What sort of dog should we get?

[MinkyBorage]

We'd love a dog.

The brief:
Cat friendly: we have a rescue cat that doesn't seem too keen on dogs, but sure he'd come round.
Child friendly: DC 5, 4 and 2
We live in a town near to a couple of parks but we do have a decent (but not massive) garden.
I guess selfishly I'd like to avoid having a new baby in the house from the point of view of huge toilet training problems and terrible sleepless nights, but a puppy would be cute.

Not too big, but we don't want a handbag dog either iykwim.
Quite happy with mixed breeds/mongrels.

Thank you in advance wise MNers.

I'm sure I won't be the only one to suggest it but what about a rescue? We got a wonderful 1 year old lab who is brilliant with our children (7,5 and 2) but it wasn't the breed so much as the rescue knowing the dogs personality and knowing we would be well suited for each other.

You would find loads of advice and help at a good rescue centre. If you are open minded (it sounds as though you are!), you could come home with
anything that suits your needs. We came home with a border collie, which I never imagined I'd own in a blue fit. Now we have 3.

We have just rescued a choc lab (aged 2) and he is excellent with my three (aged 7, 5 and 2).

The cat isn't impressed, but she has calmd down a bit and will now be in the same room as him. He is more terrified of her, even though he is 10 times her size.

As your DC are still young, I would say try get an older dog rather than a puppy.

Thank you. When I first started thinking about this, I assumed we would get a rescue dog, but I emailed a lurcher rescue centre yesterday and she said that we wouldn't be right for a lurcher and I wondered if a rescue dog may be a bit of a problem? Too much unpredictable baggage etc My brother has a rescue dog and he's a bit of a pita. Huge problems with other dogs so it's no fun going out and about with him, and he barks loads.

I guess the cat is not a good idea with a lurcher so that might have been part of her reason for being so definite.
Yes, I see your point re finding a dog who is well suited to you rather than focusing on a breed.

I'll get googling a rescue centre.
Thank you

........ 2 minutes googling and I've just realised why I stopped trawling through the rescue sites... I do not want a bull terrier of any sort. It's so depressing how the rescue centres are full of them. Poor little things.

Try gumtree as well, loads of dogs usually on there.

IKWYM about the SBTs in the rescue centres, there are loads of them :(

FFS DO NOT try Gumtree. It's a haven for puppy farmers and arseholes.

The last poster on here who did so ended up with her neighbours small child bitten and the dog put to sleep within 48 hours of taking him on from a Gumtree advertiser.

You take a dog from the free ads and you have no fucking idea what you're bringing into your home. People will tell you what you want to hear. You'll end up with a totally unassessed dog which has no-where to go if it doesn't wa=ork out... after all, the seller is hardly likely to take him back is he? You may end up with a dog who howls as soon as you leave him, who shreds your furniture, who pees on your floor... none of that is insurmountable but it's not funny if you have no support from a dog expert.... or you may even end up with someone hurt.

Please - approach a reputable rescue. Remember that their dogs will all be assessed professionally before being rehomed and that many rescue dogs come from family homes as a result of divorce, unemployment etc etc - rescue dogs are far from being nothing but unknown strays.

And, even when a dog comes from a family, we don't just take the previous owner's word for it (as I said, people lie... and, btw, if they do so to rescue what the feck do you think they will try to do with the average Joe Public?). Rescue will thoroughly and responsibly assess their dogs and match them to suitable homes (and vice versa!) regardless of how much the previous owner sings their dog's praises.

A dog from a reputable and responsible rescue will be assessed, neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, matched to the new owner and vice versa, bringing with him a lifetime's support and an agreement that the rescue will take the dog back should the owner not be able to keep him, even if that's in 10 years time. A responsible rescue will also home check which is as much for YOUR benefit as the dog's, so they can identify and iron out any potential problems before they start and assess whether the dog you have chosen is right for your family and environment.

PS - Yes, Bull Terriers are the most common dog in rescue and the most frequently killed in pounds and RSPCA centres across the country for want of homes.

Want to know why?

Because nice families which COULD improve the breed's reputation and give this lovely, affectionate breed a good home see them on rescue websites and turn away.... :(

In case you haven't gathered, I'm a rescuer. My children were brought up with a rescued Staffie cross and I have virtually never had less than 2 dogs since they were born. I now have 3... two German Shepherds and a Labrador, all rescues. They're on my profile.

The long haired white German Shepherd who you'll see there is a long term foster dog but it's agreed with the rescue that unlike most foster dogs he is staying with me. He's here on a foster contract because he's epileptic... the rescue, by keeping him as a foster dog, can ensure that he remains under their vet by virtue of paying the vet bills for him, bless them.

Re the Lurcher rescue - a Lurcher may well not be considered suitable for you because of the ages of your children. That doesn't mean that ALL dogs are not suited to a family with young DC - independent rescues very often decide these things according to the personality of each individual dog and the experience of each applicant instead of having a blanket policy. Ask around and don't be put off if the first rescue says no children.

If you want to state your county I'll happily see if I can recommend a reputable rescue.

PS - why not consider fostering a dog? All the fun, rescue pays for the food and any vet bills, 100% support and according to the situation and your agreement he may be with you for anything from a few days to indefinitely.

Foster dogs may be like my epi dog, they may be pups in need of learning the basics, they may be older dogs or just a dog who would fare better in a family home over winter than in a rescue kennel. They may be a dog who needs to be reminded of his training prior to going to a new home ... there are heaps of reasons why dogs need foster homes.

Is there any reason you don't want a bull terrier? I would have thought they'd be ideal for you, often very loving and affectionate family dogs, good with children, medium size...

Some rescue places have dogs in foster homes, with cats, kids etc. - so you get a 'known quantity'. Probably the best assessed dogs to get, really. My friend has two staffies, one a rescue - they are soppy girls!

Just spotted that the OP has cats... that may well be another reason why the Lurcher rescue turned her down. But, as I said, not all will and there ARE cat-friendly and child friendly Lurchers out there. My pal has 4 DC and 3 cats with her Lurcher.

The website LurcherLink will be able to advise on the breed and there are plenty of rescues on there. Kaye, LurcherLink's owner, is incredibly knowlegable (a tad brief in written replies but very approachable, don't be put off, that's just her style!) and look out too for "Bonniesmum" on there, who is a fellow volunteer I have worked alongside and very much an expert in the breed.

Eek! Sorry Vallhala. It was only a suggestion

Thank you. Loads of great information here, and lots to think about. Brilliant.
Vallhala, we're in London.

Sorry, I typed in haste and "type as I speak", 5inthebed. I was just anxious to get the point over that buying from Gumtree is a bad idea before people took it up and started searching their pages!

Minky, a couple of rescues I'd recommend to the adopter are Wood Green Animal Shelter in north London... I don't like them as they don't have a no kill policy and will PTS healthy dogs but as rehomers they are thorough. They MAY have a blanket policy on young DC though, but are worth asking.

Another is Gladys at Pro Dogs Direct - www.prodogsdirect.org.uk/ she's a nice lady, very helpful.

As I said, LurcherLink are good too - pm Kaye, the owner and talk with her direct.

Or Hersham Hounds for Greyhounds - lovely lazy dogs and you do come across those who are cat friendly sometimes.

Heathlands are excellent, they're in Royston, Herts, unsure if they go out as far as London but worth asking. www.heathlands.org.uk/index.php?pageid=1

Battersea are very thorough too - like Wood Green complete shits about killing healthy dogs and may have a policy on homing with DC but can't knock their rehoming skills.

Please look at my profile for pics of my SBT, they are not all squat legged muscle balls with huge heads!
My girl is gorgeous and lives happily with my 6yo and 2yo.

I would reccomend a Bull breed, medium sized, hardy, low shedding, shes perfect! (Slightly biased...)

Blue ones are lovely!

Vallhala, I emailed some of the places you suggested, and I think really it's going to be a case of keeping an eye on the shelters for new and suitable animals. The Wood Green Animal Shelter looks great although I take your point about their killing policy. V sad. Thank you so much for all your help.

izzybiz, Lola's gorgeous!

Thank you everyone, I will post again when we find our hound.

My pleasure, Minky. I look forward to pictures when you find your perfect friend. (And still urge you not to discount bull breeds because it isn't about finding the right breed, it's about finding the right dog, regardless of breed! :) ).