Does no one give away puppies any more??

tbaymusicman

Iv been to the pound and they had noting and i dont see the point in buying a purebred dog when there is so many unwanted pups i'd love a lab or retriever but there far to expensive:(

Dublin141

Have you checked out any rescues? They often take puppies from the pounds. I have noticed that a couple of different ones have had lab cross pups lately. I've spotted quite a few older labs too. They require homechecks. Search around online and you might find something near you.

Edited to say that sometimes sites like donedeal have free puppies too.

messygirl

Hiya I was talking to my boyfriend about this and he was saying that people charge for puppies sometimes to make sure they are going to loving homes, like if they offer for free someone might say "why not" without thinking it through properly, which makes sense but is still annoying.

If you want a lab or retriever puppy (like 8-10 weeks) chances are you will have to fork out,bought my boyf a retriever (he wanted one and we picked him out together) and the pup was the most difficult dog they had. they had sheepdogs before but himself was so highly strung, too intelligent to obey commands unless he was getting something out of it and he had the garden in pieces, not to mention chewing anything he could get his hands on! I thought he was the biggest dote but I didnt have to house train him

Magenta

Dublin141 wrote: »

Have you checked out any rescues? They often take puppies from the pounds. I have noticed that a couple of different ones have had lab cross pups lately. I've spotted quite a few older labs too. They require homechecks. Search around online and you might find something near you.

I think it's a good idea to always charge a small fee for a puppy. If people have to spend their hard earned cash on something, they will think about it a bit more.

messygirl

on irishanimals.ie in the cork/kerry section there is a 10month lab for rehoming.

rehoming costs approx 150 for neutering/costs etc

cowzerp

messygirl wrote: »

Hiya I was talking to my boyfriend about this and he was saying that people charge for puppies sometimes to make sure they are going to loving homes, like if they offer for free someone might say "why not" without thinking it through properly, which makes sense but is still annoying.

what a load of crap!
they are making money, money does not equal loving homes.

View Profile

Well I see messygirls point.

If there is a some of money involved it might put off shisters looking for a dog.

Magenta

View Profile wrote: »

Well I see messygirls point.

If there is a some of money involved it might put off shisters looking for a dog.

Yeah, and I think that even subconsciously, the average Joe will always value something that little bit more if he had to spend money to get it.

Magenta

tbaymusicman wrote: »

Iv been to the pound and they had noting and i dont see the point in buying a purebred dog when there is so many unwanted pups i'd love a lab or retriever but there far to expensive:(

Hi OP
Check out this link http://petsireland.invisionzone.com/lofiversion/index.php/f4.html

There seems to be several Lab x puppies in the pounds needing homes

tootyflutty

Your post got me thinking about my own dogs. We paid for our mongrel pup, (about 20 pounds 16 years ago) but we have had 2 purebred dalmations with papers and all that we didn't pay for at all, and came with baskets, bowls and leads. Sam goes for our cats, had 3 and havn't had to pay for any of them, but we did give a donation to the rescue where we got the first one.
You should be able to rescue a lab/retriever somewhere if you really want one, and for free too. Even having to pay a 20-50 euro donation is not going to break the bank and you can see that the money is spent wisely. Look around at the different rescue centres there is usually plenty of lab crosses waiting to be re-homed.

Tony H

If you are interested in an older retriever there is a 5 year old golden in cottage rescue ( link below), im temped myself but I have a 9 month old golden retriever who is keeping me busy at the moment

http://cottagerescue.ie/dogs-needing-homes.html

tbaymusicman

fitzdragon wrote: »

If you are interested in an older retriever there is a 5 year old golden in cottage rescue ( link below), im temped myself but I have a 9 month old golden retriever who is keeping me busy at the moment

http://cottagerescue.ie/dogs-needing-homes.html

i think i will just save up a few quid and but one:D

anniehoo

cowzerp wrote: »

what a load of crap!
they are making money, money does not equal loving homes.

Cowzerp as a Mod im surprised at your reaction there. I can totally see Messygirls point of view as if you offered a CKCS,Cocker,Springer...any pedigree for that matter free of charge and hadnt put a whole lot of thought into it, a free dog over one that cost €400+ would take alot less consideration in some peoples minds imho. It doesnt make it right of course but there are alot of genuine breeders who ethically sell their dogs and why shouldnt they. Id be asking questions about a free pedigree, but there are many people who wouldnt, which is the point Mg is trying to make.

cowzerp

anniehoo wrote: »

Cowzerp as a Mod im surprised at your reaction there..

Im a regular poster on this forum, not a mod, i give my opinion the same as you do.

anniehoo wrote: »

I can totally see Messygirls point of view as if you offered a CKCS,Cocker,Springer...any pedigree for that matter free of charge and hadnt put a whole lot of thought into it, a free dog over one that cost €400+ would take alot less consideration in some peoples minds imho. It doesnt make it right of course but there are alot of genuine breeders who ethically sell their dogs and why shouldnt they. Id be asking questions about a free pedigree, but there are many people who wouldnt, which is the point Mg is trying to make.

i've 2 pedigree dogs that i rescued for free, gave donations by choice, they would have been put down-if you actually read my post i was stating that they do not take money for the good of the dog, they do for profit,

if they cared for dogs they would not add to the overcrowding of unwanted dogs and would work on rehoming perfect dogs from shelters that where purchased by morons that abandoned them as soon as they where not cute and fluffy, or took a bit of work and where not all fun and games.

I will never buy a dog and will always get any breed i want for free by rescuing, my dogs where saved from death and that to me makes owning them even better.

if you want to get all politically correct about my tone-:)

i dont care.

Call me Socket

You're talkings about breeders Cowzerp? Yes, breeders don't take money for the good of the dog, they sell in the hope of making a profit.
But rescues aren't trying to make profit....any money they get or ask for is used to either settle outstanding vet bills pertaining to the dog you adopt, or it's used to pay the vet in helping the next dog- in the latter case you're actually helping 2 dogs by adopting one.

Magenta

tbaymusicman wrote: »

i think i will just save up a few quid and but one:D

You asked about rescuing a puppy, you were given advice on how to do so, and even links to the type of puppy you were looking for, why did you post the thread if you're just going to buy a puppy from a breeder anyway? Labradors are possibly the most common breed in Ireland (or at least one of them) so you're not exactly searching for a needle in a haystack.

And a word to the wise- the initial cost of a puppy is nothing compared to what vet's bills can get to, so unless you're planning on getting and renewing pet insurance, I'd have a re-think before getting a dog. That's not to mention the cost of food, bedding, toys, kennels if you need to board the dog, etc etc.

Just my 2 cents

anniehoo

cowzerp wrote: »

Im a regular poster on this forum, not a mod, i give my opinion the same as you do.

Thats fair enough, but as a Mod, in whatever forum you're a Mod in, you should know that your "tone" i.e "thats crap", wouldve been hopped pretty quickly.Just because its here doesnt make it any different.

wrote:

they do not take money for the good of the dog, they do for profit,
if they cared for dogs they would not add to the overcrowding of unwanted dogs

Who exactly are the "they" you are referring to? While i agree that major changes need to be made in the breeding standards,welfare and selling of many pedigree dogs you cant tar all breeders with the same brush-if it is breeders you are referring to at all.

Yes, there are thousands of homeless pedigree/non ped dogs in this country but i dont begrudge anyone making money out of breeding dogs as long as it is done in an ethical,healthy and humane way.

Im not really sure why you took offence to what i said to you. Messygirl actually had a very valid point in saying it is probably better to charge for a dog rather than give it away for free in the hope you would find an owner who thought about their choice rather than a rash impulse.

wrote:

if you want to get all politically correct about my tone-:)
i dont care.

:rolleyes:

turtle21

It costs rescues money to care for their dogs.Their costs are always higher than their income in donations and for all it is a constant nerve wracking struggle to stay afloat.

It costs a breeder money to raise puppies.It's a very expensive process to do properly.Why should they then turn around and GIVE anyone the pups for free?
If it is too much for someone to pay for their puppy what is going to happen if the animal needs expensive veterinary care? Will that be "too much" too?
Raising a dog is expensive when done properly.Vaccinations,worm and flea treatments, good quality food, vet check ups etc,again if the owner can't afford 300 or so to buy the pup (average price of a Lab) how is he/she going to be able to afford the dog?
With few exceptions ( eg. gifts to friends) people who just give away puppies don't care too much for their dogs. And more often than not the litter was an 'accident' which tells you all you need to know about how responsible the owner is.

cowzerp

messygirl wrote: »

Hiya I was talking to my boyfriend about this and he was saying that people charge for puppies sometimes to make sure they are going to loving homes, like if they offer for free someone might say "why not" without thinking it through properly, which makes sense but is still annoying.

Rescues charge minor fee's for vet care or neuturing, this is not profit and fine.

Call me Socket wrote: »

You're talkings about breeders Cowzerp? Yes, breeders don't take money for the good of the dog, they sell in the hope of making a profit.

Thats exactly what im saying above.

anniehoo wrote: »

Who exactly are the "they" you are referring to? While i agree that major changes need to be made in the breeding standards,welfare and selling of many pedigree dogs you cant tar all breeders with the same brush-if it is breeders you are referring to at all.

They are what was referred to in the 1st post i replied to, "People" not shelters, people are not doing a favour charging for the dog, they are making profit, thats all i was saying.

turtle21 wrote: »

It costs rescues money to care for their dogs.Their costs are always higher than their income in donations and for all it is a constant nerve wracking struggle to stay afloat.

I support rescues and have no problem with costs been met.

turtle21 wrote: »

It costs a breeder money to raise puppies.It's a very expensive process to do properly.Why should they then turn around and GIVE anyone the pups for free?.

I've no problem with responsible breeders but would prefer if people saved a labrador than bought 1 of a breeder as then they have saved a life, the money is not an issue for me, its the saved life.

if the breeders are so responsible then the dogs they breed will be fine either way, but why do so many pedigree's end up in shelters? there clearly been sold to unsuitable people.

messygirl

Im all in favour of rescues but I would have no hesitation in buying from a breeder just because I feel comfortable knowing the personality of the dog and I can socialise it to deal with situations I know I will encounter (like if I live on a farm then the pup can get used to seeing sheep, hens, other dogs, tractors) and won't get mad due to excitement.

Regarding rescuing pups thats great idea but any rescues Ive looked at charge about 120, which is there right and it helps support a great cause.

People see others charging for dogs and think they will as well to recover losses (vet costs, food costs, vitamins, puppy food costs)

If you are looking for a free pup you will have to put your feelers out and use your contacts and may have to travel.

The Sweeper

Paying for a pup from a rescue can be better value, especially if it comes wormed, de-fleaed, fully vaccinated and neutered. The combined costs of having those things done independently are often more than the cost of the animal from the pound or rescue.

turtle21

In agreement with cowzerp here,getting a dog from a pound or a rescue is saving a life,and hey,pound dogs are free (the neutering voucher you get with the dog is worth a lot more than the release and license fees they charge)
This "you never know what you're getting" thing about rescue dogs confuses me. I'm assuming it refers to temperament. You don't "know" what you'll end up with when you buy a puppy either as every dog is an individual and it's not possible to see adult character in the eyes of a pup.It's easier to see what a dog is like when it's older.

star-pants

turtle21 wrote: »

This "you never know what you're getting" thing about rescue dogs confuses me. I'm assuming it refers to temperament. You don't "know" what you'll end up with when you buy a puppy either as every dog is an individual and it's not possible to see adult character in the eyes of a pup.It's easier to see what a dog is like when it's older.

I'd like to disagree slightly, yes dogs will always have their own personality, but if they've been brought up a certain way this will give them traits/habits that some people may not like.
We have rescued dogs from pounds before. One lived with us for 12-14years, another lasted a week and had to be brought back, it was very very vicious but only to females.

It's like with rottweilers and other dogs people are automatically afraid of, if they've been brought up correctly, why can't they be as sweet as any other dog?

tbaymusicman

Magenta wrote: »

You asked about rescuing a puppy, you were given advice on how to do so, and even links to the type of puppy you were looking for, why did you post the thread if you're just going to buy a puppy from a breeder anyway?

Because i want a puppy as in 14 weeks old not 6 month's i'd prefer a pup so the bond is stronger my mums dog came at a year and a half and he is very hesitant to bond with anyone and i dont want that:D:D

Thanks everyone do i think someone should possibly make a side thread about the fee ye were all on about!

boomerang

The idea that only a dog that you've have since puppyhood will bond completely with you is an old wives' tale. I've got two dogs - one adopted at twelve weeks old and the other adopter at about year old. They're both equally bonded to me.

If we as owners were to be honest, I think we would say that it's more a case that WE tend to feel more bonded to a dog we've had since it was a pup. I guess because defenceless little puppies bring out our maternal/paternal instincts and we watch them grow into our companions.

A dog will form a strong bond to you regardless of what age you adopt it. The question is, how strongly bonded will you feel towards that dog?

star-pants

Have to agree with Boomerang,
We got a 2 year old from a pound, very badly mistreated, we had her for 12-14years and she was part of the family, we'd a great bond.
We currently have an almost 3 year old (whom we got when she was 2) and a 7months old, and they're both well bonded with us. Would be distraught without us I'd say.

You can bond with any age of a dog I would think, if you spend enough time together.

Magenta

tbaymusicman wrote: »

Because i want a puppy as in 14 weeks old not 6 month's

Well you obviously didn't even bother yourself to look at the links I posted, because they were for puppies aged 7 weeks.

:rolleyes:

dungeon

Labs are gorgeous dogs but most people say they are better when crossed with certain other breeds. Don't know how true this is.

dungeon

Just looked at a few of the websites. Any sites in the Cork area?

Call me Socket

Magenta wrote: »

Well you obviously didn't even bother yourself to look at the links I posted, because they were for puppies aged 7 weeks.

:rolleyes:

:D:D:D:D Thanks for the loud giggle!

star-pants

dungeon wrote: »

Just looked at a few of the websites. Any sites in the Cork area?

Most websites like irishanimals.ie or donedeal.ie etc have sections for different parts of the country. Also I think animalcaresociety.ie are based in cork.