Thinking about getting a new dog - will we be allowed to?

[RadlettWomble]

Have name changed for this as I want to be able to be very honest about our situation, and be able to answer questions without outing my usual name to RL.

We used to have 2 dogs (mother and daughter), the older one died a few months ago. We are thinking about getting a new dog, but are trying not to rush into it. DH and I currrently want different types, so will have to compromise at some point .

Anyway, onto the problem, we think we would like to get a rescue dog, but our 2 children are preschool age (youngest is 2.1). Is there any point looking at rescue centres or will they just reject us on our childrens ages?

We also rent our house, is that likely to cause a problem? The landlord is very happy for us to have another.

You will need to speak to the rescue centres directly about their policies as there is not going to be one policy that applys across the country. I suspect that you would be able to adopt a rescue dog but that you may be restricted to certain sizes or types of dog with a young family, which is no bad thing anyway.

Hope you find a new friend soon.

you need to check you are allowed to have pets in your rented property and then rihng the rescue centre you are interested in and ask them

if it helps we rescued duke when gecko was only 2.2

If you are in Radlett, you could get up to Wood Green Animal Shelter in an hour or so. THey check (I believe) for childproofing dog by dog. Give them a call, but I think they will soon be in pre Christmas lockdown, ie no rehoming

It is certainly worth trying but phone around first and don't be put off by negative responses. I expect as long as you can produce a letter from your landlord that you have permission that won't be a problem. Another route may be to contact the breed rescues; each breed has it's own independently run (volunteer based) rescue group so if you have something specific in mind...

As the others say, a decent rescue will require proof of permission from the landlord. Independent rescues work according to their own policies - some will rehome assessed and suitable dogs to young families, some won't. Easiest thing to do is ring round. If you'd like to, please do email me at [email protected] with a rough idea of your home area, even just county, and I may be able to suggest some rescues to you and/or make some enquiries on your behalf amongst my contacts as I'm a rescue volunteer who works with rescues across the country. No promises, but I'll do my best if it helps.

Thanks for all the replies. Have just come home from agility training .
Our previous dogs have all been pedigree dogs, which of course is a route we could go down (and probably easier), but I prefer the idea of taking on a rescue dog, I think I would also prefer a slightly older (i.e. not puppy) dog.
A letter from the landlord would be no problem.
Whilst we don't want a huge dog, neither of us would be interested in a small or medium breed, something Labrador sized would be good.

I thought the fact we have previously had two dogs around very small children might help us prove that we have thought the child issue through.

Would a rescue place be willing to do very careful introductions with our current dog? She is such a softy with adults and children, but very quick to rise to the bait of another dog snarling at her (another reasons for getting an older dog, so there wouldn't be as much of that mad clambering all over puppy type behaviour). Once she has met another dog she is absolutely fine, but that getting to know each other stage would have to be carefully supervised.

crikey you were training late. Does your dog do agility with a head torch attached?

I've just read that back to myself, and it sounds like we would have no chance of rehoming. We do have many good points, honest . We have acres of land, dog sitters available at the drop of a hat, children who adore their pets but accept their need for personal space and not to be mean to them.

We could provide a good home, I'm sure of that.

And my dog is lonely for another best buddy.

Indoor arena - training no matter what the weather!

oh lucky you. We just get wet, or frozen or sunburnt!

A good rescue will always want to see your existing dog with the new one before you are allowed to adopt. Avoid any which doesn't like the plague.

And you sound super, don't put yourself down. Anyone who can commit to agility in this weather is a good dog owner imho.

Re an older dog - perhaps you might try the Oldies website? They are very good at what they do and have some gorgeous dogs on their site. I've used them in the past to advertise dogs in my care as foster/rescue dogs in need of extra, specific advertising. You might also like to try black retriever cross rescue, Labradoodle trust (both sometimes have other breeds too), Biggsd website and German Shepherd Dog Rescue as well as the various Lab rescues and local all breed rescue if you are considering an adult dog.

That's a very good point about avoiding a rescue who are more interested in getting rid of a dog rather than if it is the right dog for us. Is there anything else we should check about the rescue?

We certainly won't be getting one between now and Christmas - I think any new dog needs at least a few months settling in time before experiencing the chaos of a toddler Christmas!

You are doing the right thing getting an older dog. I have had a puppy and a small child before and it is not easy. I raised puppies previous to having children and while it was still hard work it was no where as bad as when you have a toddler. Never under estimate how hard it can be raising a puppy. There is no way I would do it again, at least not untill my youngest child was at least 8/9 years old.

Having said that, now I have seen how dogs in council pounds live, I doubt I will ever get another puppy. There really is no need when there are so many unwanted dogs, suffering in places like that. That is by no means a reflection on genuine rescues like the ones Vallhala works in. I would imagine that the dogs there are much happier, but rescuing from a decent rescue center means there is one more space for a coulncil pound dog, which after what I have seen, can only be a good thing.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

PS older Staffordshire Bull Terrier are great with children, completely toddler proof and have great characters.