Hi, I took in a stray bitch who is due to have pup's in about a weeks time the said. Does any one have any tips on finding good loving forever homes for them as I'd hate to think that any of them ended up like there mum or worse.
The Mum was riddled with worms and fleas and was under weight when she was found her, think she had been hit as you have to move your arms really slow or she freaks out, but apart from that she has taken to me and follows me everywhere, she is very loving and when any of my kids get up set she is first there to see what's up.
Don't understand how people can treat an animal badly.
I took her in as I have 2 of the same breed myself, but have never had to find homes for pup's before, all advice will be welcome.

Louise

personally id be considering reducing the litter to 2 or 3 for the bitches sake and for welfare sake, but no doubt Ill be shouted down for daring to be realistic!

> personally id be considering reducing the litter to 2 or 3 for the bitches sake and for welfare sake, but no doubt Ill be shouted down for daring to be realistic!

i see your point...i do...but this wouldnt be my answer im afraid lol.i just couldnt do it.

regarding good homes.you adverise them how you choose to but personally its not the advert that finds good homes its you!
i wouldnt allow any puppy to go anywhere if i didnt like the people.

i would only interview people who know the breed have one or have had one.or maybe have done all the reserch possible.i suppose like you when you got yours.

i have people ask me for puppies so have a list before hand and i am very fussy who i allow my pups to.i send out a small questionarire and meet people if i like theyre answers.
you could call a few breeders who are well known and ask them what they do when and how.
i think thats what id be doing now if i were you

good luck and well done you for taking in this girl in her deepest time of need.

Hi thanks for the replies, the vet thinks it's going to be a small litter, but if it is bigger, I could not bring myself to reduce the litter, I would rather hand feed them myself.
Last few days I have been rushing around like a headless chicken getting the things I have been told to get ie newspaper, old bedding, gloves, formula and bottles, rectal thermometer and heat pad. Is there anything else that I definitely should have?

I was brought up with this breed my whole life, so no research was really necessary. I will contact other breeders and ask if they would give me an idea of what questions to ask, would also be very greatful for some idea of questions from here too.

Thanks all

Louise

What about asking Rescue to help with the homes. I know that might leave you out of pocket, but at least you would ensure that the pups have the best possible chance of finding suitable homes. Should the pups not appear to be pure-bred, I am sure there would be a mixed breed rescue that would offer their support.

I have asked for help in finding homes from a couple of dog rescues locally, but want to do the most work myself as they have enough work as it is. And I have not mentioned what price I will be asking for, and it was a rescue centre that told me originally not to sell cheap, and just in case anyone asks, I will not be advertising on any web site as I don;t agree will on-line selling of any animal, it's too cold as far as I'm concerned.
The reason I'm asking anything for them is an abandoned pregnant bitch that is costing a fortune at the vets, was not on my list of to,do for xmas, though I can afford it, just,  it is really pushing things for us, all the rescue places were full and she really needed someone, I could not see her without a home.

As you only know what breed the mother is, you can only advertise them as crossbreeds (it'll be very evident at birth if the sire was the same breed).

Yes I know, but advice off someone who has the same breed as mum is better than nothing, though any advice is just as important. Just I feel if someone with the same breed as the mum can give advice on re-homing to the best possible home it gives them a decent chance in being homed with the right sort of people, rather than being homed with someone who wants this breed but would be better off with a small breed for example. As I have no idea who the dad was I can only go with what the mother is.

I would suggest that most rescue centres ask an awful lot of anyone wanting to adopt a dog from them. Most do home checks and won't let a dog go unless  they tick all the boxes.

Good luck with the puppies, and bless you for taking the mum in, it sounds like she is in need of some good attention and kindness!I'm sure once the word gets out, there will be people queuing up for the pups...

Choosing the right potentional owners is hell. Every litter I had cost me a stone in weight with stress and worry. As you have this breed yourself, you know the sort of owner they need; a tolerant person with a sense of humour, who's not terribly houseproud, enjoys the great outdoors and doesn't have to wear a pristine dark uniform for work! After that, I'm afraid, it's down to your own skill and judgement and gut reaction.

Thanks all for all the great advice and support, got all 3 snuggled round me on the sofa, lol. Hubby calls me his crazy dog lady ;-) My confidence in asking people questions like what are needed in this case, am sorry to say is very low. But I feel now with the advice I have been given that I will do fine (fingers crossed). I have already decided to a home check and have a look at the local area to see if there are places nearby that have space for a dog to be let loose safely for a run.

Again, thank you all for your time

Louise xxx

I think once the puppies arrive and you see them  you will have the confidence to ask potential new owners whatever you want , for the sake of each pup as you will want homes for life. I am sure you will find it quite easy to refuse . I have turned people down on occasion by something they may say or just gut instinct and make no apologies for it and am sure you will find that strength at the time.
You have at least 9 wks to think about new homes and christmas will have been and gone so you wont have the worry of buying for a christmas gift.
Most ped breeds go by word of mouth so tell doggy people about them and word should get around.

At the moment concentrate on the next few weeks we are all behind you , offering our  advice and help for as long as you want it , you are not alone.

A whelping box , lots of old blankets and some vet bedding. also lactol or whelpi , glucose for Mum , wormers for the puppies , cotton wool balls, a cleaning product for the whelp box most of us use parvovirocide from  or other dog pharmachttp://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/Parvo-Virucide/productinfo/PARVOVIRU/ist , BOOK OF THE BITCH TO HELP YOU THROUGH THE WHELPING available from amazon , a bulb syringe available here http://www.fitandfertile.com/shop/whelping.html  , the best you can afford puppy food for Mum and puppies. A book to record birth dates /times /weight , something so that you can identify each pup you can buy colour collars if you are expecting them to look alike which arent very expensive.A bucket for any dead puppies and a container for the afterbirth so that you can count them ..if mum eats them all she may get the runs.
Later you will need some form of puppy  pen to keep them safe ..I am sure you will find someone who can lend you one.

Thank you so much for taking on this Mum and her babies its hard work but worth it. You are a very special person indeed.

Roni

Hi Louise,
Can I start by asking what may or may not be an obvious question. Have you reported finding the dog to the local dog warden? Just because you found her in a rather poor state does not mean that at some point this bitch has had a loving home and there maybe an owner looking for her and this may have been a planned mating (very unlikely). If this is this case then legally you fall into a grey area. If you have contacted the dog warden and you wish to keep hold of the dog then they should have given you some paperwork. Doing it this way means that the dog will never become yours and at a later date if an owner comes forward then you will have to give the dog back (even if this is several years down the line - and this has happened). If all this has been done then you are saving your local council a small fortune by wanting to rear these puppies yourself so why not ask if they can contribute in a different way. Maybe ask if they can help with the homecheck side of things or provide neutering vouchers for the puppies and mother?
Each Council will work differently but you do need to ask and push if necessary as it may save you a little money in the long run or it may help you in finding good homes for the pups.

Good Luck!

Hi, the first thing I did was get in touch with the dog warden to see if any have been reported, though they did not ask for any of my details, just told me to keep phoning back to see if anything came up. Been in touch with local rescue centers to ask for future help with rehoming which they are happy to do, but as they are all full to bursting, I only want to ask for help if really needed as they have enough on with the dogs in there care.
She is not micro chipped, had no tag, I phoned tracks (who my own dogs are registered with) to see if she had been reported missing with them and lost her tag, nothing there, phoned local Police, nothing again and I have also been in touch with all the local vets and again nothing.

I am not special, just did what I felt was right, but thank you anyway.

Louise

Forgot to say, that when found she had a bit of rope round her neck that had been chewed through and a couple of people that I have asked think she used to belong to a young couple that disappeared in the middle of the night, though no one is 100% on that.
If she does have a loving home I will gladly see her go back, but otherwise she will stay with us.

As you say, rescues are heaving and with possibly of trying to find good homes for cross bred puppies from a nervous bitch, I too would definitely cull the pups to a very small number - for the bitch's sake too as she's not in the best of condition to cope with rearing a litter.

I know rescue centres are bursting at the seams but I think things happen for a reason and find it unusual that you found her and she is the breed of your choice , like she was meant to come to you  at this time in her life. I dont believe in culling puppies ( dont we condemn RSPCA for doing just that with puppies and kittens) it will be hard and the puppies may not survive but if they are meant to they are in the best place in my eyes.
It also depends on what area you live in I heard in Merseyside that dogs and puppies are moved down south and in to area where there are less of them .
I also dont wish to turn this into an argument re: culling puppies.

I heard in Merseyside that dogs and puppies are moved down south and in to area where there are less of them .
Not south to Somerset I hope!  All rescues here have more dogs than they can cope with - and are keeping them in what I consider unsafe and unsuitable conditions, doing their best to help. :(  Most are badly bred pedigrees or mongrels.  It's just dreadful, which is why I wouldn't want to rear pups at the moment.

Louise - Did you log her details with www.doglost.co.uk?

I see that there are still three bitches of that breed that were lost this time last year ....two in the North east, one in Central UK - none of the three have been reunited with their owners to date :(

It could be possible that she was stolen and has now got away from theives......

I do hope there could be a really happy ending to this story!

now that would be the best thing ever to happen ,i do hope so to lokis mum!

Hi yes I have been in touch with dog lost, she has very distinctive markings and I was told she does not match the ones they have missing. Also I was not the one to find her, it was a local who knew we had the same breed and I am known for being a sucker when it comes to strays and have taken many in over the years.
I also do not agree with culling, I will hand rear if needed.

Putting posters up tomorrow. As I said before, some people I have spoke to think she belonged to a couple who did a disappearing act in the middle of the night, hopefully the posters will bring some solid info.
Will keep you all informed of what happens, fingers crossed she will be able to go back to a loving home with people who love and miss her, as a 3rd dog was not what I was planning on, oh well these things are sent to try us.

Aww ....it would have been nice to think that she could be reunited with original owners, had she been one of those three :(

Do I understand that she is due to whelp in a week or so?  

I know I make myself unpopular with some on here - but had she been taken in before 6 weeks or so pregnancy, I would have advocated her having the post-mating injection  - alizan- which would have prevented the pregnancy going further - from what you've said the poor girl wasn't in the best of health when you took her in.  But it's too late now - however I too would advocate culling of some of the litter if she has a large one - its not just the handrearing, although that in itself is really hard work - its the responsibility of having to find good homes for cross-bred puppies when you have no idea of the temperament of the father at a time when all the Rescues are full to over-flowing - and sadly, after Christmas, they will suffer another influx!

I wish you well in whatever decision you make - and I also wish you lots of good luck!

I also do not agree with culling, I will hand rear if needed.
Louise it's nothing to do with hand rearing.  You will have your work cut out to rear a litter that you haven't planned, that's for sure.  But your difficulty, as the title of your thread, is how to find good homes for any pups that you produce.

It's hard enough to find good homes for well bred puppies at the moment.  Many experienced breeders with waiting lists are stuck with puppies at 10-12 weeks as their booked families cancel due to the economic climate and insecurity.  To find homes suitable to cope with pups from a nervous bitch and unknown sire is a feat that experienced breeders wouldn't find easy, let alone for your first time.  It's not culling that you have to disagree with.  It's being responsible for the pups that you produce for the rest of their lives if the homes you choose can't keep/cope with them.  As you quite rightly say, rescues can't cope with anymore. :(

These are cold, hard facts, not the fluffy idea of producing cute puppies.

Louise - are you [b]sure[/b] that she's been posted on Doglost?   Because I cannot find any dogs or bitches of that breed registered as "found" from now back to the beginning of September?

A photograph of her there might help as well!

For the record, this is what the Doglost website says at the very beginning:-

All dogs entered by the general public MUST be reported to the LOCAL COUNCIL and DOG WARDEN, especially if the finders intend to look after it until the owners are traced. THIS IS LAW - unless you follow the correct procedures, the dog can NEVER be legally yours. - so this could put you in a difficult predicament when it comes to selling the puppies if the person who passed her on to you didn't follow the correct procedure. :(

Louise - are you sure] that she's been posted on Doglost?   Because I cannot find any dogs or bitches of that breed registered as "found" from now back to the beginning of September?

A photograph of her there might help as well!

For the record, this is what the Doglost website says at the very beginning:-

All dogs entered by the general public MUST be reported to the LOCAL COUNCIL and DOG WARDEN, especially if the finders intend to look after it until the owners are traced. THIS IS LAW - unless you follow the correct procedures, the dog can NEVER be legally yours. - so this could put you in a difficult predicament when it comes to selling the puppies :(

> I heard in Merseyside that dogs and puppies are moved down south and in to area where there are less of them

Well it appears all our rescues are bursting at the seams with all the  SBT's they are being "donated"...it was reported a whole boxful of puppies were left in a "donation box" on the door step of a local vets quite recently!

Louise has done sterling work in taking in this poor girl, but I'm afraid that if she has a big litter (and the breed concerned can have large litters) she is going to be hard-pressed to find good, forever homes for all the puppies.   I know how hectic it can be having adolescent puppies around (we kept two of our last litter, and for three weeks had two of the others back with us whilst the owners went on holiday - two separate owners - I just mucked up the dates that they were coming to stay ) - 4 large 6 month old puppies who enjoyed playing/fighting with everything - was sheer HARD WORK! - and at the end of 3 weeks, was back down to our two - who were trouble enough :).

I hope I've made myself clearer now.   If I found myself in the situation that Louise is in, and if I'd got the bitch early enough, I would have aborted/spayed mum - but that's too late now.   Any more than 4 pups, then I would think seriously and take my vet's advice about culling the weakest of the litter.   A hard, terrible thing to do - but a responsible action, which I would have done - not without shedding tears, I can tell you.   But I know that I will get flamed for saying this.

Whatever Louise decides to do, it's not going to be an easy ride for her - and my good wishes go with her.

>Rescue centres are full to bursting because they dont agree with culling either,

It's a tragedy, isn't it? If more bitch-owners-who-have-puppies (I hesitate to call them breeders) - and not picking on Louise at all because the situation isn't of her making - took a longer-term view the problem might not be so acute.

Rescue centres are full to bursting because they dont agree with culling either
And there lies the other half of the problem of irresponsible breeding!  I spend time doing what I can in my local kennel and I struggle with some of the sad dogs there for months on end (some years and they'll never leave) in a stark kennel when they were used to sitting in front of a fire with company, waiting for the right home that never appears.

My local kennel is run by people with really good hearts and the best of intentions, which is why I try to help.  But it's for the humans to feel good about what they're doing and not what maybe best for each dog.

Louise will do whatever she wants to do.  But she asked how to find good homes for these unexpected puppies, and given their history, my reply is 'With great difficulty in this climate' with an explanation of what I would do in this situation.  That's constructive advice, whether she agrees or not.

Thank you so much Lokis mum,

As a family we have decided that we will keep mum and if in a year or two's time the owner does show up, we will gladly let her go back. I have spoke to local authorities and a friend who is a solicitor, who have all said that I am within my rights to cover all costs for caring for mum as long as I keep a detailed record with receipts and only do what is necessary for the dogs health so I can show the owner when/if they show up.
Though I do not agree with culling of healthy pups, and will hand rear if needed, if any show signs of not making it or are particularly weak then I will listen to nature and put them to sleep cradling them in my arms.
My friend (i spoke of above) has said that after some time of looking for the owner with no luck, then if we want to we can apply to be the legal owners of her, can't think what the law name was right now, so we will just wait and see what happens.
As for the pups, I am going to keep them for as long as I need to, till they get a new home, no matter how long, the x ray shows only 4 pup's thankfully. I did ask about the injection to end pregnancy but it was too late.

I phoned dog lost about her and they said they would put her up on there site, will give it a few days more and will ring again.

She has been sick today, though still wants food, had a clear stringy discharge and been digging her bed/nesting and her temp is normal.

Any idea's? is she going into labour or will it be a few more days, got vets on Friday.

sounds like its not going to be to long maybe next few days ...good luck louise x

Now I'm panicking.

its normal for a bitch to go aweek early for 1st litter ,just make sure you watch her ALL THE TIME NOW ,because you havnt had her long she might try and get away to have them. when she gets a drop in temp you will know :)

Thanks, never thought I would ever have to deal with whelping, hence I have boys and they are no longer intact :-) poor boys.

are you taking temp 3 times aday ? and when you get a drop take it again 1-2hours later and if its still down thats when she will go into 1st stag witch can take anything from 12-36 hours ....and make sure your boys are out the way ,but im sure you know this ;)

Have you got The Book of the Bitch yet?    Hope you've ordered it!

Until you get it, you may find this to be helpful :-  http://www.welshcorgi.com/lists/archive16.html

Where do you plan on her having the pups?    Have you introduced her to that area yet?   Although she's happy with your boys just now, once she has the puppies, she will in all probability object to them most strongly!

Don't forget - if she's losing egg-white stringiness, she will be starting - so put a lead on her to take her into the garden when she wants a wee/poo - and don't forget the torch at night - just in case!

Good luck :)

> Any more than 4 pups, then I would think seriously and take my vet's advice about culling the weakest of the litter.   A hard, terrible thing to do - but a responsible action, which I would have done - not without shedding tears, I can tell you.   But I know that I will get flamed for saying this.
>

Not by me you won't, I wholeheartedly agree..

We have converted my kids school room (they are home schooled) as they/we are having our holidays now for schooling so don't use that room this time of year. and my boys ignore her anyway all they want to do is eat and sleep. She has been in this room since she came to us and seems to love it in there.

Would the breed rescue be worth getting in touch with?

They have probably dealt with this situation before, and are probably better equiped/experienced to deal with this poor girl.

Im sure they would offer you some good advice at least.

Never thought of them, thanks. will phone them tomorrow for advice.

Hi Louise,

Sorry to bring this up when you have more important things on your mind but I would urge you to get back in touch with the local Dog Warden as their response to you was not acceptable. To cover yourself legally you do need to be issued with the necessary paperwork and I cant believe that they left it up to you to keep ringing back as that is not your job its theirs! Sorry to sound like a nag but I work in that part of the doggy world and it just makes me so mad that some local authorities are brilliant and some just could not give a damn and will not provide the basic service that they are legally obliged to do.

Good Luck with the pups, hope they are all fit and well and dont cause you too much stress! I am sure that you will do fine and manage to find good homes for them all.

Sorry it is me again!!

Must have missed this post. Further advice on the keeping of bitch/selling of pups and recovering any costs, I think you have been slightly misled by the local authority and your solictior friend. I would suggest that you look at the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Sec 150). Part of this act states that whatever costs you incur are of your own doing as there is a facility there to take the dog off you (Dog Wardens) but it is your choice to keep hold of the dog. You may try to recover any costs spent on the dog but the owner does not have to pay you. Anything which has been done to alter the dog i.e neutering/microchipping may be seen as criminal damage and you may face criminal proceedings (and once again this has happened). As previously mentioned in another post you will never become the legal owner of the dog no matter how long you have had her and you can not apply to become the legal owners. The only way that is to happen is if the dog goes into the custody of the local authority then on the 8th day that dog legally becomes the property of that authority and it is their responsibility to look after it/rehome it etc. From your description of the way the dog was found and the condition it was in it does sound very unlikely that anyone will ever come forward for her but better to be safe than sorry.

Once again good luck and I will try and keep my mouth shut now lol!!

kmaylor thanks, just found out where there office is and my husband is going there in the morning and will not leave till he gets the paper work, and he is not the type of person to take no for an answer, so fingers crossed.

Please don't keep your mouth shut, I am extremely grateful for all advice given. I will get all the paper work filled in, and my local dog warden does a foster care thing for dogs who would not cope in kennels, so I think I will get this sorted, so she will be there responsibility but after the 8 days I will pay to adopt her.

Not long got back from taking her for a short walk, and my goodness I have never known a dog to poop so much in such a short time, is this normal?

sounds like shes having a clear out !!! i dont think she will be long now before she starts ...was it runny?

Not runny but softer than it has been

she may want to keep going out now till she emty :)