Very cute photo of lovely rescue puppy

[Rhinestone]

Fucking fed up with MNHQ deleting threads. They just deleted my thread 'Er...whatever happened to LadyEvenstar's thread?'

Re DBF and her possible ban, her FB page is Vallhala MN.

No people getting rid of last years pups to make way for this years, it does happen. Or they get rid of their dog so they don't have to pay for kenneling fees over the visting period.

Yes, the pup is the little black dog on my profile.

Oh God. People get rid of them like last season's handbags? :(

Belle, unfortunately yes. One of the things I do is compile the stray dogs stats for Wales from all the local Councils. Invariably you will see spikes in stray dog figures at certain times of the year, usually just before Christmas (about now in fact) as people have the festive season coming up, and so don't want the hassle. Very often the "fun" of Bonfire Night will ahve been the last straw.

You then get another spike around March/APril when the Christmas novelty is wearing off, and then finally another spike in August time when people dump their dogs rather than pay for kennelling when they are away on holiday. I also have a theory that having the dog around when the kids are off school is too much for many people and the dog cramps their style when wanting to go out for days out/trips to beach etc.

the dog cramps their style when wanting to go out for days out/trips to beach etc.

could be - its much easier in cool weather when you can take a dog with you in a ventilated car. This is one of those apparently small but vital details potential owners need to think through beforehand!

That is just horrible. I've been waiting for so long to get a dog, but I keep thinking over the details- What happens when we go to see the inlaws? I am phobic about storms- What happens when there's thunder and the dogs need walking? Will I be able to deal with poo? But it seems some don't think about it at all before taking them on. :(

I may PM you soon about good Welsh rescues Scuttle- I am in mid-Wales.

If you're in mid-Wales then you won't do better than Many Tears rescue

Ooops, not sure that's working. Is this better?

Belle - I'm not sure anyone thinks through every detail of dog ownership, (like no-one thinks through every aspect of parenthood!)

What happens when we go to see the inlaws?
Well, that depends where they are and whether they like dogs! (Mine were responsible for addicting my DH to dachshunds)

I am phobic about storms- What happens when there's thunder and the dogs need walking?
THunderstorms rarely last very long. Just wait till its over!
Will I be able to deal with poo?
yes, esp if you feed a good-quality dry food.

Belle, I'd be delighted to recommend some good rescues local to you. Let me know when you are ready to pick. Are you in north or south Powys? What I mean is - would it be easier for a north Wales rescue to be recommended or more of a south or west one? Or even east if you are towards Abergavenny, say? We used to live in Builth so I know bits of mid Wales very well - and my dad was brought up in Newbridge on Wye.

Belle, you sound like me pre-Mouse: what if? OMG, what will I do when? How will I manage on Wednesdays?

Its good to run it all through your mind, because getting a dog does change the shape of your family and life - but like everything else I've committed to over the years, I've just discovered its not as scary up close as the anticipation made it out to be! Youll be fine Take your time, and take your time making the decision, and trust yourself...you sound very ready to home that dog, whoever he/she is.

And (am rushing a bit so may be way off the mark here) if you're in Wales, have you looked at Many Tears?

you know on the other end of the spectrum you can over think a situation (navel gazing) and paralyse yourself into doing nothing.

Just saying.

Jax I think you have me in a nutshell :o

Scuttle I am in the north, very nearly Gwynedd. I shall have a look at the manytears website. I have 2DCs (6 and 2) and haven't ruled out any more, so it would have to be a very family friendly little thing. But I work from home, which would be great for walks, and live in the middle of the country with lots of nice farmyardy smells for a mutt :o
I babysat my sister's Italian Greyhound a few years ago, it was lovely! Though we'd need a hardier breed than that...

Only look at Many Tears if you've got time to read through some of the Happy Endings as well! Some of the stories are heartbreaking, but they're balanced by the equally tear-jerking photos of the dogs enjoying their second chance homes.

(I've got two pedigree dogs, one rehomed and one I've had from a puppy, and I support my local rescue, so I have paws in all camps...)

belle - may I just add that I was very nervous of having a dog. As a child we always has at least one dog in the house - but not since then. I'm 46 now! Kids nagged for years and we always said no - we had cats, rats and fish in an effort to appease them but in the end I realised that we were saying 'no' for reasons that were no longer true. We got ours in July and it's been a breeze really. Yes, life has changed but largely for the better. IME it isn't anything like as hard as I expected it to be.

Agree, Jax - that is definitely a danger

Our Mouse is on the Happy Endings bit of MT.....as are at least two of his littermates. Very nice to see.

I often look on MT but I have to restrain myself. I get so upset and want to rehome them all.

Belle, I'll recommend Freshfields Rescue link here - I've had a number of dealings with the lady who runs the Welsh centre (she has a lovely blog which tells you all about the running of the centre and the animals they deal with) through our shared experiences/interest in pointies. She used to have a very much loved greyhound who is the double of one of ours - a bittersweet connection for her, as he was very much missed when he died.

Also, Greyhound Rescue Wales covers the mid and north too You could also consider Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue - they do great work. See here

I think over-thinking is possibly better than the reverse. Yes, it is a big lifestyle change and it's helpful to try to work through your lifestyle to try to assess how a dog will fit e.g. visiting relatives, going on holiday etc. However, it is one of those things that you quickly adjust to, and one of the nice things is that it's surprising how often dogs can be included in things, and also how you start doing things/going places that you wouldn't necessarily have done without a dog, IYSWIM.

MrsZoidberg - I don't think I was very clear in my late night posting last night. That was a quote from Justine.

saggy- try reading to the end of the thread before pontificating. I think it ended up quite 'mature' .

I thought by the end it had developed into rather a nice thread, actually - pleasant discussion of dog ownership and rescues. No need to be a SourSaggyPuss

Saggy Actually it turned out much nicer than it could have been.