WOULD I BE MAD TO ADOPT/REHOME A LABRADOR?

[2T2T]

Not working at the moment as little boy doesn't start school til Sept. I am a single parent and do not intend to return to work until 2012 -probably about January I work part time when I do work so would be home for most of the day as I usually work mornings - approx 3.5hrs per day though would be out for about 4 in total I guess. I dont want a young dog - at least 1 yr old and would consider older dog if it had the right temperament. I am thinkng of trying to take on a dog September time as then I would be able to concentrate on the dog without the distraction of a small child getting over excited during training/familiarisation etc. Woul appreciate your views please. Thanks

Valhalla although fostering might work for some. ie adult families and even older children, would it be ,in all honesty,hand on heart fair to let a little boy (i'm guessing 4 or 5) welcome a dog into his home and say bye-bye when it gets moved on.
Or even if its a long term foster its still in the back of your mind that its not forever.
And some places will foster out to get the dog used to a home environment(I'm thinking greyhounds again) so you might get a dog that scared of the washing machine and the vacuum.-and that's a good enough reason not to vacuum!

lordoftheflies - i have fostered children and dogs since ds was 4. i absolutely believe it was a good thing for him to experience. he is now a very caring 18yr old

wow you lot are busy late at night! I have been looking at Dogsblog, Dogs Trust, Shoreham (nearest one to me), RSPCA, and specific Cocker and Lab rescue sites. I am getting the firm idea that I need to be rather more open to other breeds and I am certainly happy to take a look at any breed.
Joolyjooly - I am not biased as far as age goes - 4+ is absolutely fine for me. LIke I say, I am open to ideas and am getting some good guidance on here
Valhalla - lol at your description of greyhounds sleeping position - worth getting a greyhound for that alone!!!
As for fostering - not sure I could put the chidren (or me) through the getting to know stage and then say goodbye to the dog and i really don't have room to adopt every dog I fall in love with! Also could be a bit traumatic for my cat (grumpy old git).
Wll take another look at Dogsblog as that does seem to have every breed and cross under the sun! Thanks girls

i have had another look at Dogsblog this morning and there seem to be a lot of ex-breeding bitches inneed of tlc. I am sure I have plentt of tlc to give but what are potential problems with ex breeders? I gleen from the blurb that they arenot used to family life etc. but how much of a problem could this be? They really really deserve a break adn I would love to resuce one of these but am afraid that theymay become snappy with my son.

AFAIK, ex breeding dogs are more likely to be rehomed when there is already an established family dog as they are used to canine, not human company.

But I'm sure someone more informed will be along soon

ok - am now addicted to dogsblog site! I have rung a couple of the centres form there and am geting excellent advice. erring on the side of smaller breeds now though so I ought to start a new thread really!

We rescused a lab a few months ago from Lizzies Barn in South Wales (they re-home all breeds of dog but are active on the lab rescue section of labradorforums as well.) I would highly recommend them, they are extremely helpful and match the dogs with new owners very carefully. We went on an 8 hour round trip to see a lurcher we had seen on dogs blog but craftily they had another dog out in the yard when we arrived. He was a very handsome 1 year old black labrador and he is the perfect, gentle yet fun, family dog. Needless to say we took him home! Good luck in your search :)

thanks you. been looking up smaller dogs and am so excited about this now. I cannot wait until September!

Enjoy your search! Word of warning- watch out for those websites! Friend of mine was "browsing" and found herself driving hundreds of miles at 5am, then nearly battering down the door of the rescue, so worried that her "choice" would have gone by the time she got there (she wasn't, happy ending! ) They hook you in, these cute little guys...

jooly - thanks for the advice - I am looking at the pics and then googling for advice on the breeds. I have narrowed my search drastically! I quite agree though, the pups and small breeds certainly do look appealing. tbh - it is the dog breeds temperament and activity level that I am looking at most Thanks

WRT fostering, my children were not as little as yours when I started although by then we'd owned and lost to age/illness pets in the past. I'd also over the years hauled in several strays and had to explain that they weren't permanent residents!

My DDs were about 8 and 9 when I fostered for the first time in their lives. They took great interest in our charges, heloing with basic training and play and were as I was always sad to see dogs go to forever homes but really proud of the part they'd played in saving those dogs lives and helping them get to those new homes.

Maybe that's not something for YOU for now, though I'd have done it earlier had I had the room and though it worked for Chick and her son, but perhaps something to bear in mind for the future?

Enjoy your search, be patient and hold out for the right dog AND the right rescue back up and do keep us informed. :)

The thing that really broke my heart on the website my friend was looking at, was that the more "desirable" dogs commanded a higher price, and once a dog had been there for a while, the price went down I don't know why that upset me so much, but it really did.

2T2T- do google and browse, but sometimes it is worth meeting the dog itself, rather than relying on a "breed standard" I have 2 beagles, both very different in character, and very different from their google description! really looking forward to hearing what you get (because you will get a dog, I know it!)

- I can't wait to tell the children - not yet though