To get a dog

[Charliefarlie1192]

I am a single parent to ds age 7, we have a cat who only ever comes home to eat and lost our other cat on the main road. I positively HATE being alone in the house and ds's father has shared custody. I love dogs and now the cat has gone i feel i need another living being here.

The thing is, I live in a flat, and work mon-thurs 9-.30-3pm

A decent rescue would not give you a dog not suited to your circumstances and experience anyway,

read earlier story - BATTERSEA the best - gave an energetic springer style yound male dog to a lady with arthritic knees who cant walk it far.

it destroyed thier kitchen. they didnt tell them that.

i have never said try before buy its amazing how people seizd on things, the point is - a resuce is a risk, and if something crops up that op cant deal with, she can return the dog.

at least its better to try - surely than not try at all and leave a dog to rot in a rescue along with thousands of others.

dry food as recomended by a vet.

And most dogs are fostered before being re-homed, so they can get used to a home environment.

From Battersea: "Most applicants will require a home visit but if you live too far away for this, you'll need to provide a letter of recommendation from a vet or rescue centre. In some cases we may request you ask a local rescue centre to carry out a home visit. Please note, this doesn't guarantee you'll be able to rehome an animal from us.

Battersea has dogs and cats of all ages, colours, shapes and sizes, each with its different personality and temperament. Each animal is assessed to find out what it's like and what sort of home, lifestyle and environment would best suit it.

Battersea is a council run pound not a rescue, one of the better council run pounds, but a pound none the less.

It is very difficult for a rescue to ascertain how a dog in kennels will behave in a family home, which is why most rescues like to work with foster homes rather than kennel the dogs and will provide behavioural back up if problems do arise. I would advise anyone with children/not much experience with dogs to look for a rescue that has dogs in family homes, so that they can gain a clear picture on how the dog will behave in the home.

So it's better to take an unsuitable dog into an unsuitable home environment than leave it for now until the OP has a better set up to handle a dog.

Isn't people taking unsuitable dogs into unsuitable environments the main reason there are so many "rotting in rescue centres"?

I really don't believe you can feed a dog for a month with a fiver.

And £5 a month for food is ridiculous. I'd be switching vets if mine told me to feed such cheap crap. I shudder to think of the amount of fillers and grain that would be in a food to make it so cheap.

My dog only weighs just over 7kg and costs almost £7 per week to feed.

Battersea is not the best and they can only go off what they have been told. You are telling us this story from a third party point of view. Third party stories are not to be relied upon.

The dog rescue centre near us treats re-homing very very seriously and will arrange for you to foster the dog first. If you take a dog back then this impacts on any future applications to re-home a dog with them.

Dry food recommended by a vet for a fiver? they all try and push Hills science plan or Purina at £30 a bag and it bungs up dogs insides

What to think about before getting a dog Factsheet for OP, if she's still reading.

Agree with elizaregina. The fact that you can return a dog to a rescue centre should not be confused with some sort of "try before you buy" policy. It is intended to be a last resort when, sadly, a particular rehoming doesn't work out.

This is why any good rescue organisation will be careful about who they choose to rehome their dogs with. Because dogs aren't handbags and different homes will suit different dogs. Ultimately, they want to keep disruption to a minimum and not shunt dogs backwards and forwards between new homes and rescue.

I don't really think its suitable for you to get a dog with you're working hours.

6 hours alone is a long time, its like an entire school day, its just not fair.

I have had dogs my entire life, in all different shapes and sizes. If you're working hours were the same or you could guarantee it would not spend too long alone daily then I think a very small dog would be suitable for you.

When I lived in a flat I had 2 little miniature Yorkies and they were fine being in a flat and after a while I could leave them as they tended to entertain each other and not wreck the house.

Could you not replace the cat? Or consider getting a house rabbit?

OP, some issues to think about.

You haven't said if your landlord will allow pets. Any reputable rescue will insist on you bringing written evidence that your landlord would allow a pet.

Can you afford a dog walker to come in during the middle of the day - a professional, not just a friend or relative?

You mention that your remaining cat still comes to eat - can you help to rebuild this relationship?

I would actually counsel against you getting a dog at this stage, with your working patterns. As others have said, dogs can be combined with a flat, and a cat, and a young child, but as the sole adult, with your working patterns, it's asking a lot. What would happen for instance if you had to overtime at work or were asked to do some extra hours?

There are many, many less demanding pets to think about - how about a rabbit, a pet rat or something similar?

You can still get a doggy fix - how about volunteering for a local rescue? Most are delighted to welcome volunteers and organise lots of nice social events that are suitable for families and children, things like summer picnics, BBQs, fun dog shows, etc.

I wouldn't, and can't add much to the reasons listed above. I agree with Scuttle about getting your dog fix at a local rescue - we went and visited our rescue dog's kennels a lot before we took him home and it was lovely. There's a real community up there and it was lovely for the DSs to see the function of the kennel and walk the other dogs.

I wouldn't. I know it's hard when you ache for a dog - and believe me, I was in that place for 12 years (including the whole flat-with-no-garden, working-fulltime scenario) so I do know what it's like - but it's not fair on the dog, it would be a huge amount of extra work for you and chances are you'd end up resenting it.

A puppy would be virtually unworkable in a flat with no outdoor space and being left for the amount of time you work; it would either have to be crated and so probably cry/howl/bark and disrupt your neighbours, or it would destroy your living space.

No reputable rescue is going to rehome to someone out of the house from 9.30-3, and no reputable breeder would sell a puppy to someone in that situation so you'd be taking a chance on a backyard breeder in it for the money or a not-so-reputable rescue who wouldn't be averse to being economical with the truth in order to move a dog on. The former increases the risk of health or behavioural defects with the puppy (parents unlikely to be health checked or matched to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses) and the latter increases the risk to you and your DS of taking on something with serious issues.

A lap dog as suggested so vociferously by Eliza is still a dog, with canine instincts and needs; it's not a fluffy toy that can be switched on and off depending on whether the OP is at home or not.

Yes, there might be a one-in-a-million dog out there who might just fit with the OP's circumstances, but the odds of finding it are stacked against you.

OP, I do feel for you but please, for the sake of the dog and your sanity, reconsider.

I have a posho lapdog (rescue) and she is an utter pain in the arse and needs more exercise than anyone else. The oldie lurcher/saluki guys refuse to even pee during sleep time (about 6 till 3). I leave all of mine during the day while I am work, I don't think it is a huge issue, but then I have a clan who take care of each other. I leave at 6am and get home about 1.30pm. If I pop home during the day they don't even get up.