Puppy or rescue

[Champagneforeveryone]

I should preface this by saying this is for the future, no rash decisions being made here!

I have had dogs all my adult life. By a feat of poor planning I find myself with a 11 1/2 yo staffie cross (DD9g2) and a 12 1/2 yo working cocker (DDog1) Both are still in good health but definitely show signs of slowing down and I know that time is not on our side 😢

It's just DH and I at home now so no children to consider, only visiting adult DS. We also have DCat who is very dog savvy. DH is retired and around ALL day 😬 He's previously had a very laid back approach to dog training and following a small bleed on the brain is reaping the consequences. He is now unable to walk one dog, and is severely limited with the other. For context, both dogs walk well with me and are polite and responsive. With him they pull, jump and generally live their best life while ignoring him bleating at them from the end of the lead. The bleed has left him unsteady on his feet so I haven't pushed the matter as I see it could end up badly all round (I'm worried about a fall and him being injured again / him dropping the lead and letting the dog go)

The question is what we do when the inevitable happens and we are dog free...

I've considered not having another dog. The bulk of the work will inevitably fall to me (as it already does) and it would be one less thing to worry about. However I'm struggling to picture our lives without a dog, and I think it will be company and a focus for DH when I'm at work. Also selfishly, I'm aware that DH is in poor health and a dog will also be a comfort and company for me in the future.

We've previously decided on only one dog. The competing demands of DDogs at the moment can be an issue, as well as the rising cost of pet ownership. We also don't have a huge house and everything just seems easier with one.

In the past I've had both rescues and puppies. My preference would be for a rescue and I've had several older dogs and those with behavioural issues in the past. I've always enjoyed the challenge and am a capable dog owner, however I'm acutely aware that this is not an ideal time to be taking on a project. Also realistically how easy is it going to be for me to find a rescue that will suit our current situation?

A puppy would obviously give me a blank canvas, and we're fortunate in that DH is around all the time when I'm at work. DH is still active and while a puppy would be hard work for him, I don't think it's currently beyond him (although there is always the chance that this will change by the time the time comes) I'm just aware that it's a massive undertaking and I'm slightly daunted by the prospect.

What would you do in my situation?

I'd go for a calmer adult rescue. There are lots of dogs without behavioural problems in rescue through no fault of their own.
I lost two 14 year old dogs in 2020 and got a 7 month old puppy three months later. It was a massive shock to the system, going from two oldies who slept all day to an energetic puppy. You forget how much hard work a puppy is.
I would worry that it would be too much for your DH. Especially if he is a little unsteady, as they do tend to get under your feet.

@SpanielsGalore If I could have a rescue that ticked all our boxes then that's absolutely what I would do. I'm also acutely aware that it's been 11 years since I had a puppy and may well have forgotten the worse parts of the experience!

I agree an adult rescue would be a better option than a puppy. You can get plenty of dogs from Rescues who are well trained but for various reasons their owners can no longer provide the care the dogs need.

Just tonight I was looking at a breed rescue sites figs first adoption & there was a fig whose owner had died, forester care had only good things to say about her. I so want you to adopt her, but I'm not currently in a position to 🥲 in your shoes ud have applied already & had 3 until I didn't 🥲

of course you'll be more sensible and not look st Rescue sites until you are in a position to rescue one.

Get a puppy.

Taking in an adult rescue is noble of course, but actually - you don’t know what you’re getting. A relative of mine rehomed an adult dog who it transpires has massive behavioural issues, the rescue won’t take him back. So said relative is now stuck with this dog.

Yes, they have tried to address his behaviour via professional training.

The dog impacts all areas of their lives, including how much they can see their grandchildren and where.

@SemperIdem this is very much my fear. I've had rescues with severe behaviour issues in the past and it's always been fine for our situation. It genuinely is one of the most rewarding things I've done.

DDog2 is very fear reactive and while I can keep her safe and she listens to me, she does impact what we're able to do and where we can go. A dog like her would seriously impact DH's ability to get out and about

I’ve always thought that rehoming a rescue dog is the right thing to do. The adult dogs always pull at my heartstrings.

However, having seen the impact this rescue dog has had, and will have for years because he isn’t old, on my relatives life - I will never go down the rescue route.

The rescue in question (Many Tears) were completely disingenuous in how they presented the dog and his needs, and refused to take any accountability when issues quickly became apparent. They didn’t even breed type the dog correctly.

What about a retired guide dog?

Retired guide dog

link here

You could get an ex breeding dog from a specific rescue? I know a few people who e done this, fab dogs.

Please don’t rehome a retired guide dog. I know it seems like a good thing, but the guide dog charity treats animals like absolute crap (a bitch can have two litters in a year - even the KC doesn’t allow that) and four litters over a lifetime (KC frowns on above three). When someone/an organisation is has lower breeding standards than the KC it says a lot. In theory GD are great. Until you look at the seedy underbelly of it all and realise how awfully they treat their dogs and how little regard they have for animal welfare.

And the issues PPs have had with rescues are probably because they went to dodgy ones, like the RSPCA and Dogs Trust who are well known for lying about dogs behaviour.

Go to a breed specific one and you’ll have far better luck in finding long term support and a dog that fits your circumstances.

@LandSharksAnonymous in my relatives case, it was neither RSPCA or Dogs Trust. It is called Many Tears, this one was based in South Wales but I believe they have sites across the UK.

That is a real shocker about how guide dogs are treated, I had no idea.

There have been many uncomplimentary reports about Many Tears.

I also didn't know that about GD, but makes sense- someone I knew was matched with a dog that was clearly unsuitable.

Are you likely to have grandchildren, just this changes everything.

I would go breed specific - and find a breed that has what you want- so often I see people trying to train out traits that are deliberately bred into certain dogs.

Completely agree with LandSharksAnonymous. And I personally would never use ManyTears as, in my view, they help to support puppy farms and bad breeders by continuously taking ex breeding bitches for rehoming, in huge numbers. No decent breeder gets rid of their bitches once they can no longer breed.
A breed specific rescue, run by people who are knowledgeable and passionate about the particular breed, are almost always superior to other rescue. A calm, older dog would be a better match for OPs situation.

@SemperIdem sadly many tears also have a terrible reputation! They often take abused adult dogs from puppy farmers - which obviously means the puppy farmers have more space to abuse more dogs! Honestly trying to find a good rescue is so hard but with breed specific ones, they tend to be more thorough and more realistic.

And yes! Lots of people say lots of positive things about GDs but when you look at their ‘ethos’ about how they choose their dogs it’s really bad. Someone I know has a failed guide dog whose hip dysplasia is so bad it can barely walk - which she obviously thought was just a fluke. I looked at their ‘ethos’ a few weeks ago when another poster mentioned timed how much they cared for dogs and was genuinely horrified by it.

I look at it like this: you wouldn’t buy a puppy from someone who bred their bitch twice in a year, or had four litters in three years (as it’s genuinely accepted you don’t breed a dog before she’s 2 and not once she’s 6) as it’s widely accepted to be irresponsible and cruel, but the GD actively support it, so why would you support them?

Please don't let one person's example of a rescue dog put you off. Especially one that has come from Many Tears, who are known to have a poor reputation.

I foster for a breed specific rescue. All of our dogs are placed in foster homes and thoroughly assessed before they become available for adoption. We get many dogs that have no behavioural issues at all. I have one asleep on my sofa at the minute.

Plus there are no guarantees with a puppy. I went the puppy route for my first dog, as I didn't want a dog with issues. He was attacked by four other dogs when he was about a year old and became fear reactive. We spent the next 13 years having to avoid everyone on walks.

Look for a rescue that operates with foster carers rather than kennels. They will be in a much better position to give an accurate assessment of the dog. They will likely be smaller than the kennel based rescues so you may have to contact a few of them, but it will be worth it.

Rescue. I’ve always gotten puppies until I got my little Teddy from a rescue. It’s such a privilege to look after this little guy who came to me with a broken heart. He has issues - but so do I 🤣

Prior to my relative rescuing from Many Tears, I’d never heard of it. But will take on board what has been said here about them by a few posters, should I ever be considering getting another myself and won’t write off rescuing entirely because of it.

@SemperIdem If you ever do rescue, look for one that places the dogs in foster homes rather than kennels, so the dogs have been properly assessed. Our rescue offers full veterinary and behaviour support and will always take back the dog if it doesn't work out.

Im facing a similar dilemma. My old boy we had to put to sleep last year at 15. My other one is coming up to 14 and I see the same signs. I also have two four year old Maine Coons who like the dog more than she likes them!
I’ve had a look at rescues and the vast majority are not cat safe. I’ll keep
On looking as I won’t do anything until my girl goes (she loved the other dog but would not take kindly to another at this stage). I don’t find the puppy stage that hard, and I have had luck with rescues before, but it’s a tricky decision.

I volunteer with a breed specific rescue and have even fostered. However we have a puppy now as my adult cat wouldn’t accept adult dogs coming in even though he liked my previous two dogs, and finding a cat savvy dog was almost impossible. We tried. However, he’s accepted a puppy no problem and puppy has accepted the cat. If I hadn’t had the cat, I would have got a rescue as puppyhood is full on but that was our situation. Saying that, our breed specific rescue only uses foster homes, not kennels and dogs are fully assessed for a few months or longer if needed, so quirks are known and only rehomed in suitable places. So I would really choose your rescue organisation carefully if you do that.

Thank you everyone, some really great advice ☺️

I have previously rescued from breed specific rescues and have had good success. Of the ones I've looked at recently there are many that don't have their dogs listed which was not the case when I used them. I guess this means you get the dog the rescue feels is the best fit for you, rather than the one you like the look of?

To answer PP's questions, I'm unsure about GC's. DS has just graduated this year and while he has a steady GF I don't see that being on the cards for many years. DDog2 actually bit a baby which is how she came to us (she was very young and in a completely unsatisfactory situation and fortunately this was taken into account and she was rehomed rather than PTS) so I've had 11 years of avoiding children- a shame really as being half staffie she seems to really like them. This time round I wouldn't take the risk of any known issues like this as I want the dog to be able to go anywhere with DH without worry.

None of this will come to pass until something happens to DDog2 at least. Even if she were to accept another dog / puppy into the house, I wouldn't want to run the risk of her many neurotic tendencies being passed on to a new dog. DDog1 would be a different story, but he is already 12 and having once had a dog that pined almost to death when his mate died, I don't want to risk that again.

After much discussion we would be looking at a Labrador or a golden retriever. Between us we've owned a number of working spaniels and Rottweilers so I feel the right dog of either of these breeds would be a good compromise. I don't want to go too small as we've never really been small dog people, and I also feel that having a dog on a higher level will make things easier for DH. He's also very keen on a miniature schnauzer but me less so due to the size.

If anyone can recommend a reputable Labrador or golden retriever rescue that covers the south west of England I would be very grateful. Alternatively any other breed suggestions would be much appreciated 🙏🏼

@LandSharksAnonymous would be your best help for rehoming a golden retriever.

For me, the context of any bite matters too. My friend rehomed a dog that had bitten a child. But the child had been allowed to constantly torment him and he finally snapped when the child poked him in the eye. Now he is in the right home, he is the loveliest dog you could ever wish to meet.

I have been summoned 😁

Southern Golden Retriever Rescue or South Western Golden Retriever Club

But what I would say is almost all the dogs that come into both of them have bite histories (due to children tormenting them) or very severe behavioural issues that really require people knowledgeable about the breed to handle (resource guarding etc). Dogs that done have any issues are like Hen's teeth. Sorry!

Why not a rescue puppy?

I’m currently fostering a lurcher puppy for the rescue where all our dogs have come from. According to them there are a lot of dumped puppies atm ☹️ I’m not really a puppy person (all our rescues have been adults) but he’s better off in a home to teach him things (eg house training) he won’t learn in the kennel.