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

Or that they can't adopt before having a baby ..

A rescue has potential to be way more volatile than a puppy. I've trained mine into a wonderful dog, but started with a blank sheet of paper, that suited me and my family very well

Agree with all of this.

Maybe dh and I will look for a rescue dog after all the dc are grown up. But I wouldn't consider rehoming ANY adult dog with dc at home, no matter how lovely they're supposed to be.

An adult dog has an entirely unknown/unverifiable background. Nope, not for me, not with kids at home.

I've always bought puppies because I wanted a puppy to train from scratch and a specific breed. I'm not against rescue dogs, and I will perhaps choose that when my current dog goes because I will have adult children (who may be moved out) and I won't want the hard work of a puppy. I would likely choose a dog about 2yo. If a rescue will let me have one!

Rescues make it impossible for people with normal lives to adopt.
Children? Nope.
Live within 25miles of a road. Nope.
Have to leave the house for more than 3minutes a day.
Nope

Also, I like and want small hairy terrier type dogs. I don't want a big dog. That's my preference, the suit my house and my lifestyle. I am allowed to have a preference.
I also don't want a staffie, staffie cross or any bull breed, which are virtually the only dogs you can get in shelters poor things.

I had so many questions to answer before the breeder would even consider me. Wanted to know about my house, the area I lived in, my family set up, whether I was planning any more children, work hours, lifestyle etc. One of the most stressful interviews in my life!!

They were a KC registered breeder, mum was only having three litters very spaced apart. Health checks were completed.

After owning two springer spaniels, we looked for another. One of the rescues we applied to told us that we should be grateful to take any breed; and if not, we weren't true dog lovers!

Most rescues will not even consider talking to you if you have primary aged children or younger. Seriously pointless endeavour.

Rightfully, they want a suitable home for the rescues they have. But that often rules out most families with young children.

So people buy puppies who do not have known issues, and will be happy in a family environment.

@Coffeealwayshot
Having just looked at the dogs available at my local RSPCA rescue and I'm not sure I'd be prepared to consider adopting many of the dogs. Cane Corso, Husky, Akita, Bulldogs, Staffies, Bull terriers.
There are a couple of Cocker Spaniels however and a Pomeranian cross.

I have zero time for people who purchase dogs. They are not status symbols or commodities.

Yup, we have two children and another pet. Pup was in foster for a bit with a 7 yr old.

That said, I completely understand rescues are not appropriate for many many households and some rescues have v v strict criteria and take ages to support a match with families. We signed up with a rescue centre a couple of years ago and are still yet to hear from them! (meanwhile we adopted from a different rescue centre!)

My post wasn't a dig or anything. No judgement or whatever intended. I literally just saw your post and thought 'oh my gosh, my little pup would've been perfect for you!' 🐶

Rescue dogs are, by definition, bred by exactly the sort of irresponsible breeders we are supposed to be avoiding. All that insisting everyone only has a rescue dog will do is support those breeders and give them a reliable market which allows them to keep abusing dogs for profit.

If everyone only ever bought dogs from caring, responsible, preservation breeders there would be no mass market rescue industry because the vast majority of dogs who can’t be kept by their owners would be returned to their breeders as per the contract all good breeders insist on. Those few dogs whose breeders are ill, become homeless or who die would be cared for by breed rescue groups and rehomed to knowledgable people.

As things are we have a huge retail rescue industry which just supports exactly the problem we claim to want to end, and makes it hugely difficult for responsible breeders to find the homes needed for their carefully bred puppies from quality, health tested lines. Eventually those healthy, typical dogs who can do a job will just die out.

I have had rehomed dogs myself and I run a breed rescue. The only way to stop the rescues filling up is to support those breeders whose puppies will never be anywhere near a rescue or a shelter.

The problem is - how are you supposed to assess a family’s suitability to take on a rescue dog if they have never had a dog before, @Coffeealwayshot?

Our first dog was a puppy we bought (from a reputable breeder), and since then we have taken on two rescue dogs, plus a third we adopted from a friend who needed to rehome her.

I had never had a dog before we got out puppy, and I am 100% sure I would not have been confident to take on a rescue dog, with all their potential problems, if I hadn’t had the experience of raising our first dog from a puppy.

I don’t know if anyone else has said this, but in our experience, rescues in the UK often don't want to rehome a dog to a home with children - or not younger children - so getting a puppy can be the only way for a family with children to get a dog.

No. Because I don’t want a rescue dog. I want a puppy. I want a certain breed.

I have young children. I want a breed that is known to be good with children.

I tried to rescue a dog. DD was over 10.
Trouble was then our existing dog was also over 10 and we weren’t allowed a rescue dog! Loads of rescues can’t be in a home with another dog.
Gave up - got a pup from a breeder.

And would they have let her go to someone with other pets and an 8 year old?

My little rescue would have been perfect for you. Ticks your boxes! She waited in rescue kennels.for.months with no-one wanting her! I'm so surprised she wasn't snapped up instantly because she's like the perfect, easiest, most well natured pup you could wish for!

Totally agree OP.
I volunteer as a dog walker at a rescue centre. 99% of the dogs are there through no fault of their own e.g. due to relationship break up, owner sick or can no longer afford a pet.
There is this misconception that somehow they will be difficult dogs. They really aren't.
And don't get me started on breeders who dump dogs with us when they are no longer financially useful to them.....
Please go for rescue if you can.

As PPs have pointed out, who is going to enforce all this? Wallop a massive tax on responsible dog owners and breeders to subsidise clearing up somebody else's mess? Or just tax the whole population harder to clear up the mess? There isn't even enough money to keep all the humans safe and happy.

Haven't been in a rescue for a while but back when I've worked in practices that had the contract to euthanase the pound dogs it was 90% Staffies or other gripping dogs, a steady supply of fearful neurotic collies with fried brains who probably wouldn't work, and a few clapped out elderly terriers bundled into the pound or dumped by people unwilling to face the fact that the dog was unrehomable and do the decent thing by paying for euthanasia themselves.

A rescue has potential to be way more volatile than a puppy. I've trained mine into a wonderful dog, but started with a blank sheet of paper, that suited me and my family very well. Better to focus your ire on those giving dogs up and perhaps understand how they got the dog in the first place and how that can be stopped.

"In plenty of cases there are obvious red flags that many vets should be able to spot in new puppies. Maybe the owners need some sort of fine so prospective buyers will be more careful about where they buy from? Apparently it’s too difficult for local authorities to find and close down the farms themselves, but something must be done."

Vets are not the police. We see people who have made poor choices all the time, but we go to work to fix animals not to get dragged into nailing people who have bought a BYB puppy.

Reality is that many come into shelters having been abused and are therefore not suitable to be around children. Many people who buy dogs have kids. That’s why the rescue dogs aren’t being taken home.

Why on earth would you put your child at risk?

Should humans be banned from having children until there's none left in the care system?

Do you see how stupid that sounds??

Go to a reputable breeder for the type of dog you want, but it will not be cheap.