Rescue vs Breeder

[Anonymous]

I know the knee-jerk answer is “rescue!” but help me think this through:

Kids are 7 and 10, begging for a dog. I SAH but might be going back part time in a year or two. DH and I raised a puppy once early in our marriage and our dog ended up awesome. But that was 14 years ago and I didn’t have any kids then. Here are my thoughts in no real order:

Rescue is cheaper plus there are so many dogs who need homes
I’m worried about problems the rescue group leaves out or doesn’t mention (not interested in special needs dogs)
Many rescues are 6-8 years old, leaving a remaining life expectancy of 6-8 more years (we are looking at low-shed small dogs) - is that fair to the kids to not have the dog longer?
Puppies are more work but kids will get to experience “having a puppy”
We will get to have the puppy longer (this can be good and bad)

Thoughts? Be kind please!

[Anonymous]

Can't you get a rescue puppy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can't you get a rescue puppy?

If I can find a low shed one, that would be great, no luck so far in months of searching.

[Anonymous]

https://puppyfinder.com/shih-tzu-dogs-for-adoption-in-springfield-virginia/luke-leah-shih-tzu-long-coat-dog-for-adoption-991508

https://www.adoptapet.com/pet/22615935-springfield-virginia-maltese-mix

http://www.shihtzurescue.org/as/contents/dogs.shtml#action_0=pet&animalID_0=9846229&petIndex_0=4

[Anonymous]

There aren't really that many dogs that need homes. Shelters and rescues are importing dogs from all over the country because there aren't enough dogs to meet the demand here.

It's not easy to get a puppy from a breeder, but that's the route I'd go if I was picky about what type of dog to get. We got a rescue puppy last year but we'll get out next puppy from a breeder.

[Anonymous]

What breeds are you considering? We have the same considerations and are looking for small to medium low shed dogs but not finding any that we really like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There aren't really that many dogs that need homes. Shelters and rescues are importing dogs from all over the country because there aren't enough dogs to meet the demand here.

It's not easy to get a puppy from a breeder, but that's the route I'd go if I was picky about what type of dog to get. We got a rescue puppy last year but we'll get out next puppy from a breeder.

Please cite. This is a ridiculous statement.

[Anonymous]

Low/no shed generally = groomer, which is a time and expense consideration to include in your planning. Honestly, I would find it easier to bathe and brush a 'regular' dog than to have to schedule grooming, but that's just me.

There are lots of breed-specific rescues in the region if you know exactly what you want; you might wait a bit for a dog, but that's the same with a reputable breeder.

Re: "not knowing what you're getting", that's equally true of any puppy. Dogs aren't blank slates, temperamentally - there are a lot of things you can do to set a puppy up for success, but there's absolutely no guarantee he/she will mature into a dog who likes kids or other dogs, relaxes easily around new things, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There aren't really that many dogs that need homes. Shelters and rescues are importing dogs from all over the country because there aren't enough dogs to meet the demand here.

It's not easy to get a puppy from a breeder, but that's the route I'd go if I was picky about what type of dog to get. We got a rescue puppy last year but we'll get out next puppy from a breeder.

Please cite. This is a ridiculous statement.

Not the PP but there is a some truth to it. As I understand it this region does manage to adopt out all its dogs. And thankfully the US as a whole is allegedly on course to within in a few years no longer have to euthanize unwanted dogs.

But the US is not there yet and dogs have been shuttled around for years to match supply with demand so the earlier posters overall point is not really valid - in this region apparently Baltimore often has to export unwanted dogs so its not like they are flying dogs in from Hawaii.

[Anonymous]

Rescue! You can get a dog of any age, though you might have to wait for one that is the perfect age. Do any of the shelters or rescues near you do "meet and greets"?

[Anonymous]

If you are looking for a small non-shedding dog, you may find that you need to go to a breeder to get a young dog without issues. Small and non-shedding tend to get adopted pretty quickly and aren't given up as frequently without 'issues'. If you were looking for a big goofy dog that sheds a lot, on the other hand ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know the knee-jerk answer is “rescue!” but help me think this through:

Kids are 7 and 10, begging for a dog. I SAH but might be going back part time in a year or two. DH and I raised a puppy once early in our marriage and our dog ended up awesome. But that was 14 years ago and I didn’t have any kids then. Here are my thoughts in no real order:

Rescue is cheaper plus there are so many dogs who need homes
I’m worried about problems the rescue group leaves out or doesn’t mention (not interested in special needs dogs)
Many rescues are 6-8 years old, leaving a remaining life expectancy of 6-8 more years (we are looking at low-shed small dogs) - is that fair to the kids to not have the dog longer?
Puppies are more work but kids will get to experience “having a puppy”
We will get to have the puppy longer (this can be good and bad)

Thoughts? Be kind please!

We ended up with breeders after trying rescues.

Basically, not all rescues will make great fits with families. And some pounds won't let you even have a dog if your children are under such and such an age. A breeder we could meet the parents and get a sense for temperament and be matched a little better than rescue. And the dog grows up with the children.

It worked for us.

[Anonymous]

There are tons of rescue puppies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can't you get a rescue puppy?

These people rescue puppies and pregnant dogs from high kill shelters. They always have TONS of puppies and adoption events every weekend. I got our pitbull mix puppy from them (she was 8 weeks) AND a low shed poodle mix (sooo cute at 12 weeks). I wanted a low shed mix but had to wait like 4 month until they had one. Then I had to go to their adoption event at the crack of dawn to make sure I was first so I had first pick. My neighbor got pre registered by them and stalked their facebook page for 6 months and finally found a low shed mix (airedale Terrier).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't you get a rescue puppy?

These people rescue puppies and pregnant dogs from high kill shelters. They always have TONS of puppies and adoption events every weekend. I got our pitbull mix puppy from them (she was 8 weeks) AND a low shed poodle mix (sooo cute at 12 weeks). I wanted a low shed mix but had to wait like 4 month until they had one. Then I had to go to their adoption event at the crack of dawn to make sure I was first so I had first pick. My neighbor got pre registered by them and stalked their facebook page for 6 months and finally found a low shed mix (airedale Terrier).

Opps, forgot the link: https://www.lastchanceanimalrescue.org/