You don't have a "rescue", you have a fucking dog!

[RoboticSealpup]

Is this a recent phenomenon? It seems like everyone who has a dog that wasn't bought from a breeder feels the need rub their virtue in others' faces every single time they mention the darned mongrel. "My poodle Henry -he's a two year old rescue - loves cheese!" It's like veganism but with dogs. Don't they realise how sanctimonious they sound?

YABU
Get over it, are the touching a nerve by any chance?
I tell people my dog is from the RSPCA when they compliment him. I do this in the vague hope that they might think twice before they go and buy the latest fad cross breed because " they couldn't possibly trust a rescue" !

I'm not sure why it needs to be announced?
My Dd adores dogs and often asks owners if she may stroke them. (Yes, she does ask, even at 16, I've drummed this into her)
She isn't asking where the dog came from, just asking to make a fuss of it.

My cats are all gorgeous, the rescue isn't any better than the one that I got from FB or the two that were accidentally bred.

I honestly think this site puts people off asking anything about animals, as unless you have a rescue and live on a huge farm you'll be a bad owner.

I don't mind people saying they have 'a rescue dog'
What I do mind is when people say it such a way as to imply that they personally went down a mine and rescued the dog themselves.

That gets on me nerves

I have two rescue dogs. I simply handed over the cash (after home checks of course)

But some people do ask where the dog comes from. Or how old. Or what breed. 'A rescue' covers all those bases if you don't know 😂

Try again

My two terr(ier)ors!

OMG TheFirst your first doggie looks like s/he's wearing a mask 😍😍

I don't think I refer to our dog as a rescue dog but we did get him from a rescue organisation and he has very little hair so sometimes I have to qualify this so as let people know he is like this through no fault of his own.

I do sometimes wish I could refer to our two children as 'rescue' children though it would explain a lot of their behaviours!!! But they are adopted and I would never do that!

It’s the word “rescue” which in a lot of cases is used wrongly when it means rehomed due to previous owners divorcing/not coping/unwanted rather than cruelty cases. I have dogs from the Dogs Trust but don’t mention it unless specially asked. It’s almost like some people want a pat on the back for the “rescue”. But hey, if it gets dogs out of the kennels then fair enough.

hahhaaa, i agree. it's the same with cats

rescue dogs can cook you dinner and don't catch fleas

My baked bean she was a stray, about 2 years old now.

She drives me insane (amongst the 100s of breeds she’s crossed with there must have been a vocal one in there....) but I love her dearly.

I agree. It's cringeworthy.

People ask what breed/age our two are and we don't know so we'll often say they came from the sspca centre but we think they're...

From experience a dog bought at 12 weeks old from a breeder is VERY different to a rescue dog, so saying they are a rescue in a conversation about them is justified

In what way are they different?

A dog bought as a puppy is more maleable. And if said dog has bad habits it's your fault!
A rescue dog comes with no end of potential issues; they often need a lot more patience, understanding & TLC especially if they are abused

It's just the way people act like they are sanctimonious heroes that annoys the OP. You haven't adopted an orphan with a tone of mental health issues you've adopted a cute lovable animal and don't have to go through the puppy stage.

It would be like if I gave two pounds a month to water aid and brought it up in every conversation like I was a hero 😂

I agree. It's cringeworthy

This tells me as much about you as I'd ever wish to know.

Have you RTFT fizz?

Dogs that come from a rescue centre come with a history. That history can be one of abuse, abandonment, very little or no training. If they’ve been given up or end up in kennels because their owner died, they can often be very distressed. The kennel experience is very stressful for the dogs, especially if they’ve been there for a prolonged time. When they come out of kennels to be rehomed, their personalities often change again, they can become confused and anxious. If you’ve rehomed a dog you have to put all this right and it’s hard graft. Nearly all rescues will have their foybles and they can rarely be solved quickly, in some cases they might not be solved at all (mine likes to ‘talk’ and craves attention by showing negative behaviours). It’s a long process that needs a lot of patience.

You don’t get any of that with a tiny puppy with no backstory. They’re blank slates to mould (excluding any natural breed traits)

You haven't adopted an orphan with a tone of mental health issues you've adopted a cute lovable animal and don't have to go through the puppy stage.

Wrong. I hope you never rehome a dog. The results would be disastrous.

I will put my neck on the line and say I do count myself as a better person for rehoming a dog than a person that chose to buy a irresponsibly bred fashion statement.

Fizzcat you obviously haven't ever adopted a rescue dog. You still get the chewing, the need to toilet train, the SA (often worse) that you get with a puppy...on top of that you might get fear aggression around certain triggers, food aggression, dog aggression, anxiety, general fear of society. You don't tend to get that with socialised pups. Taking on a rescue dog is a huge committment that goes beyond just taking on a cute puppy

It's normally other people who ask me, usually over the din of my dog screeching/baying/snarling, turning somersaults and frothing, whether she is "a rescue".

Nope, like HerOutdoors she is all my own work. She's a Patterdale and was bred by amateurs in a hunt kennels, left in an outside run with the litter and not socialised with humans, and separated from her mum too early. She was runty, neurotic and bad tempered at 8 weeks, and she still is now.

Thoughout the last 10 years, 6 behaviourists, and a spinal surgery, we've been told that normal people would have given up on her by now.

But I adore her and I will manage her through a complex system of terrier proof safety methods until the day she dies.

And the attitude you have is why many people take on a rescue dog thinking they are bypassing the puppy stage, realise it isn't all a barrel of laughs, & so dump the poor dog right back in the system. Thus adding to the trauma & confusion the poor soul is already suffering

Billy your poor dog's story highlights why idiots shouldn't breed 😔 Thank god for people like you!!

I end up telling most people Ddog is a rescue because she's so shy and nervous and hates strangers going anywhere near her. So when people approach to try and pet her I have to stop them sharpish and when they ask why I explain she's a rescue / was badly treated and therefore is scared of strangers. I also hashtag #adoptdontshop on Insta, I'm trying to promote something that's important to me, I can't see why that would offend anyone?!

Also I'm a pescatarian, where's that on your list of things to hate OP?!