Old Trainer: Pedigree papers aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on

DEAR OLD TRAINER: We just bought a house with a big lot and we want to get a dog. We have three kids, all below the age of 10, and the whole family has been anxious to get the house so we could get a dog. A friend said we should get a dog with papers. Is that important?

A: When I am asked about “papers” for a dog I always think of the scene in “The Karate Kid” when Daniel asks Mr. Miyagi if he has a black belt:

Daniel: Hey, what kind of belt do you have?

Mr. Myagi: Canvas. JC Penney, $3.98. You like?

Daniel: (laughs) No, I meant ...

Mr. Myagi: In Okinawa, belt mean no need rope to hold up pants.

I view papers for a dog the same way Mr. Miyagi views a black belt. Papers purport to detail the breeding lineage of the dog you are buying, but have no value in the real world. They won’t even hold up your pants.

The paper tells you nothing about a dog and should never be a consideration when choosing a pet. For one thing, anyone can go online and print out a fake pedigree. Breeders do it all the time. For another, there is no way to know if the printed paper even goes with the dog they are trying to sell you.

Everything comes with papers these days. Buy a new pair of Nikes and there is a card attached saying, “These shoes are made from the finest materials by trained craftsmen following a tradition of blah, blah blah …” No one takes the time to read it because it has no value.

That doesn’t mean dogs with papers are not wonderful dogs. They are. And dogs without papers are wonderful dogs. Dogs don’t care if they have papers and neither do the humans who own them. I have met thousands of happy dog owners over the years and I’ve never had one mention papers.

Every shelter in the country is full of dogs once sold with papers. Why pay a breeder 10 times what you will pay for that same breed at a shelter merely because the breeder includes a piece of paper?

Contact your local rescue groups and shelters and tell them about your family and lifestyle. They will pick dogs that are a fit for you. Take your kids along and look at the dogs they recommend.

Spend time with them. Concentrate on what is important in a dog. Is she smart? Is she loving? Does she like to play with kids? Will she fetch a stick? Will she take a nap with you?

Watch for the one doing everything she can to catch your eye and show you what a perfect fit she is with your family. I guarantee one of them is trying her best to talk to you. That’s the dog for you.

All my eight dogs are rescue dogs. When I rescued a couple of them, the owners gave me papers, thinking I would be more likely to take the dogs. As soon as I got home I tossed the papers into the trash can right next to the paper from my new Nikes.

This story was originally published February 12, 2016 at 10:26 AM with the headline "Old Trainer: Pedigree papers aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on."