Adopt an adult dog

Adopt a dog from a private individual

Adopting a dog from an individual has advantages, but also risks to be weighed. Here are some tips to help you reduce these.

Adopting a dog can be done in different ways: from a breeder, in a shelter or, what interests us here, from a private individual . Many people want to sell or give away their dogs for a variety of reasons.

If they are offered puppies, it may be because their bitch has just given birth and the owners cannot keep the whole litter, that the pregnancy is not desired or that it is a small family breeding. If they are adult dogs, they may be offered for adoption due to relocation, death or even divorce.

In short, there is no lack of opportunities to adopt a dog from a private individual. The choice is wide, whether it is advertisements in the press, on the Internet or through word of mouth. As adoption from an individual offers, a priori, less guarantees than from a professional, you must study all aspects of the question before making your final decision.

Questions to ask yourself before adopting an individual

First of all ask yourself if you want to adopt a purebred dog or rather turn to a crossbreed dog. This criterion is important in more than one way: on the one hand, it will modify the procedures to be followed, especially if the dog is registered in the LOF , and on the other, it will influence the cost of adoption (puppies bred are generally for sale at higher prices, while crossbreeds are often free).

If you are targeting a specific breed, make sure the dog’s characteristics are compatible with your personality, lifestyle, and abilities. The compatibility between your dog’s life and your home is of the utmost importance. Do you have enough space for your companion to flourish and feel comfortable? Can you provide him with the outings he will need on a daily basis?

Receive advice from Woopets by subscribing to the newsletter Your email address is collected by Woopets to enable you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out moredocument.addEventListener (‘DOMContentLoaded’, () => {$ (document) .ready (function () {// Retrieve #id elementsif (pattern.test (mail)) {if (! partners) {}var dataString = ‘id =’ + mail + ‘& partners =’ + partners + ‘& source =’ + encodeURIComponent (source) + ‘& action = registration’;$ .ajax ({success: function (html) {var obj = jQuery.parseJSON (html);}});} else {}return false;});});});

To increase your chances of making the best possible choice

French law has developed new legislation on the sale of a pet to prevent trafficking. This law requires the seller to have a SIREN number , he must also specify the identification number of the mother, the number of puppies from the litter, the age of the puppies and if they are possibly registered in the LOF. If one of these elements is missing, it may turn out that the ad is a scam, in any case, not in order.

Don’t rush . Adopting a dog is an important responsibility that you take on. From then on, go several times to the private individual who offers the desired companion for adoption. You will have so many opportunities to get to know the animal, to observe its behavior with its owner, its family, possibly its congeners and other animals.

Ask to see it at work in different situations, especially during walks. Watch him if he’s pulling on the leash, if he’s calm around people and other dogs he meets, if he’s not overly fearful, etc. Examine the dog for any signs of illness or poor maintenance , such as the condition of the coat, skin, ears, teeth or eyes.

In short, take advantage of your visits to the private individual to ask as many questions as possible about the dog’s personality , his history , his habits , his diet , his state of health and the precise reasons which push him to want to part with it. .