Older recue dog or buy a puppy?

[Penguinotterfoxbadger]

I would be grateful for any advice.

Dp and I are planning to get a dog. We have thought a lot about it and feel that we could give one a good home (dp does not work and is home all day & we understand the commitment in terms of exercise, on-going training, expence etc). We don't currently have dcs but will probably start ttc in a couple of years. I know a lot of people will advise us to wait until we've had dcs and they are a bit older but there is a not-insignificant chance that the ttc will be unsuccesful, so I don't really want to put everything else on hold iyswim. That said, we still want to do everything we can to ensure that the dog would be compatible with a future baby (of course they would never be left alone together).

Getting to the point.. We are trying to decide between an older rescue dog, a rescue pup, and buying a puppy. I'm currently pro older rescue dog (maybe a staffie? maybe from battersea?). There are so many that need homes and I don't really mind mising out the mad puppy/house training phase. From the battersea website it seems like they go to a fair bit of effort matching dogs to homes and we would make it clear that we were pretty inexprerienced and not looking for a "project" dog.

On the other hand, maybe buying a puppy and doing all its socialisation etc from scratch would make for a better, safer pet? Maybe it would have more attachement to the family?

The third option would be a resuce pup. The problem with this is that all the puppies in rescues seem to be staffies, which in my (minimal) experience seem to be incredibly boisturous up until at least the age of 4 and might be a bit too much if we do end up with a dc (or maybe the crazy staffies I've met have just been under exercised??).

Arg! It's such a difficult decision (but a nice one to have to make!)

Thank you to anyone who has read this far - any advice would really be very much appreciated!

Everyone on here will probably say rescue.
If I had children I would probably go for a puppy though, I know people do take on rescues with children but I would prefer not to.

We adopted a puppy from a charity called Many Tears Rescue, our girl is a border collie and the charity had turned down several applications to re-home her before they accepted ours as they like to match dogs to the right owner. Lots of breeds have specific charities that will foster, assess and re-home older dogs if you are interested in an older dog so it might be worth researching that route too.

I would say puppy either rescue or otherwise just so you can really train it how you want, also an older dog who's been through some rough times may not deal well with a baby coming along at some point.
This is just my thoughts and not backed by any facts.
Staffies are great family dogs so I wouldn't be put off getting a staff pup personally but there are also lots of breed specific rescues you could look into if you found a breed you were more attracted to and we're prepared to wait for a pup/right dog to come up.

Personally I'd go older rescue. Don't worry about bonding, if you love them they'll love you back. The rescue will know with older dogs what, if any, problems there are.
With a puppy you just don't know what you're getting.
Interaction/stimulation is just as, if not more than important than exercise. Basically you should try to give your dog the opportunity to do what it was bred to do if that makes sense.
Research the breed and it's characteristics would be my advice.

If we already had small dcs then I would almost certainly get a puppy so that they could get used to each other as they grew up, but given that we will have the dog to ourselves for a few years before dcs (potentially) make an appearance I really don't know!

I'd go for a rescue every time. Many rescues have dogs in foster families where they are exposed to children, other pets, other dogs etc.

Any dog, even one raised from a puppy with you could have issues with a new baby.

I'm v jealous! These are lovely choices to be making for you and your dp

Older rescue

I'd go for a younger rescue dog, like a 1 year old. This means it will save yu the hassle of house training etc

There are plenty of non staffy puppies in rescue, but I think that they tend to be with the smaller rescues, rather than in kennels.
Dpuppy was born in rescue, one of 30 odd puppies born in that rescue last year, and they've just had 6 born yesterday to a mum who was found last week.
Ddog otoh was handed in at 6 months old - no fault of his apart from his lack of prey drive meant he wouldn't chase stuff

Well, we decided for a rescued greyhound - youngest DS is 5 (next week).

I researched breeds and rescues for 2 years and am very happy with our choice.

Personally, having looked after 4 DCs, I did not want a puppy - they are cute as heck, but I was not up for nighttime awakenings and toilet training again.

I also grew up with rescue dogs and didn't see why us purchasing a puppy should contribute to too many dogs being around.

Also, there are plenty of puppies in rescues.
I'd go for a rescues dog every time.

Thank you for the encouraging messages (i was a but scared about posting here! )

Does anyone have any recommendations for specific rescues (London area) or thoughts on breeds?

I'd always say rescue... ours were both a year old when we got them but that was just a coincidence. Dog1 picked us & Dog2 was already cat friendly & needed rehomed to someone who was in all day with another dog to take him under their wing (he had huge anxiety issue & had previously been abused). I wouldn't worry too much about age or breed just go & see what your nearest rescue has that will fit your lifestyle best.

It's a tough one, OP.

Our female Staffie is almost 11yo and we've had her since she was 9wo. She's never been an archetypal boisterous Staffie: she gets excited like most dogs but she just never does anything 'wrong' and really is the apple of my eye. So gentle and loving I guess that is her breed qualities coming out, and how we've raised her.

Our first child was born when MolotovDog was 5yo and she adapted incredibly well. She tolerates noise and all sorts from my now 6yo and almost 3yo dds. My girls adore her.

I look at my dog and IMHO, dogs become more beautiful and wonderful as they age. I'd rehome a senior Staffie dog in a heartbeat.

However, I feel that I would be taking a slightly higher risk around my young children with a rescue dog and that sways me to adopting a rescue puppy, or buying a puppy.

I probably would adopt a senior dog once both my children are 13yo+.

We too have a rescue pup . Ours was picked up at 3 weeks old and in a foster home until 10 weeks when we adopted him. He's lovely but puppies are quite hard work so you need to be happy with that. Our rescue recommended that we be prepared to commit to 2 years of training before taking on a pup. He's currently 7 months and getting easier but still reasonably demanding!

We previously had an older rescue (aged 8ish when we got him). He was much easier to train because he had lived in a home before BUT he didn't like other dogs, especially not bouncy ones and his behaviour became more grumpy as he got older which presented different challenges.

I think it depends what you are hoping to get. Sorry, that's not very helpful!

... ah, but then my elderly girl is more gentle than the average puppy. MolotovDog won't nip at your fingers, jump up at your face or accidentally wee in the house.

I guess just go and see in a rescue place and follow your heart

Depends what are you looking for big/small, energetic/not so high drive?

I'd be tempted with a young rescue. That way you can teach them your family ways. An older dog might not be so accommodating, especially with kids. always be prepared for issues with a dog and baby. If you don't want the bother, don't get a dog. Simple as that.
Our young rescue was our baby til our ds came along. I really had to watch them together. DS is now 8 and dd was 14 when she died last November, and right up til dd was fading fast, dd only had a healthy respect for DS. Ds loved her unconditionally. I think we had created a haughty princess.

We avoided the potty training, yes, but you will never, ever be sure just how dd and kids will get along. But I love rescues.

That said, my parents dogs have always been bought from pup and are kid proof and just wonderful. Labs and springers.

As Forrest Gump said, " life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get"

Not sure I've been much help, but good luck!
Xx

Having met Hairylittlegoblins puppy when he was in foster, I can say that he is utterly gorgeous

Penguin, what are you looking for in a dog? Someone with loads of energy to do agility, really bright (but that means needs lots of stimulation), small or big, urban or country and so on

Here's another thing to consider: many dogs in rescues have a known history (owner could no longer look after them for whatever reason etc), so you can of course avoid strays with NO known history (this was important to me).

Sorry, cannot help wrt to London rescues, but I am sure the dog for you is out there!

Rescue - a huge plus point and one that I don't think people think about enough is that you can decide whether an individual dog suits you.

With a puppy you pick a breed that will suit you and hope that it shows the breed traits and that nothing goes wrong while it grows up. With a rescue dog, the dog has already grown up, you know what it is like.

Having worked for a rescue it's always the pups we struggle to find suitable homes for :( it's easy to home a calm older dog, but to find someone to take on a pup (and go through all the home checks) is much harder - most just go out and buy a pup :(

AuntieDee - I am really surprised - I assumed that puppies were snapped up in minutes

Re the sort of dog we are looking for.. We'll be living in a terraced house in London with a small garden but a big park nearby. I'd like a dog that is big enough to go on "proper" walks (and in my fantasy it would come running with me too). Clever enough to learn basic commands but I think agility is a bit much for us and I wouldn't want it to go mental from lack of stimulation. Mainly we're after a people oriented dog who likes walks in the park, can accompany us to the (dog friendly) pub after, and likes lots of stroking.

Penguin, the day before 'our' dog arrived at ours another rescue phoned me to offer us a pick from a litter of puppies - it does happen

I know somebody is going to recommend a toller to you and they are great dogs, just hard to find.

Consider a grey?

I would definitely consider a greyhound.

What's a Toller?

Tollers

I don't really know much about them, but there is a MNer or two who have one and they do sound fab.