Can someone talk to me about adopting a dog?

[asknicely]

Is it not recommended that you adopt a dog from a rescue centre if you have small children?

We have a 3 and 6 year old and are now seriously discussing getting a dog.

We are not experienced dog people though I am comfortable with them and had a dog growing up till I was 8 or so. We live in a city but have a fairly large walled garden and a dog park right beside us. I work 3 days a week.

The local rescue centre website has no dogs suitable for under 12s.

We would rather get from a rescue centre if there are animals in need of a home rather than getting a puppy.

But maybe as novices we would be better with a puppy?

The rescue I foster for - EGLR doesn't have any hard and fast rules about the age of children they will rehome into homes of. But that's because all their dogs are in foster so they know more about them - a kennels based centre just can't do that. EGLR also have puppies regularly - I only foster puppies - so that is a possibility as well.

What are your plans for dog care on the 3 days a week you work?

Honestly I don't have a plan for the days I work. If we were away my parents would be able to care for the dog but I don't have any help for the days I work.

If that makes us unsuitable for having a dog I would completely take that on board. We wouldn't do this is we couldn't do it right. I guess I thought that the dog would be ok for 3 days. Prehaps a little naive of me.

Thanks for your post

Ditto to above (I love EGLR!) the rescue I do most of my volunteering for www.wiccaweys.co.uk rehome on a dog by dog basis.

If you can't make it home at lunchtimes on those 3 days you'd need to arrange win a dog walker or neighbour to come in I'd have thought as the dog would need to go out and they shouldn't really be left for more than 4hrs maximum.

Tbh a rescue would probably be better than a puppy, some of them are much loved family pets who have been well bought up and would fit in much more easily than a lunatic pup

You really need someone at home every day I'm afraid. Very few dogs would be happy left alone all day - you might have serious destruction of your house as well as the inevitable poo and wee to clear up.

When you are in a position to get a dog then the choice puppy / rescue is one you really need to think through carefully. Puppies are pretty demanding and you will have to deal with training and house training - but then you get a dog where you know all it's background and issues. A rescue could be a lovely easy adult dog that just slots into your home and routine - or could be a traumatised soul needing hours of attention and training.

I've had dogs for 30 yrs. 11 to date, 6 from pups and 5 rescues. 3 of the rescues were a breed I know well and slotted into the family like a dream. Two were crossbreeds, one a dream in the house with kids, cats, other dogs, but could only be taken out on lead and muzzled (I had to pay another dog owners vet bills ) My current dog is a rescue. Got him at Easter, little terrier, butter wouldn't melt in his mouth when I saw him in the kennels.

This week - 9 MONTHS later- is the first week he's been off lead when out (I've been using a long training lead) and he's still not 100% on recall - but getting there. It's only been 3 weeks that he's been clean in the house - and still has the odd accident. He turned out to be a totally traumatised little dog. Who knows what his history was!

He's passed his bronze good citizenship award and we're working on Silver. The main reason for taking him was the realisation that he was TOTALLY unsocialised with other dogs. He didn't understand any of the signals other dogs were sending and was acting aggressively out of sheer terror.

He's now got some doggy friends we meet on the park and I've discovered he loves playing with puppies. He's been hugely rewarding, he's a total sweetheart. The person who first got him from the Rspca brought him back within 4 days as he'd had a fight with her sister's dog. Luckily for me and him, I was second on the list and am experienced enough to know the difference between real aggression and defensive fear aggression.

I would always encourage people to look at rescue dogs, but you might want to think about identifying a breed you really like, research it, meet some of them, and then approach that breed's rescue. Breeds like labradors and golden retrievers are obvious choices. But not right now, not while you are out for whole days at a time.

How long are you out of the house for on those 3 days? As PPs have said, 4 hours is really the maximum for an adult dog. A puppy would be considerably more demanding that this to begin with.

Thank you for these wonderfully detailed posts and for taking time out on a Saturday night to educate me 🙂.

I have googled and there are dog walkers in the area but it would cost over 100 a month and that needs considering as we will also have all the other costs associated with a pet.

I am out of the house 9 hours so way to long to leave a dog.

We are very "attached parents". I hate that expression but I am using it to illustrate how we parent our kids , lots of cosleeping etc. I couldn't contemplate bringing a living creature into our home who would feel lonely or discarded. Also with having fairly young kids I am afraid that if we accidentally adopted a high needs dog that we couldn't give the dog the time it needed.

I think we'll have to revisit this in a couple of years and look at our circumstances then.

Again - thank you

9 hours is really too long. For a rescue even as an older dog you may find it needs several weeks to settle in let alone trying to hold its bladder. I need the loo in the course of a day so I don't expect my dog to hold it for longer than I can. As a puppy again too long, I leave mine 3 hours and I built up to that over a course of a month and use day care for the remaining time.

You need a dog walker or dog day care and it does cost.