My bird and I are currently looking at getting a dog and I was hoping a few on here could offer some advice on finding one, pet insurance and breeds.
We're heading up to Battersea on Saturday, but I'm a little bit cautious about rescue dogs. My parents have had them in the past, with some good results, but they have a lot more experience handling dogs then me and I don't want to bring a pup home only to find I can't look after it. Anyone on here ever adopted one? I'm not really fussed about the breed provided it'll be able to walk for a few miles without collapsing and chase a stick. Ideally I'd like a greyhound, but that won't fly with my bird whose grown up with pekingeses and who wants something she can fuss over. The other problem we have is that we live in a flat. I work shifts in the evening so will be around all day to walk it etc, but it still doesn't seem right to get anything too big as there just wouldn't be space for it. My other main concern is around pet insurance. I've been quoted between £10 and £25 a month, but there seem to be a lot of variables/add ons/exclusions. Can anyone shed some light? obviously it's breed dependent, but I'd appreciate any help.
I'd buy a little terrier cross / rescue .. terriers love to chase the stick / tend to be inteligent , and are a sturdy dog .. insurance , tough call - neither my Staffs are insured , I paid £22 for 4 years , so over £800 and never used it .. but it looks like my blue boy may need an op on his back leg , which could set me back a grand or more .. hence moving some gear on for a little fund for him .. wether you buy pup or older you're never gonna know , but at least with a dog of 1 and above you stand a good chance he/she is house trained - vital in your flat , socialised around kids / people / other dogs / cats , and at the rescue place they should know it's character ..
Rescue dogs are great if you dont have kids. probably good idea getting a bit of history/background, common sense stuff really. dogs are like kids . need lots of love, attention and excercise otherwise they can go a bit funny. I would love to get a Rott but the missus is having none of it.. Great family dogs but dont like strangers Good Luck
Totally agree with thesaint, if you go down the rescue path be prepared for some hard graft and patience. Insurance wise we have the basic cover for major stuff that can go wrong and pay about £12 a month
Never had insurance for any of my dogs,Greyhounds are a great dog as they don't need a lot of exercise and have got a great nature,but I would recommend a Staffie all of mine have been brilliant
A small terrier like a Border might be a good option for you. I've never had pet insurance and got away with it on my previous two dogs, a Staff and a Staff cross. Never had any major problems with either. We have a Yorkie now and last year it cost us £700+, a bigger dog would have been a lot more, to have a luxating patella put right in his knee so it's a difficult call on insurance but at least it gives you some piece of mind.
good on you going the rescue option,there are some fantastic rescue dogs out there,but,its a big but,a lot of them have been mistreated and will need a lot of time to adjust and trust you,but the rewards are massive. we have two boxers at the moment,neither rescue because of our two young children.
Got a border terrier , to be fair it's no trouble, needs stripping twice a year which costs about £30 a time . As a breed they don't have any medical problems.
Cheers for the advice lads. Its something we've talked about for a couple of years, but with work its just not been possible. I've read through everything on the battersea/dogs trust websites, but there are still a lot of questions to be answered. My parent's last dog had been quite badly abused and while she had a very calm temperament she seemed terrified of strangers and would probably be a bit of a stretch for me (they'd had several dogs over the years from a range of circumstances). As for the breeds, a terrier seems like a good compromise, but it'll really depend on the personality. Insurance sounds as expected. I think it'll be worth getting just incase.
Be very cautious of rescue dogs. A few years back my Grandparents went to Battersea and were 'advised' as to what dog would be best suited. It was a Staffy cross. The dog was fine with my Grandad but snarled at my Nan when he wasn't around. In the end the dog attacked my Nan and she ended up with 70 odd stitches across her chest.
Their rehoming policy may have changed but best to find out as much as you possibly can about the dog. This dog obviously was obviously mistreated by a woman in the past and my Nan payed the price.
Dirty old river, must you keep rolling, Flowing into the night.......
My advice, seriously, if you've never had one......don't do it!
They will be the best friend you will ever,ever have, they will give you unconditional, no strings attached love and will break your heart when they go!
^^^ this.........we've had 3 staffs, 2 have past and the 3rd we had to rehome at the age of 4 as it was growling at the new baby, attacked the cat and bit the new owner when we found him a place, but the new owner still has him and he sends us pictures etc and the dog is much better suited there...some dogs are a 1 man animal I found. Said I would never get any more dogs as it just breaks your heart when they go and you never forget them. After all this the misses went out and got a Yorkshire terrier and I tell you what after having staffs, which are a demanding breed this bloody thing is great you don't even know its there..it couldn't hurt any one even if it wanted. As regards insurance I never had it for any animal but then again it depends on the breed, staffs are hardy dogs. Whatever breed you get they are a big commitment on time, money. The rewards are amazing!
Quote: get the beer in wrote in post #13My advice, seriously, if you've never had one......don't do it!
They will be the best friend you will ever,ever have, they will give you unconditional, no strings attached love and will break your heart when they go!
Very True! I had a first cross German Shepherd/ Black Lab called Seb who lived until he was 19! absolutley broke my heart when he had to go! This was about 15 yrs ago... I still think about him now and have only just spread his ashes in the local woods as they stayed under my bed for years.
The most loyal and best friend you'll ever have.
Dirty old river, must you keep rolling, Flowing into the night.......
Bought the kids a Cocker Spaniel pup 18mths ago and it quickly became my dog.
Best £700 I ever spent honest. Love the little thing to death.
I live in a semi rural area so there's loads of fields & farm land to walk him on and boy can he walk. 6-7 mile a day and he would walk further if I'd let him. Intelligent little thing too, house trained in 2 days and never done his business in the house.
The only thing is, he's a gun dog and if he gets a whiff of grouse, woodcock etc he's off and gone for an hour. Always comes back though
I wonder why I've never had a dog before because he is ace.
Now toying with the idea of getting a doberman pup as a playmate for him.
OFF HAND
Print view
Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:10 pm
reply
