At Happy Healthy Puppy, we work hard to make sure that we get the message across loud and clear: never buy a puppy that came from a puppy mill.
The San Francisco SPCA and the Jullien Brothers and BBDO San Francisco have created a sweet and informative video about why you should never buy a puppy from a puppy mill.
Time for our cute dog fix! This guy’s a beautiful black Labrador.
Labs make great family pets, as they’re often even tempered, happy and good with kids. They can be quite high energy though, especially lab puppies.
They’re not the best dog for houses full of china or fine antiques just waiting to get broken.
Is your dog’s shedding a problem? Want to reduce the dog hair on your sofa and car seats? There may be a bit of hope, as there are quite a few non shedding dogs.
While the idea of non shedding dogs is appealing, most non shedding dog breeds are just breeds that tend to shed less than others. Many of these breeds have less of a undercoat, shorter fur, or fur that’s less bulky and dense.
That said, some Terrier breeds, Schnauzers, and Poodles shed less than other breeds.
There are numerous ways to adopt a dog. Breeders, Puppy Mills, Classifieds, Pet Stores, Adoption Centers, friends and relatives, etc. It is up to you to decide from where you want to buy one.
After doing a lot of research into Puppy Mills (most Pet Stores use them) we recommend to sticking with reputable breeders and adoption centers (such as shelters and the SPCA).
It can be extremely difficult to tell if a mixed breed dog has a genetic tendency to develop a cardiovascular or nervous disorder. This is because most owners don’t know the exact breed makeup of their mixed breed, and genetic disorders are well linked to specific breeds.
Today, mixed breed Dog DNA tests can help erase that inequality. Mixed breed dog DNA tests can determine a mixed breed dog has a purebred parent or grandparent. Once you know the purebred makeup of your dog, your vet can determine if your dog is at risk of inheritied genetic disorders.
Knowing the risk of developing a gastrointestinal disorder is relatively easy for a purebred dog. The risk of genetic gastrointestinal disorders is well understood for many breeds.
However, the risk of a gastrointestinal disorder for a mixed breed dog is hard to determine, since the exact breeds that make up a mixed breed dog aren’t often known.
However, mixed breed Dog DNA tests now provide a way to find out the breeds that make up a mixed breed. Once a dog’s parents or grandparents breeds are known, a vet can determine if a mixed breed may be at risk of a genetic gastrointestinal disorder.
Don’t necessarily believe a pet store if they tell you that their puppies don’t come from a puppy mill. Pet store employees are not always well trained to spot signs of abuse and mistreatment seen in puppy mills.
Often, pet store owners and managers and their staff don’t know the conditions that their pets are bred in. Sadly, the cold reality of many puppy mills is that dogs in puppy mills are often kept in small cages, fed as little as needed to keep them alive, denied adequate medical care, and receive little or no positive human attention.
The parents are seen as breeding machines to create as much profit as possible. Many female breeding dogs are euthanized as soon as they stop producing enough puppies. The puppies are seen as little products, and given only what is needed to get them shipped to a store where they can bring in money.
If your dog has a purebred ancestor, it may be susceptable to genetic disorders specific to purebreds. A mixed breed dog with a purebred ancestor can inherit a genetic disorder from its purebred parent or grandparent.
Unfortunately, owners of mixed breed dogs often have no idea if their dog is at risk of a genetic disorder. Until very recently, there was no way owners of mixed breeds could determine if their dog’s parents were purebreds (other than finding out directly who the parents were). Unfortunately, many dog owners have no information on the parents of their dog.
In the past couple of years, mixed breed Dog DNA tests have come on the market that can help you determine if your dog has a purebred parent or grandparent. Knowing your dog’s purebred ancestry can help you to determine if your dog is at risk of an inheritied genetic disorder.
Congratulations! A purebred dog can be a wonderful companion and friend. Purebreds have highly predictable physical characteristics and behaviours, so you won’t need to spend a long time searching for perfect combination.
The first thing to do is to decide on a breed of purebred dog. Even if you have a good idea of the breed you’re interested in, taking a little time to do some research can help ensure that you’ve made the right choice.
Problems with the skeletal and muscular systems are among the most common disorders among purebred dogs.
However, owners of mixed breed dogs with a purebred ancestry often have no idea if their dog is at risk of developing disorder of the skeleton or muscle. This is because many mixed breed owners do not know if their dog has a purebred parent of grandparent.
Mixed breed Dog DNA tests, only available in the past few years, can tell if a mixed breed dog has parent or grandparent that was a purebred. Your vet can determine if your dog is at risk of inheritied genetic disorders once your vet knows the purebred ancestry of your mixed breed dog.