Morning!
I'm rather envious :o
For your sake, his sake and all rescue dogs' sakes I think what you have to do NOW is to look ahead three months.
Around six months old is when puppy owning becomes really hard work, when the energy is there but the brain has yet to get to grips with command and owners start tearing their hair out.
It's also between about 6 and 12 months old that owners end up rehoming because they "can't cope", "haven't enough time", "pup is chewing/mouthing/barking/running off" too much and similar reasons. A lot of these end up staying in rescue for quite a long time. Some rescues, many maybe, just don't have the time to commit to the level of training needed. This makes rehoming even more difficult and the older the pup gets, the more institutionalised thus the harder still it is to rehome him. And all the while he is taking up rescue space, several more dogs are waiting at the gates for their turn to be saved... and for thousands that chance never happens and they die before a space can be obtained.
Most importantly, in three months time it will be CHRISTMAS and the run-up to Christmas is the hardest time of year for rescuers and the most devastating for the canine world.
People very often think that the post-Christmas period is the worst for dog rescue. They believe that dogs are given as presents on Christmas day and dumped soon into the new year. That's far less the case nowdays than it used to be. Ninetheless the past few years of my involvement in rescue have taught me how horrifically cynical the human race is. What I say next is no exaggeration.
Now what we suffer from is the consumer-fuelled, "my child NEEDS a Wii and must have one at any cost" society. Hence Christmas approaches, idiots are faced with the choice of buying the Wii or feeding Rover... so they dump Rover on the streets or into the pound. Or, they decide that they want a new puppy... and Rover is old and losing his sight, so they tuen him onto the streets.
But on Christmas day, Rover is not in the pound.
Rover is dead. He's in the pound freezer, waiting for the incinerator.
Staff expect double wages to man the pound over such a bank holiday. Only live dogs need feeding and cleaning out... and that's why you won't find many pounds with live dogs in them over Christmas bank holiday.
Rescue is generally full to bursting point at the best of times. God only knows what it's going to be like for independent rescue in the run up to this Christmas now that the RSPCA have decided not to take in any unwanted dogs from the public.
What you REALLY don't want to do is to decide that you can't keep this little fella in three months time, when his "puppy novelty factor" has worn off - because it won't just be YOU it's worn off for, it will be prospective adopters too. If you decide in three months time that it isn't working for you to keep the little chap you will have a problem getting him into rescue, more so than you will if you seek rescue's help now.
Besides, although HE may get a rescue place because he's a whippet and not a Staffs or Rott, and he's a youngster, he'll be taking that rescue space at the expense of that Staffs or Rottie and they will die in the pound for want of a place of safety. His chances of fast rescue and placing in another home are increased at this age rather than in a few months time too.
I'd urge you to think very carefully and make a firm decision one way or another now. If you aren't 100% sure that you will be committed to keeping little whippet in three months time, please do the kindest thing for both him and the dogs on death row in the pound this Christmas - to say nothing of yourself and your family - and approach rescue now.
If you do decide that you're not completely sure that you will still want to keep him when the hard work, 6 month old plus stage is here, please contact LurcherLink - [email protected] (Kaye's the owner of the organisation, very savvy and respected). Should you do so and have any problems getting in touch please give me a shout as I also have her personal email and phone number and will contact her for you.
I hope that you will decide to keep this little lad and am sure he will be in excellent hands if you do... but if you don't, please act sooner rather than later.