When looking for a teacup puppy, it's hard to know where to begin; from classified ads to websites to breeders listings, the information is overwhelming.  And determining whether the puppy is coming from a good home and is of good health is hard to find out.  In this article, we will discuss places where teacup puppies can originate, such as shelters, rescue groups, breeders, classified ads in newspapers or on the internet, and of course, the infamous pet store or the feared puppy mill.

There are many places where you could get a teacup puppy from; the hard part is to find out which places actually has healthy puppies and are worth your time.  We will go through a list of options for places to find your perfect teacup friend.

And I just wanted to point something out before we begin, that if you are looking for a teacup puppy, please DO NOT get your pet from a PET STORE, because I believe that most pet stores get their dogs are from PUPPY MILLS.  As many people know, the puppy mill situation is very real, and is a huge problem for prospective dog owners, current dog owners, veterinarians, and pet advocates alike.  If you would like to know more about the problems of pet store puppies, please read on.

Breeders

Breeders are individuals who specialize in a breed and aim to breed for the purposes of improving the breed.  Breeders usually have several dogs of the same breed, and breed within their dogs as well as outside to improve the genetic pool.  Breeders, in this case, are experts of a particular breed, and are a wonderful resource when you are starting out with your first puppy.  I personally believe that breeders are the best sources for new teacup puppies.  They can give you information on the breed, the parents, provide papers if they are registered to a kennel registry, vet check papers, references of previous owners who you can check up with to see the health of their dogs, whether they are involved in shows or rescue groups, etc.

But keep in mind that there are bad breeders out there too - if you run into a breeder that specializes in many breeds, you may want to question this (Is the breeder doing this for money?  If they have 20 breeds, are they really doing this out of the interest of the breed?  Is this person buying these dogs from a puppy mill and just pawning them off as bred by them?).  So when buying from a breeder, and to guarantee yourself a good quality dog, be prepared to ask many questions, and possibly visit the breeders home where you can see the living environment, the parents, and the breeder as well.  Remember: if it seems like the breeder is trying to hide something, it's probably best not to buy from this breeder.

Breeders are a great place to get your first puppy, but be warned that looking for your new puppy may take some time; good quality breeders (especially those who are registered with kennel registries such as the AKC) have long lists of clients who are waiting for a dog, so do not expect to get a dog right away.  They also put potential dog owners through vigorous interviewing, to ensure that their dogs are going to the best possible parents.  As well, breeders do not always have dogs available, so you may have to wait for mother nature to take its course before a litter arrives.  So remember that when looking for a good quality teacup puppy, it may take you months to find, but you can pretty much guarantee that you are finding a good healthy dog.

Breeders sometimes offer dogs that are past the puppy stage, and you may want to consider these dogs as well.  Although you may miss their puppy growth stages, you will be getting a dog that is well trained, and therfore you don't have to worry about potty training, which is always a plus.  So if you have an open mind, an older dog may be for you.

So the take home message for breeders is: they are a great place to find your perfect puppy as you have a pretty good idea of where the puppy is coming from, plus the breeder is a wealth of information that will help you get started.  But be aware that good breeders may take months to come by, as well as do your research, as there are bad breeders out there who may give you bad quality or puppy mill puppies.

Shelters

Shelters are places where homeless dogs are placed before somebody wants to give them a new home.  Dogs arrive there either surrendered by the owner, or they were possibly found by others just wandering the streets.  There are many reasons why dogs could be at a shelter, for example, the homeowners were moving away or moving into a new apartment that did not allow dogs, the dog owner had passed on, the family could not afford taking care of the dog, it was not compatible with the owner's lifestyle and so on.  And of course you get the stray dogs that nobody knows where they came from.

On that note, I you should never reject the idea of finding a dog at a shelter.  I got my first dog from a shelter, and she a wonderful dog; she was surrendered because her senior owner got sick and could not take care of her anymore, and she knew many commands.  So there are good quality dogs at a shelter.  Plus, shelter workers and volunteers are usually able to give you a history of the dog, as well as advise you of some things such as the dog is not good with cats or is very rambunctious, which will affect your decision of adopting.  Ask the shelter workers for help when choosing a dog.  Shelter dogs also come with a set of vaccines, vet check, deworm, and usually a microchip as well.  And of course, when you know that you gave a homeless dog a new forever home, it makes the pet owner experience that much mroe special.

Rescue Groups

Rescue groups are similar to shelters, that they have animals that are in need of a home, as well as rehabilitate animals to their optimal health.  These groups are usually volunteer run, and operate on donated funds or out of their own pocket.  These animals may have originated from shelters,, owners who could no longer keep their dogs, confiscated from irresponsible individuals, etc.  The animals that they have are kept in volunteer homes, similar to foster parenting.  This is good for the animal because they do not need to transition out of a shelter environment, and it's always good for an animal to live in the home envornment as then the animal always has human contact and takes part in routine.  There are also breed specific rescue groups, who specialize in one breed of dog and assist in finding homes for these animals all across the country.  The volunteers put a lot of effort into finding suitable homes for these animals, as well as rehabilitating them so that they can move into a new home.  Rescue groups are definitely worth trying when looking for a great pet.

Classified Ads (Newspapers)

The traditional puppy ads found in newspapers are usually in the classified section / for sale / pets and animals.  The ads are quite short and small, to a point where when you read them, you barely get any information on the dogs; reason being is because classified ads are charged per word / line / day that it is placed on the paper, and of course, puppy sellers do not want to pay to advertise if it doesn't guarantee that somebody is going to be reading the paper on that day in search for a puppy.  But the paper is a great source for breeders to list their puppies for sale.  Just be aware that because the ads barely contain any information, it is best to contact the seller with a series of questions, and possibly visit the home to see the living conditions, the parents of the dogs, and the breeder as well, to ensure that you are getting a good quality dog.

Classified Ads (Internet)

On the flip side, many internet websites allow for posting of classified ads of dogs for sale for free.  Websites such as Kijjiji and Craigslist are a wonderful source of teacup puppy classified ads, as well as auction sites such as Ebay (except sellers have to pay for that services), and other forums and websites.  These websites do not have a word limit, so sellers can provide more information, as well as pictures.  Ad turnover is high, there are many ads to compete with, as well as breeders may forget to take down their ads after the puppies are sold, so it may take some time to find the right dog for you.  Also, be open-minded about finding a dog from a city within a few hours from your home, and be willing to make the trek elsewhere for a dog, so check Kijiji or Craigslist sites for other cities as well.  Just be aware that the circumstances are the same as a newspaper classified ad, and that it is best to make an appointment to visit the seller at their home, as well as prepare a list of questions to ask.

Beware of ads that say "free puppy to a good home"; there is a reason why this puppy is free , and it probably is not a good one.  Please be cognizant when replying to these ads; you may be walking into something you don't expect.

Internet Websites

Breeders who are technologically savvy have created websites to showcase their dogs as well as the puppies they have available.  These websites can give a lot of information on the breeder, the breed itself, and wonderful pictures of their canine family.  Websites are a great enhancement for a breeder when looking for customers.  Using search engines to find breeders is an option when looking for a teacup puppy.

There are also breeder listing websites who list breeders and possibly their websites, so they may be a good source of teacup puppy breeders as well.

Pet Stores

Lastly, pet stores are places to buy puppies, but they are also probably the worst places to buy puppies as most likely (I would say 99% of the time) these dogs are from puppy mills.  If pet stores are featuring dogs of a variety of breeds, then it is most likely that they got these dogs from puppy mills.  Pet stores do not get their dogs from other breeders; a good breeder would never sell their dog at a pet store, let alone a pet store does not have the time to deal with so many breeders of different breed specialties.  The result is they deal with only one mass breeder (puppy mill) for their dogs, and thus offering bad quality dogs to the public.

I am not going to go into detail about puppy mills, as it is a subject that is talked about often, but here is  a great link from PETA who specialize in animal rights: Puppy Mills: Abused for the Pet Trade.  I am also not going to name off pet stores or puppy mills, but please just be aware of what's around you and the puppy mill situation that is happening around us.

Please do not get dogs from pet stores; it's true that you get to see the dogs, and you get to have it immediately, but they are ridden with disease, parasites, genetic defects, and psychological problems.  Although the pet store gives you guarantees such as if the dog dies within a year, you can get a new one, but really, is that what you want to do, swap your dead pet for another pet that may die again within a year?  Plus pet stores inflate their prices as welll I could not justify paying thousands of dollars for a dog that was bad quality, not registered to a kennel, and are sickly.  Also, I have personal experience with pet store dogs: I have worked at a veterinarian who took in dogs brought in by the pet store before they were sold (because they were so sickly), I know of friends who worked at pet stores, (dogs were actually put in the back rooms crowded in cages because they have too much stock) and I've known people who have purchased pet store dogs and had bad experiences (my good friend bought a dog for $3000, only to have it deathly sick for months), so I can attest to the fact that these dogs are not good quality.  So please consider the facts on pet stores; you do not want to bring home a pet that is so sick that it dies on you or racks up thousands of dollars in vet bills, because that's not how pet ownership is supposed to be.