You will not believe what has just happened!

Further to the sh*t time we had at the dogs home on Saturday, I had an email this morning from a woman in Oxford.

She has a two and a half year old chocolate labrador named Thunder. As a result of various events, she is unable to keep and she wants him to go to a loving home before having no choice but to give him to a rescue centre. She doesn't want any cash but saw my Wanted ad (which I put out long before I spoke to guys on here) and thought we sounded lovely.

I've emailed her asking the following:-

1) What is he like when he's left on his own?
2) What's he like with other dogs?

She has actually answered some of them in her original email. She said, "he is a very quiet and very calm dog and he loves to play, he is nurtured and thunder has been raised around children."

As I have said before, in case you're wondering about the change of heart, we want to home an animal that needs rescuing (she said she will have to give him to rescue if she can't find a home for him). Also, we were looking for an young older dog (if that makes sense) who can be left and one that is fairly quiet.

What do you guys think?

He is a gorgeous dog and we're soooooo excited! That said, are there any other questions you would suggest asking? As I have said before, we don't want to make a mistake or waste anyone's time.

well i think its a hard one, as you had said in your thread that your other reason was that having to get a dog walker in etc and if your expenses wouldnt stretch to it.

On the other hand it could be fate !

I think you would need to find out the reasons for giving up, meet the dog at her home ( never neutral territory) see his records they have for him, see what he is like and then make a decision.

or if all your previous reasons for the change of heart still stand then you should just email the woman and explain that your circumstances have changed.

Its a hard decision and I think you sound very sensible but it is a big responsibility and you have to do it for the right reasons not just because there is a dog being offered to you if you see what I mean,

Do you know why she is rehoming him?

Does she live far from you? Would she be willing for you to have a trial run with him? Does his breeder not want him back in this situation...does he have any health issues...what's he like around cats etc...what's his recall like...does he escape easily...what's he like around other dogs...how old were the children he was raised around...is he food aggressive...is he an indoor dog or does he sleep outside...
Hope that helps!

Lol! That's a lot of information and questions in two posts!! She didn't reply much as I think she wanted to find out how interested we were before typing a really long email - which is totally fair enough!

She didn't say what the circumstances of his rehoming were so I do intend on asking her when she next gets in touch (emailed her home email and tel number).

She lives about 40-50 miles away in Oxford.

My other half (who is as sensible about things as me) thinks this is "fate". He said, "We saw how many Staffys and Mastiffs and Terriers at that rescue centre - how often do you think someone wants to rehome a 2.5 year old Labrador?" And I think, to a degree, he has a point.

Brundog - We are more than ready to take responsibility for our actions and the post above was meant to reflect that. If we can find out as much about the dog as possible before agreeing to take it then I don't think we can go far wrong. To a degree, this woman is going to "big" the dog up to get him homed but on the other hand, she's contacted us wanting to home in the right place. And as I have said in previous posts, I would do anything (even go without food - which I did with my sick kitten) to ensure they are kept safe, warm and happy (although I don't think it will come to that).

Ramble - thanks for all those questions. They are all extremely important and I shall ensure that, unless she answer all those questions with the answer we want to hear, we won't be taking him.

Saturday's experience at the dogs home really made us both negative if I'm honest. From that one woman (grr) we decided that no one was ever going to give us a dog (because we wanted to house a dog that didn't have a home) because no one would believe we could afford to give it the care it needs.

Both me and my partner are in excellent jobs that, quite frankly, pay extremely well. Equally, if anything did happen to either job, we both have transferable skills which would enable us to get a job within a week or so.

There are a surprising number of labs that end up in rescue to be honest...there are lots of lab rescue groups though so they are often rehomed through them.

I would be wanting to meet the dog 2 or 3 times, at their home, out and about in a park off lead etc, with any children the dog would come into contact with, before agreeing to anything. I would also want as much info as possible about the dog, including up to date vet records, what food it's on etc....

My only advice is to meet the dog beforehand and ask as many questions as you can think of regarding WHY he needs to be rehomed.

If she answers them all to your satisfaction, I'd say you've found your dog!

hi lara - i didnt mean to imply that you didnt, it was just that from your previous post on the other thread, you did mention that if things changed then a dog walker might not become an option etc.

as i have said I think you sound like the type of want to be a dog owner that everyone should be - thoroughly thinking about something before taking it on, however, i just meant that just because there is a dog being offered doesnt mean to say that its something you should do if you have made the previous decision for valid reasons. IYSWIM

I would definetly be interested to see if the woman has contacted the breeder of the dog etc as if its a pure lab then i would think the breeder or breed rescue woudl be able to home it too.

Anyway I wish you luck with this and I hope I didnt offend you by questioning your income i didnt mean it like that anyway !

Hi there
Just wanted to add that labs ROCK!! They make wonderful pets
The only thing is they really are very socialable and would not like to be left for more than a few hours - but you seem to have your head screwed on and know how you will sort this out.
They do chew(a lot!) and most lab owners will agree with me that labs dont tend to grow up until two or three years of age!
They are also good at escaping!!
They can walk for miles and miles but are just as happy to stay home and sleep on your feet

Good advice from everyone else, do your homework, go to see him, and if you do get him I want to see loads of pics!!

Good luck x

I looked at the only Labrador rescue near us on Saturday night. All their dogs were over 8 years old and the only one that wasn't had been treated so badly, he was only to be homed by adults.

Now this is no offence to anyone, this is just our personal opinion but we want a dog that will grow up with my partner's daughter so she will learn how to handle them. She's quite scared of them at the moment (clung to me the entire time we were at the rescue centre on Saturday) so want a young-ish dog that she can grow up with and learn to love and also, as they get older, inevitably, the vets bills will increase.

We want to home a dog that we can have for lots of years rather than one that we have for a few years.

Honeysmummy said it for me......does he chew, as labs do