Saturday, May 22, 2010

I am hunting for a teacup or toy dog?

I am on disability, and draw only a small check a month. I want to be able to make payment or get help getting one. I have Copd not able to work. Son is in college and I spend a lot of time alone I always wanted a small toy dog to love and keep me company.

Is there any where to get help getting one with my limited income?
Answers:
Do not take this the wrong way, but small dogs can be expensive enough to get, let alone the vet bills they can incur. If you are on a limited income, a dog may not be a good idea. I work at a shelter and I take calls every week from people on a limited income that want help with vet bills. A pet is a luxury and also very expensive. Just yearly vaccines,check-ups,heartworm preventitive, and flea control. Give it a lot of thought BEFORE you get one. If you do.remember, nobody owes you future help with vet bills.
Check in your local animal shelter or rescue. A good place to start is Petfinder.com

Don't be tricked by the decietful "teacup" term. RUN, don't walk, from any breeder who uses it. They are only out for money and don't have the health or welfare of their dogs in mind. "Teacups" are from runts bred to runts. This is extremely dangerous for the mother, who could have difficulty giving birth. Plus the pups are often not healthy. "Teacup" is a term that irresponsible breeders use to peddle off their puppies faster.

A responsible breeder will be producing puppies that fit their breed standard, not trying to meet the popular fad of the moment (undersized dogs). So please do your research and don't get tricked by irresponsible breeders destroying the breed.

This is a good guide when deciding on a breeder: http://www.geocities.com/petsburgh/fair/.

But please remember, millions of perfectly wonderful dogs are dying in shelters each year from simple lack of a home. Saving a life would be much better than supporting an irresponsible breeder. This is an excellent video to display the pet overpopulation crisis in the U.S.: http://www.youtube.com/p.swf?video_id=ox.
If I were in your situation (which, please forgive me, I'm not), I would swing by your local Animal Rescue Center(s) to see if they might have a dog that would be right for you. Some of the sweetest dogs I've ever met were adopted from an animal rescue center, and they are very easily affordable and (I've heard) that shelters sometimes give financial assistance and free neutering/spaying, but that's just what I've heard. Please consider this option. You not only will be treating yourself but possibly saving the life of a small, innocent dog.
Good luck finding your little sweetie!
Try any of these websites:

petfinder.com
pets911.com
1-800-save-a-pet.com
nextdaypets.com

Submit your application on any dogs that seems appealing to you and explain your circumstances.

We recently adopted out a Chihuahua to a woman in circumstances similar to your own, and reduced our adoption fee for her because she had a great support group (family, friends, and church members nearby) who could help her with the dog's expenses when necessary.

Don't get discouraged. The right dog will "find" you if you're supposed to have one.

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