I am sickened to read all of these 'Puppy Wanted' advertisments in here!!! Where are all the true dog lovers of this world? There are hundreds of rescue dogs out there dumped in kennels and confuses. How satisfying it is to save one of them from hell!!!! Stop being so selfish!!!!!!

Good Morning Laura and welcome to Champdogs :-)

People are entitled to ask for puppy information if that is what they want! People who ask for Rescue Information are provided with it, as you would have discovered if you had read the various posts :-)

Incidently, before you post, you should have read the forum Terms of Service, especially as you agree to abide by them BEFORE you post :-)

May I ask if you work for Battersea Dogs Home?

We are all dog lovers here Laura and many of us are, or have been involved in Rescue Work.

You are preaching to the converted ;-)

Have a nice day!

Leigh

Hi Laura

I think most people would like to get a rescue dog but in some cases it is very difficult to get the right dog for the right home. Some of rescue dogs have got behavioural problems and it often needs an experience owner to take them on. Also a lot of dogs are unable to be homed with children under a certain age or other dogs.
We personally tried for 18 months to search for a rescue dog from various sources . We again could not find a suitable dog as they are often graded for suitabilty in situations and most of the time it always said not suitable to rehome with other dogs or children. We ended up getting a puppy, Moose.We need edto get a new dog introduced to the crew for Min when our eldest girl Mars left us.

We are currently actively looking to adopt another Lab now and hopefully over the next few months we will be successful. We are going to have to be patient to wait for the right girl.
I am sure we all feel so helpless and concerned with the amount of dogs needing homes but at the end of the day it is peoples own choices and we can all help to try and convert people opinions where ever possible.

Lucy

Hi!
a rescue dog is not suitable for every person, and neither is a puppy.

even though I breed I often recomend an older dog, different breed if after questioning a puppy enquirer I think it would better suit their circumstances.

For example having children I would not be able to get a large breed dog from my local dogs home, probably for very good reasons, as rarely is full history/truth known about them.

the person wanting a dog may want to show, and perhaps later breed, and want to be in from the start.

I get a little tired when I hear people saying that if all of us who breed stopped, it would save all the unwanted dogs. In reality what happens is that the caring breeders breed less and less often due to worries about rescues, and knowing they may have to have dogs back, and this leaves the ones who don't care to fill the gap!

I actually had someone who had previously bought a pup from a large puppy supermarket in the North, say "why don't the good breeders breed more often, then people wouldn't need to go to puppy farms and pet shops" I was gobsmacked!!

Why is it selfish to want a puppy? Does that make it selfish for a woman to want a baby, should we all go and adopt one of the thousands of children that are in care? :)
If you have ever been in a rescue kennel you will notice that a lot of the dogs have conditions attatched, ie. not good with other dogs , not good with children. This limits the homes they can go to and also limits the options of people looking to adopt a dog. I have a rescued dog, a rotty bitch, since getting her I have had 2 children and bought 2 other dogs ( puppies), Was I selfish in getting the other 2, no, for 1 the RSPCA wouldn't have rehomed another rotty with me which is what one of the pups is , and secondly, I had to put my childrens safety first and thirdly I had to consider whether the older dog would take better to a pup or a adult dog. These were all considerations to make before I got a pup, I don't feel that it was a selfish decision. :)
In an ideal world there would be no dogs in rescue, but we don't live in an ideal world, perhaps you should turn your attentions to the puppy farms that churn out countless dogs for their own selfish gains, that I would gladly support you on. :)

Getting a puppy is right for some and re-homing a dog is right for some too. I dont' think its selfish at all? I have re-homed a BC from Battersea becaue that was our choice. Each to their own?

Julieann

Actually Julie I work at one of the largest rescue kennels in the country and have done for the last 2 years. If you came in here often enough you would start to see a pattern in the types of dogs that come in!! They are usaually 6-12 months old and are pedigrees. The problem is that most of them have been sold by the breeder to people with young children because they think as it is a puppy it will be fine with the kids.....OH HOW WRONG ONE CAN BE!! More children get bitten by dogs they have had since pups than anyone else. Anyway I don't want to argue with you.... I don't even know you. I can see your point I just think it is a bit of an assumption to think that puppies are the only dogs good with kids!!!!

Funnily enough , the last 3 times I went to Battersea Dogs Home (dont know if thats where you work or not) the majority of dogs were not pedigree , the vast majority were poor lurchers and greyhounds. Mostly larger dogs with a sprinkling of Staffy types thrown in.

6-12 months old is about right as this is when dogs starting getting teenagery and a pain in the neck ...and people who have not done any research will decide they can't be bothered.

Unfortunately I feel that those type of people will chuck a dog out whether or not they are pedigree or rescue ...

The assumption with regards to puppies and children is a simple one. With a lot of rescue dogs there is no knowing what sort of upbringing that dog has had ..no idea of the abuse the poor animal has had to put up with and with a puppy you are at least able to train from an early age. I think that is the reasoning behind a lot of peoples decisions.

A lot of people on this forum have rescue dogs. A lot have pedigree dogs. Some breed . Some show . Some just enjoy their dogs.

I think youre time would be better spent educating the masses of people who will insist on buying a puppy on a whim ...at Christmas for example

HTH

Melody

Hi again Blue I have never had a puppie or grown dog bite my family and who knows what has happend to some of the little rescues taken in some must be scared for like mentally and physically so you do have to be careful taking them on.but you do a great job

Pat x

Hi Laura, I don't want to argue either but:) don't the RSPCA do a lot of assuming when they say that they won't rehome staff types or rotties in families with children?
I am also fully aware that not all puppies will be safe with children, I would have loved to have an Akita or a Chow but when I researched found that they couldn't be trusted with children, that is why I have a Shiba which I was told was more trustworthy.
I can fully understand how your job must make you feel about some of the idiots that abuse or abandon their dogs, but surely you can see that not all dog owners are the same, so to call us all selfish because we sometimes want a puppy as opposed to a rescue is a bit strong :)
Just as another point, the breeders of my shiba and my rotty asked me far more searching questions than the Rspca did before letting me have one of their dogs! :)

Blue I think what Julie, and I asnd others are saying is that a puppy is the only dog whose complete history you know since infancy.

If the dog then bites the children in 99.9% of cases this is entirely down to the owner not training and supervising pup and children properly.

There is always the odd dog that is just shot away in the head.

On the other hand many rescue dogs may have bad habits already ingrained, or have had their psyches damaged that they will not make a suitable pet for a family with vulnerable kids, or adults, or for those with little canine experience.

It is far easier to rear and train a well bred puppy, than a returnee, or rescue.

My father spent over 35yrs with the RSPCA and whilst he was working for them we always had rescue dogs, usually those who's owners had passed away and whose history could be verified.

Since my sister and I have had children my parents have only owned pedigree dogs that they've purchased as puppies - this is because my parents won't risk their grandchildren just so they can do the 'right thing' by taking on another rescue.

We bought a puppy in February from a respected breeder and have had to put up with a lot of comments from friends about how we could have got a puppy cheaper from a rescue centre. Yes we could, but with 3 very precious children I needed to be able to meet the mother and contact the owners of the father so I could be pretty much guarranteed the temperament of the puppy. I know that I bought a well balanced puppy with good manners and a steady temperament who will, for the majority of the time, put up with my children climbing all over her and trying to brush her ears with the brush from the dustpan and brush!!

When the children are older and have left home - (only 14yrs till we can ship the youngest off!!!) we'll get a rescue dog, assuming Jonathon hasn't made me a granny before 40!!!!

Fiona
x x x

Hi Blue ,I always help rescue people with donations or gifts
but having 5 small granchildren I could not chance getting a
dog that I did not know from a pup .

Pat x

Hi i have plenty of people ringing and asking about older dogs as well as pups i put them on to the staffy rescue and hopefully do my bit for the breed its up to the individual what they want and i admire anyone willing to take on a rescue dog :)

Hi Laura

Don't forget you only see the bad side - not the thousands of dogs where the parents are committed to their dogs as well as their children, working with dumped or rescue dogs gives you (generic you) a very biased view.

Christine

I have also in the past worked in a rescue home (for 3 years) and the dogs that we saw were not mostly pedigree dogs at all. They were a mixture of dogs who had lived in homes with people who had not done their homework about what taking on a dog (adult dog or pup, mixed breed or pedigree) involves. There are people that do not do their homework when they adopt a dog from a home and some of these end up back in kennels. People should think long and hard about the commitment of having a dog and should get the dog that fits in with THEIR lives, if this is a pedigree puppy then great, at least they have thought it through and the dog has a bigger chance of living its life out in one loving home.

Hi blue
I would never own a dog I did'nt get as a pup. Simply because my dogs get alot of training to suit my needs. That is they go everywhere with me. On the other hand I have rescued several dogs from dire situations and rehomed them myself. The only ones I kept were an APBT and she was only 3 month old and a cross staff/GSD she was 6 weeks old.
The dogs I rehomed were between 2 and 5 years old. They range from a couple of mongrels wandering the streets/Dulux dog/lurcher/GSD/and many Staffs. I have taken dogs from drug dealers who were going to kill them and gave them money to give me the dogs.
My last 2 dogs (I pick one up next week at 8wks old) I got from adverts on boards like this one. So I dont think your statement was fair about people wanting pups.

Regards Mick

We looked at our local shelter (not in London, but quite well known) before deciding finally on a breed. We have two small children, so our first thought was to get a puppy. However I too worried about all of those dogs that were equally deserving of a good loving home, so off we went to have a look. I was overwhelmed at the number of young greyhounds and greyhoundX that had been given up because they would'nt race, or older ones who were 'past it'. To add to that, every single dog could only be re-homed in families where the children were at least over 7. Are you suggesting, Blue, that people like me with a young family should wait until our children are older before getting a dog-so that we could have a rescue? I do hope not, as I hope by having a pedigree lab pup now, both the dog and the children will grow together, learning to respect each other.And the issue of knowing what sort of home and breeder your puppy is coming from is very important-perhaps you don't have children, if you did you would surely agree that they will always come first, and you would do all you could to protect their saftey. I firmly belive that this is a matter of personal circumstances, and I don't think you should be 'tarring us all with the same brush'. Not everyone goes into buying a puppy without a doing a lot of research and discussion. Give some credit. :(
Nic

As I said before, each to your own you get a wonderful feeling and a lump in your throat when you see your rescue happy warm contented. I have that feeling very time I play and train with my BC Molly she was miss treated badly I have the time and love to giver her, she came from Battersea and the main dogs wanting homes were greyhounds, border collies and GS's. So sad.

However my late BC tubbs we got him when a pup, its down to each persons circamstances? And the reserch you do too?

I give Molly all my love and time she is my best friend how anyone could have hurt her and given her up is just beyond me?

Julieann :) xxxxxx

Over the years I've had rescue dogs, two were mongrels, one that lived till she was nearly 18, and another a westie, who, after having him for about 8 yrs, I had to re-home him, as he did not like children, and I had several grandchildren by this time, so could not trust him around the kids, he is now nearly 12 and was re-homed to a lovely neighbours mother who had been widowed, I met her the other day and he is doing very well, still grumpy if any children are about, but I know I made the right decision in that case, I also had another rescue westie who hated men and I did not find this out until after we brought her home, we worked with her for 5 years, taking her to training classes, got my son ( who was 25 at the time) to bring his friends to the house, this westie loved children, but a man, no way, she hated them, we came to the conclusion that a man must have hurt her when she was very young, she was 11 months old when I got her, she would only trust my hubby, she is now with one of my sons friends mothers who again lives on her own, and is across the road from a beach and is doing really well in that home. This experience has never put me off getting a rescue dog, but I do prefer to get pups from reliable breeders or breed my own, that way, I do know that I am going to get a puppy who has been well socialised before I bring that puppy into my home, and pups that are brought up round about children and lots of people coming in and out of the home. As you pointed out most dogs in rescue are in the age bracket of 6 months onwards, I always recommend training classes to anyone who buys a puppy from me, whether this pup is a well loved family pet or the new owner is thinking about learning to show, I also try and find out where the nearest training classes are for them.

Blue if you take a look at this previous thread you'll see some very good points for and against. Including mine:)

http://www.champdogs.co.uk/cgi-bin/board/topic_show.pl?tid=7755

Stacey x x x

i agrree whole heartedly and if you know where any bullmastiff rescue centres are let me know alison

Bullmastiff Welfare... Mrs Ryder on 01204 524508

I have two rescue dogs...a mixed breed who was found in a dumpster at age ? 5 weeks and I have an OES rescue who was found in the woods ,turned out to be too small (50 #s). We dearly love them both ...but we just got an OES puppy (8 weeks ) from a breeder . We wanted a puppy because we have been researching the breed for years and have finally decided to make a go at breeding. Before I get the lectures on the breeding bit...we have been involved with the breeder we got the pup from and have come to this decision over a number of years.
My partner is a vet nurse . We considered getting another rescue but our time needs to be devoted to our new pup. We have also placed many dogs that have been abandoned in good homes.
My point is each individual has to decide what is best for them as well as the dog. Rescue is most rewarding...so is raising and training a puppy to be a handsome well behaved dog.

Hi
If you look on the thread about FIND IT.com you will see how upset we all are about
the way dogs are advertised on this site.
And the reason for that is most of the people advertising for dogs do not have a clue that there are many bad puppy farm breeders who will contact them and sell them a pup that could be ill or a problem with temperment.
When people ask for puppies on this site they will have breeders that care a lot about their dogs who would take the dogs back at a drop of a hat and will try to rehome them themself's and not place a bigger burden on a overstreatched rescue service.
Please look at the replys that the breeders give to would be owners and then you should direct your anger at this other site as we all are.
Nina

i do understand where you're coming from, but personally i think there's a lot to be considered when you adopt a rescue. You can NEVER be certain about the dog's background, or what has happened to it in the past because the only information you have to go on is either the word of it's previous owner [who may well just want rid of the dog] or the impression it's made on the people at the rescue. It's a risk, whichever way you look at it.

Both my dogs are rescues - my GSD bitch is a very nervous flighty dog but is also very loving and perfect with my family, it's only strange people and strange dogs she is nervous around now. My male Dane cross was a stray, but he is the most friendly dog you coud ever meet with everyone and everything, they're complete opposites - you don't always know what you're getting yourself into! That said, the feeling you get when you know your rescue doggies trust you is amazing :)

i would never have a puppy. i don't have the time to train one from the word go, i don't have a garden so house training would be horrendously difficult, and i have a two and a half year old son who takes up my time, so a puppy would never get enough attention. i think the people on this board who are willing and able to take on a pup do not deserve your insults. It's down to the needs of the individual whether a rescue would suit them.

I have 4 dogs, 3 pedigree GSP'S age 1, 3 and 5 and a 10 year old rescue crossbreed. The rescue dog had been beaten up and abandoned to fend for herself on some local marshes. I was single when I got her, she was 15 months old, but shortly afterwards met my husband who moved in with us. I love her to bits and she can be a very loving and affectionate dogs. She can also be very aggressive and unpredictable and will still go for my husband in certain situations. She also hates children and I have to shut her away when ever any come to visit. My other 3 dogs adore children and will put up with any amount of hugging and playing that kids do to them. I took one of them to Brownies with me last night (I am a Brown Owl) and she quite contentedly lay eating a chew whilst the girls stroked and made a fuss of her. I have fertility problems so can't have kids of my own which is a good thing from my rescues point of view. If I had had kids she would have had to be rehomed again which would have been heartbreaking both for us and her. We are her security and to take her away from that would have been awful for her. I now breed from my GSP's and I know that I can almost certainly guarantee their suitability to go to homes with children. I make new owners sign contracts that the dogs will come back to me and nowhere else if they can no longer keep them (for whatever reason) and I keep in touch with all the puppies new owners so I know exactly what is happening with them. I have found raising 3 dogs from puppies into happy sociable well adjusted dogs far more rewarding than having my rescue dog. I KNOW that they are happy, but the rescues emotional problems are ingrained too deep and we will never fully be rid of her scars. This upsets me as I would do anything to make her happy. So we all have our reasons for wanting a dog and these will dictate whether a rescue or a puppy is the most suitable for us. You should be glad that there are good breeders and responsible potential owners out there that are stopping more dogs going into rescue, not having a go at us. it's the people who allow their crossbreeds to get pregnant and puppy farmers you should behaving a go at. I'm sure they don't go to the same lengths as all of us responsible breeders who do our best to check the suitability of the homes are puppies are going to.

I think we could all go on all day with the for and against argument regarding this:) People are saying- rescues can be so loving as if they *know* you've saved them- they can also be very unpredictable. Puppies- you can train, shape and mould them(or try to:D) to what you want- they also pee all over at first- chew things etc:D and are apparently a pain in the backside during the teenage years.

My personal self- it had to be a pup- although I one of those that doesn't know what people see in a cute puppy- peeing etc:rolleyes: but because I wanted a GSD I couldn't risk a rescue one. A good point made earlier in this thread was something like 'there are hundreds of children out there needing homes/adoption so why are we having our own instead of just adopting':rolleyes: If you're interested in showing too- you need a purebred/show worthy dog. A rescue GSD wasn't for me but I do my bit- helping with little things for Matties Lab Rescue:)

Stacey x x x

I have the time for a puppy or a rescue. I chose to re home Molly as we were right for her. She too has some terrible ghosts from her past. But I love her and will care for her. :) Each to your own? :)

Hi blue, Out of my crew, I have four " rescues" and all for different reasons. I have been very lucky and all my unwanteds are lovely natured dogs. Some Ive had from pups , others as adults.
It is all very well for you to pass judgement on others, but not everyone is in a situation to have a rescue dog. My daughter is grown up and has a home of her own, and I am lucky enough to be home allday. However, if I had young children at home, I would think very very carefully before taking on an adult rescue. (Maybe with a young rescue pup it is a different matter)Whatever the previous owners/rescue society has told you, an adult who is an unwanted has PROBABLY got underlying problems, wether is barking, pulling on lead, aggression over food, hyper activity, dislike of other dogs, not good with kids, or just plain terrified of humans in general. In situations such as these they need an owner with time, patience and understanding. Im not saying that familys with children have not got these attributes, only that my personal opinion is that dogs like these are not ideal for a situation with young children. When my daughter was small, I would always start with a young puppy, now it dosnt matter what I have. Who are you anyway, to pass judgement on other peoples choices. A lot of folk may not be able to bond properly with an older dog, and others only want a pup, so it can be trained to suit their lifestyle, while another group of people want the joy of having a little puppy in their lives. At least have the decency to let others choose the canine that suits them best, horses for courses you know!!!

Hi my name is Kim and I am nwe to the site and was just reading thriugh some of the pages and came across your board.I have done it both ways,10 years ago we got a collie cross from our local dogs home and I had 2 children under the age of 4.In all the years that we have had our dog he has never been nasty to the children nor anyone else for that matter
,so you can get good ones,but at Christmas we are getting a Bull Terrier pup,we have done a lot of research on the breed and feel that this is a good breed to have.We are going to take her to training classes and would like to eventually go to agility.So you can get both a rescue and a puppy. Like others have said how would you feel if you did rescue a dog and it turned on your children,would you still keep the dog????

Blue,
I completely agree. And when I say what you have just many poeple get mad. That is really irritating! Again, you are right........

Strange feelings & comment from someone calling themselves
"The Puppy Raiser"
Jakie

I agree it is great to rehome a dog but you cant always find the right one. We were extatic to find a rough collie at our local rescue but she turned out to have a probem with cats so we were unable to give her the home that she deserved. It broke our heart so we have had to turn to getting a puppy, as there are no rough collies up for rehoming within 20 miles!!

hello everyone :),
Blue i too have worked for "one of the country's largest dogs home" I have 2 children & i have a pedigree puppy, i would have liked to have rehomed a rescue but as many other people on here i have to make sure that my kids come first.
There have been a few "rescue dogs" that we had rehomed who having had thier temp. asssed were then returned for being aggressive in the home to the adults & or children.
As you know a dog like this is then put down when it comes back into rescue (or at least it was when i was there.... was a few years ago now :( ) Due to the policy of the home.
I do know that pedigree dogs can bite too. To be honest i think it also down to the people in question, there are people out there who look into having a dog long before they get one pdigree or rescue. Then there are the people who just "get one on a whim" again pedigree or rescue, these are normaly the ones who end up in rescue with no training or manners. Why ??? is it because people havethe money to buy one & then they are treated like an old toy because they dont work properly ? ie they didnt come ready trained & they dont wee & pooh. THIS can happen in pedigree dogs & rescue dogs !!!! there are people out there like that & none of us have a glass ball, If someone tells us ALL the right answers to all the right questions what do you do ??? i know where i worked we would do home checks & we trusted what the people told us BUT some people do LIE -- this is life --- so to be honest again it is up to the individual person as to pedigree or rescue.

It would be nice if we could all give a home to a rescued animal, but alas we dont all live in an ideal world. I f i had gone to most of the dog rescue centres i would have been turned away from at least 90% of the dogs because of my childrens age, so in that case would i have to then wait until my children are a lot older before we got a dog ?? then the children would have missed out on the joy & a bond a dog can bring into thier lives ? we jsut have to realise people are complicated things some lie some dont, some want pedigee dogs for thier own reasons some want a rescue for thier own reasons, it is not our job to condem or judge anyone ......... after all why do most of us love our dogs so much is it because they dont condem & judge us ?? we can only take people & dogs at face value. The rest we have to sort out later.
tangent over now lol :)
a one very tired & cold scatty after spending a long weekend in the country with no heating in a small room lol