Please would share your rescue dog stories with me....

[DeliaRose]

We want a dog. A puppy really. We have 3 young DC (6,3,1).

We don't want to spend £500 + on a dog when rescue homes are overflowing.

We're worried about risks with a rescue dog.

We need some advice, please?!

assumpta, which rescue? That's very odd. Are you sure? If they're too young to be done they normally give you a voucher or arrange to collect the dog from you at a later date to be done.

Here's a thought for you. How about a rescue labradoodle. If your family don't have allergy problems this could work for you. They are fab, fab dogs.

However, because people erroneously think they are non allergy dogs, perfectly nice people get them as puppies, train them properly, then sadly have to get rid of them because of allergy problems.

So you wouldn't have problem of unknown temperment, dodgy background etc.
And would get yourself a really sweet dog.

Just an idea. Google labradoodle rescue. They are also looking for foster carers.

Both mine were microchipped and neutered before adoption. I thought that was fairly standard these days. I have seen places close by me though that call themselves rescues, but do not offer this and also do not e.g guarantee to take the dogs back, do not properly home-check etc. I think this is therefore a problem, how do people know where is a reputable no-kill rescue and what is not? (There again, buying a puppy does not get around this problem, as how do buyers really know they are buying from a reputable breeder, either?)

We have a rescue puppy (well he is two now, so dog really). When we picked him up at eight weeks the rescue said that although they knew his mother was an American Water Spaniel they had no idea what his father might be, and he might grow up big like a rottie or small like a terrier. Now he's all grown he looks mostly like a rather small yellow lab (we don't think his mum can have been very pure Water Spaniel as they have chocolate coloured ringlets).

He is a lovely dog and we wouldn't be without him, but there is no way I would have wanted to have him at the same time as a baby - it was hard enough with our 11 and 9 year olds!

Temperament I think he is more fun and better company than my sisters pedigree Miniature Schnauzer or my brother's purebred Golden, but then he is ours :)

I think the best way to view getting any dog , rescue or otherwise , is to think ' we are going to have another baby' , could you cope with another child ? if the answer is yes then look into it . The reason i say this , is because when i first got my rescue dog , it was as stressful initially as if i had had another child , it took at least six months and countless dog training classes to get to the point where i didnt want to send him back . For the first six months i really really regreted my decision on a daily and occasionally hourly basis . He wasnt even a bad dog , he was clean in the house , very good natured with everything , including the children , his recall was non existent and he pulled like a freight train and i didnt feel he had bonded with me or vice versa for at least six months . Eight years later , he is still here and i love him to bits , couldnt imagine my life without him . Are you going to be happy with hair and mud all over the place , including on your childrens toys etc ? If you get a puppy , most of the toys will be chewed , another good reason for getting an older dog .
Do you know anyone with a child friendly dog , who might let you look after it for a weekend ?

We have two rescue dogs. One is a Lab x that we got at 7months old. We got him when DD2 was 3 and when we first went to look at him he was so excited he knocked her over! I thought this would put her off but on the way home she said she wanted "the jumpy dog". We've had him for 6 yrs now and despite being very excitable for the first few months he is the loveliest dog you could meet. So sweet natured and 'bomb-proof' around children.

We got our 2nd dog at the end of last yr at 9 weeks! Poor thing had been dumped. He is a terrier/collie cross and although adorable is still quite hard work (chews everything, play bites, lunges at cars (!) and I would say is less predictable behaviour-wise.

I think the there are a few things to bear in mind:
Do you have the time and commitment to give this dog?, Are you willing to take them to training?, Would you be put off by some "challenging" behaviour for a yr or so?, Are you incredibly house proud?

Go and meet some dogs at a Rescue. You can pick up a lot from that but remember, getting the dog is just the start. It's like raising kids in a way. YOU have to put the effort in.

I would disagree with a previous poster who said they are "usually there for a reason". There are a great many good dogs who end up in rescues because the owner actually wanted a baby...when the baby came along it all got too much etc. or people can't be bothered to train them.

Good luck. I hope you get a rescue dog. There are FAR too many good dogs languishing in rescues

Another thing to think about is the logistics of dog walking , come rain or shine , with two small children . When i walk my dog and take my two year old with me , i tend to only let one or the other be loose at any one time , if they are both loose they gang up on me and head in different directions
Please dont let my story put you off , it was definately the best thing i ever did and i spend alot of time scouring dogsblog for the next one ! Dont look , its addictive !
My main problem was i thought i knew what i was doing as we had always had dogs when i was growing up and i walked them often .What i hadnt appreciated was the hours and hours my father had put into training them .

We are going to see a small, male, youngish, less than 12 months, they think, cross breed this weekend, with a view to taking him home. We had the dog warden out to check our house and garden, and she was very helpful in terms of what to expect etc. We know a certain amount about the dog, but as it is in kennels, and not a foster home, we will be going in fairly blind. Does everyone that looks at a dog they think is suitable automatically bring them home, or have any of you 'had a feeling' and left empty handed?

OK, voice of dissension. We had our first two puppies, terriers, before our first baby was born. The pups were about eight months when the baby arrived.

There was never, ever, a problem. Not once. The only thing I can remember is that one of the dogs snapped at a small child on two occasions (two different children). This was when they had accidentally hurt the dog. There was no contact with the child, it was just warning shots, and we made it very clear indeed to the children in question that they were out of order and should not have been doing what they were doing. Neither child or dog repeated the behaviour.

They grew up together and the terriers (a very prey-oriented breed) developed into very gentle dogs, who loved small children. I still have photos of the terriers lying next to babies on their gym mats and nudging the baby gym bells with their noses.

Why is it so bad to have young children and dogs? I used to use the dog walk as an opportunity to bundle up the two babies/toddlers into their buggy and get some peace and quiet. The dogs had a long walk. Everyone was happy and relaxed when we got home. Especially me.

I know you have to be careful and vigilant (and fit and energetic) but I just don't understand why it's considered such a bad thing. If you are prepared to put the work in and don't mind some long walks, why not?

Not trying to be controversial here. Just curious.

I rescued my second dog last September and have never regretted getting her for one moment. I too agree with Mopswerver, not all dogs are in a rescue centre for a reason.

I went to place in Bournemouth, which didn't have kennels as such, but had the dogs already housed in homes with foster carers. This cannot be the only place that does such a thing. You then go to the home of the carer and see the dog in a home environment. Which is always a good thing.
My Beloved Tessa died last July and I thought I could never replace her, she was so good with DS1 who was 11 months old when she died. But I found my gorgeous Zia, a border collie, labrador mix, who is also brilliant with my DS1 and will soon be coping with the imminent arrival of DS2. Zia was breed to be agile and even though she is very agile (the collie in her), the lab side also makes her lazy when she wants to be, so her breeders didn't want her as she wouldn't do the agility stuff on demand. Her tempermant is perfect for children.
I wish you luck in finding the right dog, don't rush it, go and see plenty of them and you will know when you meet the special one.

frumpet I think you are spot on when you describe how stressful things can be at first and how you have to be prepared for that. It is a lot of work but SO rewarding in the end.

Our older dog was about 1yo when we got her, suspected to have been living on the streets She didn't know what stairs were.

She is a smallish terrier type thing, we think patterdale-X. She is the most bomb-proof dog I ever met and I had 2 babies since she joined us. She has a massive personality - doesn't like to go out if it's wet but loves to prance through big puddles and loves it at the seaside - she is fabulous. 9yo roughly now. Now sleeps in our bed and is great for everything except recall TBH!

We also got a collie puppy last year, super recall and generally really good but it has been hard work, esp now we are into the adolescent stage. I love him to bits but if I did it again I would get a slightly older dog rather than a puppy. They are very loving but you really do need to commit to giving them LOTS of exercise otherwise they are totally bonkers.

My DCs are 5 and 3 and they do moan about going out to walk the dog, esp when they are tired/it's wet and miserable, like now. Dragging 2 small children out plus the dog is quite a challenge some days but it just has to be done

The only time it's been difficult walking with a dog and two DCs (5 and 3) has been when it was really, really cold and icy. All other times it's been fine - just make sure they have the appropriate wet weather gear and stout footwear and hot drinks/snacks at the ready for the return!

Getting them out can be hard at times but once we're out it's lovely.

We rescued two Labradors last summer. Their previous owners had split up and asked the Labrador Rescue Trust to re-home them. They had clearly been well trained before and were fab with our children. The Trust did a great job ensuring that they were a good match for our family - genuinely couldn't have been better. You have to exercise caution and ensure you know as well as you can what you are letting yourself in for. Our boys are 5 so were the upper end of the age range I specified, puppies are often more sought after but ours couldn't have been better . Good luck!

Agree with betsy , it's the getting out. They moan but once we are out there are looking for beetles and puddles and forget they didn't want to come and the same applies to me . Occasionally bribe them with a stop at the newsagents for sweets on the way home.

Thank you all so much for sharing your stories/opinions.

We're going for a rescue .

There are six that we hope to see over the next few days, all rescued from Ireland. They are all between 12-16 weeks. There are:

Two lab x
One terrier x and
Two sprollies

Anyone care to offer up an opinion on preferable breed out of the above?

Also any advice on settling in, what 'stuff' we need to have ready, etc would be greatly appreciate

TheDogWalker Was it Dorset Dog Rescue you went to, out of interest?

great news.

I would just meet them all and see which one is 'the one'. You will know.

Lots of people use crates , to give the dog a safe place , never needed one , but i can see why it would be useful for a puppy . Be prepared for some sleepless nights and work out your house rules before bringing it home , ie will it be allowed on the sofa ? If the puppy has been used to sleeping with another dog , have you got an old hotwater bottle for bedtime and plenty of old balnkets /towels .

Delia, you are doing a kind thing. I'm sure too that you will have no doubt which is the dog for you, and he will be very lucky indeed.

...I have to say, I wouldn't go with any of those breeds, particulary the sproliie type. Bounce, bounce & more bounce. Mind you, I suggested waiting until DC are older...

Do your breed research really well, think about if you can really cope with an energetic big dog & 3 kids. I wouldn't be able to, so I'm somewhat biased Our cav suits us perfectly...loves running round the woods, loves sleeping...

Hope it works out for you

I got my JRT from the council pound when he was about 2yrs old. He cost a whole £35 quid! Pound was full of big barky dogs and this shivering little terrier.You'll find your dog will pick you. Hes 14 now and still as mad as ever.When dd came along he gave her a wary look and just keeps his distance. Guy at pound told us to chuck in a blanket with my smell on it and give him somewhere that would be his space. Oh and to make his first meal scrambled egg on toast. It worked. We also have a slightly more sociable 10yr old JRT who Ive had from a puppy. Must say the rescue dog was a lot less work.Terriers are good dogs with kids size wise but have a whole personality of their own which you have to keep on top of.

Labs are a pretty good bet with kids but agree with moaningminnie, you will know when you meet them. The dog will choose you. All the best.

So we've been to see the Labrador x's.

They were gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. One of them was all over DC, and was just lovely. Felt like she picked us. Unfortunately DH didn't click with her, and she was a lot bigger (already) than we'd anticipated. They think she's about 16 weeks. We're not 100% so have decided against

I'm not convinced about the sprollie cross breed, and the terrier cross is a bit too far away.....

However, I've just been told about some brand new (6 weeks old, not ready just yet) Patterdale X pups... hoping to see them tomorrow! So fingers crossed!

id be dubious about a sprollie as well, i love springers but they are just hyper to the nth degree and i just don't like collies (sorry to anyone who has one) as pets as they are a working dog and need so much stimulation.

I have a patterdale x border terrier (with some jack russel thrown in somewhere for good measure) and he is just adorable, i never thought i would trust a dog 100% but i actually do trust him 110% actually. He has no brains, no recall and can be a problem with other dogs if he is on the lead (Fine off lead) but he is just great and i suspect the recall is probably my own lazy arse fault! He is fab fab fab - im very jealous

Don't go with a patterdale x unless you're 100% sure you can cope. They're one of the brightest, independent and high energy dog breeds around. THE terrier of terriers. Lots of hard work. Smaller isn't always better- believe me- I have a lovely calm big greyhound that sleeps constantly and small yappy dogs look like a nightmare from where I'm standing.