THINKING OF BUYING A PUPPY? WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, PLEASE READ.

[Vallhala]

Apologies, I posted this on Pets ages ago, then MN decided to give us a seperate Dogs section so I think it needs saying here too.

This is a bit of a soapbox subject for me, so please forgive me if I get carried away!

If you are considering owning a dog, now or in the future, may I suggest that instead of contacting a breeder you contact some rescues?

As well as helping practically in my local rescue I am what they call a "network volunteer". I get tens of calls and emails each day about dogs which are either in pounds or with owners who can no longer keep them and my task is to find those dogs suitable rescue places before they are put to sleep.

As a result of my experiences I have seen not only the heartbreaking side, where I have sat up until the early hours to save a dogs life but also many beautiful, friendly and affectionate dogs moving on to loving family homes and my aim here is to reach out and increase that number.

You may not know this but if a stray is taken to a pound he has just 7 days grace before the pound is permitted to put him to sleep... and so many do. A dog which is surrendered to the pound by an owner can be killed immediately. These poor creatures need all the help they can get - as the saying goes, "why breed and buy while others die?".

This is why I am asking that you consider rescue....

A decent rescue will not just homecheck you but will match your family and circumstances to the right dog and offer lifetime support. You may find your ideal companion in a local, independent rescue or in a national one, you may have a breed in mind and find your friend through websites such as Biggsd or Bullies In Need, you may find the Oldies website has a calm, older family friend. Remember that not all rescue dogs are strays with no history, many have lived in family homes which can no longer keep them and that any reputable rescue will assess a dog thoroughly before placing him with your family so that he is safe with your children, cats or other pets. Such rescues will also neuter and vaccinate your friend before he goes home with you.

We struggle to find rescue on a daily basis and last Christmas was the worst I have ever seen with more dogs in pounds and about to die than ever before. Of course, if dogs in rescues are not re-homed there is no space to save the lives of those languishing in the pounds across the country.

Of all the dogs which I have helped, both pedigree and crossbreeds, Staffies and Greyhounds make up perhaps the greatest number. They are much maligned but Staffs make wonderful, loyal family companions and Greyhounds don't need miles of walks each day, just a couple of half hour ones then they are ready to loll about with their legs in the air and make the most marvellous, gentle and well mannered pets.

I think I have jabbered enough but just in case you are wondering, yes, I do have children, dogs and cats and all my dogs are and have been rescued and I have had dogs since long before my children were born and throughout their lives.

So, if you are considering owning a dog or may do in the future, please, look at those in your local rescue and search the net for rescues across the country, many of whom are willing and able to rehome a dog despite the distance between you and him and please do pm me if you'd like advice in finding a rescue as I have many contacts nationwide, or if you need assistance in any way.

Thank you for reading this.

Well done for this post, I rescue dogs (and cats) too and I think it's great what you've written here, everyone should always rescue, and spend time looking, contacting the smaller independent rescue groups as well as the larger ones, esp with younger children to consider.

it is also a problem in austrailia (spoiler: upsetting picture on first page)

the recent trend for X-breeds has been exploited internationally by these people.

buying from a puppy farmer isn't just bad for you, it puts money in the wrong pockets and leads to the horrendous exploitation of poor bitches.

In addition to rescue centres, there are breed-specific rescues usually organised through the breed clubs. Some x-breeds (like labradoodle) now have their own specific rescues too - there's really no need to get a dog from a puppy farmer with so many dogs in rescue needing homes.

could this get set up as a sticky? because 'where should i buy a puppy' etc comes up quite often.

We got our dog from Labrador Welfare in Sheffield. They are amazing. We had a home check, vet checks and were matched to our dog. They rang us every day for the first week, then once a week for a few months. My dog is microchipped to the rescue centre and if we are ever unable to look after him they take him back.

I wuold never, ever buy a dog from a breeder.

thank you so much Vallhala - I will have a look.

have been thinking about getting a dog for a while and thanks to this and another thread on this forum am completely sold on getting a dog from a rescue centre. I have been on our most local (to NI) website almost daily for the past 3 weeks and have spotted a lovely "auld lad" - I haven't had the courage to ring up or go and visit the sanctuary yet as dp is not entirely sold yet but we are in negotiations. However, my mind is made up thanks to threads like these.

Thank you Scuttle, you're a star. If it's okay with you the piece you've written here is super and will be ideal. I'm just looking to enlighten others as much as I have been today although I would be ever so grateful if I could come back to you for more information in the future.

ATM I would like to keep it fairly simple, not because of my audience but because of limits to the amount of time I have to do the subject justice. When I have DD2 back in a school and have caught up on the work which I've had to let slide because of her being at home I'll throw myself back into it all 100%.

Thank you again.:)

Thank you Scuttle, you're a star. If it's okay with you the piece you've written here is super and will be ideal. I'm just looking to enlighten others as much as I have been today although I would be ever so grateful if I could come back to you for more information in the future.

ATM I would like to keep it fairly simple, not because of my audience but because of limits to the amount of time I have to do the subject justice. When I have DD2 back in a school and have caught up on the work which I've had to let slide because of her being at home I'll throw myself back into it all 100%.

Thank you again.:)

Val, no problem. Contact me when you are ready.

Lara, you've already done the most important thing which is to avoid dodgy breeders. There are a number of specialist organisations that campaign specifically against puppy farming, Val posted some links to them earlier - they always need help and support.

Please do keep telling other dog owners - I sometimes feel like a stuck record on here going through my little speech about considering rescue dogs, avoiding dodgy breeders - and I realise I must be coming across as a right old misery whenever someone is genuinely excited about having a pup. I know there are some good, reputable breeders out there (including some on MN) who are responsible and caring, so would not feel comfortable tarring all with the same brush. Ironically, they are also affected by puppy farming as good welfare standards in caring for a bitch and her litter do not come cheap and therefore cannot hope to compete on price against some dodgy farm where bitches are not wormed properly, eat poor food and pups are knocked out flat by infections.

Thank you Scuttlebutter for articulating the problem so well. I have known that a blind eye is turned towards puppy farming and that even the vets can be seen to condone it. I think dh worked on a film about it once.

Vallhala, I didn't mean to recommend Gumtree as a place to find a dog. One of ours is from a family advertising on the website, but NO, it is certainly not something to do unless you are prepared for the consequences. We have a fantastic trainer, and the pup is a super dog. It could well be otherwise though. GO FOR SECOND HAND - SO MUCH HELP AND ADVISE!

Thanks for all this information. We've been ready for a dog for the past two years but have ended up in rented accommodation as we moved and couldn't sell our house. We've sold now but are still in rented but hope to find a house to buy in the next few months.

We're in Suffolk (on the Essex side). Can you recommend any rescue centres in the area? Would a Norfolk rescue centre deem us to be too far away?

How does the process work?

Essex area, there's Pat at Mutts In Distress (Bishops Stortford), in Norfolk there's Hallswood Animal Sanctuary, run by the wonderful Lyz, there's a very good Lab rescue which I believe is in Bury St Edmunds, I'll check, coming out to Cambs (Ely area) there's Poplar Farm Rescue Kennels - Dave and Rachel there are simply angels.... erm... I'll have a ponder and see who else springs to mind. :)

The process varies according to the rescue's time and amount of staff. Some will require you to fill in a form telling them about you first of all, so they can judge which dog/s would be right for you or be honest and tell you if there are none which would be. Others will ask you to visit them first and then go through the more formal stuff afterwards.

ALL decent rescues will expect to meet all of your household and assure themselves that the whole family want a dog, meet any existing pets, seek a satisfactory introduction between existing dog/s and the one you wish to adopt, homecheck you and very often ask you to visit and walk/interact with your chosen dog at the rescue several times before he goes home with you. If a rescue doesn't do these things, walk away.

Some rescues will invite you to look around and work from there, others will introduce you to a or some dogs which they feel would be right for you. This latter is practiced by the rescue I volunteer at for several reasons - one, lack of time and people to take you round but more importantly it's no good you falling in love with a dog only to find when you approach the rescue about him that he is totally unsuited to your family and home set-up. Years of experience has given the rescue owners a remarkable eye for knowing which dogs to suggest to whom although some people initially find this approach odd.

Whatever way they do it, as mad as all rescuers are (it's in the rule book, you have to be mad to be involved in dog rescue!), a good rescue's desire is NEVER to place a dog in a home where he OR the owner will be unhappy. Let rescue guide youand go with an open mind - remember, you're looking for a friend for life, not something that is black or small or long haired... you may go in thinking that a 5yo Collie girl is your ideal dog and walk out with a 9yo German Shepherd boy. Take it from someone who has! :)

The Dogs Trust is at Snetterton. They are fantastic there. YOu can see the dogs online and go and visit. They seem to be very sensible and good to talk to. There is a place in HIckling in North NOrfolk. We've been there a few times. I think it's called Faith. The Dog Pages would have information about local rescue centres. It depends on how far you are willing to travel!

Thank you. I don't mind travelling up to about two hours but would guess the rescue centres don't have the time to be doing home visit so far away.

The process sounds about what I expected. Good to know how thorough it is and I like the idea that experts will help guide us to find a dog that is a good fit rather than us having to make a stab in the dark.

I'm sure I will be back to ask more questions once we're moved and able to go ahead with this.

I know there are some greyhound rescue places near us too. Greyhounds are beautiful. We stumbled across a stand of these rescuers at a local fete and it was hard to tear me and my daughters away from the two greyhounds that were lapping up our attention.

We even went to look at a house and came away saying we didn't want to buy the house but would happily had the greyhound that lived there. But I'm put off by their size too. I guess it will depend what sort of house we end up buying and how happy other relatives would be to have us stay with a larger limbed dog (we don't live near any family).

We've got one of each, a pedigree Westie and a rescued 'unknown'...we guess at Staffie/Collie cross! Both are equally perfect for our family (inc small baby), if anything the rescue pup is far better behaved than our typically headstrong terrier!

Our rescue lady had been abandoned and lived as a stray for who knows how long before the pound had her. She was then rescued from there by a charity and lived at kennels until we took her. The thought of someone abandoning our lovely, trusting pup is heartbreaking. When researching and looking for her I couldn't believe the cruelty and heartless neglect people show animals, made me question humanity somewhat!

Pernickety, it is true that SOME greyhounds are huge - we have two enormous males, one of which weighs nearly 40 kg. However, you can also get very small, dainty greyhounds like our elderly bitch (about 27 kg) who is a much more compact dog - there is actually a surprising amount of variation in the breed, and males are often much bigger than females. So if you go to a rescue, it is quite normal for a family to request a smaller dog.

However, it is worth remembering that greys tend to be very calm and quiet around the house, needing plenty of sleep and a comfy sofa where they can have cuddles and dream about squirrels. Because they are so chilled, they are much less obtrusive than smaller dogs who happen to be hyper. In terms of your home, you will notice a small, yappy JRT who is bouncing round like a mad thing constantly needing attention and play and interaction far more than you would one of our lovely couch potatoes who just wants to curl up for a power nap before coming over for a quiet lean, a cuddle and a stretch before getting back to the important work of the day - sleeping.

As most greyhounds also tend to be excellent on the lead, don't pull and are good travellers, I would actually be more than happy to recommend one of our huge males to anyone. It is often quite fun at breed fun days if there is a class for child handlers, to see a leggy grey being led (in fact, is leading) a tiny toddler round the ring.

Bump

thank you this has been very helpful as we are considering getting a dog now ds is nearly 5, and rescue would be my first choice.