It's a Dog Eat Dog World Out There...

Julie, Christine & Cohen on his last day
Originally uploaded by Jules Verne.

Some of you may have noticed that for a few days I had a picture of an adorable little puppy up here—announcing HER to the world as my new pet. I was tickled out of my mind.

Three days later, after lots of worrying, anticpation, excitement, and preparation, I was delivered the wrong dog: a boy. Let me first say with absolutely no judgement to anyone else, that I have just always wanted a female dog. Call it a personal preference and let's just leave it at that. So when I was faced with a little puppy so much like the one I had picked out and already named, just with one little extra appendage, I was not a happy camper. There are a lot of needless details that would turn this post into the longest one ever—but trust me when I say that I did my best to right the wrong. However, the breeder, in true Nick Vegas style, literally took my money and ran. I was out the cash, and I was left with an adorable little thing who I tried not to bond with, because I knew I wasn't keeping him. Despite how precious he was, I wasn't ready to make the 15+ year commitment to a male dog, knowing the "issues" that would surely arise once he was no longer a little baby. This entire process—disappointment over the one that was lost, caring for one that I wasn't keeping—was a lot for my puppy-loving heart to handle. It was a tough week. Even though I tried not to name him, lest I bond with him further, after about a day, he became Cohen to me and Christine (my roommate). We loved him as did everyone who met him. I was thrilled to find him a new home within the week, with two older brothers (another Shih Tzu and a Pekingese) to play with and good people to love him. And they kept his name Cohen, to my great delight.

In light of this whole experience, I'd like to share a few tips that I learned. Well, some of these are less of a tip, and maybe more just common sense. Please no comments on how naive and trusting I was. You live and learn, and I think I am sufficiently more wise and jaded now. And in some instances I had a really good excuse.

When buying a dog from a sign you see at your local Wal-mart:
1) Always visit the home of the seller to see the dog's living conditions and its parents (if a puppy). Even if you are not intersted in breeding a purebred dog, you'll want to see its parents, just to make sure everything is as stated. If the sellers are worth their snuff, they'll want to see your home as well, to insure the dog is entering into an acceptable home. If they insist on always coming to you, don't assume they're just trying to be nice--they're probably hiding something.

2) If it's a puppy, ask for vet records of all shots and visits. Contact their vet to validate what they are telling you is true. Calling local shelters to check out the breeders name will help, too. If it's a known puppy mill, they might be able to tell you that ahead of time.

3) When getting a puppy from a litter, always check the gender of the dog before completing the transaction. Believe it or not, you can't always take people's word for it. If possible, take pictures of the dog you have chosen when you first meet him/her. This will be useful in pointing out the differences in markings if there is any question down the road. Or if your seller is just stupid.

4) Don't, out of excitement, tell everyone you know about your new dog until it's a done deal and the dog is actually living with you.

5) DO tell large, intimidating men in your life about your sad circumstances (if they should arise) who will offer to kick said shady seller's butt. Even if they don't actually do it, it's nice to know that people are behind you.