To not know what to do - dog related

[Dogconfused]

my partner and I want to get a dog but cannot decide between trying to get a rescue or a puppy. Pls can people offer advice/opinions?
we have thought long and hard about the pros and cons of each…
Rescue pros

• helping a dog in need
• helping a charity
• Dog may be less needy than a puppy
• can get clearer idea of dogs character
• cheaper

Rescue cons

• don’t know genetic/health/physical history of dog
• Potentially harder to train than a puppy
• Would be from abroad so (low) risk of parasitic disease (would be tested for these)

Puppy pros

• more choice over what we get and when we get it
• more knowledge of puppies past and parents health etc
• potentially easier to train as stating from young

Puppy cons

• not helping a rescue
• cost is higher
• potentially more needy at beginning

we have given it a lot of thought, but cannot decide what option is best for us (and the potential dog). We are definitely in favour of rescues but want to make sure we get the right dog for us.

for context, we are first time dog owners who have no children or other pets. We have a large garden and live in a town. We enjoy longer walks, paddle boarding, beer gardens etc. We would want a dog to come out and do things with us. We would want a small dog as our car is small.

if we got a rescue it would be from Romania but from a charity with a UK presence and support system. If we got a puppy it would be from a licensed breeder with lots of research into them etc.

Sorry that’s long but didn’t want to drip feed.
all opinions gladly received!!

When I had my first appointment with the vet she called me first to ask me about my Rommie rescue. I'd had her for a few weeks by then but couldn't take her as I needed to get her comfortable in the car before I did. The vet sounded hesitant, agreed to see her but said she'd probably have to muzzle her.
I said that was fine and completely her decision but she probably wouldn't need to.
They went in, came back out (it was Covid times and I wasn't allowed in) and the vet declared: "She's lovely".

I appreciate it is not like that for everyone. I also think the vet further up this thread makes some good points and rehoming from abroad is not something to be taken lightly but it can work out and a dog locked in a hell hole of an existence can get a chance of a good life.

Last thing: Well said @GreekDogRescue

I have a rescue and completely agree with this.

Rescues do often come with behavioural issues because they've often gone through some kind of trauma.

Personally that was fine with me, I'm happy to put the work in and in some ways I think I've formed an even tighter bond with my dog because of it.

She's a rescue dog and I'm sort of a 'rescue human' having gone through childhood trauma and having ADHD so we're perfect together and I wouldn't change her or any of the quirks we've worked on together or the ones she still has.

Only you can know whether this is the right set up for you though.

You can get rescues who are trained with no behaviour issues (e.g. their previous owner passed away) but you'd need to be willing to wait for the right dog.

What rescue has approved a flat with a shared garden? Most decent rescues wouldn't approve that for good reasons.

I have a Romanian rescue and the rescue we used wouldn't have approved that. There are some good ones but there also are some really dodgy ones!

I’m not going to name names - but to offer context our flat is not in a big block with a big communal garden. It is the ground floor of a house with direct garden access and it’s own entrance from the street, no shared access areas other than the garden. The garden is shared with two people who live in the flat above. It’s rarely used other than by them letting the dog they look after in there every few weeks. We are on friendly terms with them. All this was explained to the rescue centre.

I don't understand why people think dogs who happen to have been born in the UK deserve a home but dogs born outside of the UK don't?

UK rescues are so over zealous with their thoughts on what makes a suitable home that they make it practically impossible to re-home a dog if you have anything remotely different.

For us that was having cats and being first time dog owners.

I stalked about fifteen rescues in the South East trying to adopt a dog but absolutely no chance.

We're a couple with no DC, who grew up with dogs and who are very clued up having spent lots and lots of time researching all aspects of dog ownership, we have a large 4 bed house and fully walled garden in the countryside and both WFH.

If we couldn't adopt in the UK then not sure who can TBH...

What is your thinking in getting a Romanian rescue? There are so many dogs in this country needing rehoming.

Hello.

I live in Scotland and have rescued a total of four dogs over the years from the SSPCA. They take full details of your circumstances. Home life. Suitability etc. They then try to match you to a dog they think you will be compatible with and vice versa.

I thoroughly recommend supporting local charities and rehoming centres.

I love my current little rescue to bits and he just adapted to our family.

Best of luck!

There are so many ignorant, casually cruel posts about rescues from abroad on this thread, it's sickening.
Others have already pointed out the facts, so I won't repeat them all.
Dogs in Romania aren't rounded up to make money out of them, they are rounded up to be killed in the public shelters. There are rescue charities who spend a lot of money and hard work on rescuing some of the dogs. There are also bound to be unscrupulous people who make money out of the situation, but it's not difficult to identify bona fide rescue organisations if you do a bit of research.
In many countries, including Romania, it's not unusual for people to dump their dogs for trivial reasons when they become an inconvenience (e.g. when they go on holiday). This happens in the UK as well, of course, but it's not socially accepted and therefore happens less. This means that many of these dogs are not real street dogs, but abandoned pets.

Sure I don’t 😂

definitely don’t have years of experience.
and the 150%increase in dog importations under Balai from Romania (over 20k dogs/year) is definitely just genuine charity rescue.

At least they import under the correct routes. I guess 🤷‍♀️
whatever helps you to feel comfortable with your narrative

Importing dogs from abroad is actively worsening the situation. It’s a money making enterprise which results in the increase of animal cruelty. It’s just like buying from puppy farms. If people didn’t pay the money the problem wouldn’t exist.

anyone importing a dog from abroad is naive at best

I view people who adopt dogs from abroad very negatively I’m afraid.

It’s like those charities which pay to “buy” street children in developing countries. Yes it might help that individual child but because it’s created a market, hundreds more end up being put into that situation. We have a charity locally which takes peoples crap to Africa to sell and then uses the proceeds to give to gangs to get children off the street. I mean come on..

My sincere apologies. I didn't realise we were in the company of such an 'expert'.
'Facts', 'figures' and two emoticons! Go you!

@Dannexe Fancy backing up your statement with any facts?

You want to justify your decision of course. Just like those who buy from puppy farms do.

Honestly if you really knew anything about Romanian rescues, you’d know this just isn’t true. The horrors of the kill shelters there and the way they treat dogs…worse than vermin. It’s horrific. And there may be a few unscrupulous people like there are in every area of life, but the many rescuers I know and work with are nothing but decent people trying to let badly treated animals have a better life.

There is a world of difference between purchasing a puppy from the 3 common scenarios - a puppy farm (breeding purely for profit, usually in large quantities and not in the home), a backyard breeder (the type who take their female to the nearest male of the same breed to pay for a nice family holiday, but do not health test or prove their dogs in any manner) or a reputable breeder (who will health test their dogs for any genetic diseases that could possibly arise in the breed, and base pairings on improving the breed in terms of structure and temperament).

Obviously the only two responsible choices are to get your dog via a reputable breeder or a reputable rescue. Unfortunately there are plenty retail rescues who buy from puppy farms or import from other countries with the intentions of selling on to the first person who comes along with cash as an adoption fee.

Both reputable breeders and reputable rescues will send dogs out on contracts that the dogs are to be returned to them at any point in their lives.

Both reputable breeders and reputable rescues will temperament test and place dogs accordingly in homes best suited to their needs. Personally I like to see a breeder who uses a temperament testing system such as Volhard Aptitude Tests, similar logic based testing is rarely seen in rescues unfortunately. No reputable breeder or reputable rescue will let you choose your puppy or dog based only on appearance or 'this one approached me first', with no regard to temperament and suitability. It's a massive red flag if a breeder lets you choose your puppy or offers 'first pick', sadly it's still very common in rescue but thankfully some rescues are catching on to the use of appropriate temperament matches to increase long term suitability of placements.

Depending on the breed you choose, expect to wait for up to 2 years on the waiting list of a reputable breeder. For rescues, waiting times will completely vary based on breed or type preference.

I'm heavily involved in both rescue and the world of dog showing and sports. Both have their strong points. Personally I'd happily never have a dog below the age of a year again, puppy raising is extremely demanding in terms of time and energy.

Don't let your garden situation put you off applying to reputable rescues, especially breed specific ones are more likely to consider your family based on the merits of the fun filled life you can offer to the dog, rather than the size or set up of your garden.

Regardless of whichever option you choose, please do it responsibly. Do not fall for a cute picture on a sales site or social media. Get to know your breeder or your rescue, and expect them to ask you lots of questions in return.

@Dannexe I ask again, fancy backing up your statement with any facts?

And if you'd read my posts you'd realise that my dog was already in the UK when I applied to adopt her. Her original adoption fell through and through no fault of the original adopter or the dog. Do you think she should have been sent back?

If you have no children I would say rescue. I would have gone rescue but near on impossible with young children in the home and a bigger risk

I didn't qualify for a rescue in the UK (young children, close to a busy A road), but due to my circumstances, I wanted a puppy anyway. I didn't want to take my chances with a dog whose background had any questions. With small children in the house, I wanted to train the puppy young and to a high standard that would be safe, and as I am currently a SAHM and my DH works from home, we felt that this was the best time to provide attention and training for a puppy.

This worked for my family and we now have a gorgeous dog (just over a year old) who has grown up with a toddler and a baby. His recall is excellent, his temperament is lovely, and the bond he has with my sons is beautiful. His breed is known to be great with children and non-aggressive with humans and other animals. A rescue simply could not offer me that peace of mind.

That said, our next dog (likely not for at least a decade) will probably be a rescue as I feel our situation would be more appropriate and so many dogs need homes.

As @redboxer321 and @Annfr said, the conditions in Romania are appalling. I watched some of the videos when we were looking at getting our one, and couldn't even finish them.

I have a Romanian rescue, he is gorgeous. We had to put a lot of work in as he was extremely nervous. We have since had a baby and he is absolutely amazing with him. He is scared of loud noises, storms, strange men etc, and that's still after 4 years. And his recall is not good even after several trainers/behaviourists. However he comes everywhere with us, pubs, restaurants, walks, uk trips, he travelled across europe with us. He is just brilliant and we love him so much. I've since moved somewhere bigger and considering a second rescue dog. I'd happily get another from Romania. We know several so ours isn't a fluke.

I would say, if you don't have an older dog, a couple of days a week at a field daycare really help. This helped our dog come out of his shell, and he is so happy with a pack of dogs

Why not foster ? Just for a while ? Have a look at a new leash for life because all their dogs are fostered and have reports of behaviour etc .

100% this - we have 2 dogs both from pups they are a nightmare and much harder work than anyone who hasn't had a puppy can imagine. The eldest is 6 now and a dream the youngest is 2.5 years and still a tw*t at times😂
Now the kids are older our next dog will be a rescue and hopefully greyhound/lurcher as they sound like fabulous dogs

If more people rescue dogs, then less breeders will get away with breeding cross breeds and mongrels and charging thousands of pounds for them. There are too many dogs already needing homes, so breeders need to slow down

We have a Cyprus rescue. He's soppy as anything. Slightly dog reactive out but nothing bad just a bit barky to some dogs. He's never chewed anything in the house and only 1 or 2 accidents ever. I couldn't cope with the craziness of a puppy!

I have had and continue to have, multiple rescues both from the UK and from abroad. The prejudice against “foreign” dogs is often extremely ill informed. None of my foreign dogs have been in any way “money makers” for the charity Involved. I know this because I’ve been to the shelter many, many times, I know the people involved and I know the actual costs of vets fees/transport etc. they are definitely NOT making money. What they are doing is enabling a dog that has literally no chance of a decent life in its home country, to find one here. In the UK at least we have the RSPCA, Dogs Trust (for what they are worth!) PDSA for reduced cost veterinary treatment etc. The country I rescue from has none of this, just a few knackered volunteers working themselves to the bone saving as many dogs as they can, from starvation, poisoning or being shot, whilst trying to get people to NEUTER THEIR DOGS 🤬🤬🤬
So. Bore off with the anti-foreign rescue sentiment, I would do that all day long rather than buy a puppy.
Anyway op. Yes, I would go for a rescue and, if you work with a good rescue, it doesn’t matter whether the dog is from abroad or from the UK. In my experience (of more than 30 rescue dogs for far) they are all just dogs and actually, my Uk dogs have been more traumatised on arrival with me than my foreign ones. Any decent rescue will only put a well balanced dog with a first time owner, so pick a decent rescue charity and go from there. Good luck with your first doggo 🐕❤️