Getting a new puppy can be quite an overwhelming experience. Like most of us, I had to put in a lot of effort to convince my family to allow me to get a puppy, and finally, one day all my efforts paid off. I was going to get puppy. If you are about to get a puppy, then you would understand the feeling I felt. Now was the time to research. Which breed to get? Should I get a German Shepherd (GSD) or a Rottweiler, or maybe a Labrador or a bulldog !!!
God knows how many hours I spent on the Internet doing research and I finally decided to get a German Shepherd puppy. If you are still in this phase I would suggest that you go for the breed which suits your daily lifestyle a lot. For example, if you are a very active person, than you should go for a GSD or maybe a rott, if you don’t like to go out much I would suggest you go for a toy breed such as a Pug. Pomeranian, Russian, Bulldog, etc.
Now that I knew I wanted a German Shepherd, next point was to find where to get it. I searched day and night on the internet, calling people (some were nice some just wanted to squeeze all the little money I had out of me). The most important thing when getting a puppy is to make sure that you go to a responsible breeder, not a puppy mill. In Pakistan there are a lot of good responsible breeders. I met a lot of people, saw a lot of dogs and finally decided which breeder I was going to get a puppy.
I was told by the breeder that the puppies would be 8 weeks after 7 days, and then I can come and collect my puppy. So now I had 7 days to plan the best welcome for my furry canine friend. So many questions so little time, and above all limited budget! What to get and what not to get? I wanted to buy a jet box so that I could bring him home in that and later I would use it whenever we had to travel or go to the vet. I wanted a comfortable pet bed where he could sleep and most importantly, I arranged his food before bringing him. I wanted toys which were soft enough for his delicate puppy jaws while durable enough that he doesn’t just shred them into pieces in one day
I couldn’t visit multiple shops because of lack of time, plus it is too tiring to go from one shop to another, asking the salesperson and then waiting there while he checks their POS systems. So I thought that when I can get all my home essentials online, let's try to see if I can get all my puppy care essentials online. To my surprise, there are many online pet stores in Pakistan, but as I was new to all this I wanted a Pet supply store which had 24/7 customer support, Delivery service and as I wasn’t sure what my puppy liked and what not a return policy. I opened 3-4 websites in different tabs surfing them one by one. I sent messages asking them few questions, a few replied few ignored it, but among all Pet Mania stood out (Their response time was amazing, the person on the other end of the chat was very knowledgeable regarding puppy nutrition and needs).
I spent about 30 minutes discussing with the person, and finally decided on the following list
- Puppy Food – Josera Family Plus (Reason was firstly I asked my breeder which food they puppy was currently having he recommended me this, secondly as per my own research and discussion with Permania.pk team it had all the nutrition’s which were needed for the growth of the puppy and lastly they were offering me open bag return policy, so I could return the bag if I wasn’t satisfied with the result)
- Large Jet Box – Another great advice by the Petmania team as they knew I had budget constraints, they told me to buy a large jet box once as the puppy would outgrow the small Jet box quickly. Also, I decided to use the jet box when travelling and its bed when at home (I used to remove the upper portion of the jet box, place a blanket and few toys)
- Jolly Balls – For puppies playing
- Dog treat – For training
- Brush – for grooming
- Tick and Flea Spray – As he would also be spending time playing in the lawn, so as to protect him against ticks and fleas
- Shampoo – I selected Bioline Aloe Vera Shampoo, as he would be living with me in my bedroom, I wanted him to smell nice as well
