The problem with rescue is its a minefield, for example Dogs trust won't re-home puppies with people who work (they actually state 'do not call if you work more than 1-2 hours'on one of their FB groups.) Some rescues won't rehome if you have another entire dog in the household, if you have children under a certain age or if your fencing is not 6 foot. it is a shame as it must rule out so many homes It makes me so angry!

good luck with whatever you decide.

More than one to two hours? Geez.

Why not just say "Will not rehome to anyone who is not rich and has to work for a living. Must own mansion and at least 4 acres of fenced in land (6 foot or higher). Swimming pool for dogs a plus!"

I love rescues and I love my rescue dog but I think some places are RIDICULOUS in their requirements and the fact that so many would go to rescue but can't because they have kids or work or don't have a fence or aren't purple and polka-dotted just really bothers me.

I've done both; we had a Rough Collie from a breeder and brought him home aged eight weeks. He was adorable and had the most wonderful temperament.

Now I have my beloved Dexter - a rescue who had been dumped in the pound. Couldn't love him more, I absolutely adore him.

Now that being said, if you do decide to go down the rescue route, may I offer a few tips that I wish someone had told me...?


1 - ask if you can walk the dog; they'll send someone from the rescue with you but you'll still get to see how the dog is around people, other dogs. You'll find out if he is good on the lead or if it's a nightmare. Even if that doesn't affect your decision, at least you'll go into it with your eyes open.

2 - see if you can visit the dog more than once. In fact go as many times as they will let you!

3 - some rescues such as Battersea e.g. will thoroughly assess all dogs before placing them.

But some of the rescue groups, which don't have kennels of their own etc, do amazing work but do not always assess as carefully. I know this is true from personal experience. So just be aware of this going in.

Best of luck whatever you decide!

All my dogs have been rescues except for Otis who is Bessie's (RIP) son.
I will always rescue dogs rather than go to a breeder as there are so many out there who need my loving!!

We decided to have a rescue because we didn't want a puppy I also wanted to give a dog in need a new home. I would like to get a second dog at some point and it will probably be a rescue because i don't think Ted would tolerate a puppy and i would hopefully be able to match the right dog personality for both of us which would be easier with a older dog. I would like at some point to have a puppy which i could bring up and train but that won't be for a long time yet and i don't know if i would go rescue or breeder it would depend on my circumstances at the time. Good luck

I personally will always get a rescue... i cannot justify getting a dog from a breeder when dogs are dying in kennels. Sorry, i just cant do it! I got my dog from a rescue as an 8 week old pup, and he is a fabulous wee boy! Best dog ever

Plenty pups show up in rescue.

Re. the first bit in bold... i also find that very sad my old boy Sam was owned before we got him, and he was always very much ours... He wasnt some dog we were just looking after, he was ours! I do find that statement very very sad...

Re. the second bit in bold... whats wrong with SBTs and crossbreeds?

I have both at the moment, but most of my dogs have been rescues. We went down the breeder route for Meg, as my OH had always wanted a Goldie, and his Mum bought him a lapdog when he was a kid not the same. I had been disappointed with some Goldies I had encountered on walking our other dogs, some very DA, some just not how I remembered Goldies to be as a kid. Through my Dad, he knew someone who bred really lovely Goldens, that worked, but were also great family dogs. So, we waited until their next litter, which was 18 months, and during this time travelled back and forth to see them and their dogs. It was worth it as sadly there seems to be lots of puppy farmed Goldens , and we were willing to wait. She is everything we expected, the breeder still keeps in touch, and I can't imagine not having a Golden in my life now.

Mack is the complete opposite, not well bred, he was a pup who needed a home badly, we had the time and the space, and just did it, and I'd do the same again in a heartbeat.

I think you have do what is right for you, I think I will always try to rescue first, there are just so many lovely dogs needing homes, and it doesn't bother me that someone has owned them before, or they may not be pure breeds.

There are some things I'd never do though, like buy a dog with a designer name, as any breeder who labels a crossbreed with a stupid name, is never doing it for the right reasons. If I want a doodle, cavapoo or whatever they are, I'd go to the local rescue and pick one out.

Dogs and children- of course with responsible training dogs and children can co exist happily! But their are some breeds that are just too strong for children of a certain age hence the child age rescriction!


Fence height restriction- Because some dogs could easily scale most fences! One of the most important things you need to think about when getting a dog is ensuring your dog can't escape thus having the right size fence for the right breed.

Cats and other dogs - Of course you must consider existing pets needs! Would they like having another large animal in the house?? And naturally some dogs being re homed have all ready been tested to see if they can live with cats and dogs

Staffordshirebull terrirors - poor dogs! So many of this breed existing in re homing centres yet people are still breeding and selling them. Unfortunately I don't think id be strong enough for a breed like this. Their popularity is like their downfull too :<

Im happy to say though after doing some more researching of the Miniture Schnauzer they say you could leave one on its own for at least 4-5 hours! I thought that was quite some time of course one must realise that a dog is a pack animal and loves its poeple leaving it alone all day could cause it to bark and upset the neighbours one of the reasons a friend of the family had to give up their dog plus she had gone into a fulltime job and didn't know about daycare at the time.

Even me ? What a rude way to put that !

Well even rescues get it wrong sometimes - dogs bounce back, or they are put into situations where they have to be rerescued. One rescue we visited in our quest for a chihuahua turned out to be taking dogs from an (at the time) well known puppy farm. To me they were simply enabling the puppy farm to carry on with no consequences to them at all. Another offered us a dog and just as we were leaving someone turned up who actually owned the dog and it turned out the dog had been stolen.

So chances of us making a mistake is quite large IMO

So we will still to going to a breeder where we can check who they are and have a reasonable idea if they are genuine.

Both of mine came from breeders,even though there were lots in rescue.We wanted to show with a view to breeding too.
We had a couple of poor experiences with rescue dogs(different breeds)

There are quite a few SBT pups going through rescue at the moment as young as 8 weeks old,some are even born into rescue,I am a lightweight,5ft 4,only 9 stone yet I can handle both of mine,as long as you are firm,fair and consistant,have clear boundries and rules then they are fine.
Both of mine are happy to just plod along walking to heel on a slack lead.
They are a lovely breed,very misunderstood and you are correct they are a victim of there own popularity,so sad