We're Buying from a Breeder

[Ginger's Mom]

Sorry to say, a lot of breed rescues are not going to adopt to someone with a two year old child and no yard. Yes, part of the reason is that they don't want the dog returned or let go on the street and part of the reason is they do not want to be held responsible if someone should get hurt as a result of the dog's actions. It is going to be very difficult to find someone who is going to adopt a young dog to you in your situation.
Good luck on your search for the perfect addition to your family.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Thanks to everyone that had positive posts. This place is so negative, I actually would have been better off asking a bunch of strangers on the street. I will and always will be an animal lover. I love all animals, big and small. I have seen threads made here for people that are buying purebred dogs and they were never harrassed about not going to the shelter. Irresponsible people put those dogs in shelters not me - so I feel that I have the choice to choose a breeder. I have looked at all my options, there are NO Lab rescues in BC. None whatsoever. I never said no shelter would adopt to me, just the SPCA. I understand why, but they could be a little less strict.

This means that if I was interested in a dog, that fit in my lifestyle, but they wouldnt adopt to me bacause I dont have a yard - that dog would die. It is the SPCA's fault that alot of these dogs are euthanized. Some of them have been in shelters for years, they just wont adopt to just anyone. I shouldnt have to feel like a pile of crap because I am not a "perfect" dog owner. Shelters do more harm than good here in BC. When there are potential adopters, they overlook them because of small problems.

When I was at the SPCA doing my practicum, the vet actually said to me that if they saw my tattoo, they would see me as a whole different person. Why? Because I live in Surrey, BC. Yes, the place with the highest number of car thefts, an increasing amount of murders and lots of drugs. I live in a indesirable (to the shelters) place in Surrey. Many people that live in these apartments are irresponsible dog owners. That makes ME look like one, which I am not. The SPCA is always here, whether its to remove a negleted/abused animal or another reason.

Now, as for my daughter being so young... She is a very well behaved little girl and I can almost guarantee you that if you met her, you'd think she was older than she is. I am a good mother, I taught her how to be respectful early in life. She never does ANYTHING without asking me. She is smart and knows how to properly play with puppies - after all, her Auntie has a ACD/BC/Lab mix. She is not your typical 2 year old, she is the complete opposite. People are actually shocked when they find out shes only 2, because she is very well mannered and respectful.

Cats... I have three of them and they adore dogs. Whether its a calm, happy dog or an energetic puppy - they adore them.

Do any of you live in Surrey, BC? No, didnt think so. Do you know how our shelters work? Surrey is a harsh place, every second house has a pittie lunging at the fence, every young 16 year old kid is walking a Rotti. These are all for protection purposes. How can you judge someone you dont know? You have never met my daughter, seen my aparmtent, met my cats or my DH. You dont know enough about me to judge me. I know myself better than everyone and know that I am ready for a puppy. Not just because they're cute, but because I will be the one raising the puppy.

You cannot judge a dog in a shelter just by looking/petting him. Even taking the dog out for a walk or doing a trial period isnt enough. I dont want to end up with an adult dog that has "hidden" issues that will force me to return him. I would much rather raise a puppy and know exactly what goes into that dog. We have already agreed that the puppy with go through obedience training, Canine Good Neighbor (BC's version of Canine Good Citizen), agility and possibly therapy work.

I may not have a yard, but I have a wonderful, LARGE 2 bedroom, ground floor apartment. I would never let my dog run loose in a yard anyway. You know how many times my mom has had stray dogs in her yard? Not to mention the amount of coyotes in the city. Dogs should be inside with their owners, not locked up outside. I have a HUGE park one block from here that has a fenced off area I can let the dog run in. We are the city of parks, every where you go theres a park.

Labs are a good match for apartment living ANY DOG IS! Who cares if I dont have a 3 bedroom, 2000 square foot house on an acre of land. It wouldnt change how I treat my dog or how I love my dog. It makes no sense to me why people see an apartment as a bad place for a dog. What about some of you young kids? I know some of you are under 16. Do you think that when you move out you will be able to buy a house with no troubles? You to will have to rent and when you do, slap yourself in the head for telling me my apartment isnt good enough.

[Corinna]

ccl People arn't trying to be negitive the concerns are genuine, it's not just the dog we worry about it's you and your child as well. Most of the responding folks have had years of working around dogs and people . They have seen a lot of the type of situation you are in and how most turned out. I'm not saying you will be one of those you most likely will be the exception . But we are just wanting you to really think out all the possiblities that can happen. I do hope you fond the best match for you.
I will most likely get it from others but a medium dog would be the best for you a Cocker sized Small enough for the apt and yet large enough not to hurt your daughter if she gets knocked down by it.
You should go on the Akc Or ckc sites and see what you can find tht fits your needs in that size .

[Kfamr]

Once again our words have been construed and completly taken out of context. Whatever.


Good luck lady.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Once again our words have been construed and completly taken out of context by this woman. Whatever.


Good luck lady.

I am sorry, but dont you live at home with your mom and dad? I live with my common law husband, yes, husband and I am not much older than you. I am independent, I dont depend on my parents for a house, I dont have parents making the decisions. I make the decisions around here, my DH just has to agree with them. It is not my fault that he wants whats best for his daughter. She could be dead because I stupidly agreed to let him get a Rottweiler puppy <---- very BAD choice.

Trust me, I take all of these posts to heart. Every post matters to me, they all have an impact on my decision. I didnt mean to make everything sound so personal, I was simply expressing how I feel about all of this. Do I think you are an irresponsible teenager? Of course not. I have never in my life seen better trained dogs than yours. You take beautiful pictures of your dogs and you can see how much you love them. You are very mature for your age, I was the opposite and that was only 2 years ago that I was 18.

Please dont take it personally, my posts reflect the way I feel about this. If you knew me personally, you would probably love to hang out. I really am a caring, loving person who makes friends with everyone I meet. I just think the message board isnt the place for me to be expressing my feelings, because my words are seen differently than how I see them. I dont mean to make people get defensive, or mad at me.

I truly am sorry if I hurt anybody, but people hurt me and that reflects on my posts. I seriously dont want anyone to take anything personally. Like I said, if I could talk to you face to face, you would see me as a whole different person.

[Vela]

Well I personally wasn't trying to be offensive and I don't think anyone else really was either, but oftentimes message boards can be hard to get points across in because we all interpret the very same words differently or perhaps out of context at different times. I do wish you the best of luck in finding a dog/puppy that fits your family and everything works out for you all and the dog.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Well I personally wasn't trying to be offensive and I don't think anyone else really was either, but oftentimes message boards can be hard to get points across in because we all interpret the very same words differently or perhaps out of context at different times. I do wish you the best of luck in finding a dog/puppy that fits your family and everything works out for you all and the dog.

Vela, I didnt see anyones posts as offensive, just negative. Thank you for all your help, it really means alot to mean since you bought from a breeder. I will keep looking in shelters and maybe a lab will show up. Trust me, if a lab shows up that is a match, we will definately go and meet him. Just as long as its not the SPCA. Alot of shelters WILL adopt to me, there just isnt any labs in them currently that fit into my lifestyle.

One question... Will shelters in the US adopt to someone living in Canada? They are alot of labs in the US that need homes.

There are currently 68 labs that need homes in BC and BC is HUGE. We have 19 cities and dozens of little towns which all (excluding the ones without shelters, some only have 100 people living there) have their shelters on Petfinder. Labs are a rarity in our shelters, we see more Rottweiler and Pitbulls - most people have them for protection purposes only.

[Kfamr]

I am sorry, but dont you live at home with your mom and dad? I live with my common law husband, yes, husband and I am not much older than you. I am independent, I dont depend on my parents for a house, I dont have parents making the decisions. I make the decisions around here, my DH just has to agree with them. It is not my fault that he wants whats best for his daughter. She could be dead because I stupidly agreed to let him get a Rottweiler puppy <---- very BAD choice.

Trust me, I take all of these posts to heart. Every post matters to me, they all have an impact on my decision. I didnt mean to make everything sound so personal, I was simply expressing how I feel about all of this. Do I think you are an irresponsible teenager? Of course not. I have never in my life seen better trained dogs than yours. You take beautiful pictures of your dogs and you can see how much you love them. You are very mature for your age, I was the opposite and that was only 2 years ago that I was 18.

Please dont take it personally, my posts reflect the way I feel about this. If you knew me personally, you would probably love to hang out. I really am a caring, loving person who makes friends with everyone I meet. I just think the message board isnt the place for me to be expressing my feelings, because my words are seen differently than how I see them. I dont mean to make people get defensive, or mad at me.

I truly am sorry if I hurt anybody, but people hurt me and that reflects on my posts. I seriously dont want anyone to take anything personally. Like I said, if I could talk to you face to face, you would see me as a whole different person.

My living at home with my mother and father has nothing to do with anything. I pay them rent out of every paycheck, I have things I am supposed to do around the house, I cook, I clean, etc. The rest of my money goes towards my dogs. I don't depend on them, infact if I left they'd probably be in a huge hole as my salary is a large part of our bill paying money. They don't make my decisions and they've expected me to make my own decisions for years. I'm not sure what you're trying to get at mentioning all of that, however.


No one here is trying to be negative like you implied in your posts. I do believe every post so far has been out of concern, not only for you and your daughter - but the animals who are defenseless. I just don't think you're comprehending some of the intentions of these posts. No one wants you or another dog be put in the hole you were before. No one wants you to get your hopes up and then be denied for the same reasons as the shelter. Which generally responsible, reputable breeders are highly into rescue and shelter work - more than likely they will think the same way as your local shelter does.

Calling this a negative place, stating you'd be better off asking strangers off the street... That is certainly going to upset some of us who have put our hearts and beliefs into our posts, and do so everytime.

Again, this is all just my opinion again. I don't know if you're going to understand it or not, but please don't get upset or angry, like I said previously, that is not my intent.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

My living at home with my mother and father has nothing to do with anything. I pay them rent out of every paycheck, I have things I am supposed to do around the house, I cook, I clean, etc. The rest of my money goes towards my dogs. I don't depend on them, infact if I left they'd probably be in a huge hole as my salary is a large part of our bill paying money. They don't make my decisions and they've expected me to make my own decisions for years. I'm not sure what you're trying to get at mentioning all of that, however.


No one here is trying to be negative like you implied in your posts. I do believe every post so far has been out of concern, not only for you and your daughter - but the animals who are defenseless. I just don't think you're comprehending some of the intentions of these posts. No one wants you or another dog be put in the hole you were before. No one wants you to get your hopes up and then be denied for the same reasons as the shelter. Which generally responsible, reputable breeders are highly into rescue and shelter work - more than likely they will think the same way as your local shelter does.

Calling this a negative place, stating you'd be better off asking strangers off the street... That is certainly going to upset some of us who have put our hearts and beliefs into our posts, and do so everytime.

Again, this is all just my opinion again. I don't know if you're going to understand it or not, but please don't get upset or angry, like I said previously, that is not my intent.

I understand it much better now that you have explained it. What I should have said was "I would be better off asking breeders and rescues questions rather than asking here". Simply because I would understand it better because I would be talking face to face, not with text over the internet. I really dont look over my posts before I hit submit. I will keep that in mind from now on and will try to be clearer and less defensive next time.

Wow! I am very proud that you are such a mature teenager. I wish all teens were like you. What I was trying to say was that I no longer live with my parents and have changed dramatically since I moved. I am mature, stable and happy now. I never had responsibilites, now I have lots of them. I never got to make decisions, now I can do what. I can pay to have my dog put into obedience training and agility, I can pay to have my dog vaccinated, neutered, dewormed etc. These will all be my responsibilities. I never knew you paid for your dogs, I thought your parents did. Now that I know you pay for your dogs yourself, I will think of you totally differently. You know what its like to have responsibilities and bills. You know what its like to fork out a good portion your money on your animals - that shows that you arent like most teenagers. When I lived at home, the money I made was spent on ME. Even when I had my daughter (I was 18), I was the WORST mother to her. I didnt buy her anything.

I have learned to value life, spend money where its needed and make my own decisions in which I feel are best for me.