Rescue dog - Is it a good idea?

[Kindnessdosnthurt]

We are thinking of getting a rescue dog, something small / medium size like for example pug.
However after reading posts on here I'm not sure it's putting me off as people saying thier rescue dogs have started off well and then are now biting and becoming aggressive.
I know any dog could potentially bite but I'm wondering if it's more so in rescues because of their troubled past?
We have three children (youngest is 4 years, but some rescues I looked at doesn't have a minimum age in policy) so of course I need to think about them.
I'm assuming a rescue really wouldn't place a dog with you if they thought it wouldn't be okay but they could get it wrong? I would never leave a child with a dog in any situation but perhaps I'm looking for positive stories? People with experiences. It's a big commitment so want to get sure we have no regrets later on.
We would be doing to training lessons even if they dog was trained, I don't know if that would help.

Sawitch your rescue wasn't Oscar was he?

Sometimes dogs are surrendered to rescues and often this is because the owner is elderly and cannot care for the dog any longer, has died, family in rented accommodation who have to move and cannot take dog in the new house, etc.

Our last rescue was an older Staffie who fell into this category and he was the sweetest tempered, most well socialised dog in the world. He loved all humans and had endless capacity for small ones!

A friend adopted a bichon frise with similar history last year, surrendered because elderly owner became too ill. He is about 3 years old and fabulous with all humans, having had grandchildren around a lot.

Rescues WILL rehome to a home with small children IF the dog's history is known and suitable.

But people lie.

I know several people who surrendered dogs to rescues and happily gloated they didn’t inform the rescue about the dog’s bite history (‘because it was one off’)

You do not know what you’re getting with a rescue so it’s always risky.

@Snowydaysfaraway No, not Oscar!

I wouldn’t get a rescue with a small child but then I wouldn’t be getting a squashed nose dog either, if you can’t afford to buy a bulldog puppy then you won’t be able to afford the vet bills to fix all the health issues they come with?

I think getting a puppy would be a better idea as it can grow with your child and you can attend training classes and train it to what you want it to do (within reason) but I would go for a breed that doesn’t have health issues or breathing problems.

@Kindnessdosnthurt , why do you want a dog?

You mentioned 2 breeds and said you'd looked into the cost of buying one.
Are you wanting a dog with a certain sort of look?
(The breeds you mentioned are known to be prone to health issues.)

Have you considered how much it will cost to feed, how much exercise it will need, and who will be exercising it? Will someone be around to train the dog? How long will the dog be alone each day?

The size of the dog will probably be a factor in how much it will eat.

Get a pair of kittens instead.

Personally I wouldn't get a rescue dog until your youngest is at least 7 years old.

Thank you everyone! It's given me a lot to think about, I just used those two breeds as an example. I know it must be a small to medium dog.
There's always someone home. My husband works from home and I don't work any more. We never go on holiday ethier and very unlikely to in future. Only maybe a few days away in England in which the dog would come with us.
We have just put a brand new 6ft proper fence in our garden so it's all safe and secure.
I've done my calculations on costs of food, insurance, bills etc on different types of dogs.
I know puppies are hard work, I've been there before having children so I know what to expect. I just thought it would be better to have a rescue as so many get abandoned, it makes me sad.

@Kindnessdosnthurt , you'd be better off with a dog with a regular snout.
I'd go for a JRT. They're small and fun. A staffie is a fair bit bigger but a spayed bitch will be a gentle softie but they have strong jaws. Lurchers and greyhounds are also worth considering.

I'm picking up on 'the lockdown puppy' thing because it will probably be an untrained young dog with bad habits to train out.

If you are lucky, you'll get a puppy or an older 'non-designer' dog/bitch.

One of my neighbours has a 'heinz 57' with a fair bit of terrier in the mix and she's gorgeous.

@Kindnessdosnthurt sounds like you're set up perfectly to give a wonderful loving home to a rescue dog ❤️ Please keep us posted!

(If you want to share what part of the country you're in I can send links to local rescues, I follow loads of them 🤪)

Have you got someone who would dog mind when you go out for the day?

for me, it would depend on what the 4 yo was like?!

vomplete whirlwind -no

quite calm, follows instructions, caring - yes.

you could also ask around at the local vets. They might know someone who needs to find a new home for their dog because they're struggling to look after it, but want to wait for a family they like.

We adopted a Staffie cross 3 years ago when DD was 6, no issues at all but we knew she had lived with young children before with no problem.

@Kindnessdosnthurt I have a rescue and he plays very well with my friend's children who are a bit older and a bit younger than 4. Always supervised, of course, and the children were given guidance on how to interact with the dog.

As long as you are sensible and realistic, it wouldn't stop me. I've always had rescue dogs, my first was a Rotti, and the only person he would ever fetch anything for was my godson who was 5 at the time. Also always supervised, of course.

We rescued our lovely mutt when my younger one was 5 and doggie was 11 months old and we have been so lucky with him - lovely temperament with young kids, other dogs, etc. has his quirks, but so do they all. We got him from a small rescue who had had him since he was tiny (found in a plastic bag by side of the road in Serbia and then fostered out by them in the Uk) so they knew his entire history. So it’s not impossible!

I have a rescue dog and a baby. I found out I was pregnant during the process of adopting the dog. The rescue allowed me to continue with the adoption because the dog was good with children and had lived with babies before. I’ve never had any problems. My dog genuinely is amazing with children, loves my baby and has made friends with loads of random children in the neighbourhood. A lot of rescue dogs wouldn’t work with young children but some do. As long as you always supervise interactions and never leave them alone together. I think if you go through a reputable rescue and they think the dog can live with children then you’re probably safe. Rescues aren’t going to take a risk and re home a dog that’s not very good with children to a family who has them, it would look terrible for them if something went wrong.

I hate two rescues they're wonderful x

Personally I wouldn’t get a resume with a child as they are prone to unpredictability, reactivity , health problems and all that. Some can make lovely dogs but are VERY hard work. Also many shelters won’t give their dogs to people with little kids.However many unethical shelters will to try and get rid of the dog as it probably as has been there for a long time or shown signs of aggression. (limited admission shelters - also known as non kill shelters.)

Maybe you could foster a rescue? That way you get to try before you buy so to speak?

Agree with @ImJustHereLandOfLabs you have three kids to take care of - isn’t that already enough work and responsibility? What do you need the dogs for aside from starting a circus?