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Buying a puppy
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Growing up I've always had dogs, living on my own I've been tempted and would re-home a dog but I know one day I'll be going back to the office and don't want to leave a dog locked in all day.
Great advice from @alan dugdale - be careful out there, many are trying to make a quick buck on these lovely animals. Breaks my heart.
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Why is he wearing a Burnley shirt?WelshAddick said:
We got Kevin at 6 weeks. He was the runt and wasn’t getting fed properly. We are home all the time so we could train him. I stayed downstairs and slept with him for 6 weeks. We got him from a home. 1 -
Let’s hope it’s not the pandemic that’s driving the interest in getting a dog?0
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Plenty of dogs in need of rescue here:
https://www.rspca.org.uk/findapet?p_p_id=petSearch2016_WAR_ptlPetRehomingPortlets&p_p_lifecycle=1&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&_petSearch2016_WAR_ptlPetRehomingPortlets_action=search#onSubmitSetHere
Obviously adopting can be difficult if you have other pets or young children/grandchildren regularly visiting.
Before you go buying a puppy, I recommend a read of this: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/puppy/sales
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Generally speaking, I think it is a factor (though not everyone’s reason of course). People are wfh so are, obviously, at home more. Single people in lockdown or shielders have seen it as a source of company. Not necessarily bad reasons but unscrupulous scumbags have taken advantage of this, hence the boom in illegal sales and ridiculous prices being asked.sillav nitram said:Let’s hope it’s not the pandemic that’s driving the interest in getting a dog?What I would add to my earlier post is please don’t use Gumtree and regarding the seller being licensed, the local authority licensing team can be contacted, if advice is needed.2 -
I’m currently trying to convince a lady in Scotland that buying a puppy from a litter bred to be police dogs is not a good idea. Pretty obviously shes done no research into the breed other than you have a German shepherd Therapy dog that works with children, I want one for my son that has ADHD. Sadly that’s not how it works, but unscrupulous breeders won’t care as long as you have your money. Locally here a woman I know bred her dog because she believes all animals she reproduce when she told me she was having a second litter I asked about health checks, she said she’s healthy enough she has a good walk every day. 🤷♂️
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Before I responded I wanted to find out what I was talking about. 😉Wheresmeticket? said:
Dogs trust and RSPCA are rehoming.T_C_E said:All reputable rescues and trust me there some dodgy ones, are not rehoming at this time.
it appears that they are both still doing virtual applications but these are limited due to staffing levels, due to lockdown restrictions they are permitted to collect/rescue dogs but you cannot drive to collect one and I dare say they don’t do home delivery.0 -
Do you walk him at Hall Place ? Does your wife wear a camo style coat ? If so we chatted to you both recently - we have 2 Springer Spaniel boys - ball obsessedElthamaddick said:
We got our cavapoo (Rufus) back in May and he was £1,300. Mate of mine just been quoted £3.5k for one - bloody eye watering. Ours is brilliant, great with the kids and a real part of the family now, would recommend the breed highly0 -
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We're looking into getting a Puppy ourselves..alan dugdale said:
Generally speaking, I think it is a factor (though not everyone’s reason of course). People are wfh so are, obviously, at home more. Single people in lockdown or shielders have seen it as a source of company. Not necessarily bad reasons but unscrupulous scumbags have taken advantage of this, hence the boom in illegal sales and ridiculous prices being asked.sillav nitram said:Let’s hope it’s not the pandemic that’s driving the interest in getting a dog?What I would add to my earlier post is please don’t use Gumtree and regarding the seller being licensed, the local authority licensing team can be contacted, if advice is needed.
I've always loved and wanted dogs and the fact I'm now WFH means that there will be someone around constantly to keep it company, up until now we'd always agreed that the fact we both worked (albeit my wife only works P/T) meant it was impossible to consider it.
Thankfully working in an animal environment my Wife has a pretty good understanding so can avoid the sort of breeders that TCE mentions in his post - Thankfully too she already has a Golden Retriever (13-years old, who stayed with her parents when we got our place), and we've already contacted her original breeder to find out when there will be a next litter.
Whats ridiculous (and one of the main points for posting) is the fact that they're charging £2k for puppies, would love to charge less but because there are so many rogue breeders out there are conscious of the fact that they'd probably be ignored as others wouldnt do the proper research, see a puppy thats cheaper than anywhere else and straight away disregard them as legit.
We have of course looked down the rescue route for a dog as well. Found a six month (or so) Goldie but got turned down the moment they knew we had a youngster, my wife has also found that rescues can be particulary picky over who they let adopt animals, e.g. before she even got her original Goldie her family went to a rescue yet got turned down because they wanted a family that effectively had someone with the dog 24/7.
Of course most dogs in rescues will be coming from difficult pasts, they're naturally wild animals, but with some rescues being particular over who they let adopt, it could be argued that they're effectively making the situation worse by pushing a lot of people towards illegals.0 - Sponsored links:
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Blimey - small world - we didn’t go there this w/e, as they both have a bit of conjunctivitis - on eye drops to cure it, so walked them where we knew there would not be any other dogs1
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I'm not advocating doing this but a South African girl I know went to buy at a puppy from a traveller site. They told her that if she didn't take the pup away with her there and then they were going to use him to train their fighting dogs. As you can imagine she was horrified and it was a quick sale. Luckily the dog's fine but I bet plenty of people have had that line used on them and ended up bringing home all manner of costly medical/behavioural problems.1
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Im sure it is. There will be a flood of chucked out dogs and cats after lockdown. Going to be awful.sillav nitram said:Let’s hope it’s not the pandemic that’s driving the interest in getting a dog?
Would love another dog but wouldn't do anything now, would much rather give one a decent home when the need is there.
Rufus, who's just turned four, came to us as a pup from the primary vet where idle_jr used to work.
He'd been brought in with a broken hind leg which needed pinning, allegedly caused by a bigger dog. He still hates Dalmatians, so it might be true. But also a cigarette burn on his back, so no way was he going back.
He's been a fab dog, always happy and friendly, and knows his place when it comes to the grumpy twenty year old cat.
Very happy to have been able to give a good home to a needy hound, but so sad that there are many more out there. Personal choice, but would never buy from a breeder.2 -
We bought a Dachshund puppy from pets4homes in November. We had read some of the horror stories about people getting scammed etc, but had a few zoom calls from adverts that had been posted on there, and some did seem a bit strange for sure. But he was KC registered, and we asked the breeder to fill out a 'puppy pack' document that we found online so that we could get all the key info.
We had big alarm bells at one point when the breeder said that his partner wasn't keen on us making a home visit as she had COVID worries, which started to make us doubt the whole thing. But we said that we wouldn't be willing to go ahead unless we were able to see the pup with his mum and the rest of the litter. He backed down in the end and everything was fine, but it did give us a worry thinking is this all legit.
Ultimately it comes down to your gut feeling and a bit of common sense. From a visit, and from conversations with the breeder you get a feel for whether it's right or not. Had him for two months now and he's absolutely fine, even if I do feel like I've aged about 40 years in that time! Luckily when life gets back to normal I work in the day and my other half teaches in the evenings, so I'll just end up with the evening shift when he's falling asleep and she can deal with the crazy daytimes!
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I love Carter's advice earlier. Saw so many examples of bad owners when I was on the council. I'm not really a dog lover but would love to see bad owners prosecuted, the ones who live in flats and never take them out, the ones who leave them alone for 12 hours a day (isn't this really tortuous for dogs?) and the ones who let them shit on the pavement. Fair play to all the good owners on here.0
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Agree with above posts.P4H is an easy route to sell on a stolen dog.Lots of rescue places seem now to have puppies 7/8 months old who are 'a bit of a handful' or 'have bitten previous owner' ie people have got a dog for lockdown and found it's a lot more work than they expected, and want to pass on the poor confused animal to someone else. So, if you're up for the work of a puppy, that could be the way to go. See behaviourists such as Graeme Hall (ch 5 'Dogs behaving badly') for sensible training advice.Puppies from breeders (who should be registered with the council) are expensive and may not be in the best of health, because of sudden overbreeding whilst there's a strong market to sell puppies at 4-6 times the normal price. People are also importing dogs, again, because it can make them a quick buck.FWIW, try oldies.org, which just has rescue dogs over 7 years old - they are already calmer, won't be demanding endless walks and is a nice way to find out if you're suited to dog ownership, because it's more of a 4-8 year commitment rather than a 12-15 year one. Larger dogs live shorter lives than small ones. Decide if you want a breed that's designed to trap and kill (terriers) or herd (shepherds/collies) or fetch (retrievers/spaniels) as that will help you getting the right dog for your household. For example, my rottweiler will herd me into another room by leaning on me, and sometimes tries to round up the cats, but isn't interested in chasing/killing them.A responsible rescue organisation will want to home check you, ensure you have a garden with appropriate fencing, you're not overly houseproud, check that you have a realistic idea of costs and time involved, and that everyone in the family is committed to the work needed. They'll be more interested in whether you're right for the dog, not the dog being right for you. But if you do get a dog, it is 100% worthwhile, they are wonderful to share your house with.0
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We got a lovely 4 month old in September from a Romanian rescue service, who did all of the above. I think it's a bit of a lottery what kind of dog you end up with as you don't get a chance to meet them beforehand.TeslaGirl said:A responsible rescue organisation will want to home check you, ensure you have a garden with appropriate fencing, you're not overly houseproud, check that you have a realistic idea of costs and time involved, and that everyone in the family is committed to the work needed. They'll be more interested in whether you're right for the dog, not the dog being right for you. But if you do get a dog, it is 100% worthwhile, they are wonderful to share your house with.0 -
Had a friend buy a working cockerspaniel from travellers, head was a funny shape compared to any I'd seen, but the dog could be lovely and friendly one minute and nuts the next. Snuck out of a bedroom at a party they had one new years and literally bit the tip off someones finger who was trying to tell it to go back into the room. Silly person was pointing in it's face.SantaClaus said:I'm not advocating doing this but a South African girl I know went to buy at a puppy from a traveller site. They told her that if she didn't take the pup away with her there and then they were going to use him to train their fighting dogs. As you can imagine she was horrified and it was a quick sale. Luckily the dog's fine but I bet plenty of people have had that line used on them and ended up bringing home all manner of costly medical/behavioural problems.
Had to be destroyed shortly after as it bit the owners face.
DO NOT buy from puppy farms or gypsy camps.0 -
We bought our dog from P4H but the seller had all the official paperwork and he is KC registered. He was 6 months old. (Should have gone back to the breeder to sell really but they lived 100miles + from the breeder)TeslaGirl said:Agree with above posts.P4H is an easy route to sell on a stolen dog.
They're not all horror stories, but you have to know what you have to ask and what the correct answers will be.2 -
Try to go rescue as others have said. The Greyhound Trust have hundreds of beautiful dogs. A very misunderstood breed that is very low maintenance.
If you go down the puppy route you need to walk into your front room and picture a chewed chair leg and a puddle. If your response would be to work with the dog then brilliant, not all are able to act calmly.
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Agree @Dazzler21 - not all P4H are stolen, of course, but not all buyers are as savvy as you and sellers of stolen dogs know this.
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Apologies. Not suggesting it’s a new thing - respectable breeders have done this for many many years. What I meant is it is now more commonplace in that Dave and Linda who’s pug had an accidental litter are now also using these terms. More breeding, more urgent appointments demanded by *some* breeders and prospective owners is contributing to burnout in a profession with the highest suicide rate. Sorry to distract from the original post. Anything animal related is obviously triggering me badly 😂T_C_E said:
All my dogs are under contracts for breed restrictions and export, when you say “now under contract” you seem to be suggesting it’s a new thing. I’m in contact with my dogs breeder at least once a week and she’s now a friend of mine for over 12 years. The last time I spoke to our rescue about our rescue girl was a week after we got her asking for proof of payment for the £250 she cost us so there are good and bad in rescues as there are in breeders,the rescue have no idea if she is dead, alive or churning out puppies three time a year. The German Shepherd welfare group currently has a nine month old puppy with appalling health issues and was believed to have been sedated when viewed when he got home with his new owner (who paid 2k) for the pup he was in so much pain he started trying to bite, the breeder who refused to acknowledge this or take him back, two charity rescues paying huge salaries to their executives suggested it would be being destroyed if collected them so it was intercepted by welfare and it’s now living with my pal up near Peterborough where it will live out it’s days with unpaid volunteers.Andyessgee90 said:From a veterinary perspective -we are also seeing a huge number of puppies (and kittens) being taken away from the mother by new owners way too young.Secondly due to the number of scammers and irresponsible breeders; legitimate breeders are now requesting you sign a contract stating you will have the puppy vet checked within 48 hours of collection and if there is something wrong they will apparently refund fully if you choose to return the pup. This is putting huge additional strain on veterinary practices as more often than not, people collect on a Saturday due to work/home schooling. That leaves only Monday for a vet check within 48 hours. Not many vets are offering routine appointments as it is. Let alone at that short notice.In short. I agree and would still suggest adoption if I did not work in the veterinary profession.Reputable breeders do not breed for money, they breed to strengthen the bloodlines I paid the same for Bowyer last year as I did for Bailey 11 years ago, anyone lucky enough to be selected to have a puppy from the same breeder will probably pay £200/300 more as I get mates rates.If you want a puppy research your chosen breed then research the breeders, ask questions then ask more questions.
My advice to the OP - research and ensure that you see multiple images and videos of the puppy with its mother. Make sure the puppy has been given worming treatment and ideally a good one like Panacur - not some Amazon or wish.com random item. Finally seek advice from veterinarians, behaviourists and the breeder with regards to training, socialising etc. Don’t just accept the word of one in these groups as per my point above - many accidental litters often have owners that are not as knowledgable as they come across. They will however have had personal experience raising the breed, likely that they will have some good tips.1 -
When Cardiff were in the premier league they offered travel and ticket for £25. So me and my boy went up to Burnley. In the club shop they had there shirts reduced. My boy got a Gudmunsen one for £15 and we got a baby one for £5. That’s why my dog has a Burnley shirt.Mametz said:
Why is he wearing a Burnley shirt?WelshAddick said:We got Kevin at 6 weeks. He was the runt and wasn’t getting fed properly. We are home all the time so we could train him. I stayed downstairs and slept with him for 6 weeks. We got him from a home. 3 -
A mate had 2 ex racers. He lived in the countryside. The dogs absolutely had to have 2 walks a day, 40 minutes, whatever the weather, which involved some running. Other than that, the laziest dogs I have ever seen. Came in, into their beds, that was it. Took kids round a couple of times, no grief at all. Lovely lovely dogs.1905 said:Try to go rescue as others have said. The Greyhound Trust have hundreds of beautiful dogs. A very misunderstood breed that is very low maintenance.
If you go down the puppy route you need to walk into your front room and picture a chewed chair leg and a puddle. If your response would be to work with the dog then brilliant, not all are able to act calmly.1 -
Ruf is half whippet, very similar. A good hour during the week and two or three each day at the weekend, with a pub stop half way, and he's happy in his blanket on the sofa for the rest of the day.BrentfordAddick said:
A mate had 2 ex racers. He lived in the countryside. The dogs absolutely had to have 2 walks a day, 40 minutes, whatever the weather, which involved some running. Other than that, the laziest dogs I have ever seen. Came in, into their beds, that was it. Took kids round a couple of times, no grief at all. Lovely lovely dogs.1905 said:Try to go rescue as others have said. The Greyhound Trust have hundreds of beautiful dogs. A very misunderstood breed that is very low maintenance.
If you go down the puppy route you need to walk into your front room and picture a chewed chair leg and a puddle. If your response would be to work with the dog then brilliant, not all are able to act calmly.
Almost never barks, doesn't drool, clean short glossy coat and lazy as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
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Sod picking his poo up with an arse that big.IdleHans said:
Ruf is half whippet, very similar. A good hour during the week and two or three each day at the weekend, with a pub stop half way, and he's happy in his blanket on the sofa for the rest of the day.BrentfordAddick said:
A mate had 2 ex racers. He lived in the countryside. The dogs absolutely had to have 2 walks a day, 40 minutes, whatever the weather, which involved some running. Other than that, the laziest dogs I have ever seen. Came in, into their beds, that was it. Took kids round a couple of times, no grief at all. Lovely lovely dogs.1905 said:Try to go rescue as others have said. The Greyhound Trust have hundreds of beautiful dogs. A very misunderstood breed that is very low maintenance.
If you go down the puppy route you need to walk into your front room and picture a chewed chair leg and a puddle. If your response would be to work with the dog then brilliant, not all are able to act calmly.
Almost never barks, doesn't drool, clean short glossy coat and lazy as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.3 -
this.PaddyP17 said:I'd like to encourage you to think strongly about adoption rather than buying from a breeder.0 -
Something else to bear in mind that a few people have said is dogs are genuinely a gift. They are marvellous animals however they can be c*nts. They have no concept of ownership at times, for example its hilarious when puppies are delicately chewing at shoelaces and slippers but less funny when your pair of week old Gazelles have been torn to shreds by a bored GSD. Same for furniture, skirting boards, doors, sky boxes, remote controls, mobile phones, kick boards on kitchen units, kitchen units, door mats, carpets, any soft furnishings come to that. And your car, forget that ever smelling nice or being clean again.
Dogs truly are amazing, so are cats but now we only have cats I'm not sure I'd have another dog now I have new furniture and less desire to pick up a massive, warm, wet shit at 5am and carry it back home and repeat the process in the evening.
Also and this is a serious point, the standard of dog ownership in this country is appalling, I mean truly terrifying. The same people who you see in the shops in pyjamas and dressing gowns will think nothing of buying a Staffordshire bull terrier to get fat indoors or to be left outside to be sad and bark its head off until it gets yelled at.5 -
Thank god they weren't playing Millwall!,, still seems borderline traitorous though😀WelshAddick said:
When Cardiff were in the premier league they offered travel and ticket for £25. So me and my boy went up to Burnley. In the club shop they had there shirts reduced. My boy got a Gudmunsen one for £15 and we got a baby one for £5. That’s why my dog has a Burnley shirt.Mametz said:
Why is he wearing a Burnley shirt?WelshAddick said:We got Kevin at 6 weeks. He was the runt and wasn’t getting fed properly. We are home all the time so we could train him. I stayed downstairs and slept with him for 6 weeks. We got him from a home. 0 -
While rescuing any dog is a noble act, I'm not sure why so many people I meet are getting dogs from Eastern Europe and other places when we have so many of our own that need a good home?Jints said:
We got a lovely 4 month old in September from a Romanian rescue service, who did all of the above. I think it's a bit of a lottery what kind of dog you end up with as you don't get a chance to meet them beforehand.TeslaGirl said:A responsible rescue organisation will want to home check you, ensure you have a garden with appropriate fencing, you're not overly houseproud, check that you have a realistic idea of costs and time involved, and that everyone in the family is committed to the work needed. They'll be more interested in whether you're right for the dog, not the dog being right for you. But if you do get a dog, it is 100% worthwhile, they are wonderful to share your house with.
That's not a dig by the way, in case you think it is.1
