Why dont people get dogs from rescues?!

Sometimes because they have rehomed before from a rescue that was not straight with them and it all ended in heartache.

I had a rescue collie who was from the RSPCA and was a wonderful dog - she had been assessed and they continued to provide support should we need it as she settled in. I then rehomed a second dog from another rescue centre. I advised we lived in the country on the site of a working farm, so they matched us with a dog that had been fostered on a farm and was 100% with everything and had no issues. The dog comes home, he has food aggression, dominance issues, can escape over a 6ft fence, jumps out of second floor windows and is a sheep worrier. When we contacted the rescue they said they knew he had these issues and we should "let him have his own way" to avoid being bitten, that he had only ever visited the fosterers parents farm once and had not been tested with livestock, and was handed in because he repeatedly escaped. We sorted out all of the issues and turned the house into fort knocks, however he was never going to be safe with livestock despite many specialised trainers helping so we took the heartbreaking decision to rehome to a town home to avoid any risk to him. This was right for him and he was happy and safe once he settled in.

I could never ever go through this heartache again, so when my collie died I bought a puppy from a reputable breeder, he has been brought up to live in the country safely (utilising the training advice given previously) and has no behavioural issues.
 
Mainly because rescue centres have such strict and sometimes unrealistic criteria which potential new owners have to meet. Like, for e.g. dog not to be left on it's own for long periods.... I've had dogs my whole life (30 years) and there have been times when each and every one of them have had to be left at home on their own (ok, with cats for company) during the day, and not one of them have suffered. Quite the opposite really, considering we often come home to find them asleep in places they shouldn't be - i.e on beds, sofas etc!

Unfortunately some rehoming centres are their own worst enemies... I agree, it is a shame not more people use them but then there are people like your mum's friend who give pet owners a bad name IMO. Palming pets off and then going straight out and buying a new one as if they are a fashion accessory. Makes me mad!!
 
hollieeb said:
I just dont understand it. IMO people who go to breeders have more money then sense.

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What a ridiculous thing to say.

Many people save up to buy a fairly priced, well brought up, responsibly bred pup from a good breeder, who will give the new owner a lifetime of support and take the dog back if some catastrophe hits.

Many people need the "known quantity" aspect of a pup with no baggage. Maybe because they have children, or other particular circumstances.

Many people have a particular choice of dog that they want to spend the next 10-15 years or so with.

You are keen to have rescues, good for you. But don't insult those of us who have chosen responsibly bred pups from excellent breeders.
 
I'd rather go to a reputable breeder.I like to see both parents,know something behind the breedingtemperament etc, know that both parents have all the tests and bring my own pup up the way I like rather than take on other peoples mistakes.
I've had three second hand dogs and they have all been trouble so my other dogs don't have the life they can because all the attention has to be given to the badly trained or neurotic one.A dog is for life not just for dumping back to the "rescue" center if it doesn't work out and trying another.
 
I got my first lab from lab rescue, lovely dog but male and always had to make sure I was in charge, he would like to push the boundaries, not at all viscious though.
So for my next two labs I wanted a bitch, tried hard to find one from a resuce but they are honestly like gold dust. So I ended up with puppies from the breeder. And yes I do find the bitches are far easier to train!
 
wren123 said:
I got my first lab from lab rescue, lovely dog but male and always had to make sure I was in charge, he would like to push the boundaries, not at all viscious though.
So for my next two labs I wanted a bitch, tried hard to find one from a resuce but they are honestly like gold dust. So I ended up with puppies from the breeder. And yes I do find the bitches are far easier to train!
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I love lab dogs and always have one as 'my' dog we have two bitches as well but the lab dogs are just fabulous once you get them trained so loyal, I think I would want to pick where I got one though all labs with 'papers ' are not the same.
 
I have rescued 2 dogs. The first, heidi, we got about 12 years ago, resue place said she was about 3, no problems that they could find. Took her to vets to get all vaccinations done, who tells us she was at least 7, deaf, with cateracts. Didnt make a jot of difference to us, we just didnt have as long with her as we thought we would.
Leggs, our 2nd dog, was also a rescue. Seemed quite healthy, normal in all ways..or so we thought. it wasnt til after we had got used to each other that the rescue place said they thought we were brave taking him on, as he was a patterdale, well known for running off! Never again will we have a patterdale!
Next one we get will be either a puppy that we train from the word go, or a fully trained rescue.
 
As someone else has said; because rescue centres are frequently not honest about the dog and some unsuspecting punter takes it on and then realises what a problem they've got!

We took on a rescue dog (she was - we/they think) - two at the time; and whilst she's been a lovely loyal dog and we'd never ever have thought of getting rid of her, we were grossly misled about what she was like TBH.

She's not vicious, that's not the issue, but when we had her she was/still is a very nervous dog in situations where she's meeting new people/dogs and also she is very tactile, to the extent that if she could find a hole in your skin she'd crawl into it! Which is fine most of the time, but there are times especially when visitors are around where you just can't have a crawly dog or one which is seeking attention all the time. We've tried to get her out of it and try to treat her exactly the same as our other dog, but there are days when we go straight back to square one and in spite of repeated telling she is still a crawly very seemingly insecure dog.

We were told when we had her that their policy is "not to have dogs back as if we do that people don't try". To this date we've never ever had one return visit to check if the dog is OK or not, or any support whatsoever after we took the dog home. This was a small animal "shelter" in our home area not one of the bigger charities I have to say. But I don't think they gave a toss what happened to the dog when she left their place. For all they know, we could have beaten her and treated her badly (we haven't!).

Whereas the little terrier we've got we had from a pup and he's thoroughly used to us and our ways and hasn't got any issues at all! So I know what we will probably do when its time to "replace" the dog.

We did go to the Blue Cross when we lost our old dog a few years back. We had to travel a considerable distance; they took our details - and said that we seemed "ideal" as have 10 acres for any dog to roam over, live in the country etc etc. They said they'd look out specially for something suitable for us....... but we heard nothing more from them. They wasted out time and dragged us out to their centre to then waste more of our time by filling in a load of forms; but no dog resulted from this :( - find it hard to accept therefore that they're trying to find good homes for their dogs.
 
Well on the flip side - my previous dog Merlin would have ended up in a rescue centre, and most likely shot if we (or someone similar) hadn't bought him from the breeder.

He was a fantastic dog - BUT he had an evil streak in him. If something didnt agree with him the fangs would come out. He was part of a large litter, and obviously didnt get as much food as he would have liked. Cue at feeding time, if you tried to put your hand in his dish you wouldnt have had a hand left. He also loved a good fight with other dogs - the bigger the better.

But because we had dogs our entire lives (and my dad is one of those people that dogs just love), Merlin was in control. He never bit anybody on purpose. He did snap on the odd occasion, main one that stands out was my sister was prodding him at night in his bed, which he didn't like. He snapped at her, and caught her. As soon as he realized what he had done he went and hid himself because he knew he was wrong. But it was my sister fault for poking at him. She was repeatedly told he will bite you one evening, and he did.

Had he had gone to someone that didnt have a clue about dogs, I dread to think what he would have done. But to me, he was the best dog I could ever have, to me he was perfect!
 
Before we got our two I'd discussed getting one from rescue, the rescue I first went to was very honest about their dogs, must be rehomed with older children, or no small furries, or dog agressive, we dont have children but do like to take the dogs to the yard and family all have dogs, so with that selection it was a non starter, the second one didnt, or wouldnt disclose any behavioural traits at all, and considering they were all perfect, it made me wonder why they were there, so we went for puppies, so I could blame any behavioural traits on the OH!
 
I have rescue cats and wanted a rescue dog, but although I often work from home having a full time job excluded me.

I bought a puppy - well was chosen by :D - from a friend, she is great and happy to get a 6am walk, stay at home all day asleep with the cats and then walk over the fields for up to 2 hours at night with her friends.

If I am away with work all day she goes out with dog walkers. How can living in a kennel 24/7 with little canine or human (or feline) interaction be better than that?

I was a home visitor for a national cat charity (not the RSPCA) and my brief was that the cat would have all the basics of life and the people were switched on and able to cope. The rescues have to be realistic that cats (and dogs) live happily in millions of households where people work. There is no better feeling than knowing that you are helping to give people a pet and a pet a home.
 
Copperpot said:
I have a rescue dog. Already had 3 other dogs whom I got as puppies. He is by far the most loving. Almost as if he is grateful for another shot at life. I would never buy another puppy from a breeder. Responsible breeders of some breeds should stop breeding them in my opinion. There are far too many of some breeds in rescue desperate for homes.
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The trouble is Copperpot that if the responsible breeders stop breeding (and many have, or cut the number of litters right down) the gap will be filled by the irresponsible back yard breeders. Over the last 2 or 3 years the number of litters registered of staffies and GSD (to just give 2 examples) have dropped, but there are never ending litters of these advertised on the free ads which aren't registered, and more than likely the parents haven't had health tests etc.
Then what happens to the people who do want a well bred pup? Since I have been going out and about with my pup I have been amazed at the amount of people who have asked where I got her from, and on finding I bred her, when I will be having another litter. It seems round here there are very few decent breeders and I am sure if I had another litter they would be booked well before they were born. As it is my plan was always for Evie to have just the one litter, and she is booked in next week to be spayed.
 
Hello there

I think rescues do a wonderful job and many of friends have rescue dogs, but from personal preference I've always had a pedigree dog from a breeder. I'm very careful to always buy from responsible/good breeders who do all the appropriate health checks and really care for their dogs.

The last pup we had was my husband's 1st dog (he's from a cat family) and we had/have specific things we wanted to do once she was grown. We wanted a dog who was capable (and would enjoy) fell running/hiking/mountain biking/horse riding really long distances (we did 73 miles in a day last year) ... and I love agility and obedience. To be honest that limits the type of dog that would ideally suit and I also like (a) the certainty that my pup has been bred to be able mentally and physically to suit our life and (b) I find training is easier when we've been together since they're 8 weeks old.

The lady who we got her off was super-careful and we went through quite an interview process before she said OK :cool:. She picked which pup would suit us best and we suit each other down to the ground :D. I couldn't ask for a lovelier dog, but I also acknowledge that some people would find her a complete nightmare as she's intelligent, driven and constantly on the go :-).

I'd like people to only get a dog if they can care for it for it's life, pick a dog that really suits them and their lifestyles (not choose one for its looks), and give it care and training. If that's a rescue then great, if it's a puppy from a responsible breeder then that's great.

My real issue is with puppy farming and the suffering it causes.
 
MurphysMinder said:
Hollieb, I admire your enthusiasm for rescue, but you are in danger of having the attitude that puts a lot of people off rescues. If you read my post properly I am not suggesting that a dog should regularly be left for 6 hours, the relevant word in my post was "sometimes". My dogs are occasionally left for that long, but the majority of time the maximum is 4, and generally it is only 2.
To repeat myself, if people want to know a dogs history (and by this I mean the health and temperament of many generations of its ancestors) they are unlikely to get that from a rescue, or from preloved/dumtree etc. It is unlikely a pup will be an impulse buy from a good breeder, as they will probably have to go on a waiting list, and contrary to what another poster has said, the pup is not more likely to end up in a rescue because if there should be a problem the breeder will take it back.
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^^^This!!

I think the OP needs to get off her high horse, and look at the real world. Yes, there are breeders and there are reputable, responsible breeders. I was one of the latter. In 19 years I had 7 litters of Golden Retrievers, including a litter of 1 and a litter of 3. Every single one of the pups that were sold left my premises on a co-ownership with me, on contract, with a take back clause, and with lifetime assistance and grooming. None of those pups sold were ever used for breeding.

The OP's "Taliban" attitude to rescues vs breeders is a problem in itself. When I chose to purchase a GBGV pup (not a numerous breed in the UK) I did my homework. I went to every website available. I wrote to a couple of breeders and got a sense of the breed from them. I went to several shows to see examples of the breed in the flesh. I wanted a puppy. I've been in dogs long enough to know what I want and from whom. In terms of numbers, rescue wouldn't have had this breed, because all the reputable breeders of GBGVs would take back a dog for rehoming. I did get an 8 weeks old pup, and she has been the most wonderful addition to our family. My point is that I wanted what I wanted...no one is going to tell me what breed I should have and from where. I have seen nightmare rehomings and equally dreamy ones. It's not knowing the background of an adult dog from rescue that worries me. And for the OP to say "but if you aren't willing to sort out a dog's problems, then IMO you shouldn't have a dog in the first place" (my spelling and punctuation, BTW), rescue dogs are NOT my responsibility. As much as it causes heartbreak to see these dogs and read about their plight, I will ALWAYS buy from a reputable breeder. I have supported several rescues with financial assistance and will continue to do so in future. For the OP to say that people who buy from breeders have more money than sense, is she aware that the cost of a pup is the least one will spend on a dog in its life. Knowing the background of a dog doesn't guarantee anything. It just hedges the bet somewhat. Health problems are the big money issues in dog ownership. I'd rather have a working knowledge of what's behind my dog regarding its well-being than not. And, I won't even go into the attitude of hybrid-
vigour in many rescue dogs.
 
I think it's just personal preference. I have two rescued dogs and one that I bought as a puppy from a breeder.

Of the rescues, one was a 7 month old from the Blue Cross, and I have to say, they matched us PERFECTLY. He was in entirely the wrong home - Great Dane x Doberman who needs a LOT of exercise, being kept in a flat 24/7 and beaten with sticks. He's now the sweetest, happiest dog in the world, and I can't imagine life without him, even just four years on.

The other rescue was bought by a woman who wanted a lap dog as her first dog, and so she bought a Springer Spaniel x Lab from a farmer who worked both parents. She walked him once, and then never walked him again as he pulled. She left him alone in a bungalow for nine hours a day, and she was feeding him 25% protein food. He was bananas. It's been a VERY hard road, but one year down the line we now have a happy dog, who is outside all day every day either on the yard and riding with me, or doing the rounds behind the quad with my OH. He's a handful, and most people couldn't cope with him, but he's the sweetest little dog now.

The pedigree I bought because I fell in love with him. I had enquired about buying a puppy from his breeders two years before he was born, and they remembered me when they had their next litter. I went along to see them, and he stole my heart. He's a Great Dane, and is a complete honey. I looked into rescuing a Dane, but most had severe behavioural problems or needed to be the only dog in the house etc. and it just didn't work.

Our cat is a rescue too, and is the sweetest cat on earth. How anyone gave her up I do not know!

Our next dogs (not that we've planned that far ahead or anything...) will be a Bavarian Mountainhound from a non KC reg breeder (as I hate the Kennel Club more than just about anything) for me to train as a deer stalking dog, and also to come out riding and basically take the place of my first rescue when he goes to the big kennel in the sky. I will be buying a puppy because Bavarian Mountainhounds aren't yet common enough in the UK to have ended up in rescue centres, and because I absolutely adore the breed, and want to help establish it in the UK. The boyfriend will be getting another Lab or Spaniel to train as a gundog and to do the rounds of his pheasants with him every day. That may be rescued, or may be bought, depending on what's available in our local rescue centres at the time. We also plan to rescue an older dog from a rescue centre. We are in the perfect position to give older dogs a lovely last few years. We have the space, we have two lovely open fires perfect for dogs to laze in front of, and we both work at home. My OH is a soldier turned gamekeeper, and we run a livery yard together about ten paces from our front door, so can be around all day for a dog that needs to potter around a bit and then spend the rest of it's time snoozing by the fire.

I think it depends on the person, and their circumstances. I would definitely go through the Blue Cross again though. My Mole is so utterly perfect for me, that I can't believe it was just luck!

ETA - I also think that although I love my rescued boys, starting from scratch is the way to go for me next time. It took me two years to sort out the issues my first boy came with, and the Lab x Springer is still only part of the way down a very long road to being a sensible, calm, well behaved dog without issues. I can understand people who want a specific breed, whether that be for working or just because they love the breed, and I can understand people who want to mould a puppy from scratch to fit in with them. I adore my boys, but both of our rescues will always have slight quirks as a result of their previous experiences, which can make life very difficult for everyone when the show themselves.
 
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I had never had a rescue dog in my life until 2yrs ago and I got a rescue girl ( a chucked out breeding bitch ) I then got another and another.

I now have 3 rescue dogs and they are absolutely wonderful and so deserving of a good home.

I'm not saying I will never ever buy another puppy but I will definitely consider rescues first.
 
I think its horses for courses...I've had rescue dogs all my life (which is quite long now!) and have had a couple of problem cases, one of which had to be put down in the end, but the majority have been wonderful, fulfilling characters and great friends. I'd always prefer to take on a rescue dog, there's enough unwanted ones out there that deserve a chance. But that's just me...
 
Look at these three deviants that came from a rescue... How could you resist?

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I've tried several rescues in a two hour radius in two different homes in the UK to rescue cats or dogs over the last 12 years or so

The rehoming requirements of all of them were unreasonable and the staff in most of them instantly suspicious of us to the point where they felt the need to delve in to our personal life to uncomfortable extents. Staff that are offish, headmistressly and bossy were common to most of them

Somewhere in the country there is a home where:

Its off the beaten track but not too far off the beaten track
There are no main roads but is a vet within ten minutes
There are no kids under 5
There are no cats
There are no cats in the neighbourhood
There are no other dogs
There are no small fluffy animals though those slippers that look like small fluffy animals are ok
No strangers ever come to the house
No one strange to the proposed pet comes to the house and that includes your family
The owners of the house dont work yet manage to afford a good lifestyle
BUT they arent retired as they might find a dog too much at their age
The owners dont go on holiday
The owners will cope with massive behavioural issues as if they wont they 'dont want a dog enough' or 'dont care enough'
There is a 6ft chainlink fence but not scary enough to make a sensitive dog feel penned in
There are three acres (all fenced) for the dog to run about in

Over the top I know but I have been hugely frustrated with attempts to rehome animals from rescues in the past. I have bought puppies and kittens and have acquired various animals by word of mouth but never again will I cross the threshold of another rescue centre

I think there are enough similar comments throughout this thread that indicate that something is badly wrong in the rescue sector. sorry.
 
We were looking for an older border collie to herd sheep onour farm and saw a one on a rescue sight,it had been in the centre for 2 years and had been in a home before but the owners had taken it to the rescue centre because it was chasing cars and trying to round up the children ! it looked like he would be a worker so we enquired,we told them he would live outside in a kennel during the day and inside at night.they wanted it kept inside! Working dogs get very mucky while working but enjoy their work.They wouldnt even let us see him as he had started jumping up at the cage and it would damage his legs. Not sure what happened to him but after I wrote to the managing director of th centre the dog suddenly had rehomed stamped on his picture. We also wanted a house dog ,a terrier type and even though we live in the middle of 150 acres our garden isnt fenced! and we were told we couldnt have one so we went to a breeder.
 
tubby1 said:
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
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We have 4 children and this has always been our problem. It seems that unless a dog has specifically been handed in having come from a family with children (and there are so few of these), most charities wont consider rehoming them to homes with children under 12/14. I understand why, but it's a pity people cannot be more responsible as it is quite possible to have animals and younger children; it's just a matter of common sense - and not leaving little Johnny unsupervised with Rover and teaching older children to be kind, considerate and gentle with animals.
 
hollieeb said:
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 :)
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If I had young children I wouldn't get a rescue without knowing the history.

I know plenty of good rescue cases, I know a rescue who is now a service dog - great when told to work, loopy when not, and I know rescues who have been kept by very knowedgable trainers and will never get over what happened to them.

If you've owned the dog it's whole life or know it's full history you have a better chance of knowing it's limits. On a severe rescue case you may not know a trigger until too late. I'll happily take that on myself and accept that any dog can turn, but I couldn't have an unknown history with small children around.
 
I haven't read the full thread but maybe it's to do with the breeds involved? You show me a rescue centre that have Working Beardied Collies and I'll consider it.
 
I haven't read the full thread but I believe it has a lot to do with the standards and guidelines certain rescue centres require before anyone can adopt an animal, such as unrealistic expectations, for example some rescues say you can't have dogs whilst working full time etc etc.

Also as NoseyPosey stated above, it is breed specific also. For instance if I wanted a dogue de bordeaux I would buy from an accredited breeder as I would like to know hip scores, eye tests etc. We vet our horses before purchasing so why not our dogs.
 
Personally, I had a wonderful experience with a resuce centre. We did our homework first and decided a lurcher-type dog would be well suited to our lifestyle. Size, colour, coat, age, looks etc. were immaterial to us, the only specific was that it had to be cat-friendly (not always easy to find with longdogs!). Instead of looking at all of the dogs and saying "I like the look of that one" (which would have been heartbreaking for me, and which could well have turned out to be totally the wrong dog for us), we had a long and honest chat with the manager of the rescue centre about our needs and what we could offer, and we were fully prepared to wait until the right dog came along - so would she, the Manager, let us know what she thought?

Having considered our needs, the Manager recommended a 6 month old Bedlington/Whippet dog to us - one of a litter which had been dumped. He'd then been re-homed, but his first owners felt he was too much for them, "hyperactive and untrainable" they'd said, and took him back to the rescue - the rescue centre's own assessment told them otherwise though!.

Following the homecheck, this young dog came home with us a week later, and Ronniedog has been absolutely perfect for us. Untrainable? Definitely not - I think his first owners simply couldn't be bothered. Hyperactive? Again definitely not - typical lurcher, loves to do zoomies, then happily snoozes for the rest of the day. Again, I think the first owners just decided that a dog didn't fit in with their lifestyle after all. We've had Ronnie a year next month, and haven't regretted a single moment.

I work full-time by the way, as does OH, although OH is self-employed, so most of the time is able to take Ronnie with him to work. We do have cats (Ronnie gets on fine with them), but no children.

We found then that being totally honest about what we could offer, and then having a dog recommended according to our circumstances worked out brilliantly for us. If I were looking for another dog (I'm not), I would go about it in exactly the same way again.

However, I'm not averse to people buying decent quality purebred pups from reputable breeders - I'm all for the perpetuation of quality breeding (stresses quality - whether it be health, confirmation and/or performance), but I would never buy from a back-yard breeder/puppy farm etc.
 
all 3 of our dogs ahve been rescued in one way or another - all word of mouth though - latest was dur to be pts for aggression - a dog trainer overheard convo at vets - said she'd take him on for a last chance - she contacted local gamekeeper association who contacted us as they know we take on the odd dog.

other than that we tried to use a certain springer spaniel rescue center to find a new dog - said the dog would be retrained to work - or not if poss it would be a very well walked pet - either way it would stay with us for life....

they refused our application as 'all gun dog people dump their dogs when they are no longer useful - oh and they beat them up to train them' :rolleyes: FFS - they obv a) have no idea what the dogs where opriginally bred for and b) love to listen to sterio types :mad:

fwiw the cocker who was to be destroyed is now nicknamed our 'horse dog' as hes a useless gun dog but comes out every day with the horse - so no we didnt dump him becuase he wouldnt work ;) (he does actually work - very well - just far too fast :rolleyes: and we beat on commercial shoots so not feasible)
 
We do not fit the requirements, at the time both my parents were working ( self employed) and very part time. We also don't have 6 ft fences in the garden. Birmingham dogs home were willing to rehome to us but others were not.

Yet I have 2 cockers and a rescue Goldie via the vets. We have so much to offer a dog....

Our neighbours lied, worked full time and left the dogs 24 /7. Think we were far too truthful.
 
hollieeb said:
Defo not simplistic- just seen the huge amount of dogs in rescues and the even bigger amount on the PTS list.

soooo many rescues now have fosterer's all over the UK- look on Many tears animal rescue- they are in Wales but will most likely have dogs within 20 miles of you.

I just dont understand it. IMO people who go to breeders have more money then sense.

I dont think there should be a choice between breeder or rescue, for me anyway it will ALWAYS be rescue.
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Having read the number of of posters on this thread who have both dogs from breeders and rescues, can you not see that is it simplistic to imply that their is a 'type' who buys from a breeder and that they have 'more money than sense'.

Why would I need to look into Many tears animal rescue? As I explained in the post you replied to, I have a rescue cat (19) and a dog from a breeder (12) so my pet family is currently complete.

Your attitude is comes across as quite patronising and unwilling to consider the many issues and circumstances involved in selecting a pet, although many posters have tried to explain this to you.
 
I have had 5 dogs over the last 12 years 3 were 'rescued' from the RSPCA as puppies (one was a pedigree GSD). Our collie we rescued word of mouth after we lost the first of our 3 original rescues and our GSD we acquired via a Preloved advert I put up offering a home to a GSD or a Doberman up to a year old after we lost our other GSD. Otis' owner was going back to work full time and didn't feel it was fair on her 14 week old puppy so as I work from home she felt it was the ideal home for him. It has worked out really well he was in need of a good home but still young enough to train. Our Collie on the otherhand was 18 months old and has a few issues which mean I will never trust him in the same way I trust my other dogs so I can see why people would avoid rescue despite both myself and friends doing it successfully.
 
I'm another who tried and failed to meet the criteria for a rescue dog when my old dog died at the age of 16.

Yes, I work full time. BUT my dog comes with me to work and has a bed in my office.
This was not good enough apparently, there was no reasoning with them.

Dogs trust did not bother to respond to enquiries, and I did get bored with being treated like a dangerous dogopath, so I gave up, bewildered at the reasoning that keeps dogs from finding good homes.

My lovely whippet comes to work with me, every day. He sleeps outside the stables in his unfenced garden with a beautiful view.(when it is cold, he is on the sofa, naturally)
 
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