home needing a puppy!!!!!!!!! ENQUIRE WITHIN xxxxxxxx?

Question

hi id really love to rehome a puppy trouble is i dont have a lot of money at all with it just being christmas nd me being a parent i spent a fortune AS USUAL!!!!!!!!!
I have 2 rabbits and tropical fish the dog must be very good with toddlers as i have a 3 year old who loves tostroke animals - gently of course as rabbits dont take kindly to being played with roughly.
Id idealy like a shar pei but i realise this is un acheivable on a smalll budget, id also like a german shepherd, alsation, bull mastiff, golden retriever or a labrador
preferably not too old but i am open to ANY offers outside these as soon as i see the dog i want ill know it is that dog

I AM NOT, MEANING I DONT HAVE A LOT OF MONEY TO FEED AND LOOK AFTER THE DOG WITH I MEAN JUST TO PURCHASE THE DOG WITH AS SOME DOGS ARE £1000 + SO U SEE I MEAN A SMALL BUDGET COMPARED WITH THIS
OBVIOUSLY I REALISE DOGS AND RABBITS ARE DIFFERENT + WAS JUST TRYING TO SHOW HE CAN BE CAREFUL WHEN IT COMES TO ANIMALS LIKE HORSES BIRDS OF ALL TBREEDS, RABBITS, FISH ETC ETC HE IS USED TO DOGS AND CATS AND SO MANY ANIMALS FOR ALMOST 4 YEARS HE KNOWS TO LOOK AFTER THEM RESPECT THEM AND B CAREFUL AND GENTLE WITH ANIMALS
THANKS TO U GUYS WHO R TRYING TO HELP AND NOT B A B*I*T*C*H
I THOUGH I BETTER SAY THE DOG IS NOT BEING BOUGHT FOR MY SON AS SOME PPL WRONGLY MISINTERPRETATED
THANKX

Answer 1

I've just replied to your other question with Rescue Dog details & then I saw this one & what type you're looking for ... so you probably won't be interested in the gorgeous Springer puppy ... but maybe you will be (if you have the time etc) in Blink - a Mastiff cross puppy.

http://www.dawgdogs.co.uk/blink.html

The only problem with him is that he is deaf & so you'll have to teach him sign language. If you had the time, inclination & a big enough heart to cope with him then I'm sure that he'd make a wonderful pet. He's adorable.

Oh, there is another problem too - they'd like to rehome him somewhere where there is another dog ... so, do you fancy two dogs then? lol

Buster looks quite sweet ... great tongue!
http://www.dawgdogs.co.uk/Buster.html

I'm sure that someone would deliver to you if you were having both ... though I must admit you might be taking on a little much, especially as you have a little one at home.

I must admit that they do have some lovely looking puppies (with such sad stories behind their needing new homes) on the site - here's the link to the main rehoming page ...
http://www.dawgdogs.co.uk/Re-Homing.html

The only one, probably no good for you at all is Alfie ... but hopefully he'll find a perfect home soon ... he's really handsome ... anyone reading this looking for a grey/blue scruffy terrier???


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PS Check out Major Tom on this site:
http://www.waggytails.org.uk/WTAdoptionList.aspx
Major Tom is a 12 week old German Shepherd

Answer 2

As you don't have a lot of money a smaller dog would be a lot cheaper to feed. Owning a dog is like marriage, insickness and health, for better and for worse. People don't realise how much owning a dog can cost. You may think you can afford to feed it but you must consider when you need to pay your vet bills. The first few years are not to bad just boosters if your lucky but as it gets older like humans the health problems begin.

I have a dog that's got pancrinitus, a hearth murmur, he's going deaf and blind he had testical cancer last year and he's been diabetic for the last 2 years. I'm lucky that I can afford to have him treated as I have no children. In the last 3 yrs he's cost me well over £2,500. I don't go on holidays.A lot of people say that I'm stupid and should have him put to sleep but as long as he wants to keep going then I'll do what it takes. You need to take this sort of thing into account, would you be able to afford it if anything goes wrong.

I think I read somewhere that the average dog costs well over £10,000 in it's life time. That's buying the dog, toys, beds, leads, bowls, feeding, vet bills plus any furniture and flooring it may damage..

Sorry to put a dampener on things.

Answer 3

If you go to a rescue place, you will have to fill in a questionnaire, and you will be asked an inordinate amount of questions about your lifestyle, if you want something like a German Shepherd (German Shepherd and Alsatian are the same breed) they will want to make certain that you have a fence around your garden of at least 5 feet high! AT LEAST!! as they can scale a vertical fence without running up to it, I have a 9 month old GSD who if I let her would go over my fence now and I have been keeping them for 30 years! What I am trying to say is that it's not only the cost of vets fees and feeding that you have to take into consideration, let the rescue place advise you on what breed would suit.

Answer 4

I think that getting dogs for young toddlers is the main reason that gives dogs a bad name. A kid that young can't possibly know to be gentle at all times, you can't be around at all times and one day the kid will jam a pen into the dog's eye or ear, the dog will snap in agonizing pain and will have to be put down.
Who's fault?
The kid's parents, for getting a dog for a child too young to know right from wrong.
Dogs and rabbits are very different animals, and a dog doesn't go back in the cage after the kid has had his fun.

Also, if you are on a small budget, have you considered the huge vet bills that a bigger pet can require?

Good luck.

Answer 5

Goodness, Heather, your poor dog has been through the mill! Putting my cat to sleep was one of the hardest things I have ever done, especially as I had my toddler with me who adored the cat. Luckily he was young enough to not realise what was happening.

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If you are certain you want to get a dog, I would certainly steer clear of big breeds like German Shepherds, Bull Mastiffs, etc. Think about how big your toddler is and how big these dogs are in comparison! Also, as mentioned, they can be aggressive breeds.

Labradors have a slightly better reputation for being with children, but with a 3 year old, I would still be considering something smaller, but avoid the snappier, yappy type dogs like Jack Russells and yorkshire terriers - I have nothing against any of these breeds, I would have a Yorkie or a jack russell myself, but with a young child, I would be wary.

The problem with a dog around children is that they can be unpredictable. My in'laws have a bassett hound who is my 22 month old's best friend, but every now and then Alex will be caught pulling her tail or ears, and all it might take is for him to stand on her paw for her to snap, one day.

I would advise going to a rescue centre or looking in your local paper for dogs looking for homes, but I would avoid a puppy and avoid old dogs - puppies are too excitable and you will have the hassle of trying to train etc, and older dogs are going to have less tolerance for a boisterous child.

Perhaps if you find a dog you like, you could arrange for your child to visit them a few times so you can see how they get on, without committing yourself to taking a dog whihc might then be unsuitable.

Alternatively, what about a cat? My toddler adores our cats, and the benefit is, the cat is more likely to run and hide when it has had enough of being prodded and poked!

Good Luck with whatever you decide.

Answer 6

Um, I really woudnt get an Alsation, German Shepard, Bull Mastiff , they are all lovely dogs but they can be prone to aggresiveness and can be quite unreliable. But I think a Retriever or a Labrador would be a good idea especially as you have a young child.

Go to Battersea cats and dog home or the RSPCA. Adopt a dog, dont buy one!

Good luck.

Answer 7

I doubt you will get any rescue centre to let you adopt a dog as you have a child under the age of 6. I doubt you will get a purebred puppy given to you for free. Most rescue centres still want a £150 donation.

Answer 8

Well you said you don't have alot of money so if i were you i wouldn't get a dog yet!!! Don't get me wrong i think its great your willing to bring a dog/puppy into your life but i think if anyone is getting a dog they should be willing to revolve their life around that new dog.

Answer 9

if you woul really like to adopt a dog there are plenty in the cats and dogs home just waiting for someone to take them i got my dog from a cats and dogs home and i love him

Answer 10

If you don't have a lot of money, how do you expect to be able to feed the dog every day on top of your other dependants and bills etc.