How to Find a Beagle to Buy
Beagles are the cutest dogs, but they can be difficult to find if you want to buy one. If you are having difficulty finding the perfect beagle to buy, read on!
So, how do you find a beagle to buy? The most common places to look are online, at an animal shelter, at the flea market or from a breeder. Of these options, it is best to adopt from a shelter or reputable breeder to find healthy beagles. If you are struggling to locate a beagle, ask a local veterinarian for recommendations.
Circumstance may call for a different approach, but 9 times out of 10 you will want to go with an animal shelter. Let’s examine each of our buying options carefully so you can decide which works best for you.
Finding a Beagle to Buy
So, you have done all your research and finally decided that a beagle is the dog for you. Great choice! Beagles are fun-loving animals, loyal to their families, and full of happy positive energy.
You have made up your mind, it has to be a beagle! Now that you have decided what breed you want, your head turns to
Finding the perfect beagle can be tricky. It seems everywhere you look there are newer shinier options for picking out the perfect pet, but which one is right for you?
When it comes to purchasing beagles there are generally 4 options.
- Online
- From a shelter
- At flea market
- From a breeder
Each option has its pros and cons, but people generally consider adopting from a shelter to be the best option.
Let’s look at each option in the order that I have listed.
Finding a Beagle Online
Pros
- Huge variety
- Cheap prices
- Easy to do
Cons
- Potentially abused animals (puppy farms)
- Unable to examine the dog before you buy
- Sketchy websites
The Reality of Online Shopping
Pros
Online shopping for beagles is not a bad place to start. First of all, you have a huge variety of beagles to choose from.
Do you want a beagle of a certain color or temperament? How about a beagle that has lived in a household with children before? If so, you can probably find it online.
You can also find beagles for lower prices. If you buy from a breeder, even at a flea market, prices are likely to be higher than Mt. Everest. However, if you shop online you can find prices closer to what you are willing to pay. But that cheap price, as we will shortly see, isn’t free of consequences.
The last big perk to shopping online is how easy it is! You may be thinking, “Yeah, well it isn’t super hard to drive down to an animal shelter to check out the beagles there either.” But I beg to differ.
Finding a shelter that carries beagles can be an ordeal in of itself, purchasing an animal from a shelter is a whole different ball game.
Shelters generally require a strict examination of your home in which they verify whether your home is puppy safe. A good idea, but a lengthy and sometimes expensive process that may leave you ineligible to adopt when it is over.
Buying online is much quicker and simpler. It is usually as easy as typing in your credit card number and waiting for your new furry friend to arrive.
If you are the type that gets anxious waiting, you may want to pick the quicker path and do some shopping online.
Cons
Online beagle shopping may be quick and cheap, but it comes at a steep price. Puppies purchased through the internet usually come from abusive puppy factories.
Puppy factories breed dogs at exhausting industrial levels. Mothers are artificially inseminated and forced to give birth to dozens more puppies than is healthy.
Puppy mothers are often abused, starved, deprived of crucial socialization, and treated like cattle.
It can be tempting to want to purchase a puppy from a puppy farm in order to “save” them from a terrible life, but I have to warn against this practice.
Purchasing from a puppy farm only puts money into the pockets of careless people. The best way to end puppy farms is to deprive the companies of funding and shop somewhere else.
Don’t risk buying a potentially abused beagle, avoid online shopping.
If online shopping is your only option, there are still a couple of things to be aware of before you buy.
It is always a good idea to examine the merchandise before you buy and it is no different with dogs.
The only word you have that the dog you are buying is healthy and normal is that of the man trying to sell to you. You should remain skeptical. If at all possible, try to drive and see the puppy before you buy.
Videos and photos are not a good substitute for visual contact.
The third thing you need to watch out for when trying to buy a puppy online is the potential for sketchy websites.
Don’t think that there aren’t people out there willing to capitalize off of a puppy’s cuteness. There are hosts of dangerous websites and scammers wanting to make a buck off of your good intentions.
There Are Some Good Websites
While buying puppies online is risky, there are some websites that make an honest living. Here are a few good places to start:
- The American Kennel Club. The American Kennel Club (or AKC) have been working with dogs for over 100 years so they really know their stuff. In their own words “The AKC thoroughly investigates any claims of substandard kennels, often referred to as “puppy mills,” and alleged violations of AKC’s Care and Conditions Policy.” If you buy from these guys it won’t be cheap, but you will sleep soundly knowing you purchased a quality pup.
- RescueMe.Org The folks at RescueMe.org have the purest intentions and act very much like an online shelter. They will put you in contact with lost or abandoned animals that are need of a good home. Their website isn’t the easiest to use, but it is a great organization that you should definitely check out.
- ASPCA. The American Society for the prevention of the cruelty of animals is a credible organization that lobbies for animal rights. They offer a pet adoption service that will help you get in contact with an animal in need of adoption. You can trust these guys and their website is fairly easy to use.
Some Sites to Avoid
When finding a beagle online, make sure you avoid these websites:
- Puppyfind.com, which is known to be a popular selling destination but it is not credible.
- Ebay.com has some sketchy puppy practices going on in the background. Don’t buy your pets here!
Finding a Beagle at a Shelter
Pros
- You get to rescue an animal. Yay!
- Get to know the animal before you buy.
- There are shelters all over the place
Cons
- Just because you are adopting, doesn’t mean it’s cheap
- Be prepared to be denied
- Shelters may not be carrying beagles
Shelter Realities
Pros
The best part about adopting from a shelter is the good feeling you get from rescuing an animal. These are suffering dogs that have been abandoned or given up because their owners couldn’t or didn’t want to take care of them.
I am all for adopting at shelters. Over 2.7 million dogs and cats are euthanized each year in the US alone due to overcrowding at shelters.
Adopting from a shelter is a good deed worth doing. Like my dear mother always says
“Make sure you are kind to animals. You can always tell what a person is really like by how they treat animals.”
Another great reason for adopting from a shelter is that you get to know your beagle before you buy him. There is such a thing as “chemistry” between owner and pet, and the best way to judge chemistry is by face to face interaction.
You will also be able to familiarize yourself with any special needs your beagle may have. All great things to know before you put your money on the table.
The third reason that it is great to adopt from an animal shelter is the abundance of shelters around. There are a lot of animals out there in need. By adopting from a shelter you may be saving a life.
The number of euthanized animals could be reduced dramatically if more people adopted pets instead of buying them. When you adopt, you save a loving animal by making them part of your family and open up shelter space for another animal who might desperately need it.
ASPCA
Cons
Make no mistake, adopting a beagle from a shelter is clearly the best option, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any drawbacks.
First off, just because you are adopting from a shelter doesn’t mean it will be cheap. Turns out rescuing an animal can be just as expensive (if not more expensive) then buying one from a store.
Shelters do their best to take good care of their animals and it is reflected in the price. Shelter animals usually have all of their shots, have been spayed or neutered, and have been taking medication for any other health issues they may have.
Now that is a great thing, just remember that it comes at a price.
The second drawback of adopting from a shelter is that after going through a lengthy verification process, you may be denied the chance to adopt. I went over the details of this in “
I will be honest though, animal shelters seldom deny folks from adopting an animal. If you have enough money to feed the dog, and your intentions are pure in adopting, I can’t think of any reason you would be prohibited from adopting.
The final drawback of adopting from an animal shelter is a question of inventory. It is not guaranteed that your local animal shelter will even have a beagle available for you to adopt.
Beagles are pretty popular and get picked up from shelters fast. That means if you want to find a beagle (especially a beagle puppy) you will have to keep a sharp eye out for any that may be available at shelters near you.
Finding a Beagle at a Flea Market
Pros
- Able to examine before you buy (most of the time)
- Haggle with prices
Cons
- Animals are frequently abused
A Flea Market Dog?
Pros
I’m not a big fan of purchasing animals at flea markets, but it is an option so we will devote some time to it.
The best part about buying from a flea market is that you will have the beagle puppy there ready to be taken home. All you need to do is fork over the cash and you get the dog no questions asked.
That is usually the case, however, some people at flea markets will only have pictures of puppies and won’t have any physical merchandise available. These guys are scammers and shouldn’t be trusted.
The only other good thing that I can think of about buying a dog from a flea market is that you are able to haggle over a price. Personally, I enjoy haggling. You can usually get dogs at a price a lot cheaper than you could find anywhere else.
I know that a lot of people don’t enjoy haggling though so that may be a con depending on how you look at it.
Cons
The whole flea market experience can be rather unpleasant, but the worst part is the condition of the animals.
Flea market guys do a great job of making sure that the puppies look nice and cute, but their concern stops at appearances. Puppies sold at flea markets are often abused physically and emotionally. They are often starved as well.
My philosophy for flea market vendors is the same as it is for puppy mills. It can be tempting to want to “save” a dog from terrible conditions by buying one, but it is better to just ignore them.
Finding a Beagle through a Breeder
Pros
- Highest quality dog
- Access to a breeder’s expertise
Cons
- Expensive!
Breeder Beagles
Pros
I always get a lot of flack for saying so, but I think that buying from a breeder is a good idea.
Adopting from a shelter is noble and great and I don’t want to detract from that, a shelter would still be my number one pick for finding a beagle to buy, but breeders have a lot of advantages.
For one, you know that the beagle you are buying is at the pinnacle of health. Shelter dogs are well cared for, but you may be hard pressed to find a perfectly healthy shelter beagle.
Another great pro of buying from a breeder is you get access to a breeder’s expertise. These guys know beagles in and out and will be able to help you with any problem that you may be confronting.
It is a great opportunity and one that shouldn’t be passed up.
Cons
The downside to buying a
You might also get a lot of hat from people when you tell them you didn’t adopt. It is practically sacrilege nowadays to confess you didn’t adopt your dog.
Don’t let how other people act bother you! Find what you think is the best way to adopt and go for it.
Related Questions:
Are beagles good family dogs? Beagles love their families and do well around young children that can tell the difference between a dog and a toy. However, they can be difficult to housebreak. With time and effort, they can be trained to become accustomed to your family.
How much do beagles cost? When buying a beagle expect to pay around $550. Prices range anywhere from $400-$1000, but a well-bred beagle pup can cost upwards of $2500. The initial cost is not the only cost that should be considered. Food, vet checkups, and other dog-related costs can add up.