NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Jon Austin, DVM with Hutchinson Small Animal Hospital said it's worth a discussion with your veterinarian before you buy a pet to figure out what breed or breeds might fit best with the kind of life you want to lead.
"All the different breeds were created, line bred, purebred for thousands of their generations over hundreds and hundreds of years to do specific jobs," Austin said. "We've ended up with those dogs in the world. You've got Huskies and Malamutes for towing sleds in the Arctic. You've got Beagles for putting their noses down and chasing rabbits and finding game. You've got hunting dogs like German Shorthair Pointers and English Pointers who can run 50 miles in a day sniffing, looking for birds. Dogs like Welsh Corgis who herd things, Australian Shepherds and all those kinds of dogs, who have specific purposes, who were made to have a specific drive and activity level and then we ask them to go be a marshmallow and sit on the couch and watch TV with us. They can't do it."
When you put a dog in a position where they have to go against the skills that have been bred into them, that's not a recipe for success.
"They can't do it well," Austin said. "It drives them nuts and we end up with dogs who are anxious. We end up with dogs who are destructive. In the home, they can get aggressive. They need that outlet to do what they were born and created by intelligent people for a purpose, over hundreds of years, they need to be able to do that. When we ask them not to, confine them in a small home or leave them alone in a pen in the back yard for ten months of the year, the result is tragic for the dog and not really helpful for the owner, either."
Also, think about a dog's entire life cycle, not just where your family is now.
"Talk with your veterinarian," Austin said. "They are a great source of information. We see, day in and day out, pets coming in that are mismatched and pets coming in that are well matched. It's always happier to see a dog who is happy with their life and the owners are happy with the dog, rather than that mismatch."
This is true whether buying a puppy or an older pet from a shelter, just think ahead and make sure you have planned for how a pet may change what you can do day to day.
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