Adopt don't shop. (Dogs)

[SarahHans]

We are told this constantly.

I have children. My youngest is 8.
I don't particularly want a puppy, been there, done that. It's not something I'm super very interested in.

I ideally want an older dog. Over 7. Chilled.

I've been to 3 different shelters and been told they ALL have age restrictions.

Today I went to a place I visited last week alone. When I went alone the staff were very attentive until I told them I had kids, they told me to bring my kids to meet the dogs as they won't rehome until they all meet, which I knew and was happy to do.

So today I did that. There were at least 25 dogs there, I enquired about one and was told 'over 14 kids only' then she walked away.

Eventually I went to the reception and asked could they please point out the dogs that would be able to be rehomed with an 8 year old.

They told me non. Not one out of a full shelter.

I'm actually considering buying a puppy now as everywhere I try say they don't have any suitable dogs.

Sorry. Just being a bit deflated :(

www.facebook.com/aadogrescue/
they have dogs to suit all age of children

I've found a puppy to buy who is ready mid September.

Bit sad as I did want a rescue but I don't think I have the patience to jump through all the hoops.
This is him.

SarahHans - LurcherLink are in Halifax and adopt to families with children. They have a cat-friendly lurcher available at the moment. I have a non-cat-friendly lurcher from them and she has managed to adapt to living with a chinchilla...

Absolutely agree with going to smaller, local rescues. We were looking last year and both Battersea and Dog Trust insisted that any sighthound had to be kept on a lead and muzzled when outdoors, for life. They even wanted a signed contract to that effect. It didn't matter if the dog chased, or even had anything resembling a prey drive, if they were a sighthound, that was them.
We've had sighthounds for years, but DM refused to rehome another one under those conditions. We got a beautiful extraveller lurcher from the local pound in the end, and while she has her problems, she gets a nice long walk, off lead and with plenty of space to zoom about to her heart's content. We all love her, even my nondoggy DP.
I don't rate the RSPCA for rehoming either, they wouldn't rehome me a gerbil (to replace DD's existing gerbils) because we have cats. It's not like we were going to feed it to them ffs!

I´ve noticed that about greyhounds/whippets on MN too. Nothing against them, but they are not the dogs for me.

Do you mind me asking - going back to yoru OP - you want an older dog over 7, your son is 8 ….. the dog would have a life span of 4-5 years if you're lucky. Whilst I agree older dogs need homes, it's pretty cruel to a child to get them something with such short longevity.

newyear many dogs live until 16+

Look for smaller rescues, Local FB selling groups are a good place to ask as local rescues will be on there keeping an eye out for people chucking their dogs out. If youre in the South east i know of loads 👍

It’s always the same story with rescues. I respect all they do to protect animals but I feel at times they need to be more flexible. I agree with pp to try a breed specific rescue who may be more willing to work with you.

It breaks my heart that dogs are sitting in kennels when people like you op could provide a lovely home. Rescue wouldn’t rehome to me because my husband and I work full time. However, he works at night and I work from home and my sis lives round the corner and petsits for me regularly so the animals are very very rarely left for more than an hour or two usually while we shop or whatever. I’m an experienced owner but they weren’t interested in our set up (which works great for our current animals—all happy and healthy) just because on paper we both work full time. It’s frustrating.

it's pretty cruel to a child to get them something with such short longevity.

I managed to get over the deaths of childhood hamsters!

I was in exactly the same position as you. I had a cat for 3 years that sadly was run over, he was like a bear friend to my son, we were devastated. Couldn’t face getting another pet for a few years, but now for the last year, we have been trying the uk shelters. For people saying theirs thousands of uk dogs needing rehomed, i don’t know where all these dogs are, as anytime I go online, it’s reserved, reserved... constant. When I do see any, it’s dogs that can’t be homed with children, or children under 14. I have now adopted a 5 month puppy from Romania, she has had all her checks, and has her passport abd ready to fly over mid November, so the way I see it, is at least we getting one off the streets, into a living home, no matter where it’s from.

Best friend sorry, not bear 🙈

Contact Kennel Club breeders directly. Often they have retired breeding or show dogs that they are willing to let go to the right home. I've placed a couple of the years, not by deliberate searching for a home for them, but because an absolutely fantastic home has contacted me asking about older dogs and the circumstances just fit. The dogs are well trained and socialised.

I spent a decade running a companion animal rescue group. The thing I learned was that some rescue groups are so self-righteous they turn making people feel inadequate into an art form. They create huge barriers to people adopting and then complain that people don’t adopt.

It’s alsi a reality that people want what they want, and mostly for good reasons. I have rescue dogs. I also have a purebred show dog, of a breed I’ve owned before and which is quite rare.

If buying a puppy from a good breeder works for your family, you shouldn’t be ashamed of it. Dogs don’t sit in shelters because people are buying from breeders, it’s more often because they make it so difficult or unpleasant for people to adopt, they go elsewhere.