Picture taken from www.dailypuppy.com
Good day and welcome back!
This is Sharda with another Cairn Terrier newsletter.
If you have made the decision that a Cairn Terrier dog or a puppy is the best choice of a pet for you and your family, your next decision is where to buy a Cairn Terrier?
There are a wide range of options to consider when determining where to get your dog or puppy.
Depending on the type of Cairn Terrier that you would like (if you want to use the dog for breeding or showing or not), and how long you are willing to wait for a dog or puppy will probably influence which option is best for you.
Let’s check out one of the places that you can adopt a Cairn Terrier for a lower price.
Let’s start…
RESCUE SHELTERS
A rescue shelter is a good option to get an adult Cairn Terrier that is going to be a companion animal for you and your family.
Usually the shelter will allow you to spend some time with the dogs that they have for adoption and purchase, and this will give you time to check on their temperament and behaviour.
Often shelters will agree to take the animal back if it does not adjust to your home or family.
Many of the adult dogs from the shelter are already trained, and this can be an asset when you do not want to go through the training process.
When getting a Cairn Terrier from a shelter be sure to check the following:
- Ask for any information available about the Cairn Terrier dog.
- Make sure the animal has had a complete check-up and that the vaccinations are up to date.
- Ask if the dog has any behavioural issues or other concerns such as eating or barking.
- Does the dog appear healthy and energetic?
- Will the rescue shelter allow you to spend time with the dog prior to taking it home?
- What is the policy on spaying or neutering the animal?
- Can you return the dog if, for some reason, the adoption does not work out as planned?
DRAWBACK TO RESCUE SHELTER DOGS
There are some drawbacks to getting a Cairn Terrier from a shelter:
- The Cairn Terrier dog may have learned bad or negative behaviours and will have to be re-trained.
- You have limited choice over the breeding, size and gender of the dogs available.
- You have little information on their lineage or medical history.
- Shelters are more likely to have adult Cairn Terriers than puppies.
- Most animals will have to be neutered before leaving the shelter, or you will have to agree to neuter or spay the animal.
PET STORES
Pet stores usually offer both purebred and non-purebred puppies. Usually a pet store does not sell full grown dogs as they have limited space.
It is possible to order a specific breed of puppy through a pet store, and you can usually indicate the colour and gender that you would prefer.
There are, however, a couple of major concerns when buying a Cairn Terrier puppy at a pet store.
The first concern is that most reputable breeders will not sell to pet stores, so often the purebred puppies offered are from “puppy mills”.
These puppy mills are kennels that simply breed dogs to produce large quantities of saleable Cairn Terrier puppies, rather than trying to selectively breed to specifications and positive attributes of the breed.
Often these purebred Cairn Terrier puppies will not be show quality, and the buyer will not learn of this until they attempt to register or show the dog.
Unless you are familiar with the top lines of the breed, it is difficult to know a good quality purebred from a poor quality or line.
The second concern is that there may only be one puppy of a breed to choose from. This limits your ability to compare the puppy with littermates or other puppies of the same breed.
Cairn Terrier Puppies in pet stores are also stressed, as they are away from their home environment.
They may be exposed to different pet diseases, and will need a thorough vet examination as soon as possible after purchase.
I hope that you learned something important in today’s newsletter.
All the best and take care
Warmly,
Sharda Baker