Pugs

pikachucheeks

Hi everyone,

First time posting in here

I love pug dogs and have been looking in to getting one (more than likely in the future, rather than within the next few months) They're small and supposed be friendly, well behaved dogs, which would suit me very well (smallish house, small garden etc)

However, the one problem I have is the expense. I've been doing some research and the price to buy one is normally 800-1200 euro, which is quite a lot of money and not really within my budget.

Does anyone know where I'd be able to buy one cheaper?

I'd definitely consider adopting one from a shelter, but I'm not sure how I'd go about that.

Thanks for any advice you can give me, in advance

star-pants

If you're paying for one - i.e. from a breeder - usually(not always) the 'cheap' ones aren't legit, or are potentially puppy farmers / over breeders etc. When you're buying from a breeder, you're paying for the pedigree/care/vaccinations/microchipping/IKC registration.

Regarding getting one from a shelter, you live in Dublin don't you?
There are quite a few shelters/pounds you could check out and see if they had one that might suit. For adopting there's usually a vetting process, house check etc, and a fee to cover vaccinations/neutering.

there's the DSPCA, Ash Animal Rescue, ISPCA would have some in Dublin, dogsindistress, dogsaid and so forth.
Also you'll see on their sites about the adoption process.

pikachucheeks

star-pants wrote: »

Regarding getting one from a shelter, you live in Dublin don't you?
There are quite a few shelters/pounds you could check out and see if they had one that might suit. For adopting there's usually a vetting process, house check etc, and a fee to cover vaccinations/neutering.

Thanks for your help

Yeah, I'm in Dublin. I'll have a look at all those places you mentioned online, read up about expenses etc and see then!

star-pants

Good plan
Just if you want a pure bred pug - the prices you've seen are probably the going rate for them unfortunately. Some pure breds are fairly expensive. So unless you were looking at a mix breed, half pug half something, that would be cheaper I'd say, but again, paying for that, you might be better trying to rescue one if you're happy with a mixed pug.

Glowing

If money is a concern, beware because Pugs are not known for their health, and you could end up spending an absolute fortune on vet bills ...

roxiesmammy

yes pugs are a lovely small friendly dog but they are very very hyper. there is a few families in the town i live in who have pugs and boy are they hard work. I meet one nearly every day on my walk and the lady who owns him says that he never stops, will actually bounce of walls, the other people i talk to have a 4 yr old and say while they love him and wouldnt part with him they said when this lad passes they would never get another pug.
Also suffer lots of health probs, if i was you i would really think again

Magenta

They are riddled with health problems, their noses are the opposite shape of what nature intended for canines so they cannot breathe properly, and they are completely overbred.

Clare Bear

Anyone that comes in to my work with a pug has spent a fortune on their health and vet bills don't come cheap, pugs are our most popular patient, they're constantly coming back with all sorts of problems. I would never get one myself, yes they're cute and great fun but there are far too many cons for me to ever want to own one.

If you really want one make sure you get good pet insurance and prepare for a lot of hard work.

meoklmrk91

You can get them cheaper than that, just be very careful where you are buying from. Altough just because a dog is a little cheaper doesn't mean that they are in bad health or badly bred, some breeders just do it for the love of it. It's easy enough to spot someone who isn't, make sure you see the parents and that they are in good health and that mom hasn't had the living daylights bred out of her, it's easy to tell because her teats will be hanging very low off her body. Also a good breeder will provide a nice, warm, dry place for their dogs to sleep. Some puppy farmers have been known to move their dogs to more acceptable surroundings when they know a potential buyer is coming, for instance they might have all the puppy's in the living room when you arrive you should be able to tell if this where they are kept all the time as there will be newspaper down and puppy messes, toys, food and other signs there. You are well within your right as a buyer to ask where the dogs are normally kept. If the seller seems cagey about showing you then that is very suspicious in my book.

Make sure that you get a vaccinated puppy and a lot of breeders now offer their dogs with written vet certs to account for their health. If the seller seems at all pushy, telling you that there are lot's of other people interested or anything of the sort that is another marker of a not so great breeder.

Also find out what the pups are being fed, they should be on a good puppy mix such as Royal Canin. Some people think that it is acceptable to feed puppy's bread and milk or wheatabix and milk or some variation but it is far from a providing for their nutritional needs.

I would suggest that you keep an eye out at your local animal shelters, go in regularly and have a look around. I know that you may have your heart set on a pug but there are lot's of dogs all over the country who are crying out for a home and they all make wonderful pets. And you never know you may even get your preferred breed.

If you do want to buy though lot's of breeders now advertise on Donedeal.ie or the buy and sell online and you may be able to get one on there. Just be cautious and take the above points into account.

Whatever you do, I hope that you find the dog that is right for you.

pikachucheeks

roxiesmammy wrote: »

yes pugs are a lovely small friendly dog but they are very very hyper.

Thanks for that point! I wouldn't mind a dog being hyper or active though, to be honest... Fairly hyper myself There's a big park up the road from where I live and I'm always running around the place there, so having a little dog in tow wouldn't be much of a problem!

Clare Bear wrote: »

yes they're cute and great fun but there are far too many cons for me to ever want to own one.

I'm sad now!

Perhaps many of them have health problems because of inbreeding? I've heard that given as a reason for many pedigree dogs being in bad health.

I wouldn't mind having a pug mix (if not being pedigree has a factor in their health) ... to be honest, the main reason I want one is because they're cute, small and I've read good things about their temperament.

Sigma Force

Can see the appeal of pugs, they're funny looking little things and cute..well to some people hubby would of loved one but what put me off about them when looking for a small dog was their health issues even with the 'well bred' ones.

lrushe

As alot of people have said Pugs are plagued with health problems and can cost quite alot long term in vet bills. Have you had a look at the French Bulldog or Boston Terrier, they are similiar looking to a Pug only slightly bigger and not so flat faced. The Boston Terrier in particular is a relatively healthy, long lived breed. Either way a pedigree pup from a good breeder will be expensive, but if you put away some money when you can while researching breeds and breeders you could save the money needed and educate yourself on the breeds that might suit you, this is what I did with all three of my dogs. The IKC should be able to point you in the direction of a reputable breeder when you've made your descision.

votejohn

pikachucheeks wrote: »

Perhaps many of them have health problems because of inbreeding? I've heard that given as a reason for many pedigree dogs being in bad health.

One of problems with pugs is their flat muzzles, so they over heat very very easily. With a normal dog, as they exhale, their long muzzles allow them to evaporate moisture (and hence cool down), so with pugs you have to be really careful to keep them cool and not let them run around too much. that can then lead to them becoming overweight.

If you really love the breed, I would keep an eye on the rescue sites for a pug cross breed as it will more than likely have a longer muzzle, and cross breeds are usually genetically a lot stronger!!

meoklmrk91

Hi I forgot to link you to this site earlier
http://petsireland.invisionzone.com/index.php?, I'm sure it will be very helpful if you decide to rescue instead of buy.