Lockdown puppies! Here we go again..

[Prancingponies]

Except we don't, sort of. Totally not an AIBU, but posting here for traffic.

Yesterday I did a rare thing and shared a post put out by our local police force - County Durham as it happens. It was a post suggesting that people who had gotten lockdown puppies and had realised they could 'no longer cope' (my apostrophes, not theirs) could contact the force and they would look at training them to be police dogs, in all sorts of roles.

Pups of up to 2 years considered, working type dogs preferred, but not necessary.

I think it's an absolutely brilliant idea. Shame most of the people who bought them 'want their money back'. Lets just hope when they don't get it they might consider this.

Or when they don’t get it they go to a rescue centre, so rescues should be drowning in abandoned cockerpoos, cavapoos, and so on, right?

It's a lovely idea in theory but I honestly cannot see how a lockdown puppy which is most likely being rehomed because it's owners couldn't be bothered to train it or put the effort in would make a suitable candidate to become a police dog.

@PegPeople

It's a lovely idea in theory but I honestly cannot see how a lockdown puppy which is most likely being rehomed because it's owners couldn't be bothered to train it or put the effort in would make a suitable candidate to become a police dog.

I was going to say something similar to this. I also thought many police forces had their own breeding programmes? I know some dogs are acquired through rescues but the criteria must be pretty stringent. It might work for younger dogs, but undoing all the previous work or lack of work from lockdown dogs who are being rehomed would be an incredibly time consuming task.

I’m cynical but I’d wonder if that was some sort of elaborate scam.

My puppy likes eating other dogs' shit, so he could possible be redeployed cleaning up the streets and parks in our local area? Community Support Dog, perhaps?

I sadly think that the sort of people who were stupid enough to get a puppy during lockdown are the sort who will just stick them on Gumtree and not give a shit where they go to next. There have been a few threads on here lately that have sent my BP through the roof.

It's a lovely idea though. And if it means that a few dogs get a better home.....

Wonder if they would take a 13 year old, spoilt, lazy Lhasa Apso who thinks he is a rottweiler and only eats home cooked meals?

See sunshine I don’t doubt a few people were idiots but I think most people had their lifestyle change and got a dog. How does that make them an ‘idiot’?

There were some rescue Staffies who became police dogs, I wish I could remember more details, but I'm sure one of them was trained as a drug sniffer dog.

@bunniesanddaisies

See sunshine I don’t doubt a few people were idiots but I think most people had their lifestyle change and got a dog. How does that make them an ‘idiot’?

Because lockdown and/or furlough was never going to be forever, just months.

Dogs live for 12+ years

Here he is

Aww he looks very happy in his role!!

@MajesticWhine

My puppy likes eating other dogs' shit, so he could possible be redeployed cleaning up the streets and parks in our local area? Community Support Dog, perhaps?

Lockdown obviously isn’t forever but a lot of people are now working from home forever.

Seems sensible to me

I check my local rescue centre fairly to often to see if it’s overrun with lockdown puppies. It isn’t, the only dogs there are older pit bull, bull mastiff, Staffies etc with behaviour problems.

Mumsnet dog lovers have been predicting rescues filled with lockdown puppies for over a year now.

The fact is, people who wait until their life allows them to get a puppy aren’t generally known for being irresponsible fools.

No one can guarantee when they get a dog that life won’t change. Death, divorce, redundancy, repossession, can happen to anybody. You’ll always get people who buy a puppy and give it up but it isn’t intrinsically linked to lockdown.

@PegPeople

It's a lovely idea in theory but I honestly cannot see how a lockdown puppy which is most likely being rehomed because it's owners couldn't be bothered to train it or put the effort in would make a suitable candidate to become a police dog.

There have been a few pass through the breed specific rescue I support who have been taken on by the police and prison services. Ages from 9 months to 2 years, all with issues around pulling on the lead, bouncing on people, not liking children etc. It’s a pretty trainable breed but still an impressive result from dogs that weren’t adequately trained or socialized. They possibly wouldn’t have settled in a family home but the rescue wouldn’t have sent them to one and made their behavioural issues very clear to prospective adopters. One had had 3 homes already iirc, so even more impressive that the service saw their potential, trained them up and gave them a job.

@MajesticWhine

My puppy likes eating other dogs' shit, so he could possible be redeployed cleaning up the streets and parks in our local area? Community Support Dog, perhaps?

Mine likes eating cat shit - she’d be a hit amongst the MN angry-cat-shit brigade. Maybe I could hire her out?

There's still time for a rescue influx of lockdown puppies. It's only just ending!

But they will be badly socialised teenagers. Looking forward to that.

The rescue I foster for is seeing an increase in backyard breeding bitches - who been even more overused than before in an effort to make al those lockdown puppies. And people surrendering overseas rescues that they got in lockdown because there was such a shortage of puppies.

People who had overseas rescues as a first dog and are finding it difficult to cope with some of the (possible) issues.

There will inevitably be a knock on effect, simply because of the sheer number of first time dogs owners whose situations will change.

I think it's a great idea too.

Like the OP said though, most of these non-dog owners will want their money back. £3000 for a mixed breed. My heart bleeds for these non-owners... NOT!

A fool and his money...

I met a lockdown puppy yesterday when I was in a park with my dog.

Puppy was off lead hurtling around, running at my dog and leaping about - my dog was not impressed. Owners had absolutely no control over it.

Standing and calling your puppies name over and over really doesn't work when the puppy has no recall.

Eventually, the owner came over to get the puppy, after I'd asked them to come and get their dog off mine, and after a lot of chasing they managed to catch it.

No your puppy isn't 'naughty' it's a puppy and needs to be on some sort of lead when it's so lively and has no recall, especially as we were so near a road.

@Serin

Wonder if they would take a 13 year old, spoilt, lazy Lhasa Apso who thinks he is a rottweiler and only eats home cooked meals?

I’ll raise you one old, grumpy and entitled 13 year old Jack Russell and four 7 year old crazy Jackapoos who all have Napoleonic syndrome!

I'm aware that not all dogs will be suitable, but at least it may deal with some of the problem.

And yes, I'm seeing a lot of 6-12 month old puppies appearing on preloved/gumtree etc for what people paid for them. Never mind that they have/will leaving the dogs with issues from not training them, abandoning them, etc etc.

And I speak as a dog owner. I'd rather these poor pups be given a chance with the police who will know how to train, and if they can't use them will make sure they get a good home.

As a kid we had a beautiful German Shepherd. Dad lost his job and his new one meant the dog was alone for a good portion of the day. My parents decided to re home him as it wasn't fair. It devastated my Mum as he was about 4 at the time.

I don't know how it came about but a dog handler in our local force wanted him. He came to see him and made the mistake of bringing with him his brother who instantly fell in love with the dog. Turned out brother was a butcher who lived on a small holding so dog went to doggie paradise with all the bones he could eat and acres to go nuts in. The right decision absolutely, but I now realise why Mum would receive a letter and cry a bit as his new owners kept in touch until he died.

@ExConstance

There were some rescue Staffies who became police dogs, I wish I could remember more details, but I'm sure one of them was trained as a drug sniffer dog.

There was a staffy on Paul O'Gradys for the love of dogs that became a sniffer dog in a prison. www.dogmagazine.net/meet-cookie-the-rehomed-staffie-who-is-now-a-prison-search-dog/