Finding a Pet

Pets can be purchased from a number of retail outlets such as pet shops and larger pet department stores. These are not the only options however as you can also get your pet from a breeder, a private seller or a rescue/rehoming centre.

 These can often be found advertising in local veterinary practices, pet superstores, in the local newspaper, phone book or even on the internet; for example try searching on specialist breed organisation societies websites such as the kennel club or the cat fanciers club.

The most important factors to remember when choosing a suitable premises to purchase you new pet from is that they appear clean and organised, that the staff or individual selling the pets are helpful and knowledgeable and that the pets appear to be happy and healthy. 
 

Try to handle and interact with the pet as this will give you a better idea of its temperament. If purchasing a young animal from a breeder or private seller then the main advantage is that they have been reared in a home environment and are often already well socialised. It also allows the opportunity to meet the pet’s mother which can again be a useful tool for determining the pet's temperament and also the likely size of your potential new pet when it is fully grown.
 

If you are planning on purchasing an older pet then a rehoming centre is often a good start. Some people are put off from using rehoming centres as they presume that all animals at shelters are naughty and have behavioural problems, but this certainly is not the case. Animals are taken to rescue centres for a number of reasons such as death or illness of owner, for financial reasons, due to time restraints of owner such a new job or simply that they have been found stray. 

A good advantage to using a rescue centre is that they perform character checks on the pet and can often tell you which pet would be most suitable for your lifestyle; for example if the pet would get on with other pets that you already have or if the pet would be good with children.

Most rescue centres will still charge a fee when rehoming an animal but this is usually just to cover basic flea and worm treatment, vaccinations, microchipping and neutering.