Getting a new puppy, first in years!

Well, after trying feverishly for 4 long years to talk my husband into getting a puppy/dog he came home from work the other day and asked me to go to AKC.ORG and type in (Staffordshire bull terrier) I didn't want to, because I felt that that was cruel! lol, I've never heard of the dog until that afternoon. I typed it in and looked at the picture it offered and said cool. He leaned into me and asked me what I'd say if he told me we could get one for free. I said "I would tell you to bring it home."

I have not been able to tear my mind off of this since then. His co-worker has the puppies and he is the one that has talked my husband into a dog. He did tell my husband that if we wanted the papers he would have to charge us $150. I have not had a dog since I was 10 years old. I am now worried. I have a ton of questions because I just don't understand why we've been offered a pup for free. The litter size was 9 and he lost one pup. We're allowed to go see the pups if we want, but I don't know when. Few things have my stomach in knots (As I really want this to work out)
Concerns are as follows:
They're strange (I've met them) and that's not to say they're not good dog people. lol
They offered us a pup for FREE.
He did say his Bitch is ACK registered. I do not know about the Dog.
What's more is that my husband cannot reassure me on any of these worries. I tend to worry about a lot of thing a lot lol. And as of right now, I don't know if I'm just anxious because I'm about to finally get a pup after 19 years of wishing for one and I'm just waiting for something to go wrong.. or if I really should be worried.

anyone out there that can tell me if those are real concerns or not, I would so very greatly appreciate it.[b]

maybe hes just being nice he knows and likes your husband knows that the dog will have a good home ? ask him can yous see the dog if theres nothing wrong with it he wont mind showing you him it could be that your just nervous about getting the puppy there a handful but once you get him home all that goes away and you will have the best time with your mew pup also staffys are the best so loyle and friendly i hope you get him and enjoy every minute of him best of luck from me and lexii

To be honest I think I too would have your concerns about being offered a puppy for free, Why ??

You may want to find out if either of the parents have any medical conditions that could have been passed onto the puppies and this will be a financial issue maybe later on in the puppies life for you.

I would definitely ask more questions and ask to see both parents first before taking on any of the puppies.

The AKC registration is for showing and also assures that the parents are free of genetic defects. I would advise a health test for both the sire and dam to be sure or to take the pup to a vet to see if there are any potential issues to be safe.

I would have the pup Vet checked, I'm sure pup will be ok. What I don't understand is why he would charge for the papers?

Well, responsible breeders tend to do health checks on the male and female to make sure the puppies will be as healthy as possible, and also have them registered. That's not to say the puppies are destined to be ridden with diseases or anything, but if he hasn't done the health tests then it's something to be wary about. Feel free to ask him all of those questions and maybe he'll put your mind at rest, he shouldn't mind. If he does, well, you'd have to ask yourself if you want a puppy from such a person.

If you've waited this long for a dog and want a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, I'd be inclined to wait a little longer, do my research, then go to a reputable breeder. A reputable breeder will breed for sound temperament and be aware of, and avoid, genetic health issues. This would be less for you to worry about and you could then be sure of channeling all your energies into raising a well balanced little dog. That's not to say the puppy being offered won't be perfectly fine but it's a gamble.
Our little Bacchus is 7 months old and our first staffy, and he is the most loving dog we have ever had ( we previously had German Shepherds which I adored ).
Good Luck.

Thank you for all of the feedback I greatly appreciate it. I know it probably sounds silly, I just have met the guy and his wife once only at a new years party. He and my husband do get along really well at work. So yes, I do feel like maybe he is just being nice. I think after reading everything I could possibly read from Thursday afternoon all the way to this morning my worries lay with the feeling that he probably didn't have either the sire or the bitch health tested. The only thing my husband knew for sure was that this is his first Litter ever. I have compiled a list of questions to ask the breeder. So if I still feel uncomfortable after that, I hope I wont offend my husband but I'll decline.

I would love any dog no matter weather it was a purebred or not. I love all animals but I have a specific compassion for dogs lol. But I think I'd have to agree that wanting a Staffordshire, I'm going to want one I know will be healthy.

The thing that concerns me a little bit ( apart from health checks) is that he is selling the papers for extra... In the UK only a unscrupulous breeder would do that. If he has the papers , what is he going to do with them if you don't have them? Usually they are either kennel club registered or not?
I have heard of puppy farmers in the UK using papers that they didn't sell so that they can breed bitches to death and still register the pups .This probably isn't the case here but it doesn't seem great :/
I hope you can get answers to all your questions

We got Charlie from a rescue centre so we don't know his background and if he'll have any health problems in the future, but we love him and wouldn't be without him

I guess I have posted everywhere else except here. We decided we're getting our pup. The Breeder was able to sufficiently answer most of my concerns, even offered up extra information that put my mind at ease. I guess mostly it was my own anxiety about finally being a pet owner after all these years and that they are extremely odd people. Then again, most think I'm extremely odd, and I am! We're going to go see the pups this Sunday while the kids are still at my Aunts house. From here on out the absolute hardest thing is going to be not telling the kids on accident that we're getting a furkid!

We have a Vet all lined up for our new addition and plan on taking him/her to the vet to get them introduced. The vet we chose does house calls as well as office visits and that makes me very happy. It's the same vet that my Father in law uses. He has a cat and 3 toy Pom's (Ya'll will probably wind up seeing pics of at least the Pom's we visit him often) though the cat hides from most people. I also already have a crate that I hid in our garage so the kids don't get any hints ( we're not telling them because we don't want bombarded endlessly with "when are we getting the puppy" questions) and I'm waiting to hear back about 2 baby gates for when we're away. We will have to keep the pup away from the living and dining areas as that's where our motion sensors inside of the house are. Wouldn't want the cops to come just cause of our silly puppy activating the alarm!

Great news. Hope you have great fun with your puppy.
By the way our daughter and son-in-law live in the States now. We visited last fall, they live 8000ft up in the Rockies in Colorado. Absolutely stunning.

Aww thats great, it can be a nerve-wracking time getting a new puppy. Nearly as scary as new babies! Sounds like you have been very responsible though and have not just rushed in and got a pup without thinking about the sensiblities. I'm sure you will love your pup and so will your kids! Staffords are paticularly good with children and smart and easily trainable. We want to see lots of photos!

It all sounds great I am like you in the process of getting all prepared for our own new arrival in a few wk time ! How old are the pups now ? make sure you post some pics x