"We couldn't do it anymore"

I dont see the issue with this article? Someone wanted a dog in the hope it would enrich there families life? Many families get dogs to get there families out and about. It sounds like they went to view afew puppies, but it didnt work out and the puppy went back to the breeder unharmed?

Abit different, but ive wanted chickens for years (never had then before) and we (as a family) decided to get some. We researched coops, chicken breeds and general requirements and came home with 2 in September. They are fab! HOWEVER oh my word they poo so much more than i ever expected. They must both poo 20+ times a day, i spend so much time poo picking. We love them coming into the house (kitchen only, so we can clean the floor) so we can 'pet' due to chicken lock-down, but again, its so much cleaning after and when they did potter about the garden, again constant poo picking before someone stood in it and walked it in the house.

We really do enjoy them, but im not sure id get anymore, but it doesnt make me a bad owner, sometimes you never know until you try.
 
I'm not trying to vilify anyone, but who told him Spaniels can't be exercised for 4 hours? The difference is that most of them doesn't need it every day.
And why didn't people they talked to specify more clearly that Border Collies doesn't only need X hours of daily training, they need X hours of mentally stimulating daily training.
 
Amymay said:
They didn’t buy a cross. But of course everything else you say is correct.
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Yes they did - the pups were 'border-doodles', according to the article - the mothers were collies.

Anybody with any wit at all would have researched the 2 breeds and found out that they are both highly active intelligent dogs, which need to be kept busy, especially mentally busy. And anyone who doesn't know that pups need housetraining shouldn't even be thinking of owning a dog.
 
To be honest the buying decision was ridiculous the exercise thing !!!!!! And do these people think lockdown will last forever .
However returning her was the best thing for the Pup I hope she has better luck in her next home .
Loads of people just don’t get how much time a pup takes it’s very full on .
 
I was talking to one of my fellow yardies recently about pups and how much work they are, even when you’ve done it before and are completely prepared for it. The last 2 pups I’ve had, I will admit to a few occasions in the early days when I wondered why I’d put myself through this again. I can only imagine some people get the shock of their lives and really haven’t a clue what they are letting themselves in for until it’s too late. Particularly people who’ve not had that sort of tie before.
 
It’s over 15 years since we’ve had a pup, though we’d had several before then. I think I’m in denial about how much work they are and disruption they cause, though they are of course adorable.

It was so easy getting a ready made nearly 3 year old last year when the late JRT popped his clogs. I could do similar again.
 
TPO said:
"We saw a litter not living in the best of conditions" but yet they were happy to return the pup to those conditions and then publically insult the farmer who done them the kindness of taking the pup back.

People ??
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I don't *think* that was the same place they got their puppy from. It was slightly confusingly written, but it sounded like they had three viewings - the red one, the litter in poor conditions, and the puppy they eventually took.
 
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They did the right thing taking the puppy back to the breeder. They had no business buying a dog; they were woefully underprepared. But the breeder was also to blame. They can't have had much of a vetting process for their prospective buyers to sell to people like this. Also, that cross just screams of people trying to cash in on the doodle trend.
 
DressageCob said:
They did the right thing taking the puppy back to the breeder. They had no business buying a dog; they were woefully underprepared. But the breeder was also to blame. They can't have had much of a vetting process for their prospective buyers to sell to people like this. Also, that cross just screams of people trying to cash in on the doodle trend.
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It wasn't a cross. It was a border collie. Still bad, for the poor pup.
 
Work of fiction, as mentioned? Too bonkers! This won’t put off people, sadly, but I do wonder if that was his aim, what with people merrily emptying shelters and paying £3K for puppies that were going for £600 before lockdown?
 
scats said:
True, but you go out for the day to the shops, you usually take the kids with you. An animal is a different sort of tie from what a lot of people are used to.
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Now I look at it the other way round, if you want to go out without the kids, you need to find a babysitter while you can just pop the dogs into a crate and say 'Bye, see you later'.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Now I look at it the other way round, if you want to go out without the kids, you need to find a babysitter while you can just pop the dogs into a crate and say 'Bye, see you later'.
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Kids are not so easy to rehome so people have no choice but to get on with things and find solutions to any issues they have. The people in the article could have turned things around if they really wanted to. They could have decided to do some research and sought help, changed their life style and expectations to better suit the puppy's needs. They made the decision not to do those things and return the puppy... Which was a much easier option for them. I'm not saying it was the wrong decision but it isn't one available to parents.
 
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I think the thing that annoys me the most about this is that they have behaved irresponsibly and now the author is presumably making money from the situation. I agree some artistic licence may have been employed.

It would take about 5 minutes of research on the internet to work out that a collie may not be the best choice for a first time owner who doesn't have hours to commit to mentally stimulating activities. It wouldn't take long to find some stories involving the difficulties of having a puppy as well. So either they found these things and ignored them, or they did next to no research at all before investing in a pet.

They were lucky the breeder would take the puppy back.
 
FinnishLapphund said:
I'm not trying to vilify anyone, but who told him Spaniels can't be exercised for 4 hours? The difference is that most of them doesn't need it every day.
And why didn't people they talked to specify more clearly that Border Collies doesn't only need X hours of daily training, they need X hours of mentally stimulating daily training.
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Because unfortunately most (not all) farmers will sell to anyone with the money and ask few questions or offer advice. I am actually pleasantly surprised he offered to have the pup back if it didn't work out.
 
I am not normally quite so mushy but this comic struck a chord with me this morning (possibly only because it's a spitz-y dog ?) and might illustrate why some people have such a visceral reaction to the article, even when we know rationally that it's almost certainly sensationalised a bit and that the pup is better off without them in any case. It's something about the ignorance and entitlement of picking up and discarding a creature who relies on you for absolutely everything in their world.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1361361484647915523
 
scats said:
I was talking to one of my fellow yardies recently about pups and how much work they are, even when you’ve done it before and are completely prepared for it. The last 2 pups I’ve had, I will admit to a few occasions in the early days when I wondered why I’d put myself through this again. I can only imagine some people get the shock of their lives and really haven’t a clue what they are letting themselves in for until it’s too late. Particularly people who’ve not had that sort of tie before.
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I identify with this. I must admit despite having dogs growing up and then having my mother’s dog after she passed away I still found the adjustment to having a young dog much more challenging than I was prepared for. I definitely shed a few tears thinking I’d made a massive mistake. I persevered and now I have a wonderful companion who I wouldn’t be without but I nearly didn’t make it. It’s hard to really understand the emotional and physical drain owning a dog can be. I found it harder than having a new horse.
 
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