What kind of rescue dog?

[YakkaSkink]

DS and I have agreed that we want a dog but I've never owned one before. I work from home and mostly do quite dog-friendly things with my time (gardening, walking) but DS is only 5 and has some hypermobilty so can't walk for too far (a couple of miles) and as I'm a single parent walking a dog without DS isn't always an option, especially during school holidays. A dog with the stamina to enjoy a long walk would be great though as it's something I do often when I'm on my own.

I'm thinking that a grown-up rescue dog would be a better choice for a first dog (or not?), we mostly want another family-member and DS wants a playmate. We have a tiny back yard but live near the beach/ plenty of countryside. I'd prefer a medium-sized dog that doesn't look intimidating. So, what kinds of rescue dogs should we be thinking about? Any advice?

I would say yes to the grown up dog part. But that is definitely my personal preference.

As to the breed, I've found that it always works out well if I go in there with the attitude of I can tell them my situation and they can tell me which one or several of their dogs works best. A really good rescue won't just let you come in and take whatever dog you want, they will want to hear your situation and at least advise which dogs aren't suitable for you and ideally tell you which one of their dogs will best suit your situation. We found one rescue that we love and trust, and have had the lady in charge tell us which one or ones that we should be looking at, and we've narrowed it down from there. She's been absolutely right all 3 times.

Hi MmeBucket, how do you know whether it's a good rescue? What are the signs of a good one? My friend ended up with a cat with major health problems becauss the rescue really weren't that bothered.

Ok, what you actually need is a greyhound, but you may need to find out more about dogs- they aren't playmates for children. You need to keep any new dog and child apart until your ds had learnt the proper way to interact with dogs. Even my docile doggie growls at me occasionally to tell me to back off if she is not in the mood. A child needs to learn this sort of respect.

Sorry- didn't mean to sound condescending- just a bit drunk atm. A greyhound is really your way forward here given all your issues. They are such wonderful loving dogs -need only two 20 min walk a day and most greyhound rescues will happily place them with children x

I'm no expert, but this is some of what I read:

They don't let you just take any dog home. There should be an adoption contract that specifies they will take the dog back if you no longer can handle it or if you don't live up to your end of the contract. They should do a home visit to make sure that your home is ready to take the animal before they turn it over. Everyone in the family should meet the dog before you take it home, and ask you about other pets. The adoption application should ask a lot of specific questions about your life, family, and situation. They should provide good medical care for the dog, and dogs should be spayed or neutered or have some sort of mention about that in the contract. Where we go, the lady that runs it has obviously devoted her life to this, and she would obviously do anything for those animals. We visited probably 10 rescues or more when looking for our first dog, and she was the only one that actually followed this.

greyhound greyhound/lurcher cross.... big softies mostly and great pals to gentle kids but as bats said they do need to learn to read the dog's signals, so you need good boundaries.

Yakka, thank you for thinking of rescuing :) MmeBucket has given good advice about what to look for, but in addition it is best if the dogs are in foster homes (rather than kennels) because then they have a better idea of how the dog behaves in a home. I agree with MmeBucket about letting the rescue advise about breed/type of dog. If you give an approximate geographic location, I am sure people on here will be able to recommend some rescues near you. The Dogs Trust and Many Tears could be good places to start.

Yes, ours came from a foster home rescue, and along with them knowing the dog very well, we also had the added benefit of them being house, crate, and leash-trained. (I love to recommend the rescue we got ours from, but I'm about 5000 miles away, so not much help to you)

So, you want a family friendly dog, one that doesn't need stupidly long walks but will still enjoy a walk anyway and will play with DS? If you go onto battersea dogs home website there will be loads of information to help you choose, i think theres even a questionaire. I think the thing with rescue dogs, from a good rescue, they will know the dogs personality so this is more important than the breed. For some reason i am thinking Cavalier Spaniel.

I'd avoid any working dog breeds as they need +++ exercise.

Thanks for all the advice, that's really useful - I'd feel much more comfortable taking a dog that's been in foster and is behaving naturally. How do you learn to read a dog's signals? That's the tricky part for me as I lack dog experience - I know DS will be respectful or I wouldn't be considering it but I can only teach him what the dog is feeling if I understand the dog properly myself. Are some greyhounds OK with cats? And do they have a bit more stamina than whippets? as I ended up carrying a friend's whippet home from a walk once when he got tired out. Do greyhounds do playful? They're not really into fetch are they, but do they like other games?

Oh, I'm in Devon

Greyhounds mostly aren't very playful dogs, but you do get some that are. I think a lurcher would be good for what you are looking for. I have a greyhound and a lurcher(saluki x) and I also have one foster dog at a time too (grey at the moment). The lurcher plays fetch, good with other dogs, has stamina for a 4 hour walk but can make do with a half hour offlead walk a day. The greyhound didn't even wag his tail when we first got him but he's slowly learning, don't think he'll ever play ball though. I definitely recommend getting a dog from foster then you have so much more information on how they are in a home. I foster for Kent Greyhound Rescue but that's too far for you, maybe have a google for greyhound rescues in your area? Like others have said though all dogs are different and you are best asking the rescue for who they think is most suitable for your situation.

Yakka, you're in Devon, so fall very nicely in the area for Greyhound Rescue West of England, a highly reputable and well regarded greyhound rescue organisation. Their website is here and you will see some of the adorable greyhounds and lurchers they have available for rehoming. Most of their hounds are placed in foster care before adoption so you will be getting a very accurate picture. As you're in Devon, you are also perfectly placed for the South West Greyhound Gathering, held every August at the Hillview Kennels near Honiton - we'll be coming down from Wales for that.

Our three grunds are not remotely interested in "fetch" or similar games - most pointies would look at an owner throwing a ball with withering contempt and would wander off for a lie down while waiting for you to do something more interesting. However, our male grey loves playing with my DH - a sort of tag game, tuggy games with a rope and bloodcurdling growls of joy while being wrestled/tickled (not advisable till a very strong bond is built up though!!). Generally this lasts for about 5 minutes before he gets worn out and goes off for a lie down.

They are love sponges though and will absorb huge quantities of stroking and cuddles. DH goes running with one of ours and contrary to myth, they can do obedience and even heelwork, though even their greatest admirer would admit that brains are not their strong point.