How much for a dog!

[mrcharly]

I find myself contemplating getting a dog.


Why? Well, after losing my (our) cat, the house seems a little empty.


Not spoken to the family but youngest has in the past mentioned preferring a dog.


There is a great wood nearby to walk a dog.


Why not another cat? 'twould be very hard to replace our cat. I would find it hard to cope with the worry of keeping track of one. Sinbad was a bit different. How different? Well the first time I tried putting a lead on him he objected to the collar until he found he was allowed to walk alongside me - no trying to get collar off or pull away from the lead. He'd never had a collar on all of his life.


Anyway, I looked at the rspca dogs home. Full of staffies. I really don't like them. Or alsation border collie crosses. What an insane thing, to cross those two breeds.


I'd like something like a border terrier or similar. A small dog.


So I looked on gumtree and suchlike. My life, when did dogs get to be commodities like this! £300-500 for a dog!

 

[bopdude]

Yep, if the pedigree is right the sky's the limit on some dogs, crazy prices, try asking on Facebook, you would be surprised who knows who with a pup going, worth a shout out ?

 

[mrcharly]

These aren't even all pedigree dogs, crossbreeds are posted for £150 or so.

 

[mousey]

Are there not any rehoming organisations around you? could be worth a thought, but you can get some difficult dogs from them...

My wife's 1st dog cost a bottle of scotch and a pack of fags - different time.

 

[Macaroon]

I find it totally immoral to pay anything at all for a dog from a breeder when there are thousands of perfectly good animals awaiting new homes. Each breed has at least one dedicated rescue organisation to rehome dogs of that breed, just put the breed and [ rescue ] into the search engine of your choice.

Each time somebody buys a puppy they're supporting the overbreeding of an animal of which there's already a huge and potentially viable surplus.........Do the good thing!

 

[bob_the_baker]

I wouldn't bother with the RSPCA, they are not really interested in re-homing dogs any more. Their "vetting" procedure will exclude anyone who has/does not have a job or who is in advanced years, or who has a young family or already has/does not have a pet.... <does not like RSPCA>
I personally would never buy a dog, pedigrees are, as you discovered, outrageously priced as well as often inbred and overbred.
Best dogs I have known have been mutts: a spaniel/doberman cross, a lab/ridgeback cross, lurchers and of course my old cairn terrier/poodle cross (the best).
Even a rescue mutt will set you back well over £100 as a donation, to help recover the kennel and vet fees, but on the flip side it will deter someone from getting a dog on a whim and then neglecting the poor beast.
Occasionally you see adverts in the local shops/offices where someone is looking to re-home their dog or a deceased relatives animal and they do just want to get a good home for it.

 

[Goatboy]

Both my dogs have been rescue dogs, an Irish Wolf Hound and a Jack Russell. If getting another one it would be a rescue again. If the rescue home is worth its salt it wont pair you up with a bread that you don't like / be able to cope with. Little dogs like Borders and JRTs can have a few hang ups (but so can all dogs and people for that matter) but I do find the attitude a terrier has to be very rewarding. That way you're not paying for expensive breeding, terriers (and most mongrels) tend to be pretty healthy physically whereas some pure breeds can have all sorts of genetic foul ups.

Look at places other than RSPCA as well, some of them are brilliant. I've known a lot of dogs from a place called PADS and they do brilliant work and take real care to make sure the right owner and dog meet up.

If you wait a while there'll sadly be a glut of dogs after Christmas again, indeed some care places won't give out dogs in the run up to Christmas for that reason.

It really is rewarding giving a new start to some poor uncared for pooch, the years of love and fun I've had from mine are memories I'll cherish forever.

PS I'm with Bob the Baker, not a fan of the RSPCA.

 

[Joonsy]

sadly the high price encourages unscrupulous breeders and bad practice, bitches become breeding machines for profit by puppy farmers. Incidentally vets fees are now astronomical as well which you should consider too regarding future care depending on your income.

 

[ZEbbEDY]

dogs >>>>> cats

you made the right choice man

cairn terrier 250

 

[Dave]

Anyone buying a dog should factor in, the average lifespan of the breed, medical insurance, monthly food bills, time spent playing and walking, [probably 2-3 hours per day.]
Mines a lab, with petplan medical insurance, and will probably cost me in the region of £10,000 + over 12 years of its life.

I have a mate who doesnt get medical insurance, for his dog, and I think you can take them to the rscpa? if you qualify? Are on benefits etc? for some health issues? He also uses homeopathic remedies, for certain things.
My grandad had dogs, and I dont know they coped but i Bet he wasnt paying extortionate vets fees, and medical fees?

Some people believe if a dog gets cancer, then its times come, and you should just let it go. After our last dog got arythmea, and cancer, and the vet just kept giving us pills, which we had to put down its throat [dipped in a bit of butter] which he hated, Im of the mind now, that we shouldnt treat them like we do humans, trying to keep them hanging on as long as possible, on all sorts of drugs, and just let them go. I dont think the pills helped him much but they were very expensive and he hated taking them.
I also think the vets [which is a very good vets] missed certain things, because at the moment of his expiration, he deffacted pints of blood, and there was nothing in the diagnosis we'd had up to his death, that would have explained that.

 

[John Fenna]

Please go the rehoming route as suggested above.
You know it makes sense!

 

[Bluebs4]

Yep go for a good old mongy from the dogs home it will make his or hers christmas and make you feel a million dollars every time you look at him in those big brown eyes knowing you saved him from doggie heaven.

 

[santaman2000]

A bit of googling turned up this site for rescue/rehoming border terriers in the UK www.[URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"]borderterrierwelfare.co.[/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"][URL="http://www.borderterrierwelfare.co.uk"]uk[/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]



Like others on here, I recommend rescue/adoption over breeders.

 

[bearbait]

Dogs are loyal and part of the family. Cats just visit.

All my dogs (4) have been rescue dogs. Would never ever buy one from a breeder. Would always rehome.

Rescue dogs can come with hang-ups. (So can your boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband/etc.) But it is hugely satisfying to give an unwanted dog a decent life.

Spent far more on my Border Collie's healthcare than I ever would on my own. And I'm going to be buried with my pre-deceased dogs in my bit of woodland, at the appropriate juncture of course.

 

[seg1959]

Like others have said, don't buy a dog from a breeder, give a stray a home.
If you want something slightly different, why don't you have a look at organizations that rehome strays from Greece or Bulgaria etc. (see for example 'strays of Greece'). They have a huge varietry of dogs that are about medium size (around 20 kilos), they come to you fully vaccinated, neutered and with a passport, the get them over here for free, it does not cost you a penny (unless you want to make a donation) and they are loyal, independent (as they are used to be alone), they are very garden/backyard friendly (they are used to sleeping out) and they will be forever grateful to you for being their pack leader.
They are also very 'hard wearing' - they live longer, they do not have the genetic issues that pure-breads have, cheaper to insure,...

We got ours 'delivered' from Athens after a 3 day road trip, 2 years ago - and it was the best decisions we ever made.

Costs: ours is 23 kilos so 'large mongrel', costs £120 per year insurance (3rd party and health), £140 per year Pets-at-home vet plan (includes all yearly vaccinations, all flea treatments - advocate and two free checkups per year) and about £50 per 3 months for premium dog food - we get the large 15 kilo bags, so all-in-all about £450 per year. If you decide to forgo insurance or medical plan, you can spend less.

PM me if you want details...

seg

 

[bilmo-p5]

+1 for rescue dogs. Every time.

 

[Harvestman]

Definitely look at the rescue organisiations, expecially if there is a breed you are interested in. Also try at your local vets. They often have a list of dogs needing rehoming.

 

[demographic]

Had three sheepdogs (the proper Border Collie ones)and never paid for one yet.

Not keen on really little dogs, they take up too much space...

Big dogs chill out and lie down, little dogs take up every available bit of space in the entire area every two seconds.
Plus I can't stand the yappy little gits.

 

[Bluebs4]

Big dog chilling lol

 

[xylaria]

Lovely piccys blueb4.

Bully dogs arent bad dogs.

I had a rescue staffy. Everybody was his freind.