could I ask a really stupid question, please?

[crapbarry]

DH and I may be homeowners soon (provided this one doesn't fall through), and we both really want to get a dog. We have 1 DS, 17 months, who is dog crazy. We don't think we can justify spending 600 odd quid on a pedigree pup if we're buying a house too, although can easily afford the day to day expenses of dog ownership (although the breeder my parents got their spaniels through have offered us a small discount, as one of my parents' dogs has fathered some pups for them).

But where do we go to find puppies, if we don't mind not getting pedigrees? We can't rescue a dog with a toddler, so far as I can tell, but please correct me if I'm wrong on that count! We're in Herts, if that helps (but don't know the area well yet).

(DH works from home btw, so could walk the dog during the day, and I'm P/T so could walk it in the afternoons, and I've a lot of experience with puppies after growing up in a dog-mad house.)

do jollyes in enfield still sell pups?

local papers normally advertise them, cards in newsagents, the adverts in the front of Pets At Home stores etc.

speak to rspca at south mimms re rehoming suitables?

Good luck.

i would suggest visiting local rescues and speaking to them before ruling them out. not all rescues have a blanket policy on not rehoming with under 5s.

ok, will look around. but I didn't want to get a name off a noticeboard in case it's deeply dodgy! (not deeply doggy :o) we do have a very very small local rescue centre, I thought of calling them - will do that if the house purchase goes ok (our last attempt fell through in an expensive manner, so we're not getting our hopes too high. but I want a house, because house will = dog :o)

local vets sometimes have cards up too, and they will prob know the parents?

Awww... it's a nice time... getting a new family member!

Good luck with the house buy... it's a cack and needlessly traumatic process but worth it in the end!

the dogs trust will rehome to people with under 5s, depending on usual assessment. we rehomed from the dogs trust when fostering (humans!) under 5 and they did a thorough assessment on dog's temperament around children

i would recommend a dog 1+ as then temperament can be assessed.

there are also a few MNers who rescue dogs and know far more about rescue organisations than i do so keep checking thread in case they post

good luck with the house purchase too

there is a poster here called Valhalla who is a dog rescuer. maybe PM her and she will undoubtedly be able to direct you in the right direction in your area.

Hello, I'm in Herts (not a dog rescuer though) - we have a rescue dog and a young family and it's worked out brilliantly. They were very very thorough. We got our dog in Essex though - where are you planning to move to?

we're in East Herts (BS) - very close to Essex! planning to stay here for the forseeable future! we really want a spaniel-type dog - not bothered about gender or age really, we were offered a brood-bitch who was 3 or 4 years old, but she'd never lived in a house, and then our first house purchase fell through, so we couldn't take her in time (rental property won't let us have dog). I will contact Valhalla, but she scares me a bit

Ah ok, we got our dog from a breed specific rescue (greyhound). If you can go on word of mouth either for a puppy or rescue then definitely for the best. Rescue fan myself, we got a beautiful gentle housetrained dog with a known history, but I understand everyone is different. BS is great, fantastic countryside all round. Will be great for walking your new dog! Best of luck.

Either you buy a puppy from a well researched, well respected breeder, which will cost money and involve lots of time and effort and waiting from you.

Or you rescue a dog.

Any other way of getting a dog - pet shops, noticeboards, the back of the local paper - is supporting back yard breeders or puppy farmers. If you actually love dogs, rather than just really reaaally wanting one, then you will know that this isn't acceptable at all.

I don't bite! :o Well, not people who aren't silly enough to dismiss the idea of a rescue dog on the basis of inaccurate claptrap at any rate!

If I were you I'd have a word with Pat at Mutts - she's a very good rescue owner and very responsible and is local to you.

These guys are first class and don't have a blanket policy wrt children - they're not too far away, in Cambs. Have a look at Susie, Dyna (who I adore) and risk breaking volunteer Amanda's heart by considering offering a home to Toe. :)

An Anatolian Shepherd cross and his friend a Dobie cross who are soon to join them - both dogs have been up until now living with young children and are super with them but sadly the family are a US Air Force one and are being posted back out to the States, which is why their dogs are having to go to rescue. I know the family and trust their assessment on the dogs although of course the rescue will assess independently - even with those they know, like this couple, they don't just take their word for it.

I'd recommend that you join the forum and introduce yourself. Not all of the dogs are featured on it and some are hard to find on it too, so if you email the owners they'll be able to advise much better. Don't be put off if they ask you to complete a long initial enquiry form... it's in YOUR interests that they know as much about you as possible in order to match the right dog to the right owner, as well as in the dog's interests. The Boss might come over as a bit of an old bear but he's lovely really and he doesn't bite either! :o

The forum is a friendly, welcoming place and the volunteers on board, myself included, will happily give you their experiences of the dogs in the rescue's care. Please feel welcome to PM me for my number if you want to ask anything about them, by all means.

Whatever you do, for all the reasons given by HarderToKidnap, please, please don't buy from the free ads/shop window ads/Gumtree etc.

(See - I'm not so scary after all, am I?!) :o

thanks Valhalla :o I didn't want to buy from small ads (and dogs in pet shops are so patently wrong, I'd never go there for one - I saw some in a pet shop in the states, and ended up weeping outside for 10 minutes ), but all the rescue centres I'd seen online seemed to have a blanket ban on rehoming to houses with small children, so I was getting a bit it's good to know there are others out there - our local is called ARC, but they are teeny tiny, and seem to have predominantly huge dogs, which we really don't think we could cope with well - I will be calling them once we're settled enough for a dog, in case they can help us (and in case we can help them). I'd prefer to rescue over buying a pedigree puppy, but we'll have to see what's available when we're able to house a dog.

those links are really really useful - I'll def. contact them if and when we are rehomed ourselves (surveys were yesterday, eek). I'll probably be back on the Doghouse in a few months time! thank you!

You're more than welcome. :) Fingers crossed with the house move, I know how stressful it is. :)

Vall, thsnks for link i couldn't resist a peak and now i am in love with Leon the lurcher and summer! The video of summer playing could be my 2 playing, they play like that all of the time .

Leon's a funny old bugger. :)

He had a major issue with chasing swallows in the sky, which took a hell of a lot to get him out of. He's now moved from his original area and has put on weight thankfully, no longer chasing birds in the sky!

Get his attention, bond with him and you have a remarkable dog there. Kathy, who rescued him originally, taught him some heelwork to music too. :)

Summer... a beauty but tbh not one of my favourites. Ty (AKA Tyson) however... now we're talking, I love that boy!

If you like Leon and Summer you'll like Peppa, the Dobe X Shep who is shortly to return to the rescue with her Anatolian X pal as their family are moving out to the US.

Just sayin'.... :o

I'm not listening either.

oh dear i have just looked up Anatolian dogs, oops really shouldn't have done that .

:o PMSL :o

Ty is scrummy!

And Snoop.... ooooh!

Snoop is a darling. For "he didn't get much attention in his previous home" read "He was locked in his own shit in the kitchen for the last year, prior to being rescued." :( :( :(

He is THE most affectionate and rewarding boy despite how man has treated him and has none of the traits you'd expect to see in a dog who had been neglected as he has.

HELLO! I SAID, HAVE YOU SEEN SNOOP!

Stop Vallhala otherwise you will be named in my divorce proceedings .

Reason for divorce: my wife meet somebody on the internet called Vallhala and she was crazier about dogs than my wife and she was a bad influence showing my wife all these pictures of dogs that needed a home along with their sad sad stories. Just for the record my wife didin't need any encouraging!!!!

Do you get the picture Vall, do you??

grin].

I knew I shouldn't have opened that link. Tyson is stunning.