DOGS

I once paid a couple I know a hundred quid to look after my dog for a week and they didn't want to give him back to me. I sent him to kennel twice and never forget the sad and betrayed look he gave me when I lead him to his prison cell and he slowly trudged in there.

I solved the ‘not wanting to give Wilf or Kenny (RIP) back’ issue by putting myself down for a rescue whippet/lurcher at the end of February (one that doesn’t mind an occasional whippet buddy staying over).

any dog who gets to stay with suzy has won the doggy holiday lottery

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EX5XwlRWsAMt2DG?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

this lad has grown a bit, he's quite big by lab standards but there is a chocolate lab I see in the park who is even bigger than him.

I have to admit I do love labs. My best friend growing up had two and they were always just so solid and friendly and fun to play with. Maybe a bit big for the house though.

Consider fostering for a rescue, too. Then you get to give the dog away if it doesn't suit you! It's also a good idea to get a dog from a rescue that uses fosters, because that gives you a much better idea of what the dog will be like in a home environment. I have heard many stories down the years of rescues persuading/browbeating people into taking home unsuitable dogs, and then the people feel like they're failing the dog if they give it back to the rescue, and then nobody is happy.

Like, people will tell you all kinds of things about particular breeds of dog, but we've got a Jack Russell terrier who loves cats and small children and wouldn't chase a rabbit if her life depended on it, and we only know all that about her because she spent months in a foster home before we got her.

thank you trishy! very good ideas there

but if these things go the way they usually do it will end up being my responsibility for deciding how we get one, how to train it etc.

maybe one thing you should think about is which breeds can bear up best under simmering resentment

lmaoooo

yeah i was pissed off this morning. they all cooked it up without me and then it's like 'what will daddy say'. so i either go along with it or i'm like the meanest daddy ever. BUT I'M OVER IT NOW. MOSTLY.

OR you could look for a breed that would serve as a loyal recruit in the eternal domestic struggle for power!!!!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EX5yb2BXYAEGAYm?format=jpg&name=medium

talking of simmering resentment I'm planning to get this beautiful young specimen frolicking in the bluebells castrated at some point and i'm his supposed best friend.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EX5yb2BXYAEGAYm?format=jpg&name=medium

talking of simmering resentment I'm planning to get this beautiful young specimen frolicking in the bluebells castrated at some point and i'm his supposed best friend.

you could both get it done, out of solidarity

I would do it but the NHS are only strictly doing castrations on members of tory govt rn!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYuMt2KXYAEeY9B?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

you ain't speaking to this branch manager, he's the boss of branch managers!

He's got some neck muscles, bless him.

Having a very difficult time finding a shelter that has dogs that they say are suitable for a house with children.

Pets4Homes appears to be an aggregator website that pulls in animals advertised at various shelters, but also pets from breeders, 'cat wanted' ads etc. Absolutely astonishing the prices breeders want for their puppies.

It's a right racket and apparently The Rona has inflated prices and the RSPCA are anticipating a huge spike in abandoned dogs post furlough.

Pets4Homes is not an aggregator - people have to submit their ads, as with Preloved or Gumtree. Try dogsblog - that is the rescue aggregator. Or there are a few good rescues near you eg. Wood Green, All Dogs Matter (named years ago), or you can wait until Battersea re-opens to the public and go visit as a family in person. Dogs Trust is worth a call too - they have a centre in Essex. Most rescues I’ve mentioned will home to families with kids over 5 or over 10, and RSPCA gets puppies.

Also prices for puppies are insane right now. Looking at just whippets, which normally range from £400 up North/without papers to £900 papers/near London/Crufts winner in bloodline, most whippet pups are now being sold at special lockdown prices of £2000/£3000. Everyone familiar with the breed says it will calm down eventually, and the kennel club are fuming at the opportunism.

it's not just the KC assured breeders at it as well, there was something on R4 a couple of months back about criminal gang owned puppy farms going 10 to the dozen to meet lockdown demand

Yeah, you won't get a good dog from a reliable source at the moment. The stories circulating at the moment about people showing up to car parks and handing over €2,000 for a puppy that they KNOW has come from some awful situation, and then the puppy turns out to be only six weeks old, or have parvo, or is absolutely terrified of everything and everyone because it's never even been outside... It's just awful. And in six months there'll be an absolute tsunami of badly behaved juvenile dogs looking for homes. Ugh.

Thanks all - as usual I'm learning a lot!

It's complete carnage out there. Have spoken to a couple of reputable breeders on the phone and they tell me - wait.

may be an idea to adopt one of the lockdown puppies that will inevitably be abandoned when furlough ends / full recession hits :/

Yep :/

my arsehole neighbour who I often exchange loud pleasantries with through the walls along the likes of "STFU Dickhead!" "No you go fuck youreslf" has got a dog recently and is a lousy dog-owner. The poor creature howls and sobs in the house on it's own all afternoon and then does the same at night. The noise doesn't bother me in the slightest and I only notice it when I've got insomnia, it is just a bit upsetting that he's such a shitty dog owner. When I was cutting the hedges it was growling at me and he was saying "good boy" - he's an absolute weapon who wants his dog to be tough and scary but he's making an unhappy animal even more confused and unhappy. I've seen it all before, this brain donor around the corner had a "blame the owners not the breed" pitbull sticker on his car, but got rid of his own pitbull after it bit one of his children!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ed7t4TQWkAAvmZF?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

Douglas on his afternoon nap makes feel more chill and like all is well with the world.

“Stunning LAB ready to go £3,500”

damn my pets4homes account exposed on ILX!

I don't think you can overestimate that once you get past the troublesome puppy to vgb stage, a dog can be great for your mental health. There is a few times I've felt like I might go into a black hole of depression but Dougie always cheers me up. I wouldn't even sell him for a mill.

Dougs who have worked out how to live

douglas is a mood

Looks like we have a new member of Terrier Club:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ed8RR5wXoAUw8WO?format=png&name=small

This is Kit. He was found near a local rural carwash about six weeks ago. No chip, no collar, no body fat, plenty of parasites. He was a poor little sausage. But the local rescue fixed him up, and they were happy for him to come to us because we are a Good Home.

He's only been here a few days, so he might turn out to be a cheeky fecker, but so far he is a very good boy.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh v.cute

poor lil vagabond. I can see mischief in them eyes!

oh man. dying of teh cuet.

We adopted a dog about 2 months ago. We had started the process of applying with a local shelter shortly before the time the lockdown started, and made it to one adoption event before they suspended them. When the initial shelter in place order came out, they suspended all adoptions, but after a few weeks they started doing "virtual" meetings where you would have a Zoom call with the dog and the foster, and then if you liked the dog you could go to their house and pick it up. The only problem was the demand for dogs was soaring. They would send out an email with new dogs available and by the time you emailed them back all the dogs would be spoken for (except for maybe one or two of the older ones or ones with health or behavioral issues). After several weeks of being too late on dogs, one of the people at the agency I think kind of took pity on us, and offered to pick out a dog they thought would be suitable for us, before it was sent out in the email. So they picked out a dog, and we adopted him. He's a black retriever mix originally from a shelter in Kentucky, about 3 years old, they estimate. In 2 months, he hasn't been left alone once yet. I imagine it will be a difficult transition once we have to go back to work, but that won't be for many more months.

Awww, good for him. I bet he's delighted with life at yours.

My parents’ oldest dog (18.5 yo) suddenly can barely stand on her own, has lost appetite, her breathing is shallower, and she has trouble controlling her bowels. This after a month or so of not having the strength to go on walks as long as she used to. My parents don’t want to take her to a vet because she hates going, but the thought about the discomfort she might be in makes me think we should put her to sleep. Does anyone have suggestions, either on how to decide whether it’s time or to convince a reluctant parent what we should do?

when my last dog was in that position and I knew his condition was terminal despite being slightly deluded about it and kidding myself he was in remission. I got the vets to do a home visit to first confirm he wasn't going to get any better and then it was time to put him sleep. It wasn't cheap and I had to leave the house I was that upset, but it was better than bringing him to a vets - which he also hated.

xp we had that with our dog, he started falling over and the vets couldn’t see anything wrong with him, and then he got worse. We all hoped it would get better, but it didn’t. My parents took him, because they knew he was in pain and they couldn’t put him through that. It’s a horrible call to make, but that’s how you have to see it.

Thanks, they're looking into a vet who can make house calls (her regular vet apparently retired).

Kenny was pts at home, by a vet who did house calls. There were two or three occasions where J booked a vet to come out but Ken would have a Miraculous Recovery of sorts (all of a sudden doing food dances at mealtimes, etc after a few days of difficulty with his legs). It was almost funny, because the vet would be like ‘nah, he’s tired but not that tired’ when treated to these performances. Finally, one morning Ken was sleeping so deeply he didn’t even raise his head at breakfast time or respond. That’s when J made the call.

I'm so sorry for your folks, Leee, and I'm glad they can get someone to come to the house. I can imagine that the usual not wanting to face the inevitable can be compounded this year with fear of going anywhere you'll be in close contact with other people.

My parents made the call on Sunday. My mom said that Juno was whining at the end and just typing that right now is making me choke up; the thought of how scared and confused she must've been is something that I won't be able to shake for a while, if ever.

I think my mom said it was kidney failure.

https://i.imgur.com/UhexQiD.jpg

She's the justifiably smug looking one.

it's a such terrible grief losing a best friend, sorry for your loss Lee

So sorry, Lee.

Our girl had a small mast cell tumor taken out last week and is doing better than ever...still waiting on biopsy results...fingers crossed.

Aww, Lee, that is an epic pic. Tllooks like a fantastic buddy. So sorry

Sorry about Juno, Lee. She looks like a proper pal.