Everyone else has already said pretty much everything I wanted to say.
I have only a small thing to add. Don't be afraid to look outside your town and even outside your city for the right puppy and the right breeder. It might be worth a drive - even a 7 or 8-hour drive - or an overnight stay to make sure you end up with the right puppy.
Also, if Janet, one of our forum members, has more puppies I would recommend you talk to her. There are also a few other people who breed puppies and frequent this forum and I imagine many of their pups would be good matches for you. And they might have an older show puppy who needs a home and is well-socialized.
The socialization piece really is key with Shelties, whether you decide to go with a rescue or raise a puppy. Proper socialization between 4 and 16 weeks makes a night and day difference with this breed, especially in your situation with your son and your cat. You either need to do the socialization yourself, and do it right and 1000%, or else get a grown puppy or dog that someone else socialized correctly. And that can be a bit hard - although not impossible - to find with a rescue. Don't compromise on the socialization thing.
I wish you the best of luck! It took me somewhere between 9 months and a year to get my puppy, Buffy. The wait seemed to be forever, but it was so worth it. And your wait will be worth it too. I think you have the right mentality going into this.
I have only a small thing to add. Don't be afraid to look outside your town and even outside your city for the right puppy and the right breeder. It might be worth a drive - even a 7 or 8-hour drive - or an overnight stay to make sure you end up with the right puppy.Also, if Janet, one of our forum members, has more puppies I would recommend you talk to her. There are also a few other people who breed puppies and frequent this forum and I imagine many of their pups would be good matches for you. And they might have an older show puppy who needs a home and is well-socialized.
The socialization piece really is key with Shelties, whether you decide to go with a rescue or raise a puppy. Proper socialization between 4 and 16 weeks makes a night and day difference with this breed, especially in your situation with your son and your cat. You either need to do the socialization yourself, and do it right and 1000%, or else get a grown puppy or dog that someone else socialized correctly. And that can be a bit hard - although not impossible - to find with a rescue. Don't compromise on the socialization thing.
I wish you the best of luck! It took me somewhere between 9 months and a year to get my puppy, Buffy. The wait seemed to be forever, but it was so worth it. And your wait will be worth it too. I think you have the right mentality going into this.
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