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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

If you don't have a pedigree where did you get your dog?

50 replies

JohnCusacksWife · 13/09/2015 15:33

After losing our old dog we're beginning to consider whether (according to my husband) or when (according to me) we will get another dog. We'd both prefer a crossbreed, a young dog but not necessarily a puppy. Ideally, we'd love a rescue, like our old boy, but this doesn't look likely as the rescues near us have no suitable dogs or won't re home with children and the rescues that do have dogs are at the other end of the country. So.....where do we look? Not keen on things like Pets4Homes etc. I'd love to hear where you got your dog in case there's an avenue I'm missing.

OP posts:

BabyGanoush · 13/09/2015 15:38

Friend of a (breeder) friend

Just spread the word. What sort of dogs do you like?

Mrsjayy · 13/09/2015 15:45

Dogs trust but that is no good for you really unless you keep looking going to centres friend has street dogs im sure from romania they had the same as you. My neighbour ^has a not made it guide dog they are 2 when they go up for rehoming. Dds friend had a not made it sniffer dog its a bit loony though.

Mrsjayy · 13/09/2015 15:46

Same problems as you*

2legit2knit · 13/09/2015 15:46

Rescue.
You just have to keep trying if want a rescue, most rescues have a high turnover of dogs and puppies. You need to be calling and visiting regularly to get one that is suitable. I contacted loads of rescues when we were looking for our puppy and not one of them said they wouldnt rehome with children, individual dogs couldn't be put with children, but not a blanket 'no'.

Mrsjayy · 13/09/2015 15:49

We just kept going to centers we had older children though

PacificDogwood · 13/09/2015 15:50

Rescue here too.

Breed specific small rescue, who foster all their dogs out before rehoming. They know their dogs so well and will rehome the right dog in families with kids/cats/small furries etc.

Ours is a greyhound btw, I've never had a sighthound before and so far (4+ months) in to owning him, it's been fab. We got him aged 20 months, he's just turned 2 and in many ways is still a puppy

TrionicLettuce · 13/09/2015 16:00

Smaller independent rescues can tend to be a bit more flexible with their rehoming criteria. There are also some rescues which have fosterers all over the country so it's worth looking at ones like that which may not necessarily be based locally to you.

There are plenty of people breeding all sorts of crosses but it's very difficult to find ones who are breeding with care, doing all appropriate health tests, raising the puppies well, offering lifetime back up, etc.

exLtEveDallas · 13/09/2015 16:04

Many Tears Animal Rescue that have dogs all over the UK and will try to get them a bit closer to you if you ask. They rehome to homes with children and currently have 314 dogs that need their forever homes

www.manytearsrescue.org/dogslookingforhomes.php

HirplesWithHaggis · 13/09/2015 16:10

Our Border Collie was a "free to good home" ad in the vets, which we saw when collecting our old dog's cremains. She was a failed sheepdog and came to us aged three, (so a reversal of the usual "she's gone to live on a farm" euphemism!) she's 16 now and has been a brilliant family pet.

hellhasnofurylikeahungrywoman · 13/09/2015 16:24

One was from Heathlands, he's a young spaniel (under a year old when we adopted him) and one from Many Tears, she was 8 weeks old.

Mrsjayy · 13/09/2015 16:25

A man i know fosters greyhounds and whippets his own adoptees are brother and sister lurchers theyare 17 and plod along like two old dears they are adorable I always make a point of saying hello to the dogsman when i see him

OutToGetYou · 13/09/2015 16:37

We foster through Labrador Rescue and we do the home checks too. As we know the dogs we can tell if they will be OK with kids, other dogs etc.

So talk to the local rescue coordinator and get to know them a bit.

StillRaving · 13/09/2015 16:49

Result of accidental breeding ( we know mums owners, she was booked in to be spayed , but a friend brought her entire male on a walk , they didn't think he was old enough to mate.) So , happy accident. ( mum now spayed, our boy booked in to be castrated as soon as he's big enough.

Original poster

JohnCusacksWife · 13/09/2015 16:56

That's v interesting about Many tears being willing to perhaps meet halfway geographically. There's a dog there that I think might suit us v well but I'd kind of ruled them out as we'd probably struggle to get there.

OP posts:

PacificDogwood · 13/09/2015 17:02

Darn this thread - it made me look at Many Tears. Again
DDD aka DearDaftDog is quite enough to be coping with just now, but so many puppies dogs looking for homes!

Good luck! I'm sure the hound for you is out there, John.

Original poster

JohnCusacksWife · 13/09/2015 17:07

What kind of dogs do we like? Medium sized, slim, smooth coated, floppy eared dogs! Not keen on v small dogs or fluffy coats. Not big into breeds of any kind - just prefer Heinz 57s (which, I'm discovering are thin on the ground!)

OP posts:

FiveHoursSleep · 13/09/2015 17:21

We have a collie/GSD x and a husky/lab/ lots of other thingsX from Heathlands Animal Sanctuary.
I'd look at the smaller rescues too.

TrionicLettuce · 13/09/2015 17:28

Medium sized, slim, smooth coated, floppy eared dogs!

Sounds like you need to be looking at lurcher rescues!! Sadly there's no shortage of lurchers (both adults and puppies) needing homes and there are quite a lot of dedicated rescues for them as well as them turning up frequently in all breed rescues.

Just off the top of my head there's Lurcher Link, Tia, Hounds First, Greyhound Gap (who have some absolute stunners in at the moment), EGLR, GRWE, Lurcher SOS and there's more I can't recall as well.

Costacoffeeplease · 13/09/2015 17:35

Sounds like you want one like my two, both podengo street dogs from Portugal - there's a charity here called secondhand fourfooters, who rescue dogs and bring them to the UK for adoption, might be worth contacting them

Scuttlebutter · 13/09/2015 23:40

Another one here who'd recommend a lurcher. They come in lots of sizes and there are a number of very reputable rescues working in the field, and covering all the UK. Many of them are happy to adopt to families. We have a lurcher from EGLR (who I would always recommend) - she is smooth coated, quite small and stocky and has ears that do all kinds of things!

If you don't have a pedigree where did you get your dog?

nooka · 13/09/2015 23:48

This is where I'd love to adopt from if we were still in the UK: houndsfirst.co.uk/

They are a sight dog rescue organisation, with foster homes all over the place. It does sound like a lurcher might suit you very well.

Mitzi50 · 13/09/2015 23:54

Ddog1 from Retired Greyhound Trust. Ddog2 from a local rescue. With both we let the rescue pick the dog suitable for our circumstances (had to wait a few weeks before being contacted about ddog2)

Bubble2bubble · 14/09/2015 07:39

Black Retriever X re home all over the country and if the dog is suitable have no problem placing one with children.

BabyGanoush · 14/09/2015 07:47

Lurchers are great

Ours is a smooth haired one

So calm in the house, so loving, sweetest nature. Lots of people/kids who are worried about dogs don't mind her as she does not jump or bark. She likes to be close to my kids, and lies by their side when they come home from school. Funny gentle affectionate thing she is.

I could only have lurchers now

Also, they are beautiful

mrssmith79 · 14/09/2015 07:51

Council pound. They get new dogs daily (sadly) so just be persistent and your perfect pooch will appear.

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