Where did you get your dog?

Our friend's son and his girlfriend bought Shadow Sep 3, 2003 at 6 weeks old at Plano Pets & Grooming in Plano, Texas for $200. I mention their name so that no one will shop there. They will not give me contact info for the breeder, who is listed on the purchase papers as Mike Yaeger. It's the only pet store I've been in where Shadow was so frightened that he nearly crapped on the floor.
 
Anyway, he was eventually living at home with the young lady when she moved back home with her mom. Labor Day 2004, we got him as the young lady's mother was going to have Shadow PTS to be mean to her daughter and had already had a few cats PTS. I think Shadow was slated for the needle that week. When we said yes, we would take him (we were celebrating at our friend's house) she left so fast she left a cloud of dust. In an hour, she was back with Shadow and all of his worldly possessions, including a food bowl small enough for a small puppy. We have never regretted it.
 
In 1988, I picked up a kitten that a relative of my first wife had found as a stray, literally on the streets. She was mine until Feb 17, 2005 when I had her PTS for drastic kidney failure.
 
I have no shortage of people who know me as the dog guy and they will offer me dogs they found or can no longer keep. I have to turn them down if the situation isn't right. The best I can do is refer them to rescue groups.

Our first dog came from a breeder, but the more I learned about the plight of so many dogs and the good work of rescue groups, the more I decided that our next dog would come from a shelter, so we recently adopted through petfinder.com. The only problem with this is that I wanted to take home practically every dog that I looked at. Some of their stories are so disheartening.

Abby I call a recue.    She is purebred and has all her papers. The breeder had her in a cage at a local farm store. Said she was a throw away cause her nose was too long  to make a good show dog.

Ash came from a BYB as a gift from my fiancee.
 
Angel came from a family friend who's dogs had a litter.
 
Toby was the dog that lived next door to my step-grandmother. The owner was moving and couldn't take Toby. Toby was very protective so nobody wanted him. My step-dad brought him home.

I bought Chase at a pet store.  Utter impulse buy.  We had to move when we bought him because our apartment didn't allow pets.
 
I would NEVER buy another dog from a pet store.  But Chase is healthy, friendly, strong and loving.  I am fully aware of how lucky I am that he is such a good dog.
 
So I wouldn't repeat my actions, but I wouldn't want to take them back, either.  Couldn't imagine not having Chase with me.

I got Cassidy from a family in our church that breeds German Shepherds. They take good care of the dogs, all the health stuff, and train some of the dogs for protection work. I got Cassidy from them because they had  one of their GSD's that got bred by a chocolate Lab. ( purebred as well)

We got one dog from an animal shelter, which they said was part Lab, but was actually not; she was a pit bull mix  ( we got her as a puppy then she grew and we could tell) and has some physical problems. BUT, I am sure that you can get a great dog from a shelter, and my advice would be to know as much about the dog and its background as possible, so maybe you can have a better idea what the dog is like.

A rescue would be a good place to get a dog, probably. Oh, my puppy I am raising to be a service dog, so she was bred by the program, is purebred of course.

I would not get a puppy from a pet store though, thats just a bad place to get a dog from.....overpriced for usually unsocialized and probably poorly bred dogs.

Kona came from my mom's friend from work who's a dog musher (and 2-time Iditarod finisher, although Kona's never run the Iditarod) He had 21 huskies total, but due to job-related unfortunate circumstances, he had to get rid of most of his dogs. Most of them were bought by other mushers, but he and his wife had raised Kona from a puppy and thought he'd do better as a house dog with a good family, so he offered us Kona as soon as he found out that my mom was thinking about maybe considering getting a dog (: 

Dogs
Pofi: found castaway, found in a state park in northern MN on the banks of the Baptism River alone and scared at about 5 weeks.  So...rescue?  Foundling?
 
Mia: rescue.  Pet Haven of MN - in existence for over 50 years.  Listed on Petfinder and adopted at Petko adoption day.
 
Cats
 
Benito:  sort of a failed foster - took him in temoprarily for a friend and he became ours pretty quickly.
 
Iggy: taken in (with permanent intentions) when a friend was moving to Hawaii and did not want to put pets through quarantine.
 
Ernesto:  friend/tennant moved and did not want 'Nesto, but was trying to rehome him without success.  Originally being temporarily fostered by us in the room above the garage, but the little matchstick kitty would press his little face up against the windows looking in at the life in our home and he clearly had to come in.  Nesto has some behavioral issues, but is a love.

Mack is definately a rescue.  A very wonderful lady got him from the pound before they could p/t/s and kept him at a cool pet hotel she runs.  She has a friend who runs a rescue as well but for gsd's and the second lady put Mack on her gsd website as a favor (even tho he isn't a gsd) and that's how I found him.  I had been to that site a day before and hadn't found what I was looking for.  I went back to the site the following day just cruising around re-reading the dogs listed and that's where I found my Mack(truck).  []  Jules

Mindy came from an elkhound breeder.  In my area, good ones are hard to find but this one was.

Mickey was abandoned at a groomers when he was around 3 months old.  Mindy took one look [] and he was hers.

Maelee came from the Midwest (puppy mill originally).  He was in a rescue for several months while being doctored for pneumonia, kennel cough and various and sundry other ailments. I am happy to report that he is now approaching the terrible twos![] 

Miree was also a rescue (private and non-breed specific organization).

Mindy is the only animal I have ever purchased from a breeder.  Before her, Honey was from my vet and Tory was from the humane society. 

I got Zuni from a local rescue ... thank you Pets In Need! 
I think that Petfinder.com is an awesome resource for looking for a new addition.

I was searching for Kennel Cough information when I found this thread. I figured that I would resurect it because this is a good thread. I love reading where everyone got their dogs from!
 
Shadow- got her when she was 5 or 6 from a friend who couldn't take care of her. Have had her for 4.5 years now. Awesome dog.
 
Buck- went the the city pound to find a dog. I wanted a mixed breed puppy that had a good temperment and seemed eager. I found him in a cage with 4 other full grown dogs. So far he has been great, but has Kennel Cough , although that hasn't slowed him down a bit.
 
Chinook (RIP fluffy buddy)- I got this dog when I was 12 from a pet store. Never again will I do that. He was the love of my life though, even through all of his faults and he taught me alot about dog ownership. I could never own another husky, but I still love him so much.

Looked on Petfinder.com. Saw Rupert's litter. And went to the foster's house...
 
I'm addicted to Petfinder now. A wonderful website!

Buster and Max both came from a shelter (the Animal Rescue League of Western PA)

Lady came from a petstore[&:] (I didn't buy her, my fiance's family did many years before me [])

Darby- Abandonned at my mothers house where he was being boarded.
He hates having his picture taken..so I only have a few here and there..this is one we took after dying him with lime Kool-Aid for St. Patricks Day.


Dooley- At a minature horse show..I went only to see a dealer of horse carts and a friend who was showing her mini. I was at that time on the waiting list with a breeder for a ACD pup. I saw Dooley in the bed of a truck, he was one of about 12 puppies and the only blue merle in the bunch. All of the puppies looked just like yellow labs except Dooley and a female litter mate who looked just like Dooley only red merle. I don't know what it was..but I knew Dooley had to come home with me. "My adoption fee" was $35 and  handshake. Dooley was supposed to be my dog, and I have done all the training..and I do flyball with him ..but he is
truely my husbands heart dog.
Dooley as a pup

Dooley now



Witt- Rescue in California. Again I was actually looking for a purebred Catahoula at the time and ran across a picture of a litter of mixes on Petfinder. I e-mailed the foster mom..not really sure why, as I was looking for a purbred, and had been researching this breed for two years! Something in this picture drew me in.


Annie- I took Annie in thinking it would only be for two weeks..I was keeping her from going to a shelter and being temperment tested. Annie is an Aussie mix and has extreme drive..something that was getting her in touble and not being understood by the people in her life. She had been in at least 4 homes and six shelters by the time she found me..and she was barely two years old. A lady at the grocery store I shop at begged for my help and so Annie came to us. She bonded instantly to my 16(at the time) year old daughter. We did not want another dog..but somehow Annie has become a part of our family. My daughter now 18, wants to be a dog trainer and is looking to mentor with one of the trainers she took classes from. Annie and her are inseparable.


I think I've ended up with the dog companions I have, for a reason..I think it was meant to be this way. I say stay open to what comes your way and it is likely you will find the right companion.