Over the weekend Mini V accosted Mrs V and I and subjected us to a 10 min Powerpoint presentation on the pros of getting a dog… It’s something she’s been badgering for for a while, and Mrs V is keen-ish, whereas I’m less enthused.

Given that I’ve clearly been outvoted (I’m not actually that grumpy about it, but one has to keep up appearances) and know next to nothing about dogs, what do we do next? As we have a couple of cats I’m under the impression that a puppy is a better idea than an older rescue and MrsV seems keen to go full-on Kennel-club accredited breeder…

Black lab seems to be the favoured breed, but other than Googling, are there any recommended ways to find responsible breeders? Also, are there any pitfalls for getting “just a dog” rather than a kennel club poncy one?

Ta.

EDIT: “Subjected us to” sounds harsh, it was actually the cutest thing she’s done in years (moody teen the rest of the time)

As we have a couple of cats I’m under the impression that a puppy is a better idea than an older rescue

Really not necessarily the case. Puppies are hard work (they’re a baby, babies are hard work), older dogs can be much easier as they’re already house trained, used to other dogs, may even have basic commands. Any decent rescue place should cat test them too (not all dogs chase cats).

Puppies from a breeder can be as much of a lottery as a rescue; a reputable breeder can give a history of the parents etc, but you never actually know what the dog is going to be like as it grows. Rescue places (especially smaller local ones) often have their dogs living with foster families, so they can get a really good idea of what the dog is like.

I’d say take your time, find some local rescue charities, speak to them and see the dogs they’ve got and speak to the people looking after them.

Final word; it’s a dog, not another child. It needs to be trained and treated as such, by everyone (including Mini V). I’m not saying you have to be horrible to it, absolutely not, but it’s when people treat dogs like humans that the problems start. Don’t underestimate the work and time that’s needed.

Best behaved, easiest to train dog I’ve ever had was a 4.5 year old rescue. She’s got a great nature as well and loves people.

She’s a greyhound – staffie cross. I’m a big fan of rescue and a big fan of mixed breed dogs, they seem more robust.

Where abouts in the country are you? I’m sure people could recommend a local independent rescue.

What he said ^

Ditto what they said. Had 4 rescues and 1 from a puppy. I’d not get a puppy again.

Plenty of good rescue centres around.

Seems to me that the kennel club is just there to promote making money from breed standards that do not have the dogs best interests in mind.

Plus, for every rescue dog you adopt, you help two dog because you also free up a kennel space for the next one in need of a fresh start.

echo the rescue – we just got a puppy – I’m knackered…

Thanks for the comments so far.

We’re generally rescue fans, have had 3 cats over the years and they’re from CPL or local charities, but knowing how nervous one of our cats is, we felt something smaller than it, that it could get used to may help. Hadn’t really considered the unruliness of a puppy though…

If it helps, we’re in Suffolk

Couple of words if wisdom that helped us a lot when things aren’t going as planned/hoped.

Your dog isn’t giving you a hard time, they’re having a hard time.

The reason the dog isn’t doing what you want is because it’s having more fun doing something else instead. Be sexier than a squirrel.

We had a labradoodle puppy who is now 9 months. Had him at 12 weeks and although it is a commitment it is nothing like a baby. He slept through from the start no noise and the house training was a gradual thing over about 5 months. I was expecting it to be much worse but it has been great and the kids have loved having a puppy.

To echo the above comments, take your time and speak to local rescue ctrs. The world has enough dogs in it already and does need yet more of the inbred puppies that the KC like. Our dog was an old puppy and fine with the kids and the cats soon put him in his place.

I was nudged into dog ownership by wife and daughter because they wanted a dog. I now find myself as the person who walks him and tidy up his poo from the lawn. If you are not committed yourself, then I would say ‘no’ unless it is clear who will be doing the leg work.

Any decent rescue place should cat test them too

I think there is a YouTube channel idea there

You also need to realise that all the hard work will be your job

Cost it up. The insurance for ours (now 8) is getting on for £100 a month. Kenneling is £16/day. Vaccinations and small (under excess) vet gubbins might be another £100/year. You *do* want *good* insurance as dogs get Big Stuff like people do and bills can get over £5k in a year if stuff hits the fan.
Then food.

Labs moult like crazy and are find of (smart, you see) breaking in to bins etc to eat stuff which then makes them very ill.
Also are any of your family/friends allergic? If so poodle or Greyhound or whippet worth considering.

Also budget for time. Have you got a spare 45 mins a day *every day no matter how you feel or what the weather is like*. What about training classes (as much for you as the dog 🙂 ) – an evening a week for let’s say a year?

Also practicalities. You won’t be able to take the dog everywhere – what if you’re all out of the house for the day. Are there reputable local dogsitters/walkers.

Don’t be afraid to say NO if either of you is not up for looking after the dog all by themselves.

I grew up with dogs and have had them for 25 years as an adult. So I’ve done my time mourning destroyed furniture & carpets, waiting outside churches and museums with the dog for my turn to go in. I love ’em but I did grow up with them so I had some idea of what was involved.

If you’ve not had a lot of experience maybe do some dogsitting for friends to start off with, to get a better feel for things.

You do learn a lot from them! But it is a big commitment.

I have a friend who runs a dog lodging (lodging more than kennels as they live as part of the family not in cages) business in Suffolk. She as a result has experience with all manner of breeds and pure breed labs are her least favourite to look after from a wide array of examples. Personally she has a rescue collected from the side of the A14 and while she loves a pug she’d never buy one.

Re Labs there is the old lad who has to wear a hockey style mask to stop him eating all the poo he can find, loves if fresh and soft too.

If you are considering a rescue, you need to know that most centres will be quite strict with where they home their dogs so the option may not be available to you (or at least be more restricted). We looked four years ago and ended up buying a puppy because we didn’t fit (two young children in our case meant that very few dogs were deemed suitable for our household). Other things they often expect are:

Garden
Other dog/s in the house
No other pets in the house
Someone at home at all times
No under 18s

EDIT: BTW, be careful about scammers right now – there has been a huge increase of people asking for deposits up front for puppies that can’t be viewed ‘because of covid’ then of course they disappear with your money. Just read on Facebook this morning about a friend of a friend that has (rather stupidly) been tricked out of £300.

We’ve had dogs for the last 27 years – 4 from puppies (3 Bassett hounds + 1 choc lab) and 1 rescue (black lab). We currently have an elderly Bassett and 2 year old rescue. Puppies are great if you have the time to look after them – it’s pretty well a full-time job otherwise they get bored and it can lead to difficult behaviours. It can also be quite messy, so if you’re precious about your house, don’t get a puppy.

There are lots of rescue dogs, but the younger ones tend to be because of behaviour problems. Our Lab was from an experienced owner who had her from a puppy (2 other dogs + kids + cats) but she was absolutely hyper / out of control / destructive and was locked in a room on her own. She was absolutely mental the first few days, but soon calmed down – she’s still very energetic, but also very chilled as she needed to live in a calmer environment. She’s loves running and biking too.

With any pedigree, check for congentital / genetic issues and make sure the puppy is screened – don’t go near anything that isn’t otherwise it could be huge bills and heartache.

The price of KC registered dogs appears to have gone through the roof, some wanting £2K+ for a puppy right now. I would try and find a breeder based on a personal recommendation from a friend / someone you know rather than simply a Google search – there are lots of dodgy ones fronting for puppy farms in Wales and Ireland.

As above dont discount a rescue, I’ve seen reports that shelters are bursting at the seams with dogs needing homes.

My next pooch will be a 2nd hand bargain

As someone who’s been through this a year or so back then one thing you’ll need to bear in mind is that if you have no experience with dogs then you’ll be very limited in the dogs available to you from a rescue place.

We thought it’d be easy to get a rescue dog (early 50’s, own house with secure garden, no kids at home, wife retired so in the house pretty much full-time) but despite trying several places we were told that the didn’t have any dogs that were suitable for folks without experience. It looks like the easy dogs to re-home (i.e. ones without issues) are re-homed quickly and easily, so the dogs they had in the kennels they regarded as having issues that a beginner wouldn’t cope with.

We were going to go down the puppy route as it looked like the only way we’d be able to get a dog, although were aware that they’re a lot of work when young. Perseverance meant we did get a rescue dog in the end, and a very nice (and well trained) one at that. There were a queue of folks wanting the dog as well (a Labrador just short of 5 years old), so it took all my powers of persuasion to get him.

This is our dog Ludo, who’s absolutely fantastic – although it has meant my main exercise is now walking him instead of cycling. He does like long walks – we’ve done ones up to around 14 miles – which suits me as well.

My Lab/Collie/Lurcher was a rehome rather than a rescue but she wasn’t well treated at her first home; judging by her behaviour when we first got her she was locked outside a lot and sprayed with water when she misbehaved. She wouldn’t go in the garden unless I went out first and cowered when I got the MucOff out to clean my bike. Now she’s super chilled and wanders in and out as she pleases. Still doesn’t like the MucOff bottle though.

Her recall is abysmal, either because she’s found something disgusting to eat or there’s something to chase. It’s a shame because she can run forever but she’s a terrible trail dog.

One thing does puzzle me though; she moults soooo much I can’t understand why she’s not bald!

Our Labrador is also more of a re-homed dog than a rescue. There is no indication he was ill-treated and he’s also very well house trained – in fact quite well trained generally as his recall is also good. Hence why there were so many people interested in him. He’s a bit barky when he sees other dogs when we’re out and about – but more noisy ’cause he wants to play that aggressive. He’s improved a lot since we got him though, partly I think because we have a dog-walker take him out once a week (or did pre-lockdown) to give him a chance to socialise with other dogs.

Labrador’s do indeed moult a lot!

Another vote for rescue dogs.

Lots and lots of puppies about right now and prices have gone through the roof. A friend has advertised puppies form her dog, £3k each for a mongrel and waiting scan results. She has 50+ enquiries already, madness!

I expect dog shelters to be inundated with dogs over the next 12 months and they will need all the help the can get. Puppies are very hard work as already mentioned.

Dogs aren’t necessarily given up due to behavioural issues. Family circumstances change, owners die, costs etc all result in dogs needing new homes.

If you settle on a breed rather than a mutt, I’d recommend getting in touch/joining the breed specific club. I did that before buying a puppy and got lots of good advice regarding breeders before settling on one. It’s also been great for follow up advice.
I also was able to re-home another dog through the club as they matched up my lifestyle as being suitable for the dog.

Some folk seem a bit anti KC/pedigree, but with a bit of time and research, you’ll find lots of breeders are breeding with the best interests of the dog and the breed at heart. Particularly so with less “fashionable” breeds as they are not a massive money earner.

I tried to re-home before getting my current two and gave up as their wasn’t one local centre willing to re-home to a house with young kids.

I expect dog shelters to be inundated with dogs over the next 12 months and they will need all the help the can get.

We’re expecting the same and are thinking about getting a 2nd rescue dog when that happens. We’ve more experience now so should be better placed to get one.

We’re not too fussy about what type of dog either (we just got lucky with the one we have now being a Labrador as that would have been our first choice), as long as it’s big enough to do decently long walks.

Is there a local rescue centre you can volunteer at? If you’ve not had a dog before it can be a good way for you to learn about looking after a dog as well as helping out often underfunded shelters. It also allows the shelter people to get to know you too. My wife and son volunteered at our local place and we are currently fostering a 7 year old staffy collie cross. She’s a brilliant dog who’s really good with our cats and kids so not all rescue dogs have issues.

As they say, this thread is useless without pictures, I’m diving in with Esther

She’s from a working stock, so not as big as other Labradors, more Springador-sized but in some ways it’s good, she’s easier to pick up, haul-out one-handed when she can’t get up a steep bank and doesn’t take as much room on the sofa/campervan/bed

OK then, any excuse. Our foster dog Misty enjoying running with the bikes.

Edit. I give up, can’t post pic from Google photos.

This is my wife with our rescue dog, Ludo, on a walk in the Trossachs on his first motorhome trip a couple of weeks after we got him.

A full size dog is best. 🙂

Thank you all for the comments, just a few additional bits of info to cover a few of the comments/questions.

I’ve never had a dog, but my wife grew up with them so is very dog-savvy. Mother-in-law is dog-mad and has always had up-to 3 dogs at a time as long as I’ve known her.

Based on the comments above we’ll definitely not write-off the rehoming option.

Wife works some mornings and I work full time, so it wouldn’t be alone for more than 3hrs. I recall the RSPCA wouldn’t let us have a cat based on the fact we couldn’t guarantee to be home all the time, so that might be an issue for us.

Thanks again

We rescued from HYPS (helping Yorkshire poundies). Bella was a 4.5 year old bull lurcher who had come in due to “separation anxiety”. Lots of support from HYPS and hard work from us and there isn’t any issue with us both going to work full time. She’s happy on her own for several hours.

RSPCA and Dogs Trust would have said no to us based on circumstances but the smaller independent rescues can be a lot more pragmatic.

Our experience with the Dogs Trust (who do great work) is that they are very conservative about placing dogs. Despite our inexperience I thought the other factors meant we were worth a try (maybe even offering fostering first), but we were pretty much told we’d have no chance getting a dog from them.

A lot of the dogs they had in had been unsuccessfully re-homed previously (in some cases multiple times) but there were definitely some that I think we’d have been fine with.

Charley, Nell and flora.

Charley is the best rescue ever.
Nell is the only one I’ve had from a pup.
Flora is a rescue from a Cyprus.

They’re all ace.

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In the field with the gang. #rescuedogsofinstagram #dogsofinstagram #springerspaniel #kokoni #collgi

A post shared by Michael Thomas (@mr_evilgoat) on May 25, 2020 at 10:34am PDT

Do plan also for cleanliness and disposals. A neighbour has a newish black lab which currently has a stomach problem. Pain for them (and the dog), now on first name terms with the vet after six trips, and a miasma of stench for the neighbours.

A lot of rescues said No or “there might not be a suitable dog for a while” to us as full time workers (we could get home for lunch). The Retired Greyhound Trust sent round a home-checker.
😀

Manchester Dogs Home were brilliant – there policy was that having a garden wasnt a deal breaker as they said that without a garden you have to take a dog for a walk rather than open the back door and kick it or into the garden for half and hour’s ‘exercise’.

Their staff are full time and knew the dogs personality and character.

Bert came from there 2 years ago. He was picked up as a stray. Subsequent DNA testing has shown him to be a very rare in the UK pedigree Karelian Bear Dog from Finland. He has been brilliant from day one.

image upload

All agree here, he’s a very cool dog!

I feel your pain🤣😃🤣
I finally gave up resisting in February and Pippin aka Mrs Fiend arrived in our household.

Re cats,
It depends on the temperament of the cats. We have 2 cats (Koshka, bold & Milo, timid) and a now 5 1/2 month border collie pup.
The pup wants to play.
Koshka doesn’t and stands her ground & slaps her down.
Milo doesn’t, runs & gets chased. He needs to CTFU😁
We need to work on the pups training😀