Thinking of getting a dog...

[pawl]

Re comment on Cocker Spaniel.First off buy a crate .Sally our cocker soon learned this was her sanctuary.Onlyhad to say bed and she would flick open the door with her nose..Paitience and reparation are important.When they do as you have asked of them,then reward.Thos dosent have to be in the form of food give them a favourite toy to play with.It is so easy to let your new pet do what they like

There are lots of good books on dog training.Back this up with owner and dog training classes.

Not able to comment on rescue dogs other than a stray who adopted me.He was brilliant.No idea of his age.was always at my side.

Dog ownership is not cheap.

Insurance
Kennel fees
Annual vaccination
Food

Cost per year soon ads up,but in my opinion worth every penny.

 

[Levo-Lon]

breaks my heart not having a dog.
miss my Border Terrier every day,usually when the wife needs to nag the hell out of me

dog walks are the best mind and soul treatment ever.
only thing id add to some great advice is insure for the first year at least.
if the dog seems healthy open a savings account and save what you can.

that way you should cover all normal vet fees.
if you find you have a massive bill to keep the dog then its your call.
i do feel that vets offer too much these days and this is why treatment can cost £1,000s.
not wanting to sound harsh, but your already giving a rescued animal a new life, so its already had its lucky escape.

if you just pay insurance none of my logic matters

 

[annedonnelly]

The bike shop where I volunteer has a cafe attached. The cafe owner got a rescue dog a few months ago. The previous owner was a lady who had to go into sheltered accomodation and couldn't take Oscar with her.

Oscar is the most friendly, well-behaved dog you could wish for, especially in a cafe setting where everyone is able to make a fuss of him. He will play for hours if you throw his toys for him and he'll be entertained all day watching light bouncing off bike wheels if the sun shines through through the workshop window. He really is the most good natured dog you could imagine and the lady who had him from a puppy deserves loads of credit for training him so well.

 

[Andy_R]

All our dogs have been rescues, all have given nothing but love. It's not about the dog, it's about how the owner treats the dog.

 

[dan_bo]

Get a dog.

 

[raleighnut]

Having three cats, a small dog and some rodents when they die off they will not be replaced.

Hard work at times, I also see a lot of people struggling with new Puppies some not all can be pretty troublesome and destructive when left alone even for a small amount of time

That was how we got Sabor, he'd been returned to the breeder after about a month due to him being destructive if left alone so when we got him he was about 14wks old. By then I was working nights and Maz days so he was never alone and plenty of 'chewy toys/treats' broke the habit, also cos he was older he was much easier to house train and borrowing a book from the Library on GSDs I learnt a few tips like the Police/Armed Forces trick of training the dog to toilet before a spell of duty, you use a 'command' word when they 'do' something and then praise them afterwards (me being me Sabor's 'command' word was "Haveacrap", used to drive the neighbours we didn't get on with crazy when the dog and I walked up the garden and I said "Haveacrap" and he did )

 

[NorthernDave]

We're on our second rescue dog, after having to let our first go just over a year ago.
We swore then we'd think long and hard before getting another dog after that - we lasted 7 weeks!

A rescue dog will always be thankful to you for taking it in, and the Dogs Trust spend a lot of time making sure you're a good match with each other.

Chance, gone but not forgotten:

Robbie, very much making himself at home:

They're two very different dogs, but our lives are so much better for having them.

 

[I like Skol]

Just go flush it down the loo and get another from the pet shop

If you get a dog I will be straight on the phone to the RSPCA!

Seriously though, having grown up with dogs as family pets I have always longed to have one myself as an adult. Used to love walking the dog for miles when I was a teenager and didn't have any worries or responsibilities in my life. I know that I don't have that freedom anymore so getting a dog just wouldn't be fair for the dog.

How are you going to get around the 12hr shifts problem?

 

[cosmicbike]

I grew up with dogs and missed them after moving out. My wife was/is a cat person so we had 2 of them for years.
I got my way back in 2013, when we decided it would be good to get a dog as my daughter was absolutely terrified of them. At no point did I consider anything other than a rescue dog, and given we live only a couple of miles from Battersea Old Windsor became regular visitors. I ended up going one day on my own to look at a 3 month old something or other which had already been reserved.
On the way out I chanced across a returned dog, very shy, very nervous, and asked to meet. It took ages to get the poor soul out the door for a walk, and I was on all fours trying to get the dopey bugger to come along. He is still a dopey bugger, but we love him to bits. He's a shepherd X husky.
A year later the 2nd one arrived, a 2 yr old lurcher X collie X terrier. One of 28 rescued by the RSPCA from one place and used for breeding fighting dogs, some of whom had their teeth sharpened and ears cut. Very nervous, but after 2 years of effort she is an absolute cracker.

Cost? Well I reckon I don't see change from £120 a month in insurance and food. Vets annual jabs are £60 per dog. Worming and flea treatment doubles that. If you can't take them on holiday, kennels are not cheap. We put ours in together, £35 + vat per night makes it the most expensive part of our annual 2 week holiday.

Worth every single penny.

 

[Kajjal]

If you are looking at a rescue dog make sure you fully understand where it has come from and the challenges this will present. Don't get a dog to save it or because you feel sorry for it, get one because it is the right one for you and you can give it a great life.

Different breeds have differing needs and characters. Research these carefully and see if they fit in with your life and circumstances.

Having a dog means a commitment and it can tie you down in some ways but the rewards are huge if you get the right one for you. Ours is crazy terrier that is always into everything and as devious as they come. It is never quiet now

 

[Levo-Lon]

as above, my Daughter in law is a vet.

pedigree dogs can be very costly and some so called breeders have a lot to answer for

 

[jayonabike]

I’ve had 4 dogs since my 20’s. 2 were pups, 1 I bought off an acquaintance as I could see he wanted it for the wrong reasons (it was a pit bull, before pits were banned) he wanted it for the hard man image and mistreated it. Turned out to be the most gentle loving obedient dog I’ve had.
The latest dog is a Staffordshire bull terrier rescue dog from battersea. We got her at 8 months old. Best thing we ever did was getting a rescue dog. They are different, so much more love to give. We found this with the pitbull, it’s like they’re grateful for the new lease of life and are very loving. The staffie is also. She’s 2 now and a big part of the family. I’d say out of the 4 dogs, the one I rescued from said acquaintance and the battersea rescue are the most loving dogs I’ve had.
Go for it, you won’t regret it.
Giving a rescue dog a new lease of life is one of the best things you can do. I’d never buy a pup again.

 

[potsy]

Thanks all, some great advice and lots of things to think about.

Will update once a decision has been made either way.

 

[midlife]

We love our minature poodle . It has several winning points as well as being of little brain lol .It doesn't shed hair, being small it doesn't eat a lot and it's poos are small !

 

[Piemaster]

We've had ours for 2 years as of yesterday. A Romanian rescue and not one regret. We spotted her on the rescues web site - yeah, I know, not the best way to pick a lifelong companion. After a local had done a homecheck, went to meet her at the fosters house. She trotted in, sat on my daughters knee and put her head on my daughters shoulder. Came home with us. We've been fortunate in finding the perfect dog for us.
Insure the dog. She dislocated a knee and the operation, though fairly routine would have cost us £800+
As above it, may come with hangovers from its earlier life, though it wasn't a problem with ours. Getting through it may take time and theres no saying a pup would not develop its own interesting traits either.
The beast refusing to leave the park yesterday as she wasn't ready: