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Photo by Sam Dean | The Roanoke Times

Though they were not adopting, Kaitlyn Beasley, 10, and Chloe Beasley, 4, came to visit Palmer at the Roanoke Valley SPCA.

Before you buy a puppy

Whether you go to a breeder or a rescue group, you should be prepared to ask lots of questions about the puppy or dog you hope to acquire.

• Where was the dog bred?
• Is the breeder registered and licensed?
• How big will the dog get?
• How old will he be before he acts like an adult dog?
• How protective will the dog be?
• How often will the dog need to be groomed?
• How does he get along with other animals?
• How long can he be left alone at home?
• How much exercise does the dog need?
• What are the best training methods for the dog?
• What possible health problems might the dog develop?

Source: The American Kennel Club

As hundreds of dogs rescued from a puppy mill in Hillsville earlier this month are prepped for adoption, scores of potential owners up and down the East Coast have already lined up to take one home.

But before making the next addition to your family, area animal health and welfare experts urge, do your homework.

"You're talking about a 14- to 16-year commitment, so it should not be a sympathy purchase with those big sad eyes looking at you," said Mark Finkler, owner of Roanoke Animal Hospital. "I think a lot of people get the wrong breed or wrong temperament for their lifestyle."

Potential mistakes are plentiful when choosing a dog.

Some people underestimate the financial commitment. Others make an impulse purchase. Still others don't know the dog's background, which might include abusive owners or less-than-ideal breeding conditions, Finkler said.

At the Roanoke Valley SPCA, some dogs that are adopted are later returned to the shelter because their new owners didn't realize what they were tackling when bringing a dog into their homes.

"They just pick out one based on looks, not anything about personality or energy level or breed or potential size of the dog. They just look at the cute puppy that's there in front of them," said Dr. Ashley Eisenback, an animal behavior expert and veterinarian at the Roanoke Valley shelter. "Some just walk in thinking it's something good to do for the afternoon."

The SPCA performs temperament tests before taking in animals and studies each pooch's personality. Adoption counselors are on staff to help a potential adopter find the right dog.

While shelters do sometimes house purebred dogs, if you want to purchase a dog from a breeder, it's good to meet face to face, Eisenback said. That is especially important after recent news of Virginia's overcrowded puppy mills, Finkler added.

Horton's Pups -- a commercial operation owned by Junior Horton of Hillsville -- was visited by animal control officers and a veterinarian earlier this month following a tip by the Virginia Partnership for Animal Welfare and Support, an animal advocacy group based in the New River Valley.

Horton's had more than 1,000 dogs and puppies, a majority of which have now been taken into custody and spread among shelters throughout the East Coast.

At Bland County's Dogwood Kennels, nearly 200 dogs were killed in a March fire.

"Puppy mill" is a term used to describe large dog-breeding operations that produce puppies for sale to pet stores, brokers and individuals. To sell puppies to pet stores and wholesale operations, breeders with more than three breeding females are required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to have a license and undergo inspections.

Most shelters and other groups oppose puppy mills because of the conditions in which the animals are bred and cared for.

"You're most likely to get a dog that has problems because the dog might not be provided with good veterinarian care; you're more likely to get a puppy that has socialization problems," said Stephanie Shain, a spokeswoman for the Humane Society of the United States. "Their first formative weeks are spent in a cage."

Also, "we see more diarrhea and intestinal parasite problems in puppy-mill dogs," Finkler said. "Many of them are poorer representations of the breed because they're breeding dogs who are not of high quality."

He suggests that people shopping for puppies ask local veterinarians for a list of reputable area breeders. Those breeders will typically be registered with the American Kennel Club or the Virginia Federation of Dog Clubs and Breeders, he said.

Be wary of out-of-state dogs, such as those bred in Kentucky or Missouri, which are popular puppy-mill states, Finkler said. "Unfortunately it looks like Virginia is on the list," he said.

Purchasing dogs from mills presents a dilemma for some.

"It's good and bad -- it rescues that puppy, but it perpetuates the problem," Finkler said.

If you suspect that the pet you buy has not been properly cared for, you should report the problem to the animal control officer in the county it came from.

If you finally decide to get a pooch, don't forget to consider long-term costs. Finkler said that with food, vet bills and everything in between, the annual cost of owning a dog will run about $300 to $500 a year.

It costs $110 to adopt puppies under 6 months old and $85 for older dogs at the RVSPCA. Shelter advocates advise you seek obedience classes for both puppies and older dogs.

One more thing: Resist the urge to buy someone a puppy as a holiday gift, Finkler said. The holidays are too hectic for people to give an animal the attention it needs at such an early stage of life.

After the holidays, many of the puppies end up at local shelters "because it's work, and the person it was a surprise gift for didn't really want a 10-, 20-year commitment," Eisenback added.

Wrap up a box and insert a picture of the pooch instead.