So you’ve done the necessary research and decided you want to get a pomeranian. Your next question is probably where to buy one.

Generally there are four main places you can look for pomeranians:

• Dog shelters
• Dog rescue groups
• Breeders
• Pet stores (not recommended!)

Dog Shelters

There are many advantages to getting a pom from a dog shelter:

• You might be saving him from being put down! Some shelters euthanize unwanted dogs after some period of time.
• Your pom will be relatively cheap as adoption fees tend to be low compared to how much a pom from a breeder would cost.

However, there are some downsides to keep in mind as well:

• Your pomeranian’s medical condition may be unknown, including even his age! (see the story of our adopting Ted to learn more)
• Your dog’s temperament may be hard to judge in a noisy dog shelter
• Your dog may not be a purebred pom. To learn more about why you might want a certified purebred pom read our article about Show Pomeranians

Pomeranian Rescue Groups

Pom rescue groups aim to find homes for poms that were rescued from abuse, animal shelters, or collected from families who didn’t want to or couldn’t (because of illness, old age, etc) care for them.

Advantages of adopting a pom from a rescue group are:

• You can feel good that you’re saving a pom from a bad situation
• Poms are reasonably priced to free
• The poms are typically vaccinated and spayed or neutered
• The poms are typically already evaluated medically

Things to keep in mind include:

• most rescue poms are adults, so you’re probably out of luck if you’re looking for a puppy
• some poms may have behavior problems and need extensive training to fix
• some poms may experience separation anxiety from their previous owners so it will take time for them to warm up to you

Registered Pom Breeders

Good breeders typically only have a few puppies and dogs available each year, so if you meet a breeder who has dozens of dogs this should be a red flag that you’re visiting a puppy mill.

Advantages of buying a pom from a quality registered breeder include:

• a good match since the breeder will typically put effort into making sure you find the right dog (temperament, looks, etc.) for you
• a good source of info whom you can keep in contact with both during your purchase and after
• a quality pom with a well documented lineage and health history

Pet Stores

We don’t recommend buying poms from pet stores for a variety of reasons. Sure, there may be some pet stores that sell quality poms that were raised ethically, but the risks are just too great that you might be getting a pom of unknown quality from a puppy mill.

See this USA Today article to read more about the dangers.