Buying/adopting a dog at the moment is impossible

[Kirigiri]

Hi all, I know with everything that is going on that this is of least concern at the moment and I'm not expecting any answers, just having a moan. I had to have my wonderful Yorkie put to sleep at the beginning of Feb this year. At first I thought, never again, it's just too sad but very quickly we began to miss having a dog in the house and whilst we can't replace her because she was too amazing we thought we could give a loving home to another.

Unfortunately this was the start of lockdown and so it went out of our minds for a bit but then the last month or so we've looked constantly, filled in homeowner questionnaires countless times and sent messages to people online who are looking to rehome their dogs with zero luck! We own a house with a nice secure garden and I can work from home as much as I need to, even before lockdown

Maybe it just isn't the right time, I'm sure we will find our new pooch eventually but I'm getting so impatient!!!

Anyway, apologies moan over! Perhaps people could post pictures of their pets to cheer me up haha!

[sleepismysuperpower1]

dogs trust are now able to rehome a small number of dogs if you haven't already looked there x

[Kirigiri]

Thanks sleep, refreshing their page every couple of minutes! haha

[vanillandhoney]

Some shelters are now allowing people to adopt so it's worth ringing around your local shelters. Ours have just put a message on Facebook saying to enquire if you're interested :)

Breeders can still home puppies but the process is much more complicated than it was - technically they should be delivering pups and people shouldn't collecting (the reasoning is that they're doing a job they can't do from home, whereas collecting a puppy is not essential), or they can employ a pet courier service - but obviously lots of people would rather risk the fine than use something like that.

So sorry to hear about your lovely dog though

Here's my 2yo beagle to cheer you up!

[Kirigiri]

Awww such a gorgeous dog. Have spoken to a few shelters, ah we will get there eventually. Reluctant to get a puppy as do like adopting an older dog plus have no experience with a pup but you never know 😊

[CMOTDibbler]

The rescue I foster for gave us guidance yesterday on how dogs can be rehomed, so it looks like things will be able to start moving again. We've only been taking in the most desperate cases during lockdown but expect a massive influx when all the 'lockdown puppies' start having to be left, and grow up

[fivedogstofeed]

Most rescues are starting cautiously to rehome, following Dogs Trust example of video calls with the dog . Homecheck questionnaires are done by phone, followed up by a homecheck in person done at distance in the garden.

[DeathByPuppy]

It’s a worry, isn’t it @CMOTDibbler? I can only hope that many of the lockdown pups will have been taken on by people who’ve thought further than this temporary state and those with pre-covid pooches (myself included) have been maintaining independence training/a degree of usual routine (or whatever you want to call it), so that these dogs aren’t going to go out of their minds with separation anxiety when things start to return to normal. Hopefully working culture in this country will change a bit post covid and we’ll see more people working flexibly and from home. Obviously there are jobs that cannot be done from home but lockdown has taught a lot of industries that their employees can be trusted and productive working from home. Fingers crossed that’s something that sticks around and the lockdown pups benefit from it.

[Kirigiri]

This is one of my concerns too, dogs aren't just for Christmas Lockdown

Perhaps we're better waiting until restrictions have eased a lot more and then look as I would much rather take a rescue and give them a loving home than buy online. Just frustrating as now would be the perfect time to get them used to us and the house etc.

If anyone knows of any dogs in NW England, small terrier types then I'm your gal haha

[summerdown]

I’m sure a lot of the lockdown pups will be people who’ve really thought about it. We’ve wanted a dog for years, but work made it difficult. I’ve now been told I can work permanently from home - although triggered by lockdown obviously- so it would be a perfect time to get one. Not that we can find one of course!

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

I'm wondering with the lockdown puppies what the supply has been like from Europe and the ROI - usually thousands of dogs a month come in that way. If that route has been choked off there might not be such a problem further along - though I do wonder what has happened to any puppies who have not been imported.

[viques]

"grumpy" I think we all know what will have happened to the puppies who have not been imported. Once they have passed their cute puppy stage and are becoming hungry gawky untrained unvaccinated adolescents I imagine their days are numbered.

Another few thousand reasons not to get a dog from anywhere but a reputable and traceable source.

[GeronimoDiego]

I have been thinking about getting a puppy or rescue also, but decided to wait till after lockdown, although I work from home I thought that having the kids home all day now would make life for the dog when the kids go back to school. So I am going to start looking now and then hopefully get a dog after lockdown.

Looking for a small non shedding dog like our lovely welsh terrier, as shedding dogs make some family members (who visit every week outside of lockdown) quite unwell, and the welshie is much better for them.

I did wonder if lots of people who got lockdown puppies will hand them into rescue centres post lockdown, when they realise that a dog and their lifestyle doesn't work.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

Yep, viques I fear as much. I can imagine a combo of parvo romping through the 'breeding facilities', and dogs being PTS.

[CMOTDibbler]

Its not even as 'nice' as that Grumpy. Even in normal times PTS will mean the back of a spade I'm afraid.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

Well, yes, that or a length of wood.

[fivedogstofeed]

Rescues where I live are already being asked to take pups and dogs that people have had for a matter of weeks. In one case, a six month old pup already in her third home. It's only going to get worse

[DeathByPuppy]

[CMOTDibbler]

Thats awful fivedogstofeed. But not unexpected. Last year I had the most gorgeous puppy come to me. The people who had bought her had her three nights before telling his mum that they couldn't cope with being woken up. She tried to have the pup, but her very elderly dog was too stressed so she surrendered them to us. Around the same sort of time a puppy was brought back to the rescue within 24 hours as 'they realised a dog wasn't compatible with their lifestyle' - and thats after we ask and ask about people being prepared mentally for a dog

[Figgygal]

I know two friends who have got dogs in lockdown
One a puppy delivered by the breeder
One a rescue imported from Bosnia on Saturday and in household by midweek

Know a couple of people on fb also with new puppies but don’t know circumstances

So it is still happening

[dontdisturbmenow]

Always have to be people who have to judge and make generalisations.

We got a dog a month ago. We'd been talking about it for a couple of years. Our daughter who is now a sahm and lives a couple of streets from us said she'd be happy to look after him when we are at work.

The lockdown was indeed the perfect opportunity with both of us working from home to have that undivided time with him and the chance to train him. As it is, we are lucky to continue to work from home for sometimes.

We both have had dogs before and made a decision not to have one before because it wasn't the right time to devote our life and future to a dog. It now is and this puppy is a very lucky one indeed.

Not everyone who got a dog in these months is irresponsible and not realising the implications for the future.