BBC 'pandemic puppy' article
- Thread starter Meowy Catkin
- Start date
CorvusCorax
'It's only a laugh, no harm done'
Why are things like 'dogs don't know commands instinctively/don't train themselves' and 'you need to watch young dogs all the time unless they're asleep/in a crate/pen' a surprise to intelligent people?
BBP
Well-Known Member
‘After one month my one year old dog from the pound still wasn’t perfect so I sent it back to a rescue, hopefully they will find it a nice home.’
Makes me want to bash my own head in.
Makes me want to bash my own head in.
Orangehorse
Well-Known Member
I know! Depressing.
CorvusCorax
'It's only a laugh, no harm done'
With all that free time, I wonder did they ever think of, you know, training it?
AdorableAlice
Well-Known Member
Just wait until the furlough period ends. The charities are going to be bursting at the seams and there will be a lot of dogs euthanised.
palo1
Well-Known Member
I was very glad to hear that the Irish Terrier Association has closed it's puppy finding service for the moment. It doesn't mean that unscrupulous breeders can't sell of course but it does mean that the breed association have made it clear that they are not keen to help people find puppies! The made trade in puppies and dogs is a godawful side effect of this grim pandemic.
Odyssey
Well-Known Member
You're so right, and the huge demand for dogs and puppies has fuelled the soaring dog theft epidemic. Apparently it has risen by 250% in some areas. ? I wonder how many buyers of dogs/puppies are even aware of this.
Odyssey
Well-Known Member
They probably expect a perfect dog without putting any work in, then get a nasty shock when they realise they don't come ready made!
misst
Well-Known Member
I am constantly shocked at the amount of instant results people expect from a grown dog never mind a puppy.
I will admit the latest puppy we got (in January last year she was 16 weeks) was much much harder work than I expected. She took almost 9 months to be reliably housetrained (and I have done this a few times without problems), she is super super high energy and very much of her breed - JRT. However I did expect to own her for a minumum of 12 to 16 years so knew the effort needed now was an investment for my future and for hers. I also knew frome experience that she would calm down a bit eventually, which she has (a bit) and that by the time she is 4 she will be a different dog. However I can imagine someone with no experience of terriers sending her back to the breeder - or selling her on for a good amount of money.
Her breeder keeps in touch and has a lifetime return agreement so likes to know how her pups are doing. She has actually said that she will use a different dog next time as the whole litter has a very full on temprement and are all, to quote her, "mad as a box of frogs". It was the bitch's first litter and she breeds for temprement and health so will try a different dog for her second (and last) litter.
It is the "oh but it is so cute" attitude, along with the "but it barks, poos, wees on the carpet, jumps up and does not come back off the lead" that gets my goat. It is a DOG for gods sake and it is doing what dogs do until encouraged to behave differently.
I will admit the latest puppy we got (in January last year she was 16 weeks) was much much harder work than I expected. She took almost 9 months to be reliably housetrained (and I have done this a few times without problems), she is super super high energy and very much of her breed - JRT. However I did expect to own her for a minumum of 12 to 16 years so knew the effort needed now was an investment for my future and for hers. I also knew frome experience that she would calm down a bit eventually, which she has (a bit) and that by the time she is 4 she will be a different dog. However I can imagine someone with no experience of terriers sending her back to the breeder - or selling her on for a good amount of money.
Her breeder keeps in touch and has a lifetime return agreement so likes to know how her pups are doing. She has actually said that she will use a different dog next time as the whole litter has a very full on temprement and are all, to quote her, "mad as a box of frogs". It was the bitch's first litter and she breeds for temprement and health so will try a different dog for her second (and last) litter.
It is the "oh but it is so cute" attitude, along with the "but it barks, poos, wees on the carpet, jumps up and does not come back off the lead" that gets my goat. It is a DOG for gods sake and it is doing what dogs do until encouraged to behave differently.
blackcob
🖖
I wish there were a way of evidencing the Pets4Homes claim 'cos at a casual glance it sure looks like a heck of a lot of 4-12 month old dogs on there.
Cloball
Well-Known Member
20mins to decide where to get a puppy!? I've spent longer deliberating shampoo!?
Clodagh
Well-Known Member
And the trouble is these won't be easy pups, they will probably have got to the hooligan stage without basic manners or socialisation, because if people had taught them basic manners and socialisation they would be more likely to keep them.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
I really don’t know but people are like that I get all the time you lucky your dog is so steady usually said while they chase a barking black lab who is bouncing backwards round in circles.
it’s not luck it’s work it’s training it’s consistency and it dealing with issues in the moment they happen not leaving it because your cooking or doing something else .
For the first four months six for some when that dogs out and about in your house as well outside your mind needs to on it ,loads of otherwise intelligent people just don’t get that .
When the old girl died I was going to wait and see if there was lockdown Lab pup when could take on when all this goes wrong because I think there will be lots , however Dram was so miserable I did not wait .
Pups are full on work at first but it’s such fun .
Widgeon
Well-Known Member
Hmm, I thought this too. Frankly it sounded like a bare-faced lie to me, as based on my unscientific sampling of the data (browsing!) I agree with you.
palo1
Well-Known Member
Posted this morning by the Irish Terrier Association; not surprising but very sad.
Words from a vet. Its happening all over the country - we know this. The last despairing words choked me.
From a vet
Today a man brought his dog in to me. The dog was a large, boisterous adolescent puppy. He hurtled into the room, bouncing up to me excitedly, wagging his tail all the time and nudging at my hand with his muzzle. His big squishy paws crashed against my chest each time he paused to greet me, as he bounded around the room investigating all the smells. He was an unusual cross, very striking to look at and obviously a bright and energetic dog. He was adorable.
The history went like this:
The dog had been bought as a tiny puppy by a couple who were told it was a "designer" cross between two specific small breeds. Now, if the people who bought this puppy had had the slightest inkling about what they were doing it would have been immediately obvious to them that this was most certainly not a cross between two small breeds. But anyway, they didn't have a clue so they bought the cute little puppy from this dubious source (probably at a cost of several hundred pounds) and took it back to their family home, complete with toddler.
The dog grew a bit and it became clear that it was actually going to be really big. It was bouncy, energetic and destructive. It kept racing around and knocking over their small child. So they rehomed it to a family member.
The family member also had children but they were slightly bigger children. The family member really wanted to do the right thing, so they tried to "discipline" the dog. The dog began to show occasional signs of aggression and was completely hyperactive in the home, destructive and unmanageable. I was not surprised to hear this, since it was obvious to me from this dog's heritage that it was the sort of dog which had significant needs in terms of exercise and stimulation. In an attempt to magically resolve the issues the family member had the dog neutered. Which unsurprisingly made no difference.
Today the dog was brought in to be put to sleep. It had growled very aggressively when a child had put its face near his, and between this and an imminent change in circumstances the family member felt unable to manage the dog any more. He had tried local and national rescue organisations, all of which were full. He had nobody to care for the dog overnight tonight. He was not able to take the dog home, partly because of safety concerns and partly because the decision had been taken together as a family that it was the right thing to do.
So I put this healthy, affectionate, vibrant dog to sleep while it munched on treats and the third owner in its short life cried into his fur. Then when it was just me and the body of this poor puppy I had a good old cry myself.
I know there will be people who think I was right to put down a dog who has shown any signs of aggression under any circumstances. I disagree.
I know there will be people who think I was wrong to put down a dog when I could have taken it and found it a new home. I disagree.
I also know that there will be many many people who have no idea that this is happening all the time in this country because of irresponsible ignorant greedy people, selling dogs to irresponsible ignorant feckless people, who then pass them on to naive and thoughtless "rescuers" who eventually get to the end of their tether and bring them to me for euthanasia. All the time.
These are the dogs who bite children in the home due to a total lack of knowledge, reasonable expectations and effort to socialise them adequately.
These are the dogs whose owners can afford four figure sums to buy the latest random mongrel "breed" with a stupid made-up name, but cannot afford fifty quid to get it vaccinated, far less any money at all to treat even minor illnesses.
These are the dogs who clog up rescue centres all over the country, waiting along with thousands and thousands of others for the home with no children, no other pets and eight-foot fences, with an owner who has experience of managing behavioural problems, works from home, has stainless steel furniture and can write blank cheques to pay for the inherited illnesses the dog suffers from. Homes which don't actually exist.
These are the dogs who I have to put down because I know that it is more responsible of me to painlessly take their life than to condemn them to wait with the rest of the enormous population of "difficult" dogs sitting in rescue kennels all over the country.
Please, please, I implore you. Get advice before you take on a dog - from a vet, a qualified positive behaviourist, the Kennel Club, the Blue Cross, the Dog's Trust, the RSPCA - the information is there for the taking, there is no excuse. Go to a decent breeder, who has a waiting list, or a rescue centre which really grills you thoroughly before matching you with a pet. Find out how to bring your puppies up properly so if you do find your circumstances change then at least they are rehomable. Make sure you can afford to pay for the unexpected. Make sure your expectations are fair.
Please, because I can't keep having to do this.
Words from a vet. Its happening all over the country - we know this. The last despairing words choked me.
From a vet
Today a man brought his dog in to me. The dog was a large, boisterous adolescent puppy. He hurtled into the room, bouncing up to me excitedly, wagging his tail all the time and nudging at my hand with his muzzle. His big squishy paws crashed against my chest each time he paused to greet me, as he bounded around the room investigating all the smells. He was an unusual cross, very striking to look at and obviously a bright and energetic dog. He was adorable.
The history went like this:
The dog had been bought as a tiny puppy by a couple who were told it was a "designer" cross between two specific small breeds. Now, if the people who bought this puppy had had the slightest inkling about what they were doing it would have been immediately obvious to them that this was most certainly not a cross between two small breeds. But anyway, they didn't have a clue so they bought the cute little puppy from this dubious source (probably at a cost of several hundred pounds) and took it back to their family home, complete with toddler.
The dog grew a bit and it became clear that it was actually going to be really big. It was bouncy, energetic and destructive. It kept racing around and knocking over their small child. So they rehomed it to a family member.
The family member also had children but they were slightly bigger children. The family member really wanted to do the right thing, so they tried to "discipline" the dog. The dog began to show occasional signs of aggression and was completely hyperactive in the home, destructive and unmanageable. I was not surprised to hear this, since it was obvious to me from this dog's heritage that it was the sort of dog which had significant needs in terms of exercise and stimulation. In an attempt to magically resolve the issues the family member had the dog neutered. Which unsurprisingly made no difference.
Today the dog was brought in to be put to sleep. It had growled very aggressively when a child had put its face near his, and between this and an imminent change in circumstances the family member felt unable to manage the dog any more. He had tried local and national rescue organisations, all of which were full. He had nobody to care for the dog overnight tonight. He was not able to take the dog home, partly because of safety concerns and partly because the decision had been taken together as a family that it was the right thing to do.
So I put this healthy, affectionate, vibrant dog to sleep while it munched on treats and the third owner in its short life cried into his fur. Then when it was just me and the body of this poor puppy I had a good old cry myself.
I know there will be people who think I was right to put down a dog who has shown any signs of aggression under any circumstances. I disagree.
I know there will be people who think I was wrong to put down a dog when I could have taken it and found it a new home. I disagree.
I also know that there will be many many people who have no idea that this is happening all the time in this country because of irresponsible ignorant greedy people, selling dogs to irresponsible ignorant feckless people, who then pass them on to naive and thoughtless "rescuers" who eventually get to the end of their tether and bring them to me for euthanasia. All the time.
These are the dogs who bite children in the home due to a total lack of knowledge, reasonable expectations and effort to socialise them adequately.
These are the dogs whose owners can afford four figure sums to buy the latest random mongrel "breed" with a stupid made-up name, but cannot afford fifty quid to get it vaccinated, far less any money at all to treat even minor illnesses.
These are the dogs who clog up rescue centres all over the country, waiting along with thousands and thousands of others for the home with no children, no other pets and eight-foot fences, with an owner who has experience of managing behavioural problems, works from home, has stainless steel furniture and can write blank cheques to pay for the inherited illnesses the dog suffers from. Homes which don't actually exist.
These are the dogs who I have to put down because I know that it is more responsible of me to painlessly take their life than to condemn them to wait with the rest of the enormous population of "difficult" dogs sitting in rescue kennels all over the country.
Please, please, I implore you. Get advice before you take on a dog - from a vet, a qualified positive behaviourist, the Kennel Club, the Blue Cross, the Dog's Trust, the RSPCA - the information is there for the taking, there is no excuse. Go to a decent breeder, who has a waiting list, or a rescue centre which really grills you thoroughly before matching you with a pet. Find out how to bring your puppies up properly so if you do find your circumstances change then at least they are rehomable. Make sure you can afford to pay for the unexpected. Make sure your expectations are fair.
Please, because I can't keep having to do this.
GSD Woman
Well-Known Member
We're seeing the same thing over here and our lockdown hasn't been as strict as your. People can walk their dogs, take them into some shops, etc and we're still seeing gobs of horribly behaved dogs "because we can't get him to a puppy class." Read a freaking book people.
Or watch a You Tube video, take an online class. Argh.
Or watch a You Tube video, take an online class. Argh.
SOS
Well-Known Member
I skim read this earlier. Very disappointed the BBC failed to mention Lucy’s law despite mentioning people selling on puppies.
Very recently at work we had someone who had bought a mongrel poo cross in excess of £3000. They were asking questions that clearly show they had never even read a thing about dogs i.e why does the puppy cry, how often should I feed it, why does it smell bad. It’s so infuriating.
Very recently at work we had someone who had bought a mongrel poo cross in excess of £3000. They were asking questions that clearly show they had never even read a thing about dogs i.e why does the puppy cry, how often should I feed it, why does it smell bad. It’s so infuriating.
Identityincrisis
Well-Known Member
This could have been my partner and his son! They wanted a dog, i didn't as i know how much work is involved, i was overruled. I compromised by insisting on a rescue.
We got the 9yr old dog home, he was VERY dog aggressive, nervous and clearly unsettled (obviously) My partner would shout orders at the poor dog and call him thick because he didn't understand. Needless to say this caused blazing rows as I would defend the poor dog. I took over all training and walking (and moved out!) and 2 years on I have a lovely dog who is non reactive 95% of the time and people adore him, THAT is why people shouldn't be allowed to just get a dog!
misst
Well-Known Member
Thank god you did what you did. What a lucky dog - and a bit of a lucky escape for you by the sound of things
Identityincrisis
Well-Known Member
Thank god you did what you did. What a lucky dog - and a bit of a lucky escape for you by the sound of things
I take it all back, dog was 100% reactive tonight ? BUT i understand he's not a machine and has good days and bad days. Not helped by the very first dog we came across flying full pelt at us barking ?