Puppy Awareness Week (PAW) - Part 3

Last time we looked at choosing your breed, well what if you've not been around that many breeds of dog? Or what if you like the sound of a slightly more unusual breed of dog, that you've never even heard of before? Well all is not lost!

Sometimes you might want something a little bit different, or come across a breed that seems suitable for you, but you've never heard of it, so then what do you do? Well the best thing is to go along to dog shows, there's no better way to meet your chosen breed in person and meet people who not only own and love the breed but will also know more than their fair share about it too.

If you have 1 or 2 breeds in mind you can go along to any of the hundreds of breed specific shows held countrywide, or if you have a longer list of dog breeds to choose from you, especially unusual ones, you could consider going along to something like Discover Dogs! Going along to these kind of events is a great way to get any questions you might have answered. It's also a good place to start looking around for the right breeder for you, after all the right breeder will bring you the right pup. A bad breeder may not bring a bad pup but they will most likely bring a pup with poor health and a bad start in life. The wrong breeder could be selling you fur covered heart ache, while the right breeder could sell you love on 4 paws.

You can find some superb breeders through the KC's Assured Breeder Scheme. A good breeder will be willing to go the extra mile for you, in terms of matching you with a suitable puppy, advising you on temperament, giving you advice on how to care for them and much more. A lot of breeders will give you a 'puppy pack' which will give you things such a a blanket that smells of mummy doggy to help settle your new puppy and bits such as the food your pup has been weaned on to. To avoid upset tummies it's always best to cross taper them on to the food of your choice after a week or 2 of having them. A caring breeder will be on hand and many like to stay in touch and keep up to speed with their puppies!

There's no rush to get a puppy, they'll be with you for years, all being well, so take your time finding the right one. A lot of top breeders will have waiting lists, sometimes a litter or 2 in advance! Don't let this discourage you though, it just means people are prepared to queue for their puppies... They obviously have something worth the wait!

We'll continue tomorrow with what to do once you've made your final decision on a breed and a breeder!

So until then,
Enjoy your Puppy Awareness Week,
Love & licks,
Rio, Jonny, Buffy, Rafferty, Monroe, Lily and Lola.
xo

Puppy Awareness Week (PAW) and Pup Aid - Part 1

Today marks the beginning of the Kennel Club's first annual Puppy Awareness Week (PAW; 12th - 18th September) where they're aiming to spread not only love, but knowledge, about our tiny furry friends.

The aim is to give both existing and potential owners as much information as possible, including training tips and to spread the word on the fight to end Puppy Farming. Every dog started its life as a puppy and every experienced owner started out as a nervous novice, so the KC wants to help make those first steps a little easier and get new owners on the path towards being a loving, informed, responsible carer for generations of dogs to come.

Seeing as it's Puppy Awareness Week, we'll be doing a week of posts - We'll post daily segments on all the different aspects of puppy ownership throughout the week and we'll also be covering Pup Aid later in this post. We will cover everything from the exciting side of puppy ownership - choosing and researching your breed, getting ready for your puppy, bringing them home - to the heartbreaking side most people think they'll never see - the cruelty of puppy farmers and how you can help. There's a lot to say, so lets jump right in...

We'll cover everything we can think of for the happy side of PAW over the next few days, however sometimes things don't go the way we'd like and that needs attention too! The KC, coupled with everyone behind Pupaid, including Marc Abraham - TV vet and author of 'Vet on Call', are leading the fight against Puppy Farming. They're bringing knowledge to those who need it most - the people buying the puppies.

The second annual Pup Aid is being described as a 'boutique music festival and celebrity judged charity dog show'. Celebs such as actress and Strictly Come Dancing star Ali Bastian will be judging the dog show and there will be a whole host of live bands! It will be held on the last day of PAW (18th September) at Stanmer House near Brighton, Sussex. Be sure to grab your tickets before they're gone!

The message is to get involved in Puppy Awareness Week however you can, whether you donate by buying one of the KC's fabulous badges (we have ours!) or you go along to Pupaid to support the cause and do some sneaky celeb spotting!

Whatever you do we hope you'll get behind our dogs and celebrate all things puppy. It might be obvious with our 5 girls that puppies have been a huge part of our lives here over the past few years and will continue to be, however it has to be said Puppy Farming is an issue close to our heart, to find out why and to get more info about the issue, you can take a look at the full story behind getting Buffy here.

Have a wonderful Puppy Awareness Week,
Love & licks,
Rio, Jonny, Buffy, Rafferty, Monroe, Lily and Lola.
xo

P.S To see how Scruffts and Pup Aid will be combined, you might want to have a look at this. :)