To rehome two 6yr old Pugs from local shelter?

[monkeyfacegrace]

Basically, I took my kids (3&1) to the local animal shelter earlier to see the rabbits and cats. It was meant to be a free activity, but as we were looking at the dogs, we saw two adorable (if not massively slightly ugly pugs)

I spoke to the rehoming officer, and she said that in the history of the shelter (15yrs+) they have never had this breed.

Now, problem 1- we didnt want a dog for a few years as we have holidays booked and wanted a bigger house first

2- I always wanted a pug, but at £1000+ could never afford one so eventually we were going to get a mongrel

3- We only wanted one dog but these must stay together

Ok, so my dilemma is they will only hold them till tomorrow noon for us, and they WILL be rehomed this weekend due to being v. posh doggies. I never thought having a pug, let alone two would ever be an option. They met the kids earlier, and got on really well. Insurance quoted at £20 p.month for both. I cannot find a single negative comment on google about pugs with kids, as I always said I wouldnt get an older dog cuz of not knowing a history iyswim.

HELP I want them, but am I being crazy!!!!

I think you arent to far off the mark miss. Its not that I see it as bargain, its that I see it as a chance to get the kind of dog that Ive only ever been able to dream about iyswim. Im having to compromise age and quantity, whereas if we waited 2 years we would get one puppy, but it wouldnt be a pug.

Plus kennels if you don't want to take them on holiday, dog supplement if you do - we're paying £55 to take ours to center parcs, it's £80 for two.

If you're desperate for a pug is it an option to save up? I understand loving a particular breed and I do think pugs are lovely. BUt you'll be taking on older dogs here potentially with problems. 6-8 yrs old and not house trained sends warning bells for me.

It's not that I don't think they deserve a new home, but I think they probably need a very committed and experienced home.

Saving is an option, but I know what we are like. If I saved £1000, Id be sick if I spent it on a puppy, it would go on a new bathroom, or holiday for the kids. I just couldnt indulge myself with that much money! That doesnt mean I dont want one enough, it means its not a priority if I had that much cash.

I do understand your temptation, and the issue with saving up.

Have just text Dis. Where are they monkeyfacegrace? I'll have one, you have the other

Good plan Suwoo! Im in Gloucester. You can have the cute fat one, I want the ugly bulgy eyed one!

I'm biased. I've taken in rescue horses and cats with problems, and never regretted it.

If you're not prepared to work through any problems, and potential snapping at the children, I don't think they are for you. These dogs have possibly had a hard life, and it is not fair on them to take them unless you are 100% committed.

Please do not think the breed of dog makes them reliable around children. Any dog can have problems with or bite a child, it is socialisation and general training that determine temprement on the whole, not breed so much, although that obviously plays a part. These are rescue dogs with an unknown history and it is perfectly possible (albeit unlikely) that they might bite your child/children.

How successful rehoming these dogs might be depends on how much work you are prepared ot put in, and adult dogs that do need rehabilitation (not saying these do) are far more work than puppies.

In all honesty, given your further posts, I would say you are better off saving up for two years and looking for a good breeder from whom to buy a well bred Pug puppy. If you don't want to spend £1000 on a dog, get a different breed.

OH has just thought of another issue. I walk to the supermarket every day and was going to tie them up outside while I nip in for bread and milk. If I tied the end of the lead to a post using a bike lock, would there still be a risk of them being stolen? we live in a nice area, but how does everyone else manage?

I wouldn't risk tying any dog up outside a shop. They could be stolen or open to abuse. (My Gran had to have her rough collie put down years ago after a boy kicked him outside a shop and caused kidney damage)

Could you not leave them at home when you go to the supermarket and walk them another time?

You seem to be doing this on impulse just because its the dog you have always wanted, which is the wrong thing to do, you answered your own question at the start when you said that you only wanted one, you wanted to move to a bigger house and you were going on holiday, you dont seem to be ready to own one dog let alone two.

Also you stated you only need one bed, one cage etc. just like people, dogs need their own space they need their own beds not lumped together, they need separate cages, possibly placed next to each other so they can see each other if you are going to put them in that when you go out, you imagine putting them in one cage, one gets grumpy and has a go at the other one, they have no escape from each other so you would come home to a blood bath. Not the best idea.

You may be getting two dogs insured for £20 but is that the highest level of cover, some insurances only pay out to a cetain amount so if you have a serious health issue that is going to last for life you will only be paid for the first so much of it then you are on your own. Are you prepared to pay out on that yourself. Also most insurances have a clause that means you have to pay the first say £50 each visit to the vets, 2 dogs, six visits to the vets each in a year, each bill say £40, that means you pay £480 in vets bills in a year plus £20 a month in insurance premiums and the insurnace company doesnt pay you a penny.

I spend all my free time rehoming abused and homeless greyhounds, and I've seen numerous dogs come back into the rescue because the person has seen a cute little dog looking at them through the bars, rehomed them on impulse and they havent looked into the cost properly and had to return the dogs when they cant afford it, or realised that its too much hassle to train a fullygrown dog when they have children to look after too, this causes more stress to the dogs that they dont need, please think carefully.

Also meant to say insurance doesnt cover annual vaccinations, which have to be done for the insurance to be valid, and it also doesnt include any dental work that needs done and that is expensive too

I am an independent dog rescuer/neworking rescuer and help practically in a local rescue.

My thoughts, FWIW, are these:

1. Male and female, 6 yo, UNneutered, not house trained, stray to me sounds like they are discarded puppy farm breeding dogs. That said the age is a little off as many of these B's will breed bitches for even longer.

1. Possibly stolen and discarded - there are aa couple on DOGLOST, a m and a f stolen recently and another pair stolen in 2008. Mind if I ask which county you're in/city you're near, it may give a clue.

1. If they are ex puppy farm dogs they probably ARE indeed un-housetrained, which will take work to correct but isn't impossible by any means.

1. If you DO decide to take them, please DO insure them and keep them safe. They can have inherent problems like so many purebreeds and you don't want a huge vets bill.

1. They're lovely dogs, full of personality and not known for bad tempers, very brave souls BUT if they are puppy farmed they may have issues... I'd really advise you speak to a breed specific pug rescue organisation for advice.

1. Ask yourself what you'll do when you go on holiday, if the main walker gets ill etc. Do you own your own home, planning a move, another baby?

1. Ask the rescue what back-up they offer. Important questions are these:

A. Will they take the dogs back if it doesn't work out?

B. Are they a no kill rescue and does that include for reasons of temperement as well as incurable health problems where the dog is suffering?

C. If the reply to B is that they MAY put to sleep, is it contracted that you MUST return to them if it doesn't work out?

If this is the case it's not necessarily a deal-breaker. I have never come across a rescue which has taken legal action to recover a dog under this type of contract (too expensive) unless there is cruelty on the part of the adopter. However if you are prepared, as I would, to take the dogs on and ignore the contract should it not work out but you feel they would be PTS can you access help from a no-kill rescue? (I can, if it helps, according to rescue space etc, no promises but it's possible).

D. Does the rescue offer lifetime support and advice after adoption?

There's plenty of support out there from website frrums such as DogPages, BigGSD (not JUST German Sheps, though obviously thats their main thing!), and please do join the one of the rescue I help out at, Poplar Farm Kennels, if you'd like to. We're a friendly bunch from across the country and you'll be made very welcome.

As I said, your area would help, as would the name of the rescue (or even if it IS a rescue or if it's a council pound etc) then if you decide to go ahead I might be able to recommend organisations/individuals locally who could offer you advice.

HTH

Vallhala

PS Another thing to ask yourself - will someone be home most of the day to train/supervise/comfort the dogs? Are you prepared to neuter them and for the cost? This is a MUST. Likewise the cost of chipping and vaccs.

Another thing is to accept that these dogs must NOT be left unattended outside shops/in a garden unless TOTALLY secured. They're a prime target for theives.

I do have to say that not everyone who gets a dog on impulse is always making a mistake though I agree its generally not the best thing to do.

I got my dog totally on impulse, got lost while out and about, shot past a greyhound sanctuary, saw the sign, did a u-turn, saw a lovely dog, walked it, had a home check the next day and the dog the day after that. We've never looked back.

Though I had had dogs in the family growing up so kind of had a good idea of the work involved.

A bikelock wouldn't work for tying them up outside the shop, someone would just cut through the lead. Also they may hate being tied up.

When I got my dog I couldn't tie her up outside the village shop even though I could see her through the window as she was terrified and would be like a bucking bronco trying to escape. She is better now after settling in but other dogs may never cope with if you do get them you made need to make 2 trips - one for dog walking and one for shopping.

Jesus, no! On NO ACCOUNT should you leave dogs outside shops. I live in a very community spirited town surrounded by quiet villages and yet even there and in neighbouring towns several dogs have been stolen from outside shops and gardens. This crime has IME become much more prevelant over the past year or two.

PPS - what colour are these dogs?

Got a reason for asking - if you'd like to contact me for a chat/ any help I can offer/ explanation, please do so at alfaalfa AT live DOT co DOT uk but let me know you've done so on here please as it's not my usual email address and I keep forgetting to check it.

Im back, Vallhala thanks so much for the advice. Im going to answer all points...

1. Possibility

2. Im in Cheltenham Gloucestershire

3. Comforting to know as thats my main worry

4. Insurance is sorted

5. Im main walker as Im home most of the day. Holidays they will go to kennels. We own our home, have a secure garden, and no more babies planned till we get a bigger house!

6. Animal shelter say they can go back at any time if it doesnt work out. Im not sure on their PTS policy, however I doubt it would ever come to that with this breed? Im reluctant to shell out hundreds though just to hand them back!

7. The female is fawn, and the male is black. The female is very overweight, and the male is the ugliest pug Ive ever seen, with the hugest bulgiest eyes ever.

And the animal shelter will have netured them both, fully vaccinated and microchipped before we can take them.

My private email is becci underscore macpherson AT hotmail DOT co DOT uk if you want to let me in on the story behind you asking!

Thanks Monkey!

The reason I asked is that there were 2 pugs, a male and a female, stolen from Leics (and stolen dogs CAN end up miles away ime). But these were both black.

There are another 2 m and f, stolen more recently, from the North. Both are fawn. My reckoning is that anyone who owns dogs worth as much as a pug is going to be very anxious to have them back, go to great lengths and use the net (and dare I be un-PC and say be well-off enough/educated enough to be internet-savvy). I get daily appeals to help rehome, get out of pounds and find lost dogs but no pugs have EVER come my way.

All the more reason to suspect that these are puppy farmed. I may be completely wrong but if not surely the owner would be looking, at least as far as their local rescue, pound and dog warden, if not the net, and thus the dogs would have been reunited with their owner.

Pugs aren't the hardest dogs to take on. Were they Sheps or border collies I'd advise you against unless you were experienced in the breed. However I do think that it's imperative that you take on board the fact that these ost probably WILL need housetraining and that you take advice on how to do that from experienced people. Also presume that these will have health problems as if they have indeed been kept in a godamned shed for breeding the "owner" won't have cared if these two have inherent problems - they could even have been bred from a family related pair.

Best bet is to find out what the rescue offers, post the details on somewhere like DogPages or Rescue Helpers Unite to see if anyone else has experience of the rescue, good or bad (ask them to pm you as we all have to be wary of what we say about pounds and rescues for fear of them refusing to allow us to help get dogs to safety, thats a common problem), and search your soul as to whether you really are willing and able to offer the dogs what they need and stick with it.

If the answer to this is that you don't feel that these are the dogs for you please would you call Pug Rescue here and ask them to step in. I have no personal experience of this rescue but 99% of the time a dog's best interest is better served by breed rescue than a pound, which, if I'm guessing correctly as you've said these are strays, I assume they are currently in.

Am I right in assuming that the rescue will homecheck you first? They are doing fine so far, by vax-ing, neutering and chipping. IMHO all rescues should homecheck first. They don't intend to impose or judge, the logic is that they can match the right dog to you and vice-versa and save not just the distress of a dog "bouncing" back to them but also any detriment to your family as far as possible. I'd be VERY wary of a rescue which didn't homecheck if I were you - it indicates that not only may the dog end up unhappy/badly treated/later abandoned but that you may end up miserable with a dog unsuited to you and your family and set-up.

Sorry, I didn't mean to infer that YOU would abandon or ill treat a dog if not homechecked. I meant that a rescue which doesn't do so runs the risk of placing a dog in a home which might be like this. No insult intended! (Blaming the 13 yo D who is STILL fecking up and singing!).

Ok Ive just got back from the shelter where Ive spent the morning with them. The female has kennel cough, so is in quarentine, so couldnt see her, but the boy is just amazing. I tried a few things just to see if he would snap etc, but nothing except love and snuggles. I have fallen in love.

Ive found out more on the background too. The boy has been microchipped in Birmingham, but the phone numbers dont work, and no response from a letter posted.

The girl is unknown, but the vet said she didnt look like she had ever had a litter, certianly not like she has been farmed to pop out hundreds?

Now Im guessinfg that someone in Birminham rehomed the boy to someone who already had the girl here in Gloucester. Then that person lost/abandoned etc for unknown reason. Seems odd, but cant think of anything else. From only the one being chipped does make me realise that they didnt start life together, so cant be interbred?

The shelter did say they were messy though. The boy was taken home by one worker for the night, and went on a long walk, then came home and promptly weed on the floor. I think this is my primary concern.

And lastly, yes, I will have to have a homecheck.

Vall, come back!!

You have a 1 and 3 year old. I wouldnt touch these dogs tbh. You have no idea of their history. The dogs will be fine and will find a suitable home.

Rainbow thats very back and white. I used to say Id never rehome an ault dog for those reasons. But please try and find any report ever, anywere, google it, where a pug has been nasty!