Getting a rescue dog?

shellynewe

Christmas week my best friend ( a 5 year old bichon) got sick very quicky and died 3 days later from liver failure, we are devestated and am still crying myself to sleep :-(
I have a toddler and she loved the dog too, in the near future i know i want another small dog but wont be making the mistake of taking out the the buy and sell that i did the last time (vet reckoned she prob had liver problems from birth but only came to light as she got older)
Id love to get one from the pound/rescue centre but could you really trust a dog that has been mistreated or abandoned with a child? I know you can never trust dogs and children completly but id had my dog since she was a small pup and knew her inside out
Is there a difference between a pound or rescue centre? Do they ever have young/ small breeds? Id love another bichon but dont care about it being purebred or papers, i just love the temperament of a bichon
If anyone has any advice that would be great

Blueprint

I'm very sorry for your loss.

Rescues get in quite a lot of surrenders due to changes in family circumstances etc. and usually have a policy of only rehoming young dogs or older dogs with a known history to families with young children. A lot of these dogs have been family pets who have been given up due to a variety of reasons, like change in their owners hours of work, new babies and house moves etc. and have no issues at all.

All breeds of dogs end up in rescue. I do some volunteer work for MADRA in Galway and they've had literally every type of dog in there in the last year, many great family dogs. You might have to wait a while for the right dog to come along.

Have a look on here and you'll see the huge variety of dogs needing homes out there: http://www.irishanimals.ie/homes.html

verywell

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I would be devastated too.

Try: www.adogslife.ie. You can also find them on facebook.

They seem to have a good policy re rehoming dogs and there is loads to choose from.

You could try foster a dog for them either.

shellynewe

Thanks i have been peeping at the websites but a lof of them have policies that they dont re home with young children unless its a puppy and that they rarely have puppies?
On another note, i know nobody can say for sure if a dog would be healthy but if you mixed 2 breeds to make a mutt and one of them is prone to health issues would the mixed breed still be prone? Ive heard that king charles have health issues but if you mixed a bichon and king charles what would happen?

andreac

shellynewe wrote: »

Thanks i have been peeping at the websites but a lof of them have policies that they dont re home with young children unless its a puppy and that they rarely have puppies?
On another note, i know nobody can say for sure if a dog would be healthy but if you mixed 2 breeds to make a mutt and one of them is prone to health issues would the mixed breed still be prone? Ive heard that king charles have health issues but if you mixed a bichon and king charles what would happen?

Please dont intentionally go looking for these so called designer breeds. They are bred with little or no regard for the dog and its health, only to make money by back yard breeders.
A lot of the time, these pups can inherit health problems of both breeds so can be double the trouble and not less problems like some people think.

Blueprint

It's impossible to predict, as they could inherit the genes from either parent. If you mix two breeds with similar health issues, they won't be any healthier than pure-breds.

I'd advise calling up a rescue and discussing your requirements with them, as no one on the internet can answer your questions as well as they can!

shellynewe

Thanks i will have a chat to them one day, its too soon right now

Dilbert75

http://petsireland.invisionzone.com/ - worth a look if you're not aware of it...

shellynewe

Ive seen these 'designer breeds' on certain websites (how are they getting away with charging so much money for them????) I was thinking if I saw a mix in the pound what would the implications be health wise, the health is the main concern after what happened last week to us
As i said id really love a bichon in the dog but doesnt have to be purebred

andreac

shellynewe wrote: »

Ive seen these 'designer breeds' on certain websites (how are they getting away with charging so much money for them????) I was thinking if I saw a mix in the pound what would the implications be health wise, the health is the main concern after what happened last week to us
As i said id really love a bichon in the dog but doesnt have to be purebred

Because foolish people are paying the money:rolleyes: They are given cute names and people think they are getting a bargain for a made up breed of dog.
Theres nothing wrong with getting a cross breed but you dont need to pay hundreds of euro for one, as there are thousands of them free in pounds and rescue everyday.
Health wise, you never know what you are getting and how a dog will turn out if its a mongrel so its a chance you take. Most pedigree dogs suffer from certain conditions so if you decide to get a pedigree then its absol vital you do your research and go through the breed club for recommendations for breeders and litters.

Dtoffee

We got a rescue dog from 'dogs in distress' about a month ago and I cannot recommend them highly enough. Everything was upfront and first class service, our newest member of the family is great and has settled in very quickly.

dvet

shellynewe wrote: »

Id love to get one from the pound/rescue centre but could you really trust a dog that has been mistreated or abandoned with a child?

Yeah, a lot of rescues do assessments of all of the dogs they are trying to rehome and will be able to tell you what kind of personality they have, whether or not they get on with children/other pets, and what kind of background they've come from. They may even know some medical history of the dog. It's actually great, as often when you buy a puppy you won't know what kind of personality they'll turn out to have when they're older. A good rescue centre would never let you take a dog that might be unsuitable for children/for your circumstances.

On the issue of whether purebreds/designer dogs/mongrels are healthy, it depends on what breed or breed mixes you're talking about, but even more important is that (if you're buying them), they come from a responsible breeder. A lot of pure breed dogs have health problems, but a good breeder is aware of these, test their dogs for them, and will only breed from those who are proven to be healthy. They will also be more interested in the the health/welfare/future home of the pups than in the profit they're going to make.

It takes a bit more research and time to find pups from this kind of breeder, but it's worth it - there's too many 'chancers' out there hoping you'll buy from them because the pups are 'so cute'...never mind the health issues!

verywell

dvet wrote: »

A good rescue centre would never let you take a dog that might be unsuitable for children/for your circumstances.

....but a good breeder ....... will also be more interested in the the health/welfare/future home of the pups than in the profit they're going to make....

Major +1

cjf

I also adopted from Dogs in Distress and I found it was good as all the dogs and pups live with foster families until they are homed. They have no shelter so all dogs are fostered by volunteers. Many of the foster families have children and as they live in foster homes the fosters get to know them very well and have loads of info on their likes and dislikes and the type of home that will suit them best. www.dogsindistress.org/forum is the website you can see the dogs they currently have in foster care.

suziwalsh

I highly recommend www.dogstrust.ie they always have pups and also will help you with advice etc choosing a pup for your family.

magentas

shellynewe wrote: »

Id love to get one from the pound/rescue centre but could you really trust a dog that has been mistreated or abandoned with a child? I know you can never trust dogs and children completly but id had my dog since she was a small pup and knew her inside out

sorry for your loss shellynewe:(

you would be surprised by the amount of dogs that are being surrendered to shelters now by families that for whatever reason cannot look after them any more, many of these dogs would not have a bad history (abuse etc) and would have been family pets and well used to children.

The most common reason appears to be families immigrating to other countries to find work and they cannot bring the dog with them,
these dogs are well mannered and socialized and I'm sure miss their own families

most shelters can give you an assessment of every dog they have, based on their temperment, energy levels, basic obediance etc. and will work with you to find your perfect pet:)