My friend wants to get a puppy in about a month but will need to travel across the country to do it

[Poltergust]

With the pandemic getting worse and worse by the day, I'm concerned about my friend not being able to get the puppy he's been planning to adopt for months. He's been in contact with a breeder from Maine (we live in Florida) for a good while now and has been going through the process of getting a puppy from her. We even met with her a few weeks ago in late February and she went through the process of raising a corgi (the breed my friend wants).

He's planning on driving, but if travel restrictions reach a certain point my friend may face a lot of difficulties out on the road. He could be pulled over by police for doing "non-essential" travel, or he could not find a open hotel (he told me he would sleep in the car if he has to), or he could expose himself to the coronavirus throughout his travels. I'm worried about how the country will look towards the end of April, and he can't pick up the puppy any sooner than that.

But... if he doesn't go through with this then the puppy who was supposed to go to him will no longer have a home. He's been planning this for so long that it would be absolutely devastating to him to not be able to adopt it. He went through all the proper channels and may not even be able to get one simply due to bad timing? It's just not fair. :<

I'm not sure what I can say to him. I don't want him to risk himself, but I also can't stand the thought of the puppy that is supposed to go to him not finding a family. I believe it's already born, but it needs a few weeks before it can be adopted.

 

[SoleSurvivor]

It sounds like you sort of know the answer, but want us to convince you that he should go ahead with a cross-country trip in the middle of a pandemic. Not going to do that, chief.

There are plenty of doggos out there he could probably get his hands on locally today if he's less picky about the breed. They need homes and love right now too. Everyone's plans are being set back and altered. Let's pray they aren't altered any further.

 

[Brazil]

It's really impossible to predict how things will be one month from now in your area. I hope it all works out.

 

[Komo]

Realistically there's not much he can do. Also srsly can this breeder not just take care of the dog for now?

 

[Ryuelli]

There are dogs in his area, he can get one of those instead. It definitely sucks that he's been looking forward to this, but it's just not safe to travel right now.

 

[Exellus]

Why do you need to go to Maine for a puppy?

This sounds like someone willing to spend big. Otherwise you could just get a shelter pet from somewhere in your town and boom: new dog. Instantly.

Your friend is being picky.

 

[Carthago Delenda Est]

One, tell him he already knows the answer to this. Two, he should stop prioritizing a high value puppy that will never see a day in a shelter over the health of everyone. Three, it will probably be illegal to get the dog.

 

[xxracerxx]

A breeder? Is your friend planning on showing this dog at completions?

 

[Burai]

It's just not fair. :<

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I haven't seen my son in two weeks because he's in isolation with his mother. A friend of mine had a child adoption put on indefinite hold. Another friend had a house purchase fall through.

We'll all have our own "it's not fair" stories by the time this thing is over. Let's hope they can remain as trivial as "not being able to buy a certain dog in the timeframe that I'd hoped for".

 

[Kirblar]

Dogs are not cats, where the worst case scenario is generally a closet cat that never interacts with people and hides under furniture all day long. "Just get a shelter dog" doesn't allow you to raise and train the dog, which is a big, big deal as you have a limited time window while it's in its hyper impressionable puppy state. My family had to put down a dog we adopted from the shelter after it grew possessive of my sibling and attacked a kid that was at our home on a playdate.

If things get worse w/ the CV, a massive unpleasant road trip or asking an airline for assistance might be the only two options out there unfortunately.

 

[Carthago Delenda Est]

Realistically there's not much he can do. Also srsly can this breeder not just take care of the dog for now?

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The breeder will no doubt get rid of the puppies sooner rather than later. They're expensive and need a ton of behavior training if the breeder is any good at all.

 

[Poltergust]

Realistically there's not much he can do. Also srsly can this breeder not just take care of the dog for now?

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I don't know, but at some point it will become unadoptable since it will grow too attached to its current home. There's a specific timeframe where adopting a newborn puppy is ideal, and if it goes past that window he'll have no choice but to wait for the next opportunity.

A breeder? Is your friend planning on showing this dog at completions?

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No, he's just picky, as several people in this thread have pointed out. But he definitely put forth the effort to get to this point.

I haven't seen my son in two weeks because he's in isolation with his mother. A friend of mine had a child adoption put on indefinite hold. Another friend had a house purchase fall through.

We'll all have our own "it's not fair" stories by the time this thing is over. Let's hope they can remain as trivial as "not being able to buy a certain dog in the timeframe that I'd hoped for".

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I'm not here to compare life situations. Life in general just sucks right now.

I'm sorry you have to go through all of that. Really.

 

[The Albatross]

Not happening.

No hotels are going to be open in New England in a month. Progressively every state throughout the NOrth East is moving to shelter-in-place.

I don't know, but at some point it will become unadoptable since it will grow too attached to its current home. There's a specific timeframe where adopting a newborn puppy is ideal, and if it goes past that window he'll have no choice but to wait for the next opportunity.

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Eh, this is bull shit.

Dogs are super adaptable and adjust to their new surroundings quickly at almost any age with the right training. Otherwise, the rescue and adoption scene wouldn't exist or dog sitting would be impossible. It'll take nominally more time for a ~6mos old dog to adapt to a new house versus a puppy, and hell then your friend doens't have to go through the difficulty of house training and those early months. Hell, the first 2months with my dog were almost harder than the first 2months with an infant... Infants wear diapers and will calm down when they're held.

More time with the pack is usually a good thing, dogs separated really early tend to be more difficult. Now, obviously, training a puppy the rules of your house can be easier than a dog who has adjusted to a different house, but it usually isn't hard to break over time with persistence.

This sounds like the breeder who doesn't want to have to board ~8 puppies, feeding them, training them, keeping them, etc, spinning bull shit to force your friend to drive across country against lock down orders. Breeders have a habit of being assholes and salesmen.

 

[finalflame]

I honestly have zero sympathy for someone getting a puppy from a breeder halfway across the country amidst a pandemic. Hundreds of amazing dogs at shelters nearby need homes. And what the heck is "unadoptable" after a few weeks/months? That's such a bunch of drivel. Your friend sounds lovely.

 

[Carthago Delenda Est]

Dogs are not cats, where the worst case scenario is generally a closet cat that never interacts with people and hides under furniture all day long. "Just get a shelter dog" doesn't allow you to raise and train the dog, which is a big, big deal as you have a limited time window while it's in its hyper impressionable puppy state. My family had to put down a dog we adopted from the shelter after it grew possessive of my sibling and attacked a kid that was at our home on a playdate.

If things get worse w/ the CV, a massive unpleasant road trip or asking an airline for assistance might be the only two options out there unfortunately.

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This is wildly untrue. Please don't spread this kind of misinformation. Shelter dogs can be trained quite well and breeder dogs can have issues even if you do everything right.I won't comment on whether the dog you put down could have been saved, but I can say that it's absolutely not the norm. Dogs are impressionable their entire lives.

You only need a breeder dog if you want to get it special training. Like a service dog.

 

[Parch]

Assuming that airlines are still flying, most breeders will fly their puppies to new owners. It would cost more, but putting a dog on a plane is not a complicated process.

 

[Poltergust]

I honestly have zero sympathy for someone getting a puppy from a breeder halfway across the country amidst a pandemic. Hundreds of amazing dogs at shelters nearby need homes. And what the heck is "unadoptable" after a few weeks/months? That's such a bunch of drivel. Your friend sounds lovely.

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That is what I picked up from the breeder (I never really had direct contact with her though, this was all relayed from my friend); my friend never said anything of the sort.

Corgis in general are temperamental and very impressionable from an early age, from what I was told.

Assuming that airlines are still flying, most breeders will fly their puppies to new owners. It would cost more, but putting a dog on a plane is not a complicated process.

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If flying is a possibility I may try to convince him to do it that way instead. He would severely cut his travel time and lessen his exposure to the virus as a result.

 

[Tigress]

That is what I picked up from the breeder (I never really had direct contact with her though, this was all relayed from my friend); my friend never said anything of the sort.

Corgis in general are temperamental and very impressionable from an early age, from what I was told.

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Breeder probably just wants to get the puppy off her hands and not pay for more care. Not sure I'd like a breeder who has those priorities (rather than one who wants to make sure the puppy gets a good home and cares enough about the puppy to care for it if it can't be "offloaded" soon).

 

[thekonamicode]

There are plenty loving dogs in every municipality that want homes and will be put to sleep if they don't get one, so no, I can not recommend traveling all over the country to get a dog from a breeder (pandemic or no pandemic).

Every pet I've had in the past 15 years was a rescue and I've loved them dearly.

 

[Wijuci]

Yeah... "local shelters" is the only correct answer here.

 

[teruterubozu]

Mainer here. Tell his ass to stay home.

 

[Unicorn]

First world problem of being inconvenienced in getting a designer dog. Fucking get down to the shelter and change a life.

Tell your friend he's selfish and petty.

 

[Deleted member 4452]

A global pandemic getting in the way of your picky friend's non-essential trip is what's not fair? Perspective.

 

[Unicorn]

Dogs are not cats, where the worst case scenario is generally a closet cat that never interacts with people and hides under furniture all day long. "Just get a shelter dog" doesn't allow you to raise and train the dog, which is a big, big deal as you have a limited time window while it's in its hyper impressionable puppy state. My family had to put down a dog we adopted from the shelter after it grew possessive of my sibling and attacked a kid that was at our home on a playdate.

If things get worse w/ the CV, a massive unpleasant road trip or asking an airline for assistance might be the only two options out there unfortunately.

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Fuck you and fuck your lies.

Dog training is a thing and old dogs can learn new tricks. Fuck this thread is triggering me.

My family used to breed dogs and this thread is all sorts of triggering me.

Shelter dogs and training dogs. If you can't handle that, then don't get a pet.

 

[Poltergust]

A global pandemic getting in the way of your picky friend's non-essential trip is what's not fair? Perspective.

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My concern mainly lies in the puppy that was originally designated to go to him no longer being able to find a home. Like, the reason this puppy even exists right now is because my friend was organizing this thing with the breeder.

So yes, I don't find that fair to the puppy at all. It's just sad...

 

[Border]

If he can afford to buy a dog from a breeder, he can certainly afford to buy a plane ticket. I would at this point I imagine that flying might be cheaper than driving anyway.

What breed of dog is he getting?

 

[Tigress]

Dogs are not cats, where the worst case scenario is generally a closet cat that never interacts with people and hides under furniture all day long. "Just get a shelter dog" doesn't allow you to raise and train the dog, which is a big, big deal as you have a limited time window while it's in its hyper impressionable puppy state. My family had to put down a dog we adopted from the shelter after it grew possessive of my sibling and attacked a kid that was at our home on a playdate.

If things get worse w/ the CV, a massive unpleasant road trip or asking an airline for assistance might be the only two options out there unfortunately.

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Funny, most my life my mom would just adopt shelter dogs and her first puppy was when I was in college. Didn't have a bad dog. She even rescued a almost feral dog from the park (like it would not go near people, not even her when she first started feeding her at the park before she eventually took her home) near her and while it never got used to strangers the dog really liked her and was very well behaved. Even got used to me (who only visited once a year) in the first visit I was there cause I knew how to be not scary to a dog.

I had a cat from a breeder though that I got as a kitten that took three months to get her to let pet me. It took 16 years for her to fully trust my roommate/husband. Yes, a cat, but point is just getting an animal as a young animal doesn't gaurentee anything, same as getting an older pet. MY friendliest cats that actually aren't scared of strangers all were gotten as adult cats from the shelter.

 

[Poltergust]

If he can afford to buy a dog from a breeder, he can certainly afford to buy a plane ticket. I would at this point I imagine that flying might be cheaper than driving anyway.

What breed of dog is he getting?

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A male corgi.

 

[MajesticSoup]

FYI I've known quite a few people with corgis.
Pet insurance is pretty much required. ALL of the corgis needed hip surgery at some point. Some twice. Some corgis can't get it through their head that they can't jump off couch height and not break their bones.

 

[Carthago Delenda Est]

That is what I picked up from the breeder (I never really had direct contact with her though, this was all relayed from my friend); my friend never said anything of the sort.

Corgis in general are temperamental and very impressionable from an early age, from what I was told.

If flying is a possibility I may try to convince him to do it that way instead. He would severely cut his travel time and lessen his exposure to the virus as a result.

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Flying is not an option. Your friend is not getting the dog. It's literally the only option. Break it to him harshly. Rip the bandaid off.

Also the breeder is lying. They are biased. Don't believe a word they say. Successful breeders don't give a shit about those puppies.

My concern mainly lies in the puppy that was originally designated to go to him no longer being able to find a home. Like, the reason this puppy even exists right now is because my friend was organizing this thing with the breeder.

So yes, I don't find that fair to the puppy at all. It's just sad...

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You think a breeder doesn't have contingency plans for that? It's an expensive dog. Breeder will not be giving it away to a shelter. And if they did, it would be adopted immediately.

 

[ratcliffja]

To add to that, we got a dog from a breeder because we needed a certain type of working dog and we still had to re-home it because of behavior issues (chewing up everything, didn't get along with our other animals, and didn't act as a good watch dog) while I've had many shelter dogs that have worked out just fine.

 

[Siggy-P]

What you need to do is take your friend, have a nice sort down, warm warm milk and cocoa, then calmly look him in the eye and say:

"Are you a moron? Are you dense? Are trying to get stuck in another state, you idiot?"

 

[Fatoy]

This is just a bad idea in every way.

 

[Poltergust]

Flying is not an option. Your friend is not getting the dog. It's literally the only option. Break it to him harshly. Rip the bandaid off.

Also the breeder is lying. They are biased. Don't believe a word they say. Successful breeders don't give a shit about those puppies.



You think a breeder doesn't have contingency plans for that? It's an expensive dog. Breeder will not be giving it away to a shelter. And if they did, it would be adopted immediately.

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Look, all the information I've provided in this thread is second-hand. I don't know anything about the dog breeding process and I may have gotten some things mixed up. After all, it won't be my dog, so I didn't really internalize all the info that was given to me.

It's just that, well, everything about this situation sucks. I honestly have no idea what is going through my friend's mind right now, but he must be feeling very conflicted.

 

[Border]

If you fly you can probably get the whole thing done in a day. Fly down, pick up dog, fly back. If you drive you would have to spend at least 2-3 nights in hotels or AirBnBs......and have the hassle of trying to find places that allow animals to stay with you.

 

[Riboflavin]

People have breed preferences. My next dog will be a beagle like the last one.

Not everyone wants the pitbulls/pit-mixes that are flooding shelters.

 

[Ryuelli]

Flying is not an option. Your friend is not getting the dog. It's literally the only option. Break it to him harshly. Rip the bandaid off.

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Flying could be an option, actually. It would definitely be more expensive, but animals can fly without someone flying with them. I know every now and then you'll hear stories about dogs being rescued from the meat trade in Korea that are flown to the US to be adopted. Someone drops them off at Incheon and they're picked up by someone else state-side. If the breeder is willing to drop it off at the airport so that the friend can pick it up, that's probably safer than a cross country trip.

Not everyone wants the pitbulls/pit-mixes that are flooding shelters.

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So get one of the other numerous dogs that aren't a pitbull/pit-mix. It's not rocket science.

 

[Xero grimlock]

just picked up a corgi puppy 2 weeks ago. only a 3 hour drive and things werent quite as bad then, though we expedited it doing with everything going to shit. Also fuck everyone shaming his friend for wanting a specific dog. their is room for both adopting and buying from breeders. most of my dogs growing up were all adopted and they were great as well. That being said I dont think a cross country trip is the best idea at the moment. It might be worth looking into having the puppy flown closer to your friend, or your friend flown out.

 

[xxracerxx]

"Just get a shelter dog" doesn't allow you to raise and train the dog

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The fuck is this garbage?

 

[Zyae]

The fuck is this garbage?

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Most dogs in shelters are already at some years of age and have some learned behaviors already.

 

[eraFROMAN]

Probably not getting that puppy, especially considering the amount of people not taking this situation seriously enough.

 

[Ryuelli]

"Just get a shelter dog" doesn't allow you to raise and train the dog, which is a big, big deal as you have a limited time window while it's in its hyper impressionable puppy state.

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I adopted my current dog from a shelter at 8 weeks old and she definitely was not even close to being the only puppy that young there (there was even a few as young as 6 weeks old that legally they couldn't send home for another 2 weeks). I can promise you, shelter dogs can be trained just fine (if they're older, they may even already be trained!).

 

[xxracerxx]

Most dogs in shelters are already at some years of age and have some learned behaviors already.

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Doesn't mean they can't be trained new behaviors.

 

[Kirblar]

I adopted my current dog from a shelter at 8 weeks old and she definitely was not even close to being the only puppy that young there. I can promise you, shelter dogs can be trained just fine (if they're older, they may even already be trained!).

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And the one my family got bit a kid after just a few months and the dog was put down.

What I was going for was not "don't adopt shelter dogs" it was "don't shit on people for going to responsible breeders."

 

[Border]

Where in Florida is the puppy coming from? I would probably see if there are direct flights from Jacksonville/Orlando/Miami to a convenient location in New England (Boston, I guess?). I know JetBlue has a lot of direct flights from Florida to Boston.

 

[Ryuelli]

Most dogs in shelters are already at some years of age and have some learned behaviors already.

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[JoJo'sDentCo]

Rescue a dog. Cmon.

 

[hoserx]

Glad to see the correct answer has been posted multiple times in this thread already.

 

[Ryuelli]

And the one my family got bit a kid after just a few months and the dog was put down.

What I was going for was not "don't adopt shelter dogs" it was "don't shit on people for going to responsible breeders."

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And the one time time my family went to a breeder for a dog, the dog bit my sister multiple times, so we ended up returning it. We've never had any issue with shelter dogs though. Responsible breeders are irrelevant to a very young puppy's behavior.

 

[Lonewulfeus]

And the one my family got bit a kid after just a few months and the dog was put down.

What I was going for was not "don't adopt shelter dogs" it was "don't shit on people for going to responsible breeders."

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So your one experience is the objective truth for all future experiences?