Best Place to buy a puppy

The best place to obtain a dog from is a reputable breeder. Dogs have to born in the house, trained, and be socialized. Not to mention the health. You are getting a dog for 12-15 years. There are no reputable breeders in the UAE! Let's put it back into context of the UAE.They are no reputable breeders in the UAE.Elsewhere for sure there are.

The best place to obtain a dog from is a reputable breeder. Dogs have to born in the house, trained, and be socialized. Not to mention the health. You are getting a dog for 12-15 years. There are no reputable breeders in the UAE! I wonder if those who advice to buy a dog have ever been to a dog pound..... I've been to Battersea. When our twelve year old, deaf and half blind springer spaniel decided to start hunting on a walk (once he starts he won't stop until he hears the whistle, a problem if he can't hear anything) and we lost him, he was picked up by the police and taken to Battersea. He was vaccinated and put out on the waiting to be adopted block (they missed his microchip) with a sign saying 'English Springer Spaniel, Approximate Age 7 years" then some blurb about how great he would be with kids blah blah. He was a working springer, age 12, pooped on the move, completely game driven, had no idea how to play and on the rare occasion he was exposed to kids he would sit and look confused, if the kids had rabbits or hamsters they could consider them lunch. As for age 7 years, I pity anyone who adopted him thinking he was 7! He sadly died about six months after that. People are perfectly entitled to have the choice to buy a purebred dog, providing they buy from a reputable breeder who breeds for the purpose of improving bloodlines, not for profit and that the new owner does not abandon the dog compounding the problem of homeless strays. In my lifetime my family have owned no less than ten purebred dogs and one crossbreed, they have all lived happy lives from the day we got them to the day they passed away. We have had two dogs with behavioural issues one we didn't get until she was eleven months, the other was abused and we got him aged four. If you feel you have the time to commit to a rescue then that is a great thing to do however please do so without criticising those who choose to get a dog from a reputable breeder. As for people wanting puppies bear in mind that just getting a puppy does not a behavioural problem solve. A pups first learning is not from humans but from their mothers therefore puppies can have antisocial issues learned from their mothers behaviour. This not only applies to some dogs from rescue centres but also dogs from irresponsible breeders who breed for profit with little thought for the welfare of the animal. This is why seeing how the mother behaves is SO important when getting a dog in order to avoid pups from fearful dams. Therefore for those who are concerned about taking a dog from a rescue centre if you can see the mother you can actually have a [u'>better[/u'> idea of the pups social skills than if you buy a pup from a pet store. For those that want a purebred pup I can only advise as before go to the EU, or your home country and get a pup from a KC registered reputable breeder. Be sure to ask the breeder many questions (i.e. health test results, age of dam and sire, number of litters etc.) and expect to be asked many questions yourself by the breeder. All our dogs bar one (the 11 month old) have come from reputable breeders. My father had three springers over nearly three decades, the first two springers were working rescues, the breeder had sold them then in one instance he found the owner was abusing the dog and he insisted on refunding the owner and demanded the dog back then rehomed him to my father whom he trusted, the second one the owner died, the third one my dad got as a pup, in every instance Walter has been in contact throughout the dogs life to check on his/her welfare. Other dogs my parents had breeders stayed in contact. This is what reputable breeders do. My dads' old gamekeeper breeds labs (keeps the best for himself) and he could tell you every home one of his labs is in, their name, age and when he last saw them. As long as you are giving a home to a dog for life, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health and you are not contributing to over breeding in bad conditions then good luck to anyone who is looking for a dog to join their family.

The best place to obtain a dog from is a reputable breeder. Dogs have to born in the house, trained, and be socialized. Not to mention the health. You are getting a dog for 12-15 years. There are no reputable breeders in the UAE! I wonder if those who advice to buy a dog have ever been to a dog pound.....

The best place to obtain a dog from is a reputable breeder. Dogs have to born in the house, trained, and be socialized. Not to mention the health. You are getting a dog for 12-15 years. There are no reputable breeders in the UAE!

The best place to obtain a dog from is a reputable breeder. Dogs have to born in the house, trained, and be socialized. Not to mention the health. You are getting a dog for 12-15 years.

Where I'm an advocate for adopting over buying, I'd just like to mention that some puppies are born at the vets as their mothers are rescued whilst pregnant. Thus they are handled by humans straight from birth and have none of the abandonment/abuse issues street dogs can have. In fact, I know that there's a pregnant mother on the Animal Action Abu Dhabi waiting list currently at a construction site. I'd also like to say that I wouldn't trust a dog alone with an infant EVER. Regardless of its background or upbringing. You never know what or when a dog will snap, even if you hand reared it from X days old and it loves you explicitly. <em>edited by izzybella on 23/01/2014</em>

Speaking from experience... six years ago as a newbie ignorant expat, I wandered in to a well known pet shop on Jumeriah beach road. I walked out with an expensive but cute, cuddly puppy that looked perfect. A few months after we bought him, we discovered a genetic defect with his two front legs, which resulted in them severely bowing. Five surgeries on, which included breaking, resetting and pinning his legs, he is still as crippled, and we are approaching the time where we have to think about the final step. On top of this, his eyesight is fading fast and his nasal folds were so severe, he needed surgery, to help him breathe (he's a pug). All the vets have said he is the way he is because of poor breeding/inbreeding. So my advice is, please, please think very carefully about buying from a pet shop here. There is no guarantee what you are buying. Our vet said that such physical defects would have been picked up had we seen the parents, which of course you don't when buying from shop. Usually the pet shop will give you a free vet checkup but be warned, many defects do not show up until the dog starts to mature, around a year old, and by then its too late.. its not as if you can, or would want to take your dog back! Don't always trust their original pet passport either. His claimed he was much older than he was - in fact my vet said he was too young to have been separated from his litter and to think that he had endured being airfreighted in from Europe at such a young age is very sad. So emotionally and financially we have learnt a very harsh lesson. Toughest thing is explaining to my kids that his days are short. When we needed a friend for our little man, we only wanted a rescue. We came across a year old female dog and she is the most loving, gentle soul, and completely healthy too. We gave a dog in need a loving home and its for this reason, coupled with our own disastrous pet shop experience, that we refuse to step foot inside any pet shop in Dubai.

Hello Ladies, I am thinking of getting my husband/daughters a puppy. Can any of you recomend the best place to do this? Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks Contact Kynological Federation of Emirates, I am sure they will help choose the best pedigree puppy or rescued one.

While i agree with the sentiment of getting rescue animals, if i have small children then i would never get a rescue dog just because you do not truly know their history and would only buy a puppy from a recommended and visited breeder. . Sadly this is a gross misconception and plenty of rescue shelters have PUPPIES - so they haven't had the chance to develop behaviour issues etc. Rescues don't all come as fully grown animals. My rescue boy was 12 weeks old when I got him.

Great post RuthM...so well written! Izzyontheseat. You chose a rescue dog the same way you choose a dog from a breeder. Carefully. Make sure the dog is a good fit for your family. Spend a lot of time with the dog, lots of visits to the dog you choose, taking the dog for walks, even have a behaviourist come and help evaluate the dogs temperment. All this before you take the dog home. You do not just go to the kennel, see a dog who seems to be happy, spend an hour or so then say, "right, I will take this one" you need to put effort into it. btw..dogs from from breeders can also hate men and also bite posties in the bum. There are also breedes of dogs who will kill, especially if not trained well. And..let me add....it is the responsibility of EVERY dog owner to train their dog well and know what the dogs hot buttons are and be aware. After all, a dog is not a person, a dog is a dog and has big teeth whether it is a puppy or full grown animal. Doubting thomas, people ask questions because they are looking for answers. On this subject of buying a puppy they most likely will not get the answer they want. In this case there was alot of great information from RuthM. No one jumped on the OP, no one castigated her for asking. She was given different opinions. I am sure she was not insulted. Asking questions on a forum does not mean you get what you want but you might get information you were not aware of...your choice to take the chance :)

sometimes I really feel sorry for people who ask for advice on here... Why?

sometimes I really feel sorry for people who ask for advice on here...

While i agree with the sentiment of getting rescue animals, if i have small children then i would never get a rescue dog just because you do not truly know their history and would only buy a puppy from a recommended and visited breeder. My aunt had a rescue dog who was lovely with females but would snap and bite any men - even bit the postie on the bum. There was also a case last week of a rescue dog killing a four year.

***LIKED*** Well said RuthM. Pet ownership is a full time, long term commitment and cute puppies grow into adult dogs quickly. I hope EW Admin place your comment on the forum permanently for future reference for those first time would-be pet owners. Invaluable!

Very well said RuthM To the OP - also, a lot of the local mixed breeds here are part saluki and just SO CUTE, with big round eyes and long ears. Mine is about 3 years, knee-height and is still mistaken for a puppy...she's the most adorable thing, I love her so much and I found her via a post on EW looking for foster homes. She is from Abu Dhabi Animal Action and as she was a past pet, she behaves perfectly in the house and didn't even need toilet training. She was rescued from the pound on her last day with all 6 of her puppies, who are similarly adorable. AAAD often take momma dogs and their litters as rescues. You could also try fostering first to see if having a dog is right for your family. Explain the situation (that you are new to caring for a dog) to the rescue center and they should be able to find you a foster dog that is good in the house and easy to care for. Or, you could jump right in and foster a puppy! But they do require a lot more work than adult dogs!

RuthM ....*LIKE* button pressed.....:) Thank you so much for taking the time to cover ALL the points of dog/animal ownership,not just in DXB but in general. Your post should go up on a sticky ,immortalized somewhere on EW for reference when considering pet ownership. <em>edited by Nomad on 15/11/2013</em>

I am thinking of getting my husband/daughters a puppy. 1) A dog is a member of the family. It is not for your husband or for your daughters it is a fully fledged family member with a personality that will need love and care. It is not a TV or a coffee table. 2) You will not be getting a puppy, you will be getting a dog that starts off as a puppy and grows into a dog. A lot of people forget this and a lot of dogs end up looking for new homes when they are no longer puppies. Many people on this forum would have been far more comfortable with the phrase: [b'>Our family would love to have a dog, so I am looking for a puppy.[/b'> Sorry if this comes across as harsh but I wanted to make this absolutely clear. Obviously the first option is a rescue dog. I encourage this and I also suspect many rescues in Dubai have better grounding than the ones we get in the UK as the rescue centres here are not filled up with bull terriers that were owned by kids who used them to intimidate people on the street and gave them a good kicking when they weren't scary enough. In all likelihood many rescues in Dubai are probably left behind by selfish expats that couldn't be bothered to take them with them. Otherwise they are from people that bought a 'puppy' for their kid from a pet shop and then six months later were like [i'>"OMG I HAVE A DOG? WHAT HAPPENED?! Last week it was a cute puppy then it destroyed the house and now it's a DOG!, it has to go!"[/i'> These people often make another mistake you hear them say [i'>"It's only a small dog"[/i'>. Small dogs are no less hassle than big dogs, except that they cannot pull you over as easily or reach the kitchen counter. In fact many small breeds are harder to train than larger breeds. Small breeds were more often used for ratting, rabbiting etc. therefore had little obedience training, they worked more on instinct and just like chasing small animals (or peoples feet). Many larger dogs were used for herding or retrieving and therefore required a better response to human signals. Of course some larger dogs were also used as sighthounds or hunting and they can be equally scatty as small dogs. And some individual dogs of breeds which should be easily trainable that can be impossible. Lastly there are some rescues that have been tied up outside in a yard for a few years before finally being disposed off (sadly the majority of these are most likely destroyed by the municipality - people that tie dogs up in yards normally are not bothered when they die). In an ideal scenario I would look for option 1 or 2 and I would prefer to get something directly from the family that no longer wants the dog, this way you can see how the dog has been kept and ask about it. Many vets often have information of expats who are leaving and parting with their dog or idiots that got a dog and couldn't cope. However there are many scams on Dubizzle etc. of this type so a rescue centre may be better. I would hope Canine Friends and other rescue centres would also keep details of animals that have been left with them and their backgrounds. This said not everyone wants a rescue dog (I suspect I will get some abuse for this). But some people want a puppy they can train and bond with from a young age and one whose history is known. I will advise on this option but firstly I would like to point out this option will take a great deal of time and effort. There is only sense in buying a puppy when these people also want to meet the breeder that bred their dog and the dogs parents and see the dog in the home environment. If you do not do this you may as well have an unknown rescue dog as you will know as much about the puppies history as you would a rescues history. It is not well known but the formative weeks (before a puppy is ready to leave it's mother) is some of the most important time for a puppy to develop social skills and bite inhibition, which is why meeting the mother as well as the breeder and seeing the environment is crucial. Anyone who buys a puppy from a pet shop or Europuppy clearly just wants a puppy because it is cute not because they are concerned about the animals background, these people have no excuse to not go to a rescue centre (although hopefully the rescue centre who are not profit driven would turn them away). We have a dog we got at 11 months who is an absolute nightmare (massively nervous and anti-social with other dogs (something we are working on for the third attempt), defecates in the house if we are upstairs even and she wants to go out - she was kennelled) but a sweetie with us and very good natured, although she never looks happy. And another dog we had from a puppy who is the happiest, cleanest and most affectionate dog I have ever known, he is frankly perfect. Okay he pulls on the lead a little (DH has not kept up with his training) and he tries to steal food when he can and he chewed the stairs when we first moved here as he was feeling a little insecure. At least if we have a dog with behavioural issues I can rest assured I created them not someone else and I can hopefully undo the bad before it is too late. So on to where to get a puppy. Well the answer is your home country. You will be taking your dog home with you if you leave Dubai (of course as a responsible owner) therefore it is an ideal place to start. This way your dog can have all the paperwork from where he or she is from. Breeders in your home country will speak your language so it will be easy to ask them trick questions and find out if they have bad intentions, it will also be easy for them to ask you questions and see what kind of a person you are. So next time you visit your home country you and the rest of the family find a list of breeders from the kennel club and go and visit them. Do not look for puppies however, no good breeder is going to sell someone a puppy who is leaving the country in a week, month whatever. A good breeder will want to get to know your family, they will want to know where you live, see pictures or even video, meet you all, question you and then if you are very fortunate they will agree that when they have another litter of puppies they will consider you to take one to become a member of your family. Many people on this forum have said a good breeder will not sell to someone abroad. This is in fact incorrect. I have found two very good breeders in my home country who have agreed to sell to me. I have also found three bad ones who I would not buy from (they also agreed to sell to me, just a little too quickly). I have been to visit one of the breeders three times. I have gone for walks with her and her dogs and shown her pictures of our dogs, told her about them and their lives in Dubai. I introduced her to my mother and my mother's dog in the UK (a dog I trained with my father before he passed) and walked her with the breeders dogs. I Skyped her so she could meet our dogs in Dubai. The last time we saw her she said she actually feels she knows us better than many of the people she sells to in the UK. But clearly this takes time and effort and to put it simply this is the thing which will encourage these breeders the fact that you will make this much time and effort to get the right dog from the right place which will hopefully demonstrate the time and effort you are willing to put into the dog once you get it home. In summary you have two options: 1) A rescue dog from a rescue centre or otherwise (but beware of scams) 2) A puppy from your home country But in either case please remember this dog will be a member of your family. It is not a present, as a family member cannot be a present, presents are objects, living creatures should never be treated as objects. A dog requires an enormous commitment, hours of care and training, it is in fact akin to having a child, a child that will remain a toddler for 10-15 years and then cost you thousands of dirhams in vet bills and become very smelly and potentially incontinent. A child that if not walked and stimulated and instead left bored will reign destruction on your house, if it feels insecure it will keep you up at night and if you are not careful what it eats or leave it unsupervised in a dangerous environment will get very sick and potentially die. Every person in your household needs to be absolutely dedicated to this new family member. It is going to cost a lot of money. The dog will need to be looked after while you are away, you will need money to take him or her home if you leave Dubai. It may get sick and need expensive medication or even surgery. Feeding and walking is not all the care a dog needs. You will need to train the dog, clean it's ears (and eyes depending on breed), clip it's claws, brush it's fur (even short coated dogs should be brushed). You cannot expect a maid to look after the dog as all these things are part of your bond with the dog if someone else does these things you will end up with a very unhappy insecure dog. Grooming for example is a key thing that will make the dog feel part of the family. Everywhere you go in the house the dog will follow you, you can't just put it away when you've had enough. Once you have discussed all this with your family and feel you are ready I suggest your first port of call should be a rescue centre. If you decide a rescue dog is not for you then you need to research and find which breed you prefer and start to look in your home country (a task that you can expect to take at least a year or longer). Good luck in making the right decision.

As the other posters have said buying a puppy in DXB is not advisable. PLEASE read past threads about this subject it has been discussed so many times....... Not forcing the issue but by rescuing you actually save two lives, the dog you are rescuing and making space for a new rescue. An animal is a commitment for the rest of its life so do consider the costs of having one as an expat.The cost of repatriation home or to your next destination can be very steep.DXB streets are littered with the results of people who bought the dog/cat and when the time comes to leave the cost outweighed the love and commitment to said animal.

Please consider a rescue dog. There are so many abused, homeless dogs here in the UAE (worldwide, infact). There are several places around the UAE which offer rescued animals. The dog will come to you after lengthy health checks and also desexing. You would be doing a wonderful thing, saving a life, and also bring into your family a dog that will love you far more than he/she will ever love him/herself.

You will not find anyone on this forum who will tell you where to buy a puppy.

I agree, please don't buy a puppy. Too many homeless dogs/puppies in this country. We adopted our dog from K9 when she was around 1 years old and she is the best dog we've had. And we've had pedigree Labradors and golden retrievers before and she has by far the best character out of all of them. If you go to the K9 facebook page you will see loads of puppies up for adoption

Please don't 'buy' a puppy. There are no ethical breeders in the UAE and all the pups in pet shops are imported from puppy mills, mostly in Eastern Europe - coming from vile conditions. There are literally hundreds of dogs, crying for their forever homes in shelters and foster homes across the UAE and many many litters of pups in desperate need of homes. Take a look at K9 Friends, Animals Action Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Cats and Dogs Shelter RAK shelter, Dubai Dogs Trust, Dubai Senior Dogs project. All have animals desperately seeking homes. Also, hate to say it, but animals as presents are never really a good idea - you could possibly be the one who ends up taking care of it. It should be a family discussion and agreement and then IF you all decide that you want a dog, you need to consider the time, care and financial implications - the biggest will be taking the animal with you when you leave the UAE, whcih will start at anything from 10,000 - 20,000 Dhs. Please think carefully.

Save a life. Adopt one from one of the animal rescue groups. There are fees to cover vaccination, spaying/neutering costs usually but you would be paying those anyways as a responsible pet owner. Please do not buy one. Most for profit shops and breeders here care only about $$$$ not about the animal or you. edited by marycatherine on 14/11/2013 <em>edited by marycatherine on 14/11/2013</em>