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?

@LandSharksAnonymous thank you, that's really useful and sadly confirms my suspicions. I'm more than capable of dealing with a difficult dog but now is just not the time for it.

When you say the perfect dog is as rare as hens teeth, how often would you estimate you see one that would fit my criteria?

Dog or bitch - ideally not enormous but we could compromise

No older than 3 or 4 - again a little room for negotiation, but not much

No serious bite history - as with DDog2 I'm open to a frank and honest discussion about why the bite occurred. I couldn't consider anything with a serious issue

No major behavioural issues. I'm obviously prepared for issues settling in, teenage years etc but ultimately the dog needs to be safe for DH to handle alone

Cat friendly - non negotiable, DCat is the love of DH's life (I wish that was a joke!) and I couldn't jeopardise anything happening to her

No major health issues unless they could be covered by insurance or the rescue. I've previously had dogs with serious health issues in the past so am open to the idea, but it would be very dependent on the circumstances

Reading that lot back I realise again why I was considering a puppy 😬

Oh, also needs to walk nicely or be trainable with a head collar or similar 😲

I know you are after a bigger dog and something you are familiar with. But reading your posts and your stage in life plus the possibility of getting a puppy I am wondering if a sight hound Whippet would be something to consider?
So, please hear me out. I grow up with them- we also had cats and ponies. They are real couch potatoes ours wouldn't move if someone rung the doorbell, so no race to the door with DH.
They are easy in the exercise and entertainment department. They like a short, sharp sprint (ours played find the hare) but once they had that were happy to return to the couch! They are simple creatures in the dog world but with a bit of training, attention and care could be a dog that would be very safe around DH and his beloved cat.

I also know that if you want a Goldie, you should get a Goldie! On the other hand....

@Champagneforeveryone honestly, maybe once a year? Most of the ones that come to us come in because they’ve been neglected in their training because of young children in the family - so are very young and very rowdy and a nightmare to walk or even live with because they’ve just never have any boundaries installed or training done. I don’t think I’ve seen one that’s cat savvy and doesn’t have severe behavioural issues.

We just managed to find an emergency foster placement for one girl, who is apparently amazing, but when she goes up for adoption it’ll be no cats and no children (even visiting). 😞

Honestly, I think both those breeds are too big if his health is poor and is unsteady on his feet.

Walking nicely takes time and whilst learning they sometimes forget. Your DH would only need to be pulled over once to never want to walk them again, I also think it would be a risk of being knocked over when they have the zoomies/forget themselves.

A rescue from a decent place where you get to really ensure you are suited together before you take the dog home. We have some around here with really good reputations.

I have a super calm adult rescue. She’s a mixed breed and is an absolute darling. She was 2 when we got her but you could take on an older , slower dog.

@LandSharksAnonymous thank you again, this is why I've been considering going down the puppy route despite my abiding love of the rescue dog. I've considered my work situation and I think it would be doable, although it will be hard work on my part.

@Ylvamoon I would love a whippet (as a young slip of a girl I worked in greyhound and lurcher rescue so have had more than my fair share of skinny dogs!) DH is not so keen, and I would also like the dog to be happy to hike and camp with me in most weathers. The whippets I know would stage a mutiny 😆

@IchLiebeDeutscheSchaferhunde I feel that bigger is better in this situation TBH. He wouldn't be solo walking until we had solid foundations in place, and I am prepared to be super picky when choosing the dog to try and ensure it has the correct temperament (so not the dog I would normally choose!) I worry he would be more likely to fall over a small dog, and he will also find a bigger dog easier to reach. A bigger dog will also not be allowed to jump up which is something he's always allowed despite my complaints and is now struggling with as a result.

As for the zoomies, DDog2 is still a pro and DH has developed the art of the quick sit down in response 😆

@Champagneforeveryone I was more thinking about a homely dog ... but yeah hiking & camping in any weather are not conditions a Whippet would thrive in...

I remember a winter walk gone wrong... my Dad had to carry one Whippet in his jacket and the other was wrapped in 4 scarfs to keep warm. 😆

I had to carry my whippet to the vet once because it was raining. How they survive in the north of England where they come from is beyond me. But if it is sunny, she was game for anything and used to run for miles with my husband. Funny breed.

I actually follow a woman on IG who has a whippet guide dog. She's also a para athlete and the dog goes bikejouring and all sorts with her. I do feel he's not a normal whippet though 😆

To be honest, this could have been possible with mine. I expected her to be more of a couch potato but she was strong. She could run for miles.

does this lady on insta have any pics of her whip under the rain? 😂

Erm.... 😆

I just checked and there's only one of him in the rain, wearing a large coat and looking livid. There are however many videos of him leading his owner down the ski slopes 😲

Well not me! My husband. He is a marathon runner. They are perhaps surprisingly, strong dogs. Some I think take more from the terrier side. It is a wonderful British breed, strong, healthy and very very clean. Lovely dogs.

So he is a real whippet then 😂

Yep. We inherited a Whippet that came with coats for every weather & occasion... still would not move of the couch if there was a hint of rain in the sky!
I don't think she ever wore the raincoat while living with us ... that was late 80s early 90s. So definitely not a fashion/ care thingy as it is nowadays.

My vet who had whippets said coats only when it gets freezing. Else than that nothing else. They won’t go out when it rains, full stop 😂

Definitely a rescue. I’ve worked with dogs (as a walker and trainer for over 13 years) I currently have a puppy she’s my first, I’ve always had rescues until now, but even with all my dog and puppy experience, and tbf she is good, and for a puppy doesn’t cause me many issues, but god puppies are not an easy ride. Give me a human baby any day of the week. She is by far harder than any of my past rescues and I think with your husbands health and relaxed views on training a puppy would run riot all over him

We have just registered with The Cinnamon Trust because our (rescue) dog died this year and we want to try fostering without the ties as we have a few holidays planned and they cover holidays for long term fosters. What appeals to me though is that the dogs have often come from loving homes whose owners have ill health etc. I’ll feedback if that’s helpful. Personally I’d never get a puppy unless it was a rescue, I can’t justify buying a dog when there’s no many needing homes. I have always had amazing rescue dogs. Not without their issues but most of those are more breed specific than rescue specific.

DD's neighbour got a dog from a breed specific rescue and after about six weeks it bit her face very badly. She was used to the breed as she had previously owned one, but it seems the rescue either didn't know the dog's full history or lied about it. They said she could return the dog, but expected her to take it to them which she wasn't able to do because she couldn't drive due to the injury to her face (couldn't see properly out of one eye). They did begrudgingly come and collect it in the end.

@BooneyBeautiful i don’t think there’s anyway to not sound like a bit of a nob, but six weeks is nothing (need minimum three months to even begin to settle) and how was her face bitten?! She must have been bloody close to the dog for it to happen, possibly encroaching on its space? What was the breed? Not denying the rescue cocked up, but to be bitten on the face in six weeks? I’m betting good money on the new owner being a tad arrogant and not thinking.

I would also venture that a dog that had bitten a face that badly shouldn't have been taken back to the rescue, but rather straight to the vets to be PTS.
No kill policy is dangerous

I have had my 6yo rescue saluki/borzoi/lurcher X for 4 weeks now and he's a really calm, loving boy. He was abused, starved and abandoned by his previous owners ( who moved around a lot) and is desperate to be loved. I would never have considered any kind of lurcher but but we went to meet him and that was that! I'm in the SW too. The rescue owners quite rightly interrogated us to see whether we would be suitable adopters, I know that they have refused some adoptions because they weren't certain that the dog would be happy. So there are definitely good rescue centres out there if that's what you decide to do.

No idea exactly how she got bitten. It was a large breed, so not beyond the realms of possibility that it went up to her and bit her when she was sitting down. I don't want to name the breed because it's quite rare a rare one, so would definitely be outing to name it. She was certainly very experienced with the breed. It did come out afterwards that they either didn't know all the dog's history or they did know and had lied to her.