Why dont people get dogs from rescues?!

[111ex111]

Recently I have come across quite a few people who go straight to a breeder when they want a dog. In this day and age I thought most people knew about rescues....
My mum knows a women who first got a lab from a breeder, couldn't keep him so we rescued him. then she got a deux de bordeaux who had hip displacia and couldnt keep him- he went to battersea. now she has a yorkshire terrier from a breeder (okay its small so might work out better). mum got a text the other day saying they just got a german pointer pup from a breeder.

UGH

why?!?! just what goes through peoples minds. met a women out walking today with a lovely grey hound she got from a breeder?! when there are so many grey hounds in rescues...

Okay so rescues do have strict rehoming policies- they would not rehome to us as we only have a small garden but we have rescued all our dogs by word of mouth.

Please someone enlighten me

 

[Honey08]

I think its a shame too. We have two pedigree labs - both from rescues. There are all types of dogs available.

I think people like to think they've got something "posh" nowadays - to go with the big car etc. Or like to say its dad was a working dog or a show dog etc. Other people think that rescue dogs come with "issues". Some do, but most of them were caused by their previous owners and can be easily ironed out.

I would never ever buy a dog.

 

[grandmaweloveyou]

I have had 3 dogs from rescues, all staffies inc my current baby just having her bedtime wee-wee & wish people would rescue more.

My Grandad did say, cos of her health issues "wouldnt it be cheaper to just buy from a breeder"? (ours was a bteeding

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I don't have dogs, but when I got my cat I went to a breeder (quality one - not a puppy/kitten farm), just as I went to a breeder rather than a rescue when I bought my horses (yearlings at the time).

I think that it's personal choice and any animal that I have is loved, cared for, proper veterinary treatment etc... and has a home for life bar any unpredictable disasters/accidents.

 

[grandmaweloveyou]

Sorry. Damn phone. Ours was a breeding bitch caged 247 on no bedding....hideous state. Anyway we know lots who buy from 'the best breeders' to then find their dog has shoulder / hip / elbow dysplacia etc etc so u dont always get what u pay for!

On the other side of the coin I have experienced a 'baddun'....didnt put me off though.

 

[smellsofhorse]

i agree that people should get rescue dogs rather thsb getting a puppy. just because its cute.

but alot of the time the rescue centres are too fussy and wont rehome to people so they are forced to go to a breeder.

 

[Holly Hocks]

Probably because of the reasons you have already stated - they ask questions, they get answers which they don't like and the dog ends up staying in their kennels. We probably wouldn't have our current dog if he had been with the RSPCA or Battersea as at the time we both worked full-time, although partner did shift work, so dog not left for long periods at any time. But the RSPCA refused us a dog based on the fact that we worked! We found a lovely local charity who actually phoned the vets that we had and asked for references from them, which were as expected, good. We paid our fee and brought him home. That was 12 years ago and he's still here today......a wonderful easy to train dog, albeit noise phobic!

 

[WoopsiiD]

Both our last dogs have been rescues.
I now work at a rescue and its cats we are overrun with.
Why don't people want blank cats?
Why when a kitten hits 10 weeks is it too old?
Why when a cat is 2+ is it too old?
Why when their old cat doesn't like their new kitten does the old one come to us?

Why after the rabbit has had its litter do they decide that the mum isn't up to breed standard so must go???
When the chickens stop laying......I could go on!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I think you have just answered your own question. Some of the charities have requirements which are unrealistic for re-homers, e.g owner must not work, must have a large garden, no children.
I know someone who got a pup from a smaller charity which doesn't have stringent requirements but had to have the pup pts in less than a week. It should never have been allowed to leave the kennels.
having siad that we've had several rescues but all have been word-of-mouth.

 

[Big Ben]

I have taken in several rescue dogs over the years, each has come with baggage that has had to be sorted out, it is quite nice to take on a puppy sometimes so you can start with a clean slate and raise what you want.

 

[WoopsiiD]

We have common sense re-home requirements!
We DO allow fulltime workers a pet, homes with kids are ok too.

 

[Goldenstar]

I got my three from a friend of a friend who breeds a litter perhaps two a year from his working bitches not really a breeder but experianced and the dogs are all family dogs , we did however rescue a lurcher we found it living rough near home it was so thin it and had been dumped because it had a dislocated hip OH would not let me keep her as I was injured at the time but she lives with my mum she's lovely and loves my OH and me it's like she knows we rescued her.

 

[PingPongPony]

We have been looking to rescue a great dane for ages, we have found the perfect dog, have a big garden, years of experience with this breed, both parents have good jobs so would be able to afford the amount of food and and vet bills, we got told that because they work full time, we cannot have the dog, despite me being home for lunch everyday, but becuase im my parents child i can't be taken into account. so we will be looking to get a dog from a breeder. i always wanted to rescue, but i dont understand how a person that doesn't work can afford to keep such a big dog, the vet bills are big, the food bill even bigger, so how can they afford to keep a dog like that? yet they are the homes that the rescues will rehome the dogs into. hence we will getting a dog from a breeder.

 

[noodle_]

My current bitch is from a neighbours accident

2nd cocker is from a breeder as we wanted to know the background of a dog (we did look at rescues though..)! but i decided i wanted a puppy from a breeder as my other bitch can be just that...a bitch with other dogs.

Nothing against rescues at all...just with current lifestyle/circumstances its better for us to have a pup

 

[111ex111]

I agree that rescues have strict rehoming policies however it is better for the dog because if they rehome to just anyone- the dog may end up back in a kennels which is even worse and more stressful for a dog. There are even puppies in rescues!!!! so I would never go to a breeder- ever.

 

[Pawpads]

My mum and dad had labs my whole life and they always bought from a breeder. Their reason for doing so was because they had 4 young kids and my mum always said she would get a rescue puppy but not an older dog as she didnt know if she could trust them with kids. I remember her trying to get a pup from rescue, a little Jack Russell but tons of people wanted him

 

[Honey08]

Even if some rescues are strict (and sometimes they need to be as otherwise dogs get returned when not in the right home), there are also always a load of free dogs being given away on Preloved etc.

 

[tubby1]

When we got out last dog we went to rescues but there was no suitable dogs we have 3 kids . We went a couple of times then gave up & got a lab from a breeder. X

 

[be positive]

The main reason is people want, or think they want a puppy, most rescues are older and past the cute stage, all of my dogs have been rescues or rehoming apart from the most recent.
I like collies, they suit the lifestyle of being out with me on the yard all day, they learn their boundaries very quickly and have plenty of freedom. I went to a local rescue that had a young collie bitch in, filled in a long application form, had an interview, was then told the collie was away being spayed and would I like to meet a Staffie, well not really but not wanting to be rude I met her, made the right comments but knew she was not for me or suitable for the home, they never got back to me as they had said they would, apart from putting me on the mailing list, I went and bought a lovely pup from a local farm.

My sister has just taken on a lovely spaniel, from a broken home that could not keep her, she is lovely really settled in and an ideal family pet.

 

[Shooting Star]

I'm not a dog person (much prefer cats!) but from my perspective many DO consider rescue centres - our field backs on to Battersea and the carpark is constantly full with visitors coming and going all day long!!!

That said though can't see anything wrong with buying from a legit breeder, if all did then there would be little market for the poorly bred and underpriced that end up looking for new homes ...

 

[mrsk29]

I have two dogs (both boxers) one a rescue (older dog with half a jaw) And other was from breeder sold cheap as she is white ! I'd go rescue every time, however I was turned down by 2 rescues because (1 reason I lived near a main road at the time (not on it!) and the other reason I worked part time was only 3 hours a day at that time) I don't think rescues make it easy to take on animals sometimes, I ended up fostering, fostered 6 in total until my old boy came and never left.. Had him 3 and a half years he's an old boy slobbers everywhere as hes missing half his bottom jaw cost me a fortune, having found he has a very rare diabetes but I wouldn't change him!

 

[111ex111]

We have been looking to rescue a great dane for ages, we have found the perfect dog, have a big garden, years of experience with this breed, both parents have good jobs so would be able to afford the amount of food and and vet bills, we got told that because they work full time, we cannot have the dog, despite me being home for lunch everyday, but becuase im my parents child i can't be taken into account. so we will be looking to get a dog from a breeder. i always wanted to rescue, but i dont understand how a person that doesn't work can afford to keep such a big dog, the vet bills are big, the food bill even bigger, so how can they afford to keep a dog like that? yet they are the homes that the rescues will rehime the dogs into. hence we will getting a dog from a breeder.

I do agree that rescues dont look at the bigger picture- we have a small garden therefore they would not rehome to us however they did not take into account that we live on the door step of miles of woodlands/common. but both our dogs a rescues through word of mouth. if people are experienced with dogs and are desperate for one then fine- but people who find it way too easy (like the women I mentioned in OP) to get a dog from a breeder then give it away- hence creating more dogs in rescues!!!!

 

[maree t]

We bought our older dog from a Kennel club registered home expecting to get a sensible pet type collie ....... wow what a mess. She is great at the moment but at 8 has problems with her shoulders and hips, we have various meds to keep her comfy, we also have a 3 year old from the Dogs trust (GSD x) that is fantastic and we look forward to having her for many years . We got her as a pup as they struggle to rehome bigger type dogs. We went in the day a litter was being rehomed and we ended up taking her with no regrets. they have since offered us other pups from large breeds but not until we lose one of our three

 

[Goldenstar]

We have been looking to rescue a great dane for ages, we have found the perfect dog, have a big garden, years of experience with this breed, both parents have good jobs so would be able to afford the amount of food and and vet bills, we got told that because they work full time, we cannot have the dog, despite me being home for lunch everyday, but becuase im my parents child i can't be taken into account. so we will be looking to get a dog from a breeder. i always wanted to rescue, but i dont understand how a person that doesn't work can afford to keep such a big dog, the vet bills are big, the food bill even bigger, so how can they afford to keep a dog like that? yet they are the homes that the rescues will rehime the dogs into. hence we will getting a dog from a breeder.

My brother and SIL were turned down because SIL works one hour a day !!
Perfect house experiance have another dog no wonder the shelters are stuffed with dogs.

 

[charliehands]

we have rescued 2 dalmatians one was through a friend of a friend who didn't want her anymore and the other was from a proper dalmatian charity. we didnt want to go through the house training and calming down stages again haha! so far they have both been fantastic

 

[Luci07]

I don't have dogs, but when I got my cat I went to a breeder (quality one - not a puppy/kitten farm), just as I went to a breeder rather than a rescue when I bought my horses (yearlings at the time).

I think that it's personal choice and any animal that I have is loved, cared for, proper veterinary treatment etc... and has a home for life bar any unpredictable disasters/accidents.

The point is, that right NOW, there are anything upto 80+ dogs being PTS per day. An awful lot are very young dogs who have outgrown their cute puppy stage. A lot are Staffords or crosses though seeing more and more dogs like malamutes coming in as well. Breed rescues are struggling as well. if you just wanted a pet, then please please go to a rescue, ring the smaller ones, get involved with a poundie run ( dogs in pounds have 7 days to be reclaimed or taken by a rescue or are PTS). When you choose a rescue dog, a good rescue would have assessed the dog properly, you have back up if you are struggling. You know if your dog is cat,child, small furry friendly or will happily live with your existing pets. Rescues normally offer a trial period so you can really be sure. If you saw the ever increasing number of dogs on the PTS list where rescues are trying desperately to get them out, you would think twice. I appreciate there are people wanting say specific working breeds, but if you are after a pet, please go to rescues first. I have 3 rescue staffords. Introduced over a period of time and all get on well together. One day I would like to be able to choose a well bred Stafford puppy but cannot justify this until the awful situation we have now has eased greatly.

 

[ZondaR]

There is a risk taking a rescue dog, a lot of them come with baggage and people don't want to deal with it. If you go to a breeder, you can see the parents, you can meet the breeder and you are basicly getting a blank canvas, a dog who has not bonded with anyone else and who is a complete baby, lots of people want a dog from a puppy (who doesn't love puppies?). Also, if you have children you definately don't want any risk of biting and you will (should) have done research on the breed so you know the dog is child friendly. Some people want a particular breed which may not be available as a rescue when they want to get a dog.

I kow you can get a lot of the above in a rescue, especially the puppies, but getting a dog is a big decision and commitment and a lot of people want to know what they are getting and don't want to take a chance and those are some of the reasons they go to a breeder and not a rescue.

 

[PingPongPony]

Just to add, 3 months on and that poor dog we wanted to rescue is still stuck in the kennels

 

[smellsofhorse]

i agree loads of cheap or free unwanted dogs in proved etc.
we got our collide that way.
8 weeks and already in his 3rd home.
but this can be risky if you don't know the history, especially when you have children.

 

[flirtygerty]

I've done both.
Pups are easier to train to your ways, a blank canvas, our last GSD was 12yrs
old when he adopted us, had been rehomed several times and always returned within 48hrs, because he would resort to biting if he didn't get his own way, once he understood our rules, (by exiting him from room) he was a fantastic dog and spent his last 3 yrs with us.
I bought my daughter A GSD pup from a breeder, he came in Oct, she cared for him not knowing he was for her and was given his documents in her name xmas morning, I wanted to make sure she would after him. He was with us for 16 yrs and the bond they had was amazing.
Our current terrier, (rescue) is a pain in the but at 2yrs old, still not convinced we can do anything with him, as he's terrible with stock.
Ther's rights and wrongs with each senario, but I do think you need to be experienced with dogs to take on a rescue, so many people resort to violence to train new dogs