Getting a rescue staffy tomorrow so excited!!!

[ClaimedByMe]

The title says it all, I got a home visit yesterday and tonight she called to say we can have a local one on a 2 week trial, I am more excited than I thought I would be, although I know will be brought to earth with a bump tomorrow.

Any tips???

Oooh, well done and congratulations, and remember we WANT PICS!!!!

Check what food your dog is currently on, and if possible feed the same for at least a while, while they settle in. helps minimise disruption and upset tummies, which are very common when moving to new home.

Find local vet, get him registered, and get vet phone number programmed into your mobile. Make sure vaccinations, worming etc are written on your calendar. Get tag made for his collar.

Get him insured from Day 1 - absolutely vital.

Find good local training classes and sign yourselves up to do at least a basic course, somehting like KC Good Citizen Bronze Award is perfect.

Think about travelling, if you have a car, consider how/where you will be transporting dog, and if necessary fit dog guard, get dog safety belt or appropriate cage etc.

Discuss with ALL family members and agree on consistent and clear behaviour rules and boundaries e.g. whether allowed on furniture, not giving food scraps etc. Make sure all family members are briefed on the importance of closing doors/gates etc to prevent escape.

Buy poo bags (lots!), water bowl, food bowl, collar and lead (not extending), dog bed, brush, training treats, and food.

Good luck!!

Shallow but what colour??

I want my next Staff to be brindle.

She is a brindle!!

Dp is currently reading me a staffy manual. We have never had a dog before and already have 3 cats and 3 guineas.

Will get poo bags from the library and we will take a trip to pets at home in the morning to get all the essentials and non essentials

She is 5 and brought to the rescue in an awful state I am not sure if I can link to her, should I??

Good luck! I've had my rescue staff 8 months.

I would say, don't expect too much too soon. They will take a while to settle and for you to see the true dog. Work out the boundaries, such as whether they are allowed on sofas/upstairs and stick to them from day one. But proper training, of new commands or going to classes etc, should wait until the dog has settled a little. We were advised this by the rescue centre and it was good advice. We waited 4 weeks, but it depends on the dog. Find out as much as you can about their background as this will help you understand their behaviour and what they need.

Have your cats lived with dogs before? If not they may not be too impressed. I assume this dog has been cat tested?

No they havent lived with dogs before but I am aware that the cats wont like the dog they dont like each other just have a level of tolerance for each other.

Go on, post a link

Rose :)

It is exciting, and the change in her physical appearance is great. It says though she chases cats, how is this going to work for your resident cats?

Aw, bless her. Poor girl :(

My cats are quite feisty so I am hoping they will let her know who is boss, they do with my mums dog, she didnt chase cats in her first foster home and they were adult cats like mine, her current foster carers have a got a wee kitten and shes been showing interest in the kitten.

I just hope we can offer her a good home and we dont let her down.

Sympathy for the dog of course but I think you're running the risk of stressing your existing cats by taking her on. I assume you can return her if it doesn't work out?

Any news?

She has settled in fine, shes not eating very much but I have spoke to someone from the rescue and she said thats normal after a move, shes a great dog, sleeps loads, snores loud, walks well on the lead, shes not keen on other dogs and the cats are a bit of an issue but I am going to call my mums dog trainer next week and she will tell me if she can be trained not to lunge at them.

She is adorable and so placid, she just wants someone to cosy into, shes currently curled up with dd on the sofa.

Oh and even that she has been spayed shes having a phantom pregnancy so shes out of sorts with that too but we have drops from the vet to help!

She sounds just lovely! Typical Staffie with the snoring and cuddles. Maybe she will settle with your cats. When we got our (now sadly deceased) rescue Staffie he tried to chase next door's cats out of the garden, after a few days he realised that it was a lot of effort and just pretended not to have seen them. I would so like another, but our working hours at present won't really allow for it.