Why are some people so judgemental about getting a puppy, I don’t want to regime someone else’s dog !

[LardLizard]

It’s not my responsibility to take on someone else’s dog they have dumped in an animal rescue place

From what I hear out of every 10 dogs that are rehomed 6 are returned .....

People don’t say when you have a baby
Oh why did you go and have a baby
You could have adopted one !!!

I think there are very valid reasons to get a puppy rather than a rescue dog (which generally are very limited breeds) unless you’re after a staffie. But getca puppy from a proper breeder (ie one you probably have to go in a wait list for, have a contract life long support available from a breeder. Not one off pets4homes which will probably be from a puppy farm brought into a house at the last minute with some random dog masquerading as it’s mother

We looked into rescue dogs but they wouldn't rehome our chosen bread because we live 200m inside the city boundary (as an experiment I tried with my friends postcode 5 mins walk away and they said yes!) dogs trust said no because we had children under 12 (as in 9&11) rspca said no because we live on a main road and I work 3 hours a day. So glad we got a puppy, I trained from the start and he's got his gold obedience award, does loads of tricks and lately is doing care home visits.

I don’t know who has said this but if you want to be able to settle a dog and then go out to work then a puppy won’t work. It took me months to be able to leave our pup for any amount of time at all.
If you don’t have the know how or support or desire to train a dog then a rescue may be a better choice.
Rescues can be in foster homes so you have a better idea of what you’re getting too.
I didn’t rescue. I wanted a certain breed. It doesn’t suit everyone. But my dog is the only pet I have had that isn’t a rescue. Grew up with rescue dogs. Have rescue cats.

Why did you want a certain breed wolfie?

(That isn’t a loaded question BTW.)

I have a rescue from another country. Street dog. He's great and very happy to be with us. He's a proper mongrel with some whippet. Loving, kind and sweet.

Glad to hear people judging our choice.

It’s fine. I understand it can be an emotive issue. I have wanted a wolfhound for many many years. (Hence the user name!!)
DH and I working, living in an urban space, house quite small, had kids etc etc.
Finally I had the chance. They are like no other dog. She’s my baby lap hound. My constant companion and she makes me smile every single day. They’re far from everyone’s choice by being surrounded by wolfhounds? That’s my happy place.

honeyskye I did not say that this thread was about me. I was responding to a point that the OP made.

If everyone is a random baby then why the caustic remark about adopting 'random babies' FGS?

To be honest, don't bother responding. You are reminding me why I prefer dogs to people.

Some rescues DO have puppies. Our local shelter does. I used to volunteer there and would sometimes see a curtain draped over a cage with a sign on it saying "Do not disturb. Mom and puppies resting." They also had a kitten nursery where they housed kittens and pregnant cats. Volunteers who had gotten a certain number of hours working with dogs and cats, respectively, could sign up for training for puppy and kitten enrichment.

In our shelter, at least, all animals are assessed for behavioural issues. Now, obviously they can't absolutely guarantee an animal's behaviour, but they do provide information about any problems they have observed. The shelter also offers classes for dogs. Some are more general classes (basic obedience, puppy training) while others are focused on addressing specific issues (fear, leash reactivity, and excessive jumping, just to name a few). Sometimes they will encourage that the adopter sign up for a specific class based on what they know about the dog's temperament and behaviour when it is adopted.

I’m more on the “adopt a dog” side of the argument but there’s no shame in wanting a puppy. There are many irresponsible breeders out there who take advantage of puppy demands and so keep dogs in horrible conditions (and I’m being nice when I put it that way) HOWEVER there are still reputable and decent breeders in the world. The only thing is, buying from a good breeder usually means you’ll have to pay more, this is why many people use the not so reputable ones.

If you are decided you want a puppy, do some research, save up and go for a reputable breeder. I say this as a person who previously volunteered with the RSPCA and has experienced first hand, the horror of puppy farms.

I obviously see the difference between a puppy farm and a genuine breeder, however I still don't have much respect for them. I know a lady that breeds dogs. Great lines, kc registered, competes at Crufts regularly etc, but all done for profit - she was able to leave work as she makes more selling dogs. It just doesn't sit well with me.

That’s not a good breeder. A good breeder breeds selectively and for a purpose (not money). KC reg isn’t a guarantee. Crufts qualified isn’t a guarantee.

I feel sorry for the bitch. Giving birth to little puppies only for them to be taken away from her.

Bitches are apparently quite happy to get rid of their pups! (If they’re not taken too soon etc). They don’t have the same biological desire as we may feel to have a family.

A good breeder won't usually make that much money from selling the pups. A litter of 4-8 pups, say, at around £700 plus each sounds a small fortune. But first you'll need certificates, a stud fee if you don't own the father, proper care of the mother along with food, vet bills etc, insurance, vaccinate and microchip the pups, food for pups when weaning, more vet bills for health checks (some more than others dependant on breed), and an emergency vet fund in case anything goes wrong.
Plus the investment in time to monitor, look after and socialise the pups when they're young.

But there are so many dodgy breeders out there - especially those who breed the "designer" pups where the puppy has severe health issues or the mother ends up needing a cesarean as she's not able to birth the pup naturally.

We have always had rescue dogs and cats and chickens and goats...
My mum was like a animal whispered and all our animals loved her. We had dogs that were due to be destroyed as they weren't able to socialise with people or other animals who moved to our madhouse and settled in for long happy lives. Even now, my dads dog was a three times returned rescue who would never be able to be house trained 🤔😣 well she is great in all ways and can be left or go where ever is needed.
Dogs like humans respond to the people around them. The majority of dogs come good but you have to meet their needs first.
However you may be like me and have children under 5 so are not accepted by local rescues. So puppies or older dogs from reputable people may be your only option.

I'm not a dog person, and this is not in the same league as dogs but my DD and I keep guinea-pigs.
All rescues.

I would dearly love for there to be no need for Small Animal Rescues. I would dearly love for a select number of breeders who will be responsible , not allow the animals to have too many litters, have matings with their own littermates, people who do their research before they buy .

Find out about accomodation, diet, allergies ( "Getting rid 'cos my child's allergic" is a common Gumtree reason) the cost, neutering, vaccines if needed.

None of my animals were abused but they've been accidents, dumped, hoarded, bred from.

How would their lives have been if they'd gone from Responsible Breeder -to-Me .

No Pets@Home
No sitting waiting in a hutch in someones garden
No being moved from A-B-C and all the stress.

I wouldn't buy from Pets @ Home because it creates a vacuum and a demand that will be filled. But yes a % will find homes . And a % will find themselves in the situation of my little pets , being rehomed .
Or on Gumtree type sites
Or worse.

And now we're approaching the time of year when demand is high.
Most Rescues will not rehome at Christmas (unless it's a situation like matching a bereaved animal) , but they must dread the weeks after when they get deluged.

Breeders create
Buyers fuel the demand
Rescues pick up the slack
The animal suffers.

So we're told Wolfe, but I have seen plenty of examples of mother and pup street dogs that have grown up together and are inseparable as adult dogs.

When you say a good breeder breeds for a purpose, exactly what do you mean, and why are they selling them to the general public then? As in anyone who decides to go get a dog and does some research on good breeders.. they don't need a dog bred a certain line, but they want one because it sounds good (can't tell you how many pedigree labs from "top working lines" came into rescue because people bought them thinking it sounded better than a bog standard pet lab and then couldn't cope). It doesn't add up..

And if a novice dog buyer was looking up breeders, the lady I know would come into the good breeder category - kc registered, regularly showing at crufts, healthy dogs...

And people definitely make money on dogs, at least 50%. Dogs are only expensive nowadays because people will pay it. If you're getting a litter of five or six pups you can cover stud fees and vet checks/initial jabs by selling two or three pups, and surely you'd have insurance/a pot for emergencies. Care/feed of the dam - surely you'd do that anyway. I'm not saying you don't have costs, but breeders definitely make money.

I've had 4 rescue dogs (3 collies and a German Shepherd), two of them are currently with me.

The youngest came to me at 12 months, the eldest at 11.5years, all have been completely house-trained and have never chewed anything they shouldn't have. My children have grown up with them and have never been harmed. My dogs have all holidayed with us and spent time in school playgrounds.

The thought of a puppy fills me with horror! Do people really want to get up during the night and chase a land-shark around their house for weeks on end? Not for me, I get dogs from rescues who have had a thorough assessment and temperament testing.

Most of all, rescue dogs want you to be kind and consistent. There is no shouting here, no choke chains or crates. Our dogs have all settled in within days and have been fabulous companions.

Rescues are worth every minute of your time - I will never pay a breeder for a dog.

To the people talking about global population when you discuss having children, I say "Well, who should have children? How do you propose to restrict it?" If we want the human race to continue more than 100 years into the future, then someone has to have children. Simple biology.

And being very cynical, when people say they are "saving the planet" by not having children, the planet would do a lot better without any humans on it. If we overpopulate, run out of resources and kill ourselves off it will probably be the best thing for the planet in the long run.

I don’t know about the UK, but there are tons of puppies for adoption here in the US. I got my pug/terrier mix at 9 weeks; he was part of an unwanted litter given up at 5 weeks. He’s been easy to train and is really smart and loves everyone.

Dear OP,

Please don't get a dog.

Yours sincerely

All dogs

OP shouldn’t get a dog. Or any kind of pet.

For others though, there’s rarely a shortage of puppies in shelters. An astounding number of assholes ditch their pregnant dogs.

I think the problem is so many people get turned down by rescues for stupid reasons.

My dm wanted to rescue rather than buy a puppy as she agrees there's no need to buy when there's so many in rescues.
She was denied a rescue puppy because she worked part time. She could of worked from home for as long as needed for the puppy to settle in (she might of needed to pop into the office for an hour every couple of weeks But that was all) But that wasn't good enough for them.

My dm also put her hand in her own pocket several thousands of pounds to pay for cancer treatment for her old dog after her pet insurance reached it limit.

I'm not quite sure what else she would have to do to be accepted by a rescue?

So she brought a puppy from her friend who has a farm and had collies who had a litter.
It wasn't the way she wanted to get a puppy at all but it's the only way she could.
She's 9 now and is spoilt rotten by my dm I swear she's having a better upbringing than I did

“I'm not saying you don't have costs, but breeders definitely make money.”

They might on an individual litter, if everything goes well, but to make anything near a wage from it they need to compromise on the welfare of the dogs.

You just can’t physically produce enough puppies to earn that much money without doing that.