My sister and a puppy....

    • Gold Top Dog

    My sister and a puppy....

    ARG!!!!
     
    That's how I feel right now.
     
    While on vacation on our way back from the beach, we ran into a family with their Golden's. One was a few years old and the other was a little puppy. Oh my word was it the cutest thing. Anyways, now my sister decides that she wants a golden puppy. She has been doing nothing but looking online for a puppy. I sent her a couple of sites about how to find a good reputable breeder and how much it costs to raise a puppy but she is going totally on impulse buy. No good breeder in their right mind would sell a pup to my sister. She is 17yrs old, no license, no car, no job and the dog will have to live outside. My mom already has 2 JRT who are not trained, jumpy, and were hardly socialized. I do not want this puppy to suffer the same fate. Golden's were a breed we were looking at before deciding on Dobermans so I did a ton of research on the breed and know for a fact my sister is not ready for the responsibility of a dog. Let alone a puppy.
     
    I am so frustrated and when I try to get my point across about something I feel adimately about I come across as a major B*TCH. I don't know how to communicate very well (per DH) so I rub people the wrong way when I try to explain things to them.
     
    DH just told me that my sister called him and my mom said that she could get the puppy!!!! WTF!!! I thought for sure my mom would be against it. She has already picked out a couple of breeders but they were not from the Golden Ret. Club of America referrals. Let me know what you think: [linkhttp://www.8milebeaglesandgoldens.4t.com/index.html]http://www.8milebeaglesandgoldens.4t.com/index.html[/link]
     
    [linkhttp://www.puppyfind.com/view_listing/?sid=0e85ecc2020c0c0a0d7e6397fc3609aa&list_id=z914cdp2fi&back=%2Ffor_sale%2F%3Fbreed_id%3D57%26country%3D%26state%3D%26page%3D12%26order_by%3Drand%26back%3D%252Fbreed%252F%253Fbreed_id%253D57%2526back%253D%25252Fbrowse%25252F%25253Fstr%25253Dg%252526page%25253D1]http://www.puppyfind.com/view_listing/?sid=0e85ecc2020c0c0a0d7e6397fc3609aa&list_id=z914cdp2fi&back=%2Ffor_sale%2F%3Fbreed_id%3D57%26country%3D%26state%3D%26page%3D12%26order_by%3Drand%26back%3D%252Fbreed%252F%253Fbreed_id%253D57%2526back%253D%25252Fbrowse%25252F%25253Fstr%25253Dg%252526page%25253D1[/link] (Is NKC a valid registry??)
     
    I don't know what to do. I mean if she wants a puppy she will get a puppy...even if it means going through the newspaper. She won't be able to get a reputable bred puppy b/c she is not responsible enough to be approved from a good breeder. She knows enough not to go to a petstore (whew) but still. I guess I can just try to help her raise it so it doesn't turn out to be a maniac like the JRT....
    • Gold Top Dog
    I didn't look at the sites, so no advice there.  Is there any way you can talk to your mom and have her actually listen?  Point out that your sister isn't in a position to provide for this dog.  Is she going away to college after she graduates?  Maybe that's an angle - where on earth can she have a dog in a dorm room?  Is your sister "the baby"?  That may make it more difficult. 
     
    Maybe you could also point out that it's not fair to the dog to leave it tied outside.
     
    I would suggest rescue of a slightly older dog, but sounds like your sister is in love with the idea of that cute puppy.  What'll happen when it gets older? 
     
    Is your dad in the picture at all?  Could he help reason with her?
     
    If she ends up with it, I suppose the least you can do is recommend an obedience class.
    • Gold Top Dog
    I did go to the first site.  I didn't like it.  There's a page that says "All Health Clearences on Goldens were done 2-2-06 at MSU, and results were all normal and good."
     
    [size=3]I don't like the way that sounds. It seems to me that I've read something on this site that seemed fishy that was worded similarly.  A good breeder usually lists the tests that were performed.  Just my 2 cents.[/size]
    • Gold Top Dog
    Actually I thought the first breeder was okay. I didn't love it - the dogs are not shown and there is a dearth of info. However, the Golden parents were both tested for hips (OFA), eyes (CERF) and I think it said heart on the male? So, not bad. The second breeder, stay away. Sounds like a total BYB.
     
    Just curious, does your sister realize how fast Golden puppies grow? They are so cute and little at 2 or 3 mo and then next time you turn around they're big dogs. Would that affect her decision at all?