To implore people not to get a rediculously overpriced lockdown puppy

[hibbledibble]

I know it's the vogue now, and people are bored at home.

However buying puppies for £3-5k+ a piece is fuelling crime and animal exploitation. A lot of puppies are being bred in terrible conditions, with health impacts for the mothers and puppies. Criminal gangs are breeding puppies, and also stealing puppies and adult dogs, in order to breed from them. There are multiple stories of people being violently mugged for their dogs.

People will say 'but I got my dog from a reputable breeder' however paying a highly overinflated price for a puppy is fuelling the crime and exploitation associated with the industry, by maintaining high prices. In addition, many breeders are not as reputable as they appear to me, as the high financial gains are attracting unscrupulous individuals.

Finally, what will happen to all these impulse purchased puppies once lockdown ends, and people are expected back in the workplace? Likely a lot will end up being abandoned, or left at home alone all day.

Please, if you want to get a dog, adopt, don't shop, and thoroughly research the decision, including the costs involved in ownership. There are many rescues that will rehome to families, and some that have puppies too, but they won't be purebreds or 'designer' crosses!

Yanbu with most of your post op.

However, with young children, I would never get a dog - puppy or adult - from a rescue.

I know there are lots of great success stories but ime there are too many unknown factors to risk it, despite whatever behavioural tests the rescue go through. Assuming they do them.

I have three lots of experience with rehoming pets. Two cats (ours) and one dog (Mils). With the cats, both were kittens, 13 weeks and 15 weeks. No background to speak of, pretty standard. Both seemed lovely during visits. One was an absolute nervous wreck which caused us all kinds of issues. The other was 50/50 between being the most beautiful, laid back animal and the most vicious bastard cat I've ever had.

With Mils dog, it was a spaniel mix of sorts. Nervy but seemed soft. I always kept my eye on it with the kids and it seemed OK. 4 months in it, out of the blue, went nuts and attacked MIL. No idea why and was PTS.

Any future cats or dogs we have will be from reputable breeders, viewed with the mother in the home and got as a puppy/kitten - because anything other than this and you really have no idea what possible trauma the animal has experienced, or what long term effects that may have had.

My friend has ordered a king corso from Romania. Not sure how I feel about that

Sadly it does seem to late :( rescues are starting to see ‘teenage’ pups coming in.

I just hope that some of the dog owners get their dogs to training- on the last 2 walks we’ve had issues with badly trained young dogs - I’ve walked for a fair few years at the same place and not really seen this lack of training till recently :( we sadly ended our walk early today as one such dog caused a issues with numerous dogs on his way around . The owners did not have a clue

People are often selling at a price so unscrupulous folk don't buy them at the reasonable (cheaper) price and then sell them on.

Sadly rescue centres have few dogs they are willing to go to families.

Why would you rescue a dog when it’s in fact from a puppy farm that older dog with its tits on the ground, that’s been surrendered, that young dog with a list of health conditions as long as your arm, that dog that matts from two or three pedigrees that need shaved every few weeks to stop it. All from the local puppy farmer. I’ve worked rescue and it would be kinder to put a lot of them to sleep.

That pup that’s had 4 homes because it’s no longer cute or has the cheek to piss on the floor and the original breeder has changed their number and doesn’t give a shit they’ve got your money.

It’s not your old neighbour dying and their dog in rescue to be adopted these dogs all have problems

Most rescues don’t have dogs in well rescues I know they’ve none and have a strict criteria because they don’t know the background of these dogs as owners lie and boy do they lie.

Ethical breeders take back regardless of excuse and there is many excuses.

I saw this young cockapoo for sale recently and thought it looked in a terrible condition. Look at its feet! Not sure who (or if) something like this should be reported to.
www.pets4homes.co.uk/classifieds/3142340-cockapoo-male-studley.html

I have a friend who saw an advertisement online for a 9 month old dog that the owners no longer wanted because the children had got bored of it! She paid £150 and he is the most gorgeous scruffy little thing. Some kind of mixture. They're both over the moon.
And my neighbour now has her daughter's poodle because her kids decided they didn't want it any more.
I'd put the kids up for adoption and keep the dogs if that was me.

Agree OP, the puppy industry has always been horrifying, but as long as people don’t see the poor bitch being kept inside in filthy conditions and churning out litter after litter then frankly they just don’t give a shit.

No one needs a dog. No one has a right to have one. If a shelter says no then they have their reasons, it’s not to piss you off. When people adopt or foster children no one questions that the child comes first and needs to be with the right family, it would be ridiculous to think otherwise. But you know, Fido is just a fucking dog, where does Battersea Dogs Home get off telling me I can’t have one!? Fuck em, there’s a breeder on Facebook selling them, and if anyone nicks it I’ll get another. Jesus thundering Christ.

Rescuing in the UK is tricky especially if you have children under 12, but there are so many puppies and dogs abroad that also need rescuing and the puppies can be rehomed with children older than 6. We got a beautiful Heinz 57 puppy from Romania 2 years ago through a rescue. One of the best decisions I have ever made. We saved her, she saved us.

We were turned down by local UK based rescues due to having a cat in the house. We didn't want to keep a puppy farm in business. We adopted a rescue dog from abroad, did a bit of research and found a great grass roots charity that really care about the animals. It's been a great experience. We got the best dog ever...

Always makes me laugh when people come to the vets with a puppy they bought within the last 48 hours that's critically ill. They've spent a couple of grand on the dog but can't afford any vet bills. They're surprised that their brand new puppy that they purchased online without viewing and picked up from a random car park, is sick. Then they call veterinary staff heartless bastards for our high bills and its our fault their new puppy needs to be put to sleep because they can't afford treatment that may not work anyway.

A few days ago my DM was in a car park when she saw a Battersea Dogs Home van. She went over to chat to the lady in the van, as she is keen to adopt a dog soon and wondered about the process. The lady in the van said they hardly had any dogs needing adoption; they had been expecting a massive influx of reject lockdown purchases but it just never happened. So that’s good for the dogs I guess.

Im dreading when my neighbours all return to work/ office properly. We already have dogs in our street that bark for hours on end. What is it going to be like when all these dogs (who will now be used to having someone at home all day) need to be left on their own? I honestly cannot understand why people buy dogs and then go to work all day and leave them. I knew a house with 2 dogs and as soon as the family were all at work/school the howling started, for hours. I don't think owners are aware half the time that their dogs do this. They are not in to hear it.

I took on an elderly rescue from a rescue centre. Nobody wanted her due to her age (around 8/9). My boys were 4 and 7 at the time so it isn't quite true that they will never rehome if you have kids, although I had to wait of course until they find us the right match for our circumstances. I was also a part-time working single parent. Also renting and landlord gave permission as a fellow dog-lover and knowing I was a responsible tenant and dog was old and sad, bless her.
Zero regrets - she was an incredibly special dog. Although she was old we had her for five years until she passed away peacefully in the arms of my now fiancé last summer.
We still miss her every day.
I would get another rescue in the blink of an eye.

Trying to get a rescue dog is harder than winning the lottery. And your solution is to adopt from abroad? Let’s increase our carbon footprint and ignore the local dogs who need loving home?

@Xmassprout

Always makes me laugh when people come to the vets with a puppy they bought within the last 48 hours that's critically ill. They've spent a couple of grand on the dog but can't afford any vet bills. They're surprised that their brand new puppy that they purchased online without viewing and picked up from a random car park, is sick. Then they call veterinary staff heartless bastards for our high bills and its our fault their new puppy needs to be put to sleep because they can't afford treatment that may not work anyway.

MAKES YOU LAUGH? I’m glad you’re not working at our vet practice with such a disgusting attitude.

Honesty I can't stand this constant message of adopt rather than buy.

For some people, adopting is absolutely the best thing to do, for others it is not. It is also a bit naive to assume that everybody who gets a puppy has done so without a thought for the longer term, and that everybody is sat at home.

Just do whatever is right for you, but do your research first.

I bought a puppy even though ideally we wanted to take an older rescue, my timeline was needing to get the dog settled while I still am WFH (and yes we have plans for when I am back in the office, no the dog will not be on it's own all day and getting a dog has been something talked about for the past 5 years waiting for the right time)

Local rescues closed to adoptions, no dogs available through SSPCA
Tried the charities that rescue from abroad. Got a hard no
Children, cats, live in a main road (even though the other side is fields)
Gave up
Found a breeder, now have a lovely dog 🐶

However I didn't spend thousands as I found someone who picked homes to match the puppies and is not using the current situation to profiteer

I don't have a dog, and I don't intend to get one because my circumstances don't allow it. However, surely if you've never owned a dog before, it's easier to buy one from a breeder, where you know its full history?

Everyone has to start somewhere, and I'd imagine most rescue dogs need an experienced owner who can rehabilitate them successfully.

Unfortunately it’s just the price of puppies now. Can’t adopt, young DC, so have to buy a puppy and I’ll risk the ire of MN and admit I’d be doing this anyway.

@Todaytomorrowyesterday

Sadly it does seem to late :( rescues are starting to see ‘teenage’ pups coming in.

I just hope that some of the dog owners get their dogs to training- on the last 2 walks we’ve had issues with badly trained young dogs - I’ve walked for a fair few years at the same place and not really seen this lack of training till recently :( we sadly ended our walk early today as one such dog caused a issues with numerous dogs on his way around . The owners did not have a clue

I never do this but go on, link me.

I would love it if dogs in rescue centres got homes - but you do a dog no favours if you take it on and can’t cope or provide it with the correct home it needs. If you have kids then a cockerpoo puppy is genuinely probably a better choice for you than a 30kg adult Staffie cross. People who know this, and choose to get the breed/dog suitable for their lifestyle, are then getting berated for using breeders...

I have to admit to feeling uneasy about overseas rescue. A lot of the dogs come from countries with endemic diseases that we don’t have in the UK, these are really horrible serious diseases and we can’t easily get the drugs we need to treat them here. We also don’t want those diseases establishing in the UK dog or human population.

We adopted from abroad and know lots of others who did. It's no different than adopting or getting a puppy in the UK. You need to do your homework and ask questions.

DDog was 7 months old spayed, vaccinated, microchipped and had been fostered. Is affectionate, playful and gentle with children. Tries to chase cats but if they glare at her she submits.

Anyone looking for an honest rescue that will consider people with children or cats can PM me. The people running it are honest about the dogs they rehome, and focus on bringing over dogs that can be family pets, rather than 'saving' any dog

They also will take back a dog at any time and refund the contribution to costs (£400).

And will take back temporarily if there is a problem such as chemo/operation that means the owner can't look after their dog for a period

We won't adopt, because they won't let us.

We have however put off buying a dog until all this lockdown malarky is over for good.