One of the 20th-century’s\u00a0greatest literary\u00a0voices\u00a0— I can’t remember off the top of my head whether it was Flannery O’Connor or Stevie Nicks — once wrote\u00a0that there’s nothing cheaper than free. This may be true in theory, but puppies are not theoretical. They are living, breathing creatures who will depend on you for everything, from food and shelter to love and exercise. If you’ve come here today asking, “Where can I get free puppies?” and are looking\u00a0for definite answers about getting free puppies, you’re out of luck. You will get some vague ones, along with some useful alternatives, to be sure.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"http:\/\/www.dogster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/A-litter-or-group-of-puppies.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAre free puppies truly free? Photography \u00a9LivingImages | E+ \/ Getty Images.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Free puppies \u2014 some facts upfront<\/h3>\n
Why would we deny you certainties when it comes to free puppies? The simple fact is that, while it is possible to locate and bring home free puppies that cost you nothing upfront — there are always costs associated with pet ownership<\/a>. Whether the friend you seek is a cute puppy, lizard, fish, or dwarf hamster, any pet you adopt has needs and providing for them always incurs costs, both financial and otherwise. For puppy ownership, you can expect to lay out money\u00a0on:<\/p>\n There are other costs, some of which are\u00a0not strictly financial in nature, tied to adopting a new puppy. These include investing the time, effort, and patience required for:<\/p>\n First, we should investigate what motivates people to go in search of free puppies.\u00a0Is it the initial investment that drives people to inquire about free puppies or cheap puppies or low-cost puppy adoptions? Is it the assumption that getting a dog involves a major one-time price tag that can potentially run into hundreds, even thousands of dollars?<\/p>\n The popular or highly visible dog breeds that we see participating in televised dog shows, commercials, television, or movies drive these notions. This is reinforced by the strange notion that purebred dogs are somehow superior to mixed breeds, mutts, dogs with previous owners, shelter or rescue dogs, or the idea that adopting a puppy is a better or more authentic experience than an adult or senior dog. None of these assumptions are quantifiably or objectively true.<\/p>\n Even if you do acquire free puppies, raising live creatures involves substantive investments. Caring and feeding any dog requires money. There are also significant costs in terms of your time, energy, and patience. From a strictly financial perspective, an article by the American Kennel Club details the efforts of two veterinary students from the University of Pennsylvania, Kelly Giffear and Brittany Scott, to determine the real costs of dog ownership<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n This study differentiates between costs of owning a dog based on size and lifespan, ranging from small dogs right through to giant breeds. Expense were further broken down by dogs’ most basic needs, from food and essential veterinary services to bedding and toys. They determined that the average cost of dog ownership in the first year alone comes out to\u00a0$3,085. This amount, it\u00a0goes without saying, puts the lie to the very notion of a free puppy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Related: How to Stop Toy Guarding in Puppies<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n On average, Giffear and Scott estimated that the lifetime expenses associated with raising a dog come out to $23,410. Other sites\u00a0have attempted to calculate the cost of dog ownership<\/a>, such as this one from 2011, which has a much higher total, factoring in dog health insurance costs. As far as my own research can find, Giffear and Scott’s findings are the most current\u00a0systematic and rational attempts to truly price out the real costs of dog ownership, both in the first year and over the life of the dog.<\/p>\n Technically, of course, if you are not insistent on a particular breed or mix, you can find\u00a0free dogs of all ages and sizes. “Where can I get free puppies?” you ask?<\/p>\n Keep an eye out for adoption-fee free events at your local shelters. This is the most responsible way to go about getting free puppies.<\/p>\n You can also ask your friends, coworkers and general acquaintances to keep their ears to the ground for you. Someone’s dog is bound to have puppies eventually, and those puppies will need new homes once they are weaned, around the age of 8 to 12 weeks.<\/p>\n You might also thumb through a\u00a0daily or weekly newspaper published in your area.\u00a0Whether that’s a paper with a wide regional\u00a0circulation, or a local alt-weekly, these publications typically contain at least one page of classifieds. Among them, you’re very likely to find a section dedicated to, or featuring, dogs\u00a0in need of adoption. Some ads are literally labeled, “Puppies free to good home.”<\/p>\n Craigslist<\/a> is another potential venue to locate free, cheap or low-cost puppies. However, you need to be especially careful when researching free puppies on the internet, on something like Craigslist.\u00a0 If you choose this route, read the listing in full and ask as many relevant questions as possible. Why are they giving the dog away? Is he vaccinated, spayed or neutered?<\/p>\n Are you a first-time or prospective dog owner? There are options and alternatives to free puppies that can acclimate you or your children to the experience of living with a dog without incurring the obligations associated with adopting a baby puppy. For example:<\/p>\n Engaging in time-limited activities with reputable organizations like these in your area can prepare you for the responsibility and investment involved in the long-haul of puppy or dog ownership.<\/p>\n And, bottom line, there are truly no free puppies!<\/p>\n Top photograph: \u00a9Photology1971 | Getty Images.<\/em><\/p>\n Originally published in 2015.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The post Where Can I Get Free Puppies?<\/a> by Melvin Pe\u00f1a<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n The post Where Can I Get Free Puppies?<\/a> by Melvin Pe\u00f1a<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n One of the 20th-century’s\u00a0greatest literary\u00a0voices\u00a0— I can’t remember off the top of my head whether it was Flannery O’Connor or Stevie Nicks — once wrote\u00a0that there’s nothing cheaper than free. This may be true in theory, but puppies are not theoretical. They are living, breathing creatures who will depend on you for everything, from food and shelter to love and exercise. If you’ve come here today asking, “Where can I get free puppies?” and are looking\u00a0for definite answers about getting free puppies, you’re out of luck. You will get some vague ones, along with some useful alternatives, to be sure.<\/p>\n Are free puppies truly free? Photography \u00a9LivingImages | E+ \/ Getty Images.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Why would we deny you certainties when it comes to free puppies? The simple fact is that, while it is possible to locate and bring home free puppies that cost you nothing upfront — there are always costs associated with pet ownership<\/a>. Whether the friend you seek is a cute puppy, lizard, fish, or dwarf hamster, any pet you adopt has needs and providing for them always incurs costs, both financial and otherwise. For puppy ownership, you can expect to lay out money\u00a0on:<\/p>\n There are other costs, some of which are\u00a0not strictly financial in nature, tied to adopting a new puppy. These include investing the time, effort, and patience required for:<\/p>\n First, we should investigate what motivates people to go in search of free puppies.\u00a0Is it the initial investment that drives people to inquire about free puppies or cheap puppies or low-cost puppy adoptions? Is it the assumption that getting a dog involves a major one-time price tag that can potentially run into hundreds, even thousands of dollars?<\/p>\n The popular or highly visible dog breeds that we see participating in televised dog shows, commercials, television, or movies drive these notions. This is reinforced by the strange notion that purebred dogs are somehow superior to mixed breeds, mutts, dogs with previous owners, shelter or rescue dogs, or the idea that adopting a puppy is a better or more authentic experience than an adult or senior dog. None of these assumptions are quantifiably or objectively true.<\/p>\n Even if you do acquire free puppies, raising live creatures involves substantive investments. Caring and feeding any dog requires money. There are also significant costs in terms of your time, energy, and patience. From a strictly financial perspective, an article by the American Kennel Club details the efforts of two veterinary students from the University of Pennsylvania, Kelly Giffear and Brittany Scott, to determine the real costs of dog ownership<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n This study differentiates between costs of owning a dog based on size and lifespan, ranging from small dogs right through to giant breeds. Expense were further broken down by dogs’ most basic needs, from food and essential veterinary services to bedding and toys. They determined that the average cost of dog ownership in the first year alone comes out to\u00a0$3,085. This amount, it\u00a0goes without saying, puts the lie to the very notion of a free puppy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Related: How to Stop Toy Guarding in Puppies<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n On average, Giffear and Scott estimated that the lifetime expenses associated with raising a dog come out to $23,410. Other sites\u00a0have attempted to calculate the cost of dog ownership<\/a>, such as this one from 2011, which has a much higher total, factoring in dog health insurance costs. As far as my own research can find, Giffear and Scott’s findings are the most current\u00a0systematic and rational attempts to truly price out the real costs of dog ownership, both in the first year and over the life of the dog.<\/p>\n Technically, of course, if you are not insistent on a particular breed or mix, you can find\u00a0free dogs of all ages and sizes. “Where can I get free puppies?” you ask?<\/p>\n Keep an eye out for adoption-fee free events at your local shelters. This is the most responsible way to go about getting free puppies.<\/p>\n You can also ask your friends, coworkers and general acquaintances to keep their ears to the ground for you. Someone’s dog is bound to have puppies eventually, and those puppies will need new homes once they are weaned, around the age of 8 to 12 weeks.<\/p>\n You might also thumb through a\u00a0daily or weekly newspaper published in your area.\u00a0Whether that’s a paper with a wide regional\u00a0circulation, or a local alt-weekly, these publications typically contain at least one page of classifieds. Among them, you’re very likely to find a section dedicated to, or featuring, dogs\u00a0in need of adoption. Some ads are literally labeled, “Puppies free to good home.”<\/p>\n Craigslist<\/a> is another potential venue to locate free, cheap or low-cost puppies. However, you need to be especially careful when researching free puppies on the internet, on something like Craigslist.\u00a0 If you choose this route, read the listing in full and ask as many relevant questions as possible. Why are they giving the dog away? Is he vaccinated, spayed or neutered?<\/p>\n Are you a first-time or prospective dog owner? There are options and alternatives to free puppies that can acclimate you or your children to the experience of living with a dog without incurring the obligations associated with adopting a baby puppy. For example:<\/p>\n Engaging in time-limited activities with reputable organizations like these in your area can prepare you for the responsibility and investment involved in the long-haul of puppy or dog ownership.<\/p>\n And, bottom line, there are truly no free puppies!<\/p>\n Top photograph: \u00a9Photology1971 | Getty Images.<\/em><\/p>\n Originally published in 2015.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The post Where Can I Get Free Puppies?<\/a> by Melvin Pe\u00f1a<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
\n
The myth of free puppies<\/h3>\n
The real financial costs of free puppies<\/h3>\n
Yes,\u00a0you can technically get free puppies<\/h3>\n
Valuable alternatives to free puppies<\/h3>\n
\n
Read Next: Will Your Puppy Outgrow These Bad Behaviors?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\nFree puppies \u2014 some facts upfront<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
The myth of free puppies<\/h3>\n
The real financial costs of free puppies<\/h3>\n
Yes,\u00a0you can technically get free puppies<\/h3>\n
Valuable alternatives to free puppies<\/h3>\n
\n
Read Next: Will Your Puppy Outgrow These Bad Behaviors?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n