Buying a puppy is a big decision. A puppy is another life and will be with you for many, many years, possibly as much as 20 years with Jack Russells and therefore will entail a big commitment. It cannot be treated like the latest electronic gadget which can be tucked away in the back of a cupboard once the initial novelty has worn off.

There are many things to consider. First of all you will want to decide upon the breed you want but since you have arrived at this site I will assume that you are seriously considering a Jack Russell.

There is the financial commitment that you will be making. There will be an initial outlay of buying the puppy in the first place, vet bills, inoculation fees, food, toys, kennel fees when you take a holiday and possibly the replacement of items that the puppy chews.

There is the emotional commitment. A puppy and the dog it will grow into will need to be loved, played with and taken for daily walks. It will be part of your family and will need to be treated as such.

Never buy a puppy as a present unless the recipient has been fully involved in the buying process and it is they, not you, that made the decision of acquiring a puppy. A common mistake is buying a puppy for someone simply to replace a dog which has sadly just died without consulting the person to see if they actually want another dog.

If you have considered all the above points and have decided that you can give a puppy a good home then the next stage is to acquire one. There are a number of possible ways. First buy one from a licensed breeder or a hobby breeder. Anyone who breeds puppies with the specific intent of selling them commercially or who has more than one bitch and has five or more litters in a 12 month period has to be licensed by the local authority. It does not mean that their chief income is necessarily from the breeding of puppies. Licensed breeders should be able to produce their license on request and keep strict records of the litters and who they are supplied to. Do not confuse licensed breeders with puppy farms, see below. Hobby breeders who simply have dogs which occasionally produce a litter can sell without the need of being licensed.

When going to view a puppy always make sure that you see it with at least its mother and preferably its father as well or at least ask to see a photo of the father. It should be bright and alert with no sign of distress or illness. A puppy should remain with its mother until it is at least 8 weeks old. Most breeders will allow you to select a puppy before this time and reserve it for you on payment of a deposit.

I would never recommend that you buy a puppy from a puppy farm, a pet shop or something like a car boot sale. Places such as this are not interested in the welfare of the puppy but simply regard them as a commodity. Many pet shops acquire their puppies from puppy farms.

Puppy farms are notorious for their ill treatment of the puppies they breed and their breeding dogs. They are often kept in filthy, enclosed conditions with little or not light and are rarely cleaned. Only the minimum food and water to keep the dog alive is supplied with the result that the dogs will be malnourished. There is a movement, which I support, to outlaw such places.

You can also try animal rescue centres although these places rarely have young puppies and therefore you probably have to settle for an older dog, whose history may be an unknown. Animal rescue centres are understandably very cautious when allocating dogs to owners and you may find the process very time consuming and stressful. I have met several people who wanted to give a home to a dog in a rescue centre but eventually gave up as every dog they took a shine to the centre said wasn't suitable for them.

A breeder of pedigree breeds may also be registered with the Kennel Club but this is often purely to allow them to compete in shows and does not guarantee the welfare or quality of the puppy. It simply means that the puppy has been registered and has a file which should show its parentage. This file, its "papers" should be supplied to you when you purchase a puppy from such a breeder.

The Kennel Club do not recognise the Jack Russell as a pedigree breed and thus you should not expect papers with a Jack Russell puppy. The Parsons Jack Russell is recognised as a pedigree and thus depending upon the status of the breeder you may or may not be supplied papers with a puppy.

Finally, it is worth pointing out that currently it is illegal for anyone under the age of 12 to buy an animal on their own and this age will be increased to 16 once the Animal Welfare Act becomes law.