Should everyone be forced to show they aren’t able to rescue a dog before they can buy a puppy?

No. I understand why the rescue places have strict parameters however imo they are ridiculous and it's nigh on impossible to rehome a dog from one. Staff always seem to be determined to find a reason to not let you rather than work through stuff to make it happen.

Most rescues come with some baggage, some people want a puppy they can train from scratch etc, it's understandable. They also want to know background.

My cats would think so.

I've had 2 rescues in the past. My 2nd and last one was a nightmare.

First one was from the RGT and 2nd was an older rescue dog from the breeder which was probably a mistake as no support with the immediate problems (dog bit dh within 5 mins of being home). Breeder ignored all emails and calls. Dog carried on attacking and biting and probably bit about 6 different people (and bit dh over 100x) in the next 2 years.

Would I have a rescue/older dog again? No. I'd have a puppy from a rescue but not a dog.

@wexone social services have been stripped to the extent that as a society we don't even take that good care of children. It's not going to happen for dogs.

I wouldn't have a dog that's history I didn't know because I wouldn't want it to bite me/my child/anyone else

Dogs aside, perhaps everyone should have to buy "pre-loved" for everything they buy, rather than buying new:washing machines, TVs, cars, clothes, house decor, mobile phones...... you name it. It would save the planet, although it would trash world economy.

I looked at rescuing when I lost my old spaniel last year. I work from home, have several huge parks within a five minute drive and a forest/lake within a 10 minute walk. My ex husband and mum are on hand to cover any time I want to go out for more than a few hours. Experienced dog owner with no other pets or children at home.

But I was turned down for every dog I applied for. Why - because I live in a flat with no garden. Was never an issue with my old boy, we just went out several times a day for a walk. He had far more walks than most dogs who get a quick whizz round the block twice a day then are let out in the garden for a wee the rest of the day.

One rescue turned me down for a lovely little mongrel but offered me a huge crossbreed instead. When I pointed out that there was no way I had the space or experience for a dog of that size, they simply shrugged and said it was that or nothing. Needless to say I still don’t have a dog.

I want a dog and will probably get a puppy so I know it's complete history. I read the entries for rescue dogs and most of them are unsuitable for an average family home ( and I have had a dog previously). It's very sad that many dogs are unwanted but if you take a dog on you really don't know how it has been treated in the past and how it will react in particular situations. That's quite risky.

I agree with your proposition OP. The large majority of objections on here are just poorly veiled excuses. Of course there’ll be exceptions.

@sashh do you really think it plausible that that would be effectively administrated and enforced in this country? Seems desperately naive to me.

It's about trying to exert control over a person so they take responsibility gor someone else's (sometimes poor) choices. It us a step but the link is there.

Exactly! We were on a waiting list for a year, we had no kids either at the time so should’ve been easier to get a rescue.

At the end they didn’t let us rescue any dog because we both worked full time.

After a year we went to a breeder.

@Killingoffmyflowersonebyone

And that’s what responsible pet ownership is - making your dog happy. Not ‘fine.’ Not ‘managing’ but happy.

Sigh. Most humans do not have this. Sometimes fine is fine.

I mean thats not even equal. It's not like you are genetically connected to a bred dog or were pregnant with them.

Any breed can be dangerous, especially if it's had a hard life.

Sorry for your loss. 💐

Are you suggesting a lurcher is a dangerous breed?

(My dog is a rescue btw. I still think this post is stupid.)

Rescue dogs that can live with cats are rare - rarer than those that can live with children. A puppy of a suitable breed (one without a strong prey drive/chase instinct) can easily be trained to live with cats - the cats will help by putting it firmly in its place while it's young enough to accept this,

Agree. Dogs spending years of a relatively short life in an outdoor kennel with just minutes each day of exercise and interaction is no life.

Yes this is definitely what the state should be spending money on.
FFS.

I don’t think it’s a good idea to compel people to take a dog that they don’t really want, however laudable your motives for doing so.

You may say, ‘Well, if they can’t find a dog they love at a rescue, then they should consider whether they really want a dog at all.’

And you may be right. But most won’t consider that until they’ve had the dog awhile. And when they return it to the rescue, they’ll say, with some justification, ‘You made us take him. This was never the dog we wanted.’

And then they’ll go and get one from a breeder.

Of course, some will love the rescue dog, so the overall number of breeder sales might drop. But the number of rescue re-admissions would rise.

Also, how will you enforce it? When people go to a breeder, will they have present letters from all rescues within fifty miles of where they live? If they don’t, who’s breaking the law - the breeder? The buyer?

I think your concern is reasonable, but your proposition is unreasonable.

I agree I had my beautiful boy put to sleep a month ago. It was a peaceful, calm death.

Yep, the type of people blindly getting a puppy from breeders is probably greater. The huge numbers in shelters predominantly come from owners getting dogs they can't look after. A much smaller number are from people who pass away etc.