Should everyone be forced to show they aren’t able to rescue a dog before they can buy a puppy?

[Coffeealwayshot]

Just that really

I see my local shelter is full again and saying they will need to euthanise if they can’t find homes.

Everyone I know (bar 2 or 3) who has a dog has bought from a breeder.

Im not rude enough to ask people if they considered a rescue. I know some say they were turned down but some that they just wanted a puppy or a specific breed.

So my question is as above?
I get we can’t say no breeding at all but should taking on a rescue be the only option for those who are suitable and reduce the breeding to just cater for those who can’t have a rescue dog?

Why would you risk taking on a rescue as you generally aren’t given the full facts about the dog? As I have young children in the equation, there’s no way I’d take on a dog without its full history. That’s why we got a pup which we know its history and have trained.

Rescue dogs are not suitable for young children. I spent years volunteering and adopting. When I had my children in chose a puppy where I could see the parents as that is the advice given by every expert.

When my children are grown I will consider my options but don't believe having rescues around young children it isn't fair on either. With a puppy that you have sight of their parents, I don't care about pedigree, I feel it is the less risky.

I've got a cat and DC under 11. I would love a rescue but the few I've tried won't let me adopt one.

No - because you cannot know a family's situation.

My DS has ASD/ADHD. He needed to grow up with the puppy. Bringing in a fully grown rescue was not an option for us. And we had cats so realistically no rescue was going to want to consider us.

This is not a thing you can regulate with broad rules. It's a case of things working for individuals/families.

rescie centres are full of staffies. I don’t like them.

I want a non- shedding dog, I’m allergic to some dog breeds, my son is asthmatic,,

we want a dog that is happy with short or long walks.

we want a small breed who isn’t snappy.

we chose a reputable breeder. We would be waiting years for such a dog to come up in rescue, if ever.

The problem is the majority of people who give up their dogs in droves, this is what needs addressing, not responsible owners.

With BYBers the greatest risk is to the health of the puppy; with a rescue the greatest risk is a behaviour problem, which could end up with a family member being mauled.

My friend, however , managed to rescue a Labrador when her DC were younger.

Go to a reputable breeder for the type of dog you want, but it will not be cheap.

Should humans be banned from having children until there's none left in the care system?

Do you see how stupid that sounds??

Why on earth would you put your child at risk?

Reality is that many come into shelters having been abused and are therefore not suitable to be around children. Many people who buy dogs have kids. That’s why the rescue dogs aren’t being taken home.

"In plenty of cases there are obvious red flags that many vets should be able to spot in new puppies. Maybe the owners need some sort of fine so prospective buyers will be more careful about where they buy from? Apparently it’s too difficult for local authorities to find and close down the farms themselves, but something must be done."

Vets are not the police. We see people who have made poor choices all the time, but we go to work to fix animals not to get dragged into nailing people who have bought a BYB puppy.

A rescue has potential to be way more volatile than a puppy. I've trained mine into a wonderful dog, but started with a blank sheet of paper, that suited me and my family very well. Better to focus your ire on those giving dogs up and perhaps understand how they got the dog in the first place and how that can be stopped.

Haven't been in a rescue for a while but back when I've worked in practices that had the contract to euthanase the pound dogs it was 90% Staffies or other gripping dogs, a steady supply of fearful neurotic collies with fried brains who probably wouldn't work, and a few clapped out elderly terriers bundled into the pound or dumped by people unwilling to face the fact that the dog was unrehomable and do the decent thing by paying for euthanasia themselves.

As PPs have pointed out, who is going to enforce all this? Wallop a massive tax on responsible dog owners and breeders to subsidise clearing up somebody else's mess? Or just tax the whole population harder to clear up the mess? There isn't even enough money to keep all the humans safe and happy.

Totally agree OP.
I volunteer as a dog walker at a rescue centre. 99% of the dogs are there through no fault of their own e.g. due to relationship break up, owner sick or can no longer afford a pet.
There is this misconception that somehow they will be difficult dogs. They really aren't.
And don't get me started on breeders who dump dogs with us when they are no longer financially useful to them.....
Please go for rescue if you can.

My little rescue would have been perfect for you. Ticks your boxes! She waited in rescue kennels.for.months with no-one wanting her! I'm so surprised she wasn't snapped up instantly because she's like the perfect, easiest, most well natured pup you could wish for!

And would they have let her go to someone with other pets and an 8 year old?

I tried to rescue a dog. DD was over 10.
Trouble was then our existing dog was also over 10 and we weren’t allowed a rescue dog! Loads of rescues can’t be in a home with another dog.
Gave up - got a pup from a breeder.

No. Because I don’t want a rescue dog. I want a puppy. I want a certain breed.

I have young children. I want a breed that is known to be good with children.

The problem is - how are you supposed to assess a family’s suitability to take on a rescue dog if they have never had a dog before, @Coffeealwayshot?

Our first dog was a puppy we bought (from a reputable breeder), and since then we have taken on two rescue dogs, plus a third we adopted from a friend who needed to rehome her.

I had never had a dog before we got out puppy, and I am 100% sure I would not have been confident to take on a rescue dog, with all their potential problems, if I hadn’t had the experience of raising our first dog from a puppy.

I don’t know if anyone else has said this, but in our experience, rescues in the UK often don't want to rehome a dog to a home with children - or not younger children - so getting a puppy can be the only way for a family with children to get a dog.

Rescue dogs are, by definition, bred by exactly the sort of irresponsible breeders we are supposed to be avoiding. All that insisting everyone only has a rescue dog will do is support those breeders and give them a reliable market which allows them to keep abusing dogs for profit.

If everyone only ever bought dogs from caring, responsible, preservation breeders there would be no mass market rescue industry because the vast majority of dogs who can’t be kept by their owners would be returned to their breeders as per the contract all good breeders insist on. Those few dogs whose breeders are ill, become homeless or who die would be cared for by breed rescue groups and rehomed to knowledgable people.

As things are we have a huge retail rescue industry which just supports exactly the problem we claim to want to end, and makes it hugely difficult for responsible breeders to find the homes needed for their carefully bred puppies from quality, health tested lines. Eventually those healthy, typical dogs who can do a job will just die out.

I have had rehomed dogs myself and I run a breed rescue. The only way to stop the rescues filling up is to support those breeders whose puppies will never be anywhere near a rescue or a shelter.

Yup, we have two children and another pet. Pup was in foster for a bit with a 7 yr old.

That said, I completely understand rescues are not appropriate for many many households and some rescues have v v strict criteria and take ages to support a match with families. We signed up with a rescue centre a couple of years ago and are still yet to hear from them! (meanwhile we adopted from a different rescue centre!)

My post wasn't a dig or anything. No judgement or whatever intended. I literally just saw your post and thought 'oh my gosh, my little pup would've been perfect for you!' 🐶

I have zero time for people who purchase dogs. They are not status symbols or commodities.

@Coffeealwayshot
Having just looked at the dogs available at my local RSPCA rescue and I'm not sure I'd be prepared to consider adopting many of the dogs. Cane Corso, Husky, Akita, Bulldogs, Staffies, Bull terriers.
There are a couple of Cocker Spaniels however and a Pomeranian cross.