One of my coworkers (who I like) told me she is picking up a pug puppy tomorrow. I asked her a few questions, and here is what I know now:

-The puppy is 6 weeks old. I told her it is too young to be away from its mom, and she said "the vet said it was OK". While I believe she went to a vet and asked, that doesn't seem right. Shouldn't all breeds of puppies be with their mother for at least 8 weeks?

-She wants to "bottle feed" the puppy still. I told her that if it is old enough to be away from its mom, it should be eating solid food. Am I right to say this?

-The one that makes me sad: She doesn't want to spay her because she will breed her in the future. The girl younger than me, 18 and doesn't know anything about breeding. I want to tell her it is a bad idea, but I don't want to seem rude or preachy. Pugs have large heads like chis.. If I am guessing right, a lot of them probably need c-sections. Plus, this puppy obviously isn't from a reputable breeder if she is letting it go at 6 weeks and without asking if the future owner will spay the puppy. Therefore, it should not be bred. What would you do in this situation?

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Thanks LS!

I have a friend that just got a 5 week old basset hound puppy from a lady she found selling puppies. The lady wouldn't let my friend go to her house but rather met her in a parking lot with the puppies so she could pick one. The mother dog was never seen either. So obviously this was NOT a reputable breeder! I explained how crucial it is that this puppy stay with its mommy for a few more weeks. My friend didn't listen... The puppy cried the first 3 nights all night. Sometimes we can change peoples decisions, but try hard just to load them with facts.

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My girls are not spoiled, I am just well trained

Hey Missy - welcome to the world of responsible dog ownership There will ALWAYS be people out there that do the wrong thing and think they know best. Unfortunately I think you have done what you can - you've shared your knowledge, now it's up to her to decide what to do with it.

I made the mistake of sharing my knowledge with a family member years ago, and it caused some tension and a rift. It's hard, but I think that once you have said your piece, there isn't much you can do but hope for the best. Just try to help her along with doggie ownership once the dog gets here and hope you rub off on her!!!

You're a good friend to her!

It gets even worse. Today she told me her family is getting a male dog to breed with hers, because "you can make so much money!" I didn't know what to say. Don't they realize you aren't going to make ANY money? Vet bills, possible c-section, and what if they can't sell the puppies? It seems like it would be hard just to break even. I just hope their vet convinces them to spay their dog or at least not breed her.

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Thanks LS!

Oh Missy. This is terrible. I'm sorry that you have to deal with this. It makes me sad just to hear it. It really does suck that there probably isn't much more you can do except as Audrey said, load them with facts. It is obviously possible that this girl may not care what you have to say, not believe you, or just become annoyed with you because you keep telling her things that she probably doesn't even want to hear.

If you try to tell her what you know and she doesn't listen to you, there probably isn't anything else you can do. So sad.

Personally, I'd probably just keep loading her with facts, even if she doesn't want to hear them! Can't hurt!

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It sounds like she has her mind made up.

I will say, I got both of mine at 5 and 6 weeks and they turned out fine - would I do it again? Probably not.

Some people don't believe in over population, my boss has 2 chihuahuas that she refuses to spay and neuter and, they're on their 3 litter? She just sells them which is wrong in my mind, but I do believe you can't make some people understand - i've tried.

If a dog needs bottle fed, it is too young. Both of mine were eating solid food when they came to me, but I did supplement when I needed to.

What I personally would do, is stay out of it if it's going to cause a problem at work. If you think that you can level with her without causing a problem in your workplace then speak with her, if not and you've said your peace, just keep your fingers crossed that by some divine intervention the puppy has a good life.

Some people here may disagree with me and say that i'm allowing something cruel happen to this puppy, but you aren't her mother and she really has no reason to listen to you and i'm afraid if she's a headstrong teenager she wont.

I will go on to say that I was just 18 when I got Gretel, so clearly age doesn't always factor in - she's the best socialized of my two, she's really a wonderful dog, but because I had the time to put into her, whereas with Godric I had to wing it a lot of the time.

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That's true! You definitely don't want to cause a problem in the work place!

Amanda, I hope no one thinks that about you! Because you are right. This girl is going to do whatever she wants. She doesn't have to listen to anyone. It's her dog, unfortunately. So, you, nor missy, or anyone else, are allowing anything cruel to happen. Missy, you tried. It is what it is I guess. Such a sad story though.

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I haven't said much to her other than the importance of socializing her since she is so young. I didn't say anything about breeding or spaying, just because I know she has her mind made up. I know being young doesn't necessarily mean she won't take good care of the dog... I am only a few years older than her. I guess there isn't much I can do, because like you guys said it isn't my dog.. I can always offer her advice if she asks though

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Thanks LS!