forum Question about dogs

Started March 28, 2019 by @AltasWolfsworn

tune

I want my character to have a dog, how does she get her? Does it find her or does she buy it? Just asking in case I can't pick.

Perhaps both? Comes across a shelter for dogs, and buys the dog

Mhmmm maybe

What about adoption?

So finding an animal is kinda cliche and it doesn't happen a ton, mainly because if you do find an animal, it's probably a runaway or a stray and will get taken to a shelter or back to its owner. Granted, I did find my cat this way, but she was too young to be taken to a shelter without being put down, so I kept her.
I suggest that the character adopts the dog from a shelter, it's better than buying.

Depends on what kind of character this is. If she has plenty of money and is looking for a specific breed, she might go to a breeder.
Generally the saying is "adopt, don't shop," though, so it comes down to her personality partially. If she's looking for a companion, a friend, and she doesn't care what kind of dog they are, shelter's the way to go.
You could have her find the animal stray (I got 2 of my past dogs and 1 cat this way). However, if you do this, she'll need to take them to the vet to see if they are microchipped and belong to anyone, plus there's a chance the animal will have diseases. Another thing with strays found on the street is usually, they're going to be covered in fleas! I'm 3 for 3 on that one.
And plot-wise? Is she actively looking for a dog? If so, shelter. If not, either 1. maybe volunteers at shelter/goes with a friend to look at cute animals/something like that, then sees a dog she falls in love with, or 2. she sees a stray dog somewhere and tries to take care of it until she can find its home, but she can't find the owners and falls in love with the dog, then keeps it.

It also depends on the genre, a fantasy hero on a quest probably won't just waltz into an animal shelter, she's more likely to find a stray dog in the forest.
But a realistic fiction character is more likely to go to a shelter, especially if she's in high school and an animal lover (since a lot of high schools require public service hours to graduate, she'd probably go to an animal shelter for hers)

It can also depend on how this effects the plot. If the story is about this girl and the dog has an impact on her life then perhaps make it more dramatic and go for finding the dog. But if it doesn't effect the plot much than maybe she just adopted the dog from something shelter.