Should retired first-time owners wait for a rescue dog or choose a puppy?

[Fergie51]

I am hoping for some helpful advice here as I do enjoy the questions and answers given by other mumsnetters. We are a retired couple who no longer need to look after our grandchildren daily as they are all at school etc.
We would love to have a dog in our lives as we could offer a good home with nice garden and lots of lovely walks. We are first time owners but walk our daughter’s dog regularly to help out.
We have applied to the Dog Trust and visited our local centre and had a good chat with the staff. Should we wait for a possible rescue dog or go for a puppy?
I have been reading lots about different breeds and my head is now bursting with too many pros and cons!
Any advice would be welcome.

I bought my first dog home 2.5 years ago after I'd retired and bought my now home. He was a puppy and he's the best thing in my life alongside my DC.
However, having met loads of other Dog owners, many of whom have rescued and/or are fostering dogs until they're rehomed I know I could have found 'my dog' by rescuing. That's my only regret.

They’re really not. They have quite a bad reputation within the ‘doggy’ population I know - we’ve had them reach out to my (breed specific) rescue asking for help rehoming but refused to let us do our own evaluation of the dogs. They just want us to put the dog on our website for extra views. Then they were rude when we said no - we couldn’t, in good conscience, help rehome a dog without doing an assessment of it let alone see it outside of a kennel environment.

There’s also been a lot of reports of dogs being rehomed without DT (and other big rescues) disclosing quite serious behavioural issues such as resource guarding or biting. Perhaps they don’t know. More likely they do know and they’re lying - at least in my experience.

Breed specific rescues are better as they tend to have dogs in foster, so you’ll see what the dog is actually like in a household as opposed to a kennel.

Our rescues (5 in total) have been wonderful. We’ve taken them aged 4.5,10,11&12 and they’ve been so rewarding

Our first dog was a rescue, about a year and a half old. She was a lovely quiet terrier but was scared of men due to experiences in her first home. When she did come round to my Dad though he was her favourite, they were inseparable. I think they rescued each other really. Second dog we got as a puppy. I loved her just the same but puppies are very hard work. I think the winner is getting a youngish rescue dog, one who’s past the puppy stage. Of course there are a lot of lovely older dogs waiting for homes too if you’re interested in taking care of them in their final years? I adore people who do that and I wish I could do the same.

I wish people would stop referring to dogs in rehoming centres as "rescues".
I don't think it helps with the idea that some people seem to have that dogs in these centres all have behavioural issues and they are a terrible risk to all around them. In reality, many of them just need a new home for reasons that have nothing to do with them or their behaviour. Of course people need to be careful, do their research and so on but you need to do that if you are buying a puppy too. It's not second best to get a rehomed dog!

I’ve heard you can’t get a rescue if you have young children regularly visiting- under 10 I think?

Have a look at Guide Dogs UK, or similar dog focus charities who would love your support!

Whilst I agree with rehoming it can come with issues.
We have rehomed every dog we have had. 1 was around before me, 2nd had issues, would be scared ofen, would snap - actually only fully trusted me. 2nd was similar, very snappy but would only trust my mum. Lastly, a work colleague gave me his puppy as he couldn't cope. He was the most well behaved good natured dog.
Although we wouldn't have changed it, it's a mixed bag and can be very challenging!

You know they breed their bitches twice a year? And they breed them before they're fully grown and mature (before two years)? Oh, and they health test before before physical maturity to push the results into their favour? They also breed some of their bitches four times (which is even more than 'best practice' from the Kennel Club). All this information is readily available on their website (they're actually quite proud of it).

Their breeding practices are actually worse than some of the puppy farms people have slagged off on MN recently. Guide Dogs UK are for the benefit of humans, not animals. It's not a charity for animal lovers. OP would be better off going to a breed specific rescue, many of which deal with the fall out of the shitty breeding practices that GDUK actively encourage.

There is a rescue we have used where they have a lot of six to twelve month old dogs born from unneutered dogs in their rescue. We have young children and they recommended this for us - often they’ve been living with fosterers and children/cats. Previously we got a street dog, but they can’t be guaranteed around children (ours is amazing with children, but you cannot tell) can pm me if you want the details