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 !!!

We were turned down by our local rescues as we had cats and didn't want a staffie or greyhound as they have a strong prey drive.

Having said that, puppies are an insane amount of work and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. I love my dog but god, I wish I'd got him when he was older! It's like having a baby but without the maternity leave!

It is really sad about dogs in rescues but in many ways there are similarities with children. People don’t have dogs or children to perform a civic duty, it’s about enhancing your own life.

As said on the other thread there is some grey space between puppy farm and attending crufts.

I previously rescued 4 dogs of the same breed, including one 6 week old puppy. All of them have had behavioural or health issues to one degree or another and although I’ve loved and managed them all I dont think it’s fair to say it’s for everyone. I would say the puppy was the most messed up of them all, followed by the youngster who was beaten repeatedly by an autistic child.

Now I have children I have bought a puppy from a respected breeder as I wanted to know every little detail about what I am taking in around my children.

Lots of research has shown that most behaviour is genetic. Although the environment does shape them to a point the best way of getting a dog that suits your needs is to find a breeder who breeds the personality you need. Any nervousness in the bitch etc can be passed genetically to the puppies and even stress in utero can cause behavioural issues in puppies hence why it’s so so important to go to a breeder worth paying the money too.
I work closely with a dog behavioural expert (veterinary) and she is forever despairing at people who have dogs that do not suit their lifestyle and wonder why it isn’t behaving in the manner they want.

I’m not saying I wouldn’t rescue again but I also wouldn’t judge people who chose to find a pet suited to what they want that has the best chance of being the sort of dog that they can cope with. If more people did this instead of buying “any cheap medium sized dog” on Facebook then realising they can’t cope as they have no idea what they have then maybe it would solve a lot of the problem in the first place.

I always wanted to get my dogs from a rescue, but we’ve been turned down because we work (if we didn’t work we couldn’t afford a dog). I currently have three dogs, all taken on from people who couldn’t keep them anymore for various reasons. They’re all happy (they’re curled up on the chair with me as I type this), and I wouldn’t change any of them for the world, they’re the best dogs...and I didn’t have to go through house training as it was already done!

We wanted a rescue dog but every single rescue turned us down. Our garden was described as unsecure and too small for a dog, we both worked so that wasn't okay either, and we have cats which ruled us out for a lot of breeds even if we'd satisfied the first two criteria.

So we researched and researched and got our puppy from a breeder instead. We're in touch with all the owners from our litter and his last litter from our pups mum. All the pups are healthy and the parents have had all the required health checks. Our puppy is eight months now and although going through his teenage phase I wouldn't change him for anything - he's a fantastic addition to our family.

And despite the rescues concerns - he's never left on his own because we had daycare lined up (in someone's home, not a kennel setting), and he's never allowed in the garden unsupervised so he's never had the chance to run off or escape. And even though we have a tiny garden, we live in the Lakes so it hardly holds him back from exploring and sniffing and running about like a loon!

Lots of contradictions really.

People say don't get a puppy but rescue but rescues are so restrictive that it pushes them back to getting a puppy. And unless the dogs have been in a foster home I don't think a few visits really shows you the long term temperament so you may still end up with just as many issues (although different issues) as getting a puppy.

Then lots say if you want a puppy then get a rescue puppy but if that puppy has come from parents with behavioural or genetic issues then that puppy may inherit those when getting one from a breeder means that you can assess the parents and their health.

It isn't hard really to see why people don't rescue. And it isn't the fault of the people buying puppies who look after them for life that the rescues are full, it's the fault of the people that buy dogs and give them up.

Harshly worded, but I know where you're coming from OP

So many people judge me and say "why didn't you get a rescue" like I'm selfish. - well, I didn't get a rescue because I have a baby and they wouldn't let me! I also thought long and hard about getting a dog and had requirements for what sort of breed I was after.

Nothing wrong with getting a dog from a reputable breeder.

I have massive issues with people who don't do their research before buying a puppy. There are so many ByB that it is easy to just get a puppy; a decent, responsible owner doesn't 'just' want a puppy tho. They want a healthy, happy puppy from a responsible breeder & will put the work in.

I've done dog rescue in the UK & tbh I was always moaning about the rules. Blanket rehoming rules help nobody. A good rescue takes a dog & works with it as an individual, getting to know its likes & dislikes. If the dog goes to foster, you can do so much more assessment with it.
A good rescue takes each family on its own merit. Ruling someone out for kids, living in a flat, no garden etc is damaging for the dogs.

For me, there's good & bad on both sides. Do your research into the breed you want, find a good breeder. This doesn't guarantee tho that your chosen dog will be x, y or z. No guarantees in life. And just remember, you didn't want to have to rescue somebody else's dog....don't expect anybody else to have to rescue yours if you change your mind/move house/have a baby/change your furniture scheme etc etc

We've had our rescue dog just three months,she's almost 9 and had been used for repeated breeding. She was cast out because she was too old to breed any more I imagine. She is a lovely dog, gentle and well behaved in the house. She's anxious around other dogs and at the side of roads most likely because she was never walked and the only dogs she saw were those used to mate with her or her puppies so she wasn't properly socialised but we are working on this and she is improving all the time.
I would highly recommend a rescue dog there is always support on the end of the phone if you need it and also seeing Bella become a very happy and well rounded dog is incredibly rewarding.

It is a choice. No one has the right to say the OP is not an animal lover because they want to choose the dog that will spend the next 10-20 years living with them. I wanted to choose my dog - not go to a rescue centre, be inspected, and then told what was deemed suitable for me. I have specific requirements and wanted a puppy. A puppy which has turned into an amazing dog. If I buy a horse, I choose the horse I want. I don't go to a rescue centre. I am happy to donate to charities (not the RSPCA however) who fund rescue centres. But I choose the horse/dog/cat that I want after careful consideration and for me that is unlikely to be from a rescue centre.

OP gone then?

Quelle suprise.

I have to rehome a cat as her sister bullied her out of the house. It wasn't my plan...I love her but it wasn't fair.
Sometimes people have the best intentions. Better to rehome than abandon.

@Honeyroar
My dog care from a litter bred because both of her owners (co owned) wanted a pup from the next generation to carry on the lines. They were lucky enough to have more than two puppies.
And as for making money? The parents needed specialist testing before breeding, they adapted their house and garden to make a safe space for pups, paid for vaccinations, liver shunt tests, microchipping, a month of insurance for each pup, dewormed, deflea, provided comprehensive information pack for new owners. Photographs from birth. Home checked new homes. Mum had a c section and they had all the pups to care for. Giant breeds can’t be left with pups to start with so 24/7 hands on with mum and babies. Provided food and milk for new owners to take away.
That’s just what I can recall. Plus lifetime support and we have meet ups!
If they made some money out of the litter then I would say they earn it.
And the working lab in rescue? Because idiots don’t research what they are taking on.

I don't disagree with the OP. She may have seemed cold-hearted but I agree with her reasoning. Much as it would be lovely to provide homes for all rescuse dogs I too would only get a puppy (Mum used to be a kennel club regustered breeder, won at crufts etc so have lots of contacts so am not talking puppy farming!!)

I couldn't get a puppy. Didn't have an issue with it per se until I had my own baby. Realised that my urge to be with my baby and know they are safe is biological and probably most mammals have it. Would feel so guilty separating puppy and mother for my own desire to have something cute. In the wild, puppies would stay with their pack until adulthood, but the earliest I would be happy taking one is six months of age, when they are teenagers by dog standards.

I had the same when I was getting a cat - “are you going to get a rescue?”

No. I wanted a particular breed to fit in with my lifestyle. And, because I was getting a pet because I wanted one to enhance my life, not out of some civic duty, I wanted a kitten.

Got a kitten from a reputable breeder and now have a lovely cat who is almost an carbon copy of the ‘breed characteristics’ in temperament.

He’s the most pampered and well looked after cat ever. Love him so much. He’s such a good cat.

One of my friends who was quite vocal about how I shouldn’t go to a breeder went and let her cat get pg and had TWO litters of kittens before she got it neautered. So bought 7 kittens into the world, all found homes but you could say they took homes a rescue cat should have had...!

This is so depressing. You don't want to be responsible for someone's dumped dog, you'd rather be responsible for supporting puppy farming? Nice.

So what do you think should happen to unwanted dogs - mass euthanasia might suit and then everyone can just buy the puppy they want?

I have three rescue pups here at the moment, all under 12 weeks. No behavioural problems, no health problems, not their fault they weren't wanted before they were born. And yes, the rescue will be very strict about the homes they go to, so that they are not handed back in three months time in need of lengthy work for problems the owners have created.

This is so depressing. You don't want to be responsible for someone's dumped dog, you'd rather be responsible for supporting puppy farming?

Eh?

Not all non-rescue dogs are puppies from puppies farms

I’ve looked at rescues, lots of times. But they have very restrictive criteria, and it seems that at least two thirds of the dogs are Staffies or Staffie crosses and other bull terrier types, which I wouldn’t have because they’re too strong for me. (This isn’t a dig at Staffies, my uncle has one and she is wonderful, but she’s far too powerful for me!).

I’m not currently in a position to get a dog anyway, but when I am I’ll certainly go back and look at rescues. I also have a few good breeders which I follow on Facebook and have waiting lists a mile long. I’m happy to wait for the right dog to come along, but if they’re in a rescue then I just hope the rescue is willing to let me adopt!

Rescue dogs where puppies once....

I judge potential owners who don't approach rescues first.

Cats and dogs

Usually because it has to be a specific breed

Labra this
Or cocker that

Hate all this intense breeding

It might not be the OPs responsibility to home someone else's dog but it is her responsibility to make sure the puppy she rehomes is from a responsible breeder, even if that involves waiting lists.

We had dogs when I lived at home and they were always rescues. I doubt I'll ever have a dog but if I did if would be a rescue. I don't actually see the appeal of puppies. They look cute but to me they are yappy, bitey little things that wee everywhere!

I absolutely agree OP. I think that taking on rescue dogs from generic rescues, supports puppy farming, as that is where a lot of rescue dogs either come from as puppies, or go to when their breeding career is over. It supports the disposable view of dog ownership and does nothing to stop puppy farming at all.

Next dog I have will be bought from a breeder who is successful at showing and/or working their dogs. I’ve had 1 rescue and 2 rehomes from a friend and want to now support good quality breeding.

I have read so many posts on here that are along the lines of “my puppy is 3 months old and I can’t cope” people crying over the puppy stages, the biting and the toilet training, the absolute carnage of what can be a puppy and then suggesting they might rehome them. This is why people suggest getting a rescue dog because most dogs I. Rescue were once someone’s lovely cute puppy who simply couldn’t handle them so gave them up :(
Puppies are incredibly hard work!
That said adopting from a rescue can be hard work too.
I got a puppy she’s 2 now and the first year was so hard but I persevered trained her well and she’s a lovely dog now.
I also rescued a dog a year ago he’s 2.5 now and it’s been challenging in different ways.

The thing with buying a puppy is the breeding business is not regulated enough, thankfully a new law has come out which should help but they’ll still be people who get around it somehow there always is. Puppy farm are horrendous places they’re so unbelievably cruel :(

What’s wrong with wanting a specific breed

Surely it’s better to select a dog that will fit your lifestyle and wants than pick a random one that you have to hand back when you realise it isn’t the right fit. This is some of the issue with rescue, much of what your taking is a gamble and for some people it won’t work out the way they hope. Being pressured by random people every time you ask for advice about getting a dog to just take any dog just because it’s what there isn’t the right thing for the dog or human IMO.