A Beagle X Husky

It’s the cliche story really. I begged my mum for a dog my entire childhood, and finally, when I was almost an adult and had all but lost hope of getting a dog, my mum said “maybe".

That was all I needed. I jumped straight onto the internet and began searching for my next best friend. I scrolled through advertisement after advertisement of all these dogs needing homes. But I wanted a puppy (like 99% of the population do).

In the end I found my boy on gumtree. An accident; the mum had gotten out, found a male and came home pregnant. At least that was the story. In hindsight, I’m doubtful that that was the truth. No doubt another backyard breeder trying to make a quick buck with no care for the health and well-being of the puppies they produce.

I’ll be the first to admit I made a mistake buying from an unregistered breeder, but I didn’t know better and nor did my mum. And that’s the problem. There’s too many opportunities for people to make the same mistake I did, only to learn further down the line.

I’m not saying that all breeders are just in it for the money and don’t care about their litters. That is 100% not true but the fact of the matter is that there are good eggs and there are bad eggs. Unfortunately the bad eggs are allowed to hang around because they just don’t smell enough to cause a rukus.

And the good eggs get lumped in with the bad ‘cause to the untrained eye they all look the same.

In the end only those with enough knowledge and experience know what to look for when choosing your next breeder so connect with a professional, do your own research from reputable sources and meet with the breeder to ask important questions about the puppy and it’s environment.

All in all I love my boy to bits and the fact that he was back-yard bred dog isn’t his fault, and in the long run he turned out pretty okay for a “mistake”. However, my next dog will definitely be a rescue.

Now we know. #adoptdontshop

The unusual, but handsome breed mix below

Benji

My photogenic boy