Peter,
When you talk about the puppy’s upbringing. I understand that what you are talking about is it’s potential to be a show dog, and that what you want is a healthy companion animal.
My wife and I purchased our first beagle puppy from a pet store. Something we know better than to do again, now. Pet store dogs come from mass production breeders who are in it for the money and don’t care about anything more than pumping out as many animals as they can force out of their breeding stock. (Puppy mills)
Our little girl is 2-½ years old now. We love her very much and wouldn’t trade her for anything. We have found out that she has a genetic knee deformity. Something that was passed down from one of her parents. A reputable breeder would not breed animals that have this or any other problems that can be passed down to future generations. The problem our Sadie has is uncommon in beagles, but there are several other genetic weaknesses that are common, and they can be very expensive and heartbreaking.
When we decided to get a second beagle I checked into a couple reputable, local, private breeders. Their lines are champion show quality, but not every pup has the potential to be a champion. Those that don’t have what it takes are sold as “pet quality” at a discounted price, but they still have the benefit of the same careful breeding. Maybe that’s something you can check into.
We ended up not getting one of those discounted puppies.
You know why?…
Because raising a beagle puppy is a lot of work! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/bounce.gif
We adopted a rescued beagle that was a little over a year old. He was already house broken, etc. but still full of all the fun energy and excitement of a puppy.
I don’t know what the rescue organizations are like in the UK, but here in the states you can look through several animals for the age, color, etc. that you’re interested in. They even occasionally bring in a pregnant bitch who has her litter right there. Then, when they’re old enough, the pups are available for adoption too. The animals are checked for basic health issued, vaccinated, and spayed or neutered as needed. If there are special needs for the animal, you know about it up front.
I also don’t know, but you might be surprised at what lengths the rescue organizations would go to get an animal to you, if there isn’t one near you and your new pet has to come from far away.
Please. At least search online a little. Here’s a link to where we got our Sparky. No help to you, but it will give you an idea of what they can do for you… and what you can do for a homeless dog. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/yay.gif
Tampa Bay Beagle Rescue