Dog adoption

[Femme Folle]

Congrats scratchmonkey! They look happy.

[nmrfox]

Wonderful scratchmonkey ! They're both very adorable and cute and I'm sure between them both will keep you and your family very entertained.

[scratchmonkey]

We've gotten Sebastian a haircut that I think quite improves things...

[Hot Pepsi]

Very sharp!

[Sits]

During lunch at my daughter's yesterday we were discussing The Next Dog(s). Five months on it's clear we will never fully get over Emily, which is fine but we're probably getting close to the time to look ahead. There's a small job we need to get done in the house so we're probably looking mid-year.

Two dogs rather than one seems a distinct possibility and greyhounds are coming up in conversation a lot as so many need adopting here. Has anyone had them? We both work so dogs which are content with one exercise a day then flopping around would be ideal. Apparently that's how greyhounds are.

[Femme Folle]

You could always hire a dog walker, I suppose. I have a FB friend who has lurchers (she also happens to be a vet). I could introduce you to her on there, if you want to ask questions. She's really nice and I know she would be happen to help.

[Femme Folle]

scratchmonkey Sebastian is adorable.

[Sits]

You could always hire a dog walker, I suppose. I have a FB friend who has lurchers (she also happens to be a vet). I could introduce you to her on there, if you want to ask questions. She's really nice and I know she would be happen to help.

Thanks FF - I will definitely be Principal Walker (first thing each morning, which will be my main exercise too). So that in itself is fine. Thanks too for the FB friend tip and I will let you know if I need to take that up (I'll send you a note on there if so). Thanks again.

[Sits]

scratchmonkey Sebastian is adorable.

He is.

[gjw100]

Two dogs rather than one seems a distinct possibility and greyhounds are coming up in conversation a lot as so many need adopting here. Has anyone had them? We both work so dogs which are content with one exercise a day then flopping around would be ideal. Apparently that's how greyhounds are.

I know three couples who have taken on retired greyhounds and you've heard correctly - they are pretty chilled dogs and don't seem to need the quantity of exercise that you might perhaps expect for racing animals. They are perfectly content to plod around the park once a day and, to the point of seeming somewhat aloof, aren't particularly interested in any charging around playing with other dogs off the lead like the whippets and lurchers are always up for.

[nmrfox]

A cousin of mine adopts retired greyhounds and they are the most chilled, laziest dogs going and will sleep 23 hours a day. When they do go for a walk try and make sure that there are no small animals around if you want to let them off lead as they will chase (though as my cousin happily attests to, once they catch up with their "prey" they haven't got the slightest clue what to do next and will just plod back to him, with everything unharmed if slightly puffed out).

[Sporting]

Yes, a friend of mine looks after greyhounds and has confirmed to me before their lazy outlook on life.

[Sits]

Thanks all, some really helpful info there.

[Chris1963]

Can't understand why some people are stupid enough to spend money on a dog from a private breeder, as opposed to getting one cheaply from an adoption or rescue centre. The following link below shows how expensive it can be to buy one privately;

25 of The UK's Most Expensive Dog Breeds in 2022 (countryliving.com)

It's worth noting that the most expensive breed in the list is the American Bully. This happens to be the breed that savaged a baby to death in St Helens (not exactly one of the UK's most salubrious areas) last week.

Dachshunds (miniature and standard) take up two places on the list, a tribute to their popularity. When I was growing up in Oxford, my mother was friends with the Gombrich family (the famous art historian) and they owned a dachshund, which at one stage had puppies although it wasn't clear how it had become pregnant.

On my daily bus journey to work, I've become used to the sight of a smooth-haired female dachshund (exactly like the one the Gombrichs owned) which is accompanied by its female owner at exactly the same time each morning. They seem to be walking a considerable distance and I can't help worrying that someone will notice their routine and steal the dog, which must doubtless be worth a lot of money. It seems to be a very good specimen, very alert indeed as it keeps turning its head to look at anything of interest.

[caja-dglh]

Can't understand why some people are stupid enough to spend money on a dog from a private breeder, as opposed to getting one cheaply from an adoption or rescue centre.

It could be that stupid people have different interests and value things differently than you?

[Chris1963]

It could be that stupid people have different interests and value things differently than you?

Some people are probably too snobbish to want to buy a dog from anything other than a private breeder. But in the St Helens case, I don't think the family involved were wealthy at all (I saw the house they lived in with the police standing outside on TV, and it certainly didn't look posh)

[caja-dglh]

Are the dogs in rescues from public breeders?

[Sits]

They could be from anywhere depending on their circumstances I suppose.

[nmrfox]

Are the dogs in rescues from public breeders?

Some are yes - mostly females that can no longer breed and where a puppy farm has been raided and closed down (though in the latter case the word "breeder" might be a misnomer for "bastard"). Some breeders simply give up due to circumstances and surrender their dogs and, certainly since Covid, there are a lot of breed animals that have been bought and then given up because the owners can't cope with the dog ("What, a husky needs at least 8 miles a day walking? But he's just so cute..", "I though the puppy would be house-trained and would act to commands like Lassie on TV..." etc etc).

Obviously it's a personal perspective and I'd much rather that Sanctuaries are empty of dogs and some of the breeders go out of business for the unscrupulous profiteering scum that they are, but there are also a lot of very decent breeders out there who do care immensely for the welfare of the dog. While I'd rather people adopt from a rescue, I wouldn't call a person buying a dog from a reputable breeder stupid.

[Auntie Beryl]

This little feller moved in with us a year ago today.

Tommy's normally a lot scruffier than this...

[Sits]

That’s a fine boy.

[Third rate Leszno]

Good lad Tommy - he must be a bugger to keep clean!

Similarly, Rafa has been with us for a year and a week, turning from an unsteady ball of fluff into this handsome and charismatic little fella. I can't imagine life without him now.

[Hot Pepsi]

Some are yes - mostly females that can no longer breed and where a puppy farm has been raided and closed down (though in the latter case the word "breeder" might be a misnomer for "bastard"). Some breeders simply give up due to circumstances and surrender their dogs and, certainly since Covid, there are a lot of breed animals that have been bought and then given up because the owners can't cope with the dog ("What, a husky needs at least 8 miles a day walking? But he's just so cute..", "I though the puppy would be house-trained and would act to commands like Lassie on TV..." etc etc).

Obviously it's a personal perspective and I'd much rather that Sanctuaries are empty of dogs and some of the breeders go out of business for the unscrupulous profiteering scum that they are, but there are also a lot of very decent breeders out there who do care immensely for the welfare of the dog. While I'd rather people adopt from a rescue, I wouldn't call a person buying a dog from a reputable breeder stupid.

Breeding animals should be heavily regulated and not done for profit.

That won’t happen in my life time.

The thing about caring for animals is that you quickly see that the world humanity has built is is mostly apocalypse for them and will be until we, probably inevitably, make ourselves extinct.

[Femme Folle]

It could be that stupid people have different interests and value things differently than you?

I was willing to get a toy poodle puppy from a private breeder, but the good so-called reputable breeders don't have hundreds of puppies. The one I wrote to and I have mutual friends on FB and she only has puppies once or twice per year. Because they are small dogs, the litters are usually only 2-3 puppies at most. I had my heart set on a toy poodle, so the fact that Peter (a pure-bred toy poodle rescue) dropped into my life at that exact time was serendipitous for both of us.

People are free to judge me, but I love poodles and I have very specific reasons for it.

[Lobachevsky]

My lab collie cross, also Rafa, is sitting in disgrace in our yard. he is very patiently waiting forgivness for his sins.

gonna make him wait a bit longer.he knows hes done wrong and is showing rare contrition by sitting still and trying to catch my eye.