When you want to add a dog to your family, where do you go? With an overwhelming amount of unwanted, homeless dogs in Oklahoma, certainly the needy ones at the pound or a shelter deserve a look. If you want a purebred dog and haven't found one at the shelters, you can check purebred dog rescue organizations. Some will ship across the country. If your heart is set on a purebred puppy, pet shops are definitely not the way to go. A purebred puppy should be acquired from a reputable breeder. What do we mean by that?

A reputable breeder breeds only for the right reasons. Those reasons do not include indiscriminate backyard breeding for monetary purposes. Anyone embarking on a breeding program should do so only for preserving or improving the breed. That, in turn, requires attaining extensive knowledge about their breed. The breeder should keep in mind the breed standard as well as any specific health problems that might be inherent to the breed. The breed standard can be obtained from the American Kennel Club. A dog not fitting the standard shouldn't be bred.

After carefully selecting the best possible match for the dog, a reputable breeder provides veterinary care for the bitch during her pregnancy. She will need a special place set aside to whelp and care for her puppies. The puppies should stay with their mother for no less than eight weeks–ten to thirteen is better. By the time the buyer comes along, the pups should have already had a health check and their first round of inoculations. In addition, puppies should be adequately socialized.

For more information about locating a reputable breeder, call the American Kennel Club's Service Department in North Carolina at 919-233-9767 or go to their website at www.akc.org.

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