Getting A Dog

Dear . org

I have been desperate for a dog for some time, and now I live in the country I really want one even more I love walking and would love to have one with me.

As a child we had a dog and loved her to bits, due to circumstances beyond my control my mum had to re home her and although I had my own house I was not in a position to take her over.

we really would like a Beagle but I don't think I can justify buying pedigree as there is a Beagle welfare who re home Beagles who have had to be given up however most of these seem to be boy swho are difficult because they haven't been trained properly and become to much (except for the one which had the family rabbit)

Now I am in two trains of thought, as a pet is a very long term commitment, would you rather pay for the dog you want as a pup, train it from the beginning, let it grow up with you, or should I accept that an older dog is just as loving although possibly more difficult to continue training but rescue on in need of a home?

Our first dog was a nightmare because we had missed the first few weeks training period and was difficult for 3 years because of it, so this makes me want the pup, however the other part of me cant justify £600 when there are some which need homes, even if they wont be exactly what we want.?

to add into the mix we are thinking of starting a human family in or around 2012, and don't know what should come first... Baby or dog, is it easier to add the mayhem of a dog into the mix of a young (ish) child or to add a baby into a family with a dog...

looking for serious advice from either angle really,

Many thanks oh vast and experienced org,

Originally Posted by 454697819

we really would like a Beagle but I don't think I can justify buying pedigree as there is a Beagle welfare who re home Beagles who have had to be given up however most of these seem to be boy swho are difficult because they haven't been trained properly and become to much (except for the one which had the family rabbit)

It's never really too late for training, it's just a bit harder when they are past the puppy stage and bad owners don't seem to persevere with it.

Get a rescue puppy if you want a young one. Quite a lot of the animal shelters have puppys which have been born in there, as it's not uncommon for a pregnant dog to be given up once the owners find out.

Well I know I would never want to support puppy farming/breeding by handing over a large sum of money for any puppy, from anywhere that wants to make money from it.

"Rescue" and homeless dogs are of course a mixed bag, some only really suited to people that have a lot of time or that simply want to give older dogs somewhere to live, but there are also lots of great young dogs that find their way into the shelters.

To me it's a no brainer, but then I just don't "get" the whole pedigree breed thing. After a year, if it's lovable, happy and great fun would you care what it looked like? Similarly would you be any happier knowing your aggressive and destructive dog was a "pure breed"?

Originally Posted by 454697819

I have been desperate for a dog for some time......

Oh, the fun that some will have with that.......

Get a mutt from the local dogs' home. Will have been checked, vetted and probably chipped. You'll have your choice of possibly hundreds and there will be one that suits your needs.

Remember though, if you want a loyal and trustworthy pet, let the dog choose you, not the other way round

[dizzyblonde]

Life with dogs is never easy, if it be rescue or from pup.

Honey came from the RSPCA, she was about 18 months to two yrs when we got her.
She has always been an on off kinda girl, shes great with people and children, I used to take her to nursery when Dylan was small and she used to be regularly surrounded by two year olds and never once flinched.
She is great with our cats, and so so with Bob the dog. Shes exceptionally dominant, something we have never successfully cured. Shes not so great with other dogs and would like to eat all other cats not in our clan. The problem with her is she has always had problems with one of her eyes, its got a cataract on it, and over the years its progressively turned her blind in one eye, now the other is going too.
As I said shes always been dominant, she likes to show what is hers, and will quite happily go nuts and fight over things she knows aren't hers, or go on the attack if another animal out of her line of sight, sniffs her butt or scares her.

I now have to watch her closely in her old age unfortunately, much as we love her to pieces as she is a sweetheart to all humans. When the little one comes along we have to seriously consider what to do with her, as we can't risk a blind girl snapping at our new baby if she mistakes it being another animal

Bob on the other hand, is crossed with a staff, my parents seem to think hes one day going to turn. We've had him since pup (I rescued him off the street at 12 weeks old) I have had a hand in his good nature, and unlike Honey doesn't have hidden past issues from a previous existance. Hes way too soft with anything and anybody, very dopey even if he is huge. Hes more likely to sit and lick the baby all day!

Its a very difficult thing to think about when you have a little one on the way when you have pets. Especially when they have been an established part of the family for years. Cats are so much easier when it comes to babies, they just hide

Just giving you something to mull over as I am in a funny and sad positon at the moment with an old girl who has been family for 8 years, who has been there when my son was growing up, but is very different now our little one is on the way

[ophic]

Originally Posted by sinbad

To me it's a no brainer, but then I just don't "get" the whole pedigree breed thing.

Pedigree dogs have a lot of genetic diseases and conditions bred out. It doesn't mean they won't get them, but they tend to be healthier.

However there is also the problem of overbreeding which has the opposite effect, in order to produce just a few "desirable" features. The bulldog is a good example of this.

Large dogs, for example, are prone to a lot of conditions, and pedigree dogs are usually bred from stock which hasn't suffered as much, in the hope of producing long lived healthy dogs, free of defects. Mongrels are often healthy as they're the offspring of 2 pedigree dogs of different breeds, or came from pedigrees less than 2 generations ago - but if it goes on for too many generations, all kinds of problems occur.

[maviczap]

Difficult adding a baby to dogs territory, depending on the breed. Plus babies take up all your time & energy.

We had a Greyhound when our first was born, but we had to find a home for her, as it was impossible and unfair on her to juggle looking after baby and dog.

Depends on how you job impacts on your home life too. It can be done, but baby will always take priority.

I've resisted getting another dog since, even though my mum and dad always had a dog or 2.

Get a greyhound, lovely dogs and only need a 20mins walk in the morning and afternoon. Great with kids too.

Quite keen on squirrels and cats too

Originally Posted by 454697819

I have been desperate for a dog for some time,

Fancy another Aprilia then, Numbers?

*runs and looks at the spot the Duke used to be*

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by ophic

However there is also the problem of overbreeding which has the opposite effect, in order to produce just a few "desirable" features. The bulldog is a good example of this.

.

Sadly, an unreputable chav who breeds Staffs as a backhanded way of topping up their benefit, end up supplying unsuspecting buyers with massive vet bills. This statement may sound mean and very harsh, but I see this every day around here. Bob the dog came from such a breeder, who did this very thing. Bob was thrown out on the street because as he started growing they realised he wasn't a full staff (god knows where he came from) and obviously no good as he couldn't provide an income.
The amount of times I wanted to slap the girl with boyfriend in tow, that did this to loads of poor dogs. But instead I took their dog off the street, told them where he was, and brought him up to be a stunner in front of their noses.

[fizzwheel]

Liz wanted a dog for ages. We got two puppies last year and I've really grown to love them. I dont tend to like dogs, I never really have done, but our dogs I really do like.

Ours are not kennel club registered, this has its benefits in that Liz paid £600 for both dogs, rather than £600 for each dog that Kennel Club registered ones were going for. The chap we bought them from works his Labs and wanted another dog to work, so he bred them and picked the one he wanted from the litter and sold the rest on. He gave us a spreadsheet that shows their blood line right back through 4 generations.

Now I'm no expert when it comes to dogs, But I would research the person you buy them from carefully.

I think that you also need to think carefully about what breed you get and how it would fit with your lifestyle in your house.

I dont know if I would have the patience to take a rescue puppy / dog that has behaviour issues on. Liz spent alot of time trianing ours from the first day we got them home, we've also been to puppy classes so I could learn what to do and how to train them. I liked it that we got puppies and I could see them grow and develop into the dogs they are now. I also like the fact that they do what I tell them to do when I tell them to. We get complimented regularly on how well behaved they are.

I think that you should get the dog that you want, but make sure its suitable for your lifestyle and that you are prepared to make sacrifices and compromises. If that means you get a puppy and bring it up / train it how you want it to be trained then whether its pedigree or not I dont think makes much difference, unless you want to show it IMHO.