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As a conscientious dog owner, you have given your dog the best care and treatment throughout her pregnancy. Moreover, you have done the same for her puppies. Now that they are old enough to go to new homes, don't you think that you should give just as much care and attention to ensuring that they go to safe and loving homes as you did to seeing them into the world?

All too many people, when it comes time to 'getting rid' of the puppies, merely put an ad in the paper and it is first come first served. Little, if any attention is given to where they are going and what kind of care they will receive.

• With just a little extra effort, you can help assure that the puppies will only go to good homes.

Although a puppy may be weaned by the age of six weeks, it should never be given away before it is eight weeks old. If it is developmentally delayed or still nursing, you will need to keep it a little longer.

Tell your friends and neighbors that you have puppies that need new homes. If you used the services of a stud, ask the stud's owner if they have anyone looking for a puppy engendered by the male. Put up notices in your vet's office and at local community gathering points. Put an ad in the newspaper or have one read on the radio. If your dog is pedigreed, place an ad in a trade or a breed specific magazine – this may be costly but than again you are not likely to be giving a papered purebred away for nothing.

Before letting anyone take one of your puppies, ask a lot of questions.

• Do they have a fenced yard? If not, where do they plan on keeping and walking the puppy?
• Have they ever had a dog before? If not, do they know how to care for one?
• Do they currently have any other pets that might be a threat to the puppy?
• How about kids? Children may love having a new puppy, but often, especially if they are very young, they may unintentionally hurt him.
• Are they getting the dog for their children? Are the children going to be expected to take care of all of the dog's needs? If so, what will happen if the children do not keep up their end of the bargain? Will the parents take over the care or will they simply abandon the puppy?
• If the new owners live in an apartment or rental house, have they already checked with the owners to make sure that they can have a dog? You'd be surprised how many people haven't.
• If you have any qualms about how the dog will be housed, ask to be allowed to come over to the potential new home in order to check out the premises.
• Ask any questions that seem relevant to you. For instance, if you feel that all dogs should be given obedience training, ask what their philosophy is.
• Remember that you are the one with the desired item. You do not have to give or sell your dog to anyone. If anything about 'them' makes them think that someone will be bad 'parent', it is your ethical duty not to let them have the puppy.

When you do decide on a new owner for that adorable puppy, make sure that they know what vaccinations the puppy has already had, and when the next series is due.

Usually, if a registered purebred is sold as a non-show quality dog, it is sold at a reduced price and under the condition that it be sterilized. To ensure this, most breeders will make a potential owner sign a contract agreeing to the sterilization. In order be sure that the terms of the contract are carried out they will hold onto the dog's papers until they are given proof that the dog has been either spayed or neutered.

• If the puppies are the result of an unplanned mating, you may also want to make any potential owner sign a spay/neuter contract. You may not, however, have much power to enforce such a contract.