, they get dumped, and die every week in pounds. The impulse pet shop buy is a large contributor to this carnage, as is the 'we just wanted our dog to have one litter...', and 'we dont believe in desexing our pets...' etc. I could go on...
The stats for cats are even worse.
As well as adopting from a pound or from the RSPCA, there are private rescue organisations springing up round Australia. These are people who get one or two dogs at a time off death row, take them home, desex them, housetrain them, vaccinate them and get to know them - and then find an appropriate home for them. Petrescue.com.au is where you can find all these rescued pets, available for adoption. There are thousands of them, and you can search by state, as well as your preferred size and sex. The rescuers will help you choose a dog thats right for you and your family, and support you as it settles into your home.
Please dont encourage the pet shops (who mostly source their stock from puppy mills) and the backyard breeders. Adopt your next dog or cat from a rescue organisation, shelter or a pound.
We bought our purebred puppy (from a breeder) on an "impulse" when our 5 year old dog ate a (second) canetoad and died. She's now two, well trained, and no longer eats my Dior shoes. I don't regret it for a second.
I have 5 labradors, of mixed ages and we live on a property. One was an adult whose owners were moving interstate , one is a lab cross from a pet shop, the other 3 are from breeders. They are a lot of work but worth it. I love them all and take dog ownership very seriously. It is a big commitment. I did buy one from a pet shop on impulse and it did not come from a puppy mill as I researched the breeder at the pet shop before purchasing. The breeder simply bred their Pet Labrador with a Nova Scotia Retreiver and the pups were gorgeous and healthy and well cared for. He has been the best dog ( he is desexed)and has a great home with us. However I detest puppy mills and it makes me sick to think people could be so cruel. I dont see a problem with people breeding their dog IF they understand the care that needs to be taken and the responsibility of owning puppie and understand the commitment and time and health needs of the dogs involved. I have met many registered and unregistered breeders that have too many dogs and breed for profit. Registration is not the issue. The issues is people treaing animals like battery hens. registered breeders can sometimes(and I do know many excellent registerd breeders) have more pressure to make profit due to higher overheads and demands for the perfect dog conformtion and this can be an issue. Dogs are sold when they cannot breed anymore and inbreeding does occur too often, There are lots of issues , it is complex not black and white. Puppy mills that mistreat dogs should be harshly dealt with, other unregisterd breeders may be just as responsible as registered ones in many cases.Lets face it once a puppy is born it needs a good home, we cant send it back. So dont be guilty about where your pup comes from unless you purchase directly off a known puppy mill. There are no quarantees in buying a pup no matter where you get it from. Many registerd well bred puppies have health problems down the track. People have to make their own judgement and above all take pet ownership seriously, they are not accessories but should be family members. Unfortunately we cannot quarantee the latter either, even if registered breeders check prospectve owners well. Black and white rules dont alwys work, as really devious people will find a way around them. Just dont assume that all registered breeders are going to breed for the love of it and please make your own assumptions and a serious commitment before bringing home your new family member, no matter where they come from.