To think buying a puppy is far more sensible for most people than rehoming a dog

[rainyoutside]

I’m a big advocate of animal welfare but AIBU to be concerned at posters who relentlessly push people considering having a dog towards rescue?

For one thing I don’t even know any rescue centres who will rehome to families with young children. But mn insist that they do.

Greyhounds are often pushed on here as an ideal first dog. They are absolutely huge. We would need a new car if we adopted a greyhound. Then it’s insisted they don’t have a strong prey drive. Er - they were bred for hare coursing. I’m sure there are some exceptions, just like there are some Labs who hate water and some stupid border collies, but it’s in the breed descriptor.

Looking on the dogs trust website, out of hundreds of dogs available for rehoming there are nine who can live with primary aged children. Add cats to that filter and there’s none. Zero.

It’s bloody heartbreaking. A MNetter linked someone yesterday to what she enthusiastically described as a brilliant rescue centre in my area so I had a look out of interest. Every single dog was reactive and had a history of biting. I can’t believe she suggested it to a woman with a 7 year old.

Rescue is one of a number of options when it comes to dog ownership and AIBU to think it’s daft and irresponsible to make people feel bad about not rescuing when there just aren’t suitable dogs available?

YANBU at all
Our home wouldn't be suitable for a rescue, all out between 9-4, children, cat
But our puppy (now 2) has been brought up like this and is no problem at all

If you're a lone adult, working from home with a garden then get a rescue
Everyone else 🤷🏼‍♀️

From experience of a large Dogs Trust in a rural area, there were no staffies & the odd greyhound. It was mostly larger dogs, a few Dobermans who were aggressive with strangers due to poor socialisation but staff were addressing it daily with experienced staff &offered anyone who took them on as many free behavioural sessions with staff after that as needed. They definitely didn't have bias against children when adopting. They had also linked up with a local dog trainer who volunteered & seemed to sort behavioural issues very quickly . I learnt loads from him. I did feel other rescues were too quick to label dogs,thru lack of experience. My dog was sent there from a different, city rescue, labelled agressive for pinning a puppy pestering her down with her paw. In reality she had separation anxiety but was gentle & placid with other dogs. Independant rescues are not as stringent as larger charity rescues either IME.

If there were even the most minimal welfare standards around the breeding of dogs in the UK, some legislation restricting how many litters each individual dog can bring into the world - if the well-being of those dogs and puppies came before profits and this was the norm and not the rare exception that people have to search for then maybe? But nobody has a right to a dog like nobody has a right to a child. It’s like mass commercialised surrogacy.

I thought I knew how bad things were in the UK but I very nearly adopted an exhausted spaniel who’s been bred from every season since her first season, which can be as often as twice a year, lives in a house with twenty other crated dogs and no laws are broken whatsoever. They’re fed, watered and exercised. Rescue organisations and individuals are treading carefully to persuade breeders like this to retire some of their dogs and relinquish them to loving homes but the only thing that appeals to such people is profit.

We went to look at a rescue dog but they refused as we have our niece and nephew round who were young at the time and the dog was actually being re-homed due to biting a child. We did foster another dog for a week but he really wasn't suitable. On more than one occasion, he had me cornered, growling and snarling at me. He was returned to the rescue centre and they were very appreciative of the fact we had fostered him for a week as they could gain a true insight of what he was like in a home environment and could be re-homed with somebody who could meet his needs.

We were in a similar boat as you trying to rehome a dog with a school aged child - we had decided that if we had no luck then we would start contacting breeders after Christmas.

We ended up getting our names on the list at 3 rescues near us and after about 6 months of contacting them weekly (with no luck) and waiting, then waiting some more, we got a call about a 12 week old puppy who was available to rehome.....we brought her home 2 days later and she is the most loving little thing ever!

The waiting is so hard but was so worth it in the end!

Depends on the rescue place and dog. Getting a two year old calm and lovely dog was much easier for us than a puppy.

I understand the frustration but at the end of the day, having a dog isn't compulsory nor is it a right. I don't think it's unfair of anyone to say that getting a puppy should be the last resort and to always try and prioritise rescue.

Totally agree. Vast majority of dog rescues won’t allow their dogs to go to homes with children. Yet when you say that, “you’re not trying hard enough” or “your home isn Suitable for a dog”. I looked and looked and went through application process with a few and got nowhere. So I bought a puppy

A rehomed dog demands more attention, patience and care to adjust to their specific needs.

Than a literal puppy?

We’ve had many rescues over the years and I’ve worked (and still do) work with rescue dogs as a job for most of my life. Although my rescue dogs have all been manageable all of them have had issues and none of them have been exactly the dog I wanted.

Now I have children I won’t rescue again, not while my children are small. I want the dog to be exactly the sort of temperament and personality that fits into our home and I assess the temperament of generations of dogs thoroughly before I agreed to purchase. I also met brothers, aunties and uncles and both parents of the dogs I currently have and knew none of them had shown any signs of aggression which could potentially be passed to the puppy genetically. I also knew the breeder would rear the puppy for the first 8 weeks in exactly the way I wanted, in a home and surrounded by people and animals. I also met so many examples of the breed and knew they were all as nice as dogs could be.

Rescue puppies can be a gamble, some turn out lovely and some don’t and I don’t want to take that risk.

Why are people still saying that there are countless dogs out there that need to be adopted, and that if people are not finding a dog it's because they're unsuitable?
There's a massive shortage of pets to adopt (and buy) at the moment. I've looked at all the adoption centres anywhere near us, and they have almost no animals available. The couple that are available have huge problems. I looked at a charity with dogs from Romania. They had almost nothing available. There was one dog advertised, which had just arrived in the UK, and loads of people were asking about it.

I foster for a small local rescue who will re-home to people with children, those who work full time, those with cats etc. They have a huge waiting list at the moment for their dogs.

They take in dogs from over-seas and those from the UK. They never have any issues re-homing the foreign dogs. The ones they have problems with are the UK ones which have been bought as puppies and have developed bad habits. They are the reactive and difficult to re-home ones.

My parents bought a puppy ten years ago having had many rescue dogs over the years as well as puppies. They did everything right and are experienced but still this dog is very fear aggressive and reactive and has to be muzzled when off their property. They've never had a single issue with the rescues they've had.

You have no idea what a puppy's personality will be, however careful you are choosing it. Whereas rescue dogs will have been assessed and lots will have been fostered in people's homes so you should know what you're getting.

Puppies are thin on the ground too, and cost £2,500 - not from a breeder. No, I'm not buying one.

YANBU. There's some very shady rescues out there

I agree.

We were desperate for a dog, but for the sake of the dog, held off until my husband retired. We registered with a number of rescue centres. We were told we were perfect-no kids, owner occupiers, access to a garden which was securely fastened, someone at home all day, cl9se to parks.

We'd had experience with dogs when we were kids, not as adults.

We checked the sites religiously but every time a dog came up we were told we didn't have enough experience. Many of the dogs are understandably difficult and couk d only go to those with more dog experience. But how could we get that experience without a dog?

I ended up asking random dog owners in the street where they got them, and the majority said breeders.

We've now got the lovely M Maggie from a breeder and love her to birs.

Sorry for fat fingers

exLtEveDallas
I’ve had 3 rescue dogs from 3 different rescues (Dogs Trust, MTAR and an local independent rescue). The first dog I got when DD was 9 months, the second when she was 5, the third when she was 6. One was a year old, one was a puppy, one was 2/3 years. Only one is left and DD is now 15.

It's been a while since you got your dogs, and our local rescues are very strict now. It's similar for cats, but I'm hoping to get one next year when our circumstances are better.

I don't like Staffies, sorry. Mostly because they're whingy and needy, and their coat is rubbish for crap weather.

I like Labradors, and other retriever types rather than the hunt point retrieve dogs with a drive to do their own thing.

Next dog will be a puppy who can get used to our life like our first lab did, rather than a rescue who will struggle with our lack of routine.

I won't be getting a puppy. Far too much like hard work. All that peeing and chewing
This to me is nothing at all compared to dealing with the complex needs of a rescue dog who has experienced trauma.

Peeing is just a case of cleaning and only weeks if owners bother with good training. Chewing is a matter of securing things. We had no issue with either as our puppy learned to go out the first we got him at 8 weeks so only had the occasional accident at night.

It's those that display willful ignorance when choosing who to buy from*
I agree with that. Despite the fact we took years to go ahead with getting our puppy, insuring that all his needs and more could be met, the commitment has still come as a surprise. Thankfully one we (well I mainly!) adjusted well too after a few weeks because I fell so madly in love with him, but I can see how d'amies could have such a distorted view of what it entails, focusing on all the good parts and forgetting the routine, restrictions, dedication required.

Buying a puppy is fine, but from a registered breeder, the problem is people buying puppies that aren’t from KC registered or at least health checked dogs that are council registered so we know they aren’t pumping out litter after litter. Dogs that are from puppy mills or just from people who breed their dog over and over are more likely to end up in a dogs home because they are more likely to have health and behaviour issues, also think people should have to take a test before getting a dog to prove they actually know what they’re doing, training puppies is hard bloody work

We had a lovely natured rescue that we got when DDs were 1 and 6. She was the sweetest most gentle and loving dog. We were bloody lucky though, some of the stories where rehoming has failed because the rescue has said they are child/cat/dog friendly and they are just not is heartbreaking for all involved.

We lost our old lady this year and looked at rehoming again but I just didn't want to risk it with the kids. With our last she had been being fostered for 4 months by a lady who's grandchildren were around all the time and with other dogs. We got a puppy instead and he has been an amazing addition to our family.

I would always say rescue if you can but would never recommend a rescue with children unless you have a pretty solid knowledge of the dogs nature. Child tested can mean the dog has been introduced to a child in controlled circumstances for a relatively short period of time. It's alot different living alongside each other.

I live close to one of the largest puppy farms in the UK. It's licenced and perfectly legal.
The farm feeds the hunger for crossbreeds and the only exercise the owners need to give the bitches is to walk them in a concrete compound.
Many of the supposedly homereared puppies come from this farm. I'd recommend that people educate themselves on the horrors of puppy farming,

“Here is what Staffie Smiles Rescue says on their website:

• Please note:

Due to the high volume of adoption applications we are receiving at the moment, we will be prioritising applications that suit our dogs needs 1st.”

It’s the first sentence... that’s also why the dog’s trust search is coming out worse than normal as well.

Since March, it’s become almost impossible to get a rescue dog - the same thing has happened with puppies except instead of being fussier, they’re being sold for 2 or 3 times the price they were last year.

So tbh, just now if you’re looking for a dog your choice is either wait until things settle down or pay stupid money for a badly bred dog.

Re greyhounds prey drive, you do get some that can live with small pets, but yeah they’re not that common - but if you don’t have any, they are pretty much an ideal first dog, their prey drive is much easier to manage than a collie or a Spaniel’s, but they’re very lazy and low maintenance, friendly and affectionate without being OTT and actually take up much less room inside than lots of smaller dogs do.

even without small children every single dog at my local rescue requires an experienced owner with no other pets or children, who doesn’t leave the house for prolonged periods of time …

…if at all, and has a large enclosed garden, and can walk the dog for hours in a place and time where it won’t meet other dogs… I’m sure such people exist but they’re few and far between compared to how common such requirements are.

OP, I’ve had two beautiful dogs via Pets4Homes. Look for the adoption listings, and you’ll see the owners who have to rehome because of relationship breakdown, having to move somewhere they can’t take a dog, or losing their job. Small Dog was rehomed because after eight months he still clashed badly with their older dog. I’m not saying it was a fantastic reason, but I got a lovely little dog and he got a great home.

But then a lot of people are insisting that in a few weeks ‘lockdown puppies’ will be coming into rescues, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that’s not the case!

I think like a lot of things COVID is being used as a bit of an excuse.