AIBU to ask anyone considering buying a designer cross-breed puppy to follow this animal shelter for a few weeks before going ahead?

[99RedBalloonsFloating]

I have had a couple of poodle crosses and am fully aware of how delightful they are. I am not anti any kind of dog for "purist" or any other reason.

We are considering getting a new dog sometime in the next few years and I've been all over the internet looking at people selling cavapoos, poochons, and various forms of doodle puppies.

I found the website of an incredible looking rehoming charity called Many Tears and have been following them for about a month. Looking at all their dogs and checking every day for new and updated dogs.

www.manytearsrescue.org/

AIBU unreasonable to challenge, in fact, implore, anyone who like me has been looking at getting a designer puppy to do the same.

www.manytearsrescue.org/

This charity mainly rehomes dogs discarded from the puppy industry. That is, puppies that don't make the cut of being able to be sold for hundreds of pounds because of a health problem. Breeding females who have had too many litters to be of any further use and are petrified of people. Dogs that have clearly been returned to breeders for whatever reason, or for some reason are unsold.

Really looking into the profiles of these little dogs just reveals how incredibly heartless this industry is, and how many people must be being taken for a ride every day by heartless breeders. I thought I was pretty savvy but have realised through studying the dogs on this website, that I wasn't.

Great post op, Certainly food for thought. Poor poor dogs.

*Cherrysoup MTAR is a not-for -profit company (the website gives the info why). Are the poor animals who are used and abused by puppy farmers not worthy of being rescued? Should we just ignore them and their plight?

At no point did I say that.

If anyone really believes that rescues facilitate puppy farmers, go to MTAR and speak to the staff, see the dogs in the flesh.

Again, I didn’t say that, don’t misinterpret what I wrote. I don’t believe that by existing, Many Tears helps puppy farmers. They obviously provide a temporary home for the discarded dogs (and others). I’d rather tackle the problem at its heart ie petition to stop the Welsh government licensing these places (the puppy farms)

Why oh why do people do it and keep perpetuating this unbearably cruel industry? I despair.

1. They’re idiots
2. They’re impatient and don’t want to wait for whatever designer handbag bonkers cross the media or a celebrity has made popular
3. They don’t give a fuck about the dog’s welfare or how it was produced or the lack of health testing
4. Again, they’re idiots.

Yanbu

We got our pooch from Dog Watch UK and he was left to starve....he's the most wonderful dig in the world

I may be slightly biased

I would never consider getting a dog or cat from a breeder. rescues all the way for me

@WithTwoGiantBoys

I do worry that many tears and rescues like it facilitate the puppy farming industry by taking the inconvenient and non-profitable dogs off their hands

Do you really believe that rescue operations like this are what keep the puppy farming industry going? That doesn't make any sense at all. It's surely the lack of regulation, and people who are willing to pay $$$ for puppies, turn a blind eye and believe the lies for whatever reason that are directly facilitating the industry.

The RSPCA has a campaign going on the same theme, I imagine they have done their research. www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/dog-breeds/a29363059/designer-dogs-rescue-centre-rspca/

What is it about wales and puppy farming? Is the legislation different to england and Scotland?

I knew from the title of this thread it would be about Many Tears.

Its horrific to see all those "designer" dogs discarded. People who buy "designer" puppies should take a long hard look at what they are enabling.

@Cherrysoup

I’d rather tackle the problem at its heart ie petition to stop the Welsh government licensing these places (the puppy farms)

Please post a link to your petition - I’ll sign it.

I am not a dog person so don’t know much about breeding but I just don’t understand why anyone would buy from a puppy farm. Surely if you liked dogs enough to want one, you’d want a healthy, well socialised dog? Are people deceived into thinking they were buying from a registered breeder? Sorry if this derails a bit but I just can’t understand how people buy from these horrible places.

Can I please add another rescue - who do rehome to people with young children, on the proviso that you take the entire family to puppy training and have read a particular book about puppies.

dbarc.org.uk/dogs.html

We got our lovely dog at 16 weeks from them when DD was 5 and I was pregnant with DS. Many years on and despite owning several dogs over my life, he is by far the best dog ever.

Userzz
People often don't realise where the dog is from. They are sold through adverts, meet you in a car park, or meet you in a home which looks lovely but the puppy isn't usually kept there.

The big give away is if they have more than one breed of puppies, several different aged puppies, etc.

@Userzzzzz puppy farmers go to great lengths to deceive people. There will be nice websites, or adverts, often the puppies are handed over at a house with the impression given they have been raised there, but they haven't.

@MTBMummy thanks for that, I will take a look.

Here's another one...I went around various re-homing centres looking for a Spaniel and came across this one at Many Tears (She absolutely broke my heart). She was 5 months old and taken to Many Tears for re-homing because her previous owners bought the cute little puppy at 8 weeks old then couldn't cope with it, as she disturbed the neighbours crying all day, and owners were forever clearing up shit from her cage. She had been left in a cage, all day, every day, because owners "Had to work", plus she kept "attacking" their 5 year old when he was playing, so they couldn't let her out of her cage when they were home. In short, yet another, clueless, useless owner.

It took a long time to work with her but 3 years later she is bloody awesome!

I was given another cross breed, shortly after, by a neighbour for very similar reasons. If I hadn't taken him he would have ended up in an already, overcrowded, underfunded rescue centre, to languish in a kennel until somebody took an interest in him.

Puppy farmers are the pits! As are people who buy from them...

Agreed OP. I do not understand why so many people get dogs and cats from breeders. If you are willing to wait and do your research almost every breed has rescue groups and are in need of re-homing and most are not due to aggression but change in circumstances of owners. Our vet has long said the most aggressive dogs she's ever had to work with were from expensive breeders and bought as puppies. Also more health issues.
We have adopted and fostered both dogs and cats.

@poppycity that’s really interesting re: vet’s opinion on aggression.

Yes, we had spoken about buying a Rhodesian Ridgeback because I am absolutely in love with the breed for many reasons personal to my family. However I have now been volunteering at our local rescue for a few short months and am heart broken by the thought that we were nearly involved in more dog being brought into the world. This one rescue in a small place has over 500 dogs. Puppies, oldies, pure breds (though these tend to get adopted the most quickly), family groups, big small, tiny, giant you name it. Every month about 40 get adopted, and another 40 get brought in. IT really is heartbreaking and I don't feel I could ever buy now knowing this.

They are insanely difficult to adopt from- nearly always insist on a resident dog in the house. I got turned down because I work from home- apparently being at home wasn't enough unless the dog had my full attention all day long. I don't even give my kids my all day long attention at weekends...

Mum also tried to adopt from them when my beother was at uni and only in lectures 8 hours a week so mostly home and was told off as students aren't responsible enough.

Great charity but I wonder how they ever rehome any dogs...

I have been told by a friend involved in dog rescue that Many Tears buys the ex-breeding dogs. In my opinion this makes them part of the exploitation of dogs.

There are many other worthy animal rescues up and down the country doing the same thing. So if people aren't quite trusting of Many Tears, go elsewhere.

On the subject of breeding etc, I wish there was something in place to stop the breeding of animals as pets. I say this as someone with 2 rescue pets. I hate the fact that just about anyone can breed animals and make money from the sale of the babies. So many breeding mothers are abused and discarded. Also, ,many people out there buying 'designer' breeds think buying from a nice middle class house somewhere, is the right thing to do, when many of them are just Posh Puppy/Kitten Farms. It makes me so angry. When will people wake up and stop being utterly selfish?

There have been petitions etc to stop puppy farming. There have been quite a few investigations and television programmes, only a week or so ago the BBC did an in depth report and the Welsh Government were "shocked and surprised".

Lucy's Law is a great step forward but until we reach utopia, until these vile puppy farms cease to exist, there is a great need for the poor by-products (eg the dogs and bitches) of this evil trade to be rescued. Thank God for Many Tears - it is much easier to turn a blind eye or to sign a petition and think you have done your bit. Job done, forget about the poor dogs who are being used, abused and are terrified. Much easier to bad mouth a rescue centre that is not only trying to get these places banned but are also, in the meantime, doing whatever they can to help these animals.

I do worry that many tears and rescues like it facilitate the puppy farming industry by taking the inconvenient and non-profitable dogs off their hands.

I have also thought this as well.

@misscockerspaniel couldn't agree more.

@CatsOnCatnip yes. My dog has saved my sanity many times and improves my life on a daily basis.

Totally Agree, there are so many animals in shelter, it is sad ppl still spend money on buying ones.