What happens to all the pups for sale...

olibrofiz

I was originally looking for a rescue adult (unlike childbirth I haven't quite forgotten the dobe as a pup )
A rescue rang me up last night and said I sounded ideal :eek: except that I only have a 4' fence on one side of the garden and dobie sized dogs would be over in the blink of an eye (unlike my sweetie who likes her feet firmly on the floor :rotfl: ) . The lady was very nice and we had a good chat.

Bubbles911

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

Maybe the current financial situation will make people think long and hard about buying a dog, rather than buying 'on impulse' when cash is plentiful, then regretting it when it behaves like a dog, not some designer 'purchase'..

i.e. the sort of people who buy a £800 toy dog or 'designer' (ha ha, righto) crossbreed seem to me to want a glamorous accessory, a status symbol, not a living being that makes demands, craps on the carpet and chews up your flashy shoes!

I dont want to start an argument but in reading this post above I got a bit annoyed/upset and just needed to post something. I have a Chihuahua, one of the "toy dogs" you judge people on having above and would just like to point out not everyone that has one is like Paris Hilton! lol

I am 29 years old and for my whole life have wanted a dog but my Dad would never let me, he had 2 before I was born, one went missing when he was a teenager and the other had to be put down and it broke his heart so despite promising me I could have one when was 13 it took until April this year to actually get one.

Ideally, I would have had a rescued labrador as they have always been my favourite breed but realistically our house isnt big enough and i have health problems which 4 times a year means I am on morphine in bed for a week and cannot move and my parents are in their 70's so would not be able to give a labrador or any other medium/large dog the excercise it needs so it would not be fair.

A friends sister breed Chi's and had one with a overbite that no one wanted to buy due to that (to me that makes him perfect!), I went to her house with my friend one day not knowing and fell head over heels. She said ideally she would have kept him but he wasn't like the other dogs, he wasn't yappy and boisterous, he loved lying in front of the telly and watching deal or no deal! He didnt fit in with the other dogs (she lives on a farm so has about 10 dogs along with lots of farm animals) and one of them actually bit him and took a home out of his ear so she couldnt keep him there. She was going to give him to a rescue centre scared that the other dogs would do more damage to him but then I fell in love with him and would like to think in a strange way I still rescued him. My Dad agreed to having him as soon as they met (although insisted he would never walk him because of his image but now he does all the time!) and although I did pay more money than I would have from a rescue centre I dont regret it for one second.

I didn't take the decision lightly, I didnt just see a dog and decide to get it. I asked her not to do anything while I thought about it, it took me 2 weeks, I drew up budgets, did research on insurance (I posted on here for advice), food, vets, training classes, bought three books about the breed and discussed it with the whole family then we decided to give him a home.

I DO NOT regard him as an accessory, yes he is small but he is a dog, he barks, poops, wees and (frequently!) humps like any other dog and I would not change that for a world. He goes to puppy classes and although he is the smallest there he doesn't seems to realise, he does everything the lab's, lurcher's, and other dogs do. He does not get carried around in a bag or wear ridiculous outfits, he does have a knitted jumper for when its cold but being short haired he needs it or he would refuse to go out! He walks pretty much most of the time, except if I take gim somewhere crowded, I dont want him getting stood on so he is carried.

He is basically now my life, I longed for a dog for so long that I resent going out with friends and leaving him so only go out once a month. I cannot imagine my life without my dog, not a fashion accessory. I can understand why from the press Chihuahua's have these days why you would assume people only get them for show but that is not always the case. they are amazing dogs, just like any other breed.

Basically what I'm trying to say is not everyone that has Chi's is using them as a fashion accessory, its just a stereotype that people need to look beyond. Sorry for whinging on its just it really annoys that I, and I have no doubt other Chi owners too, love my dog so much and people think we have alterior motives for it.


As for what happens to puppys when they cant be sold, I dont even want to think about it to be honest. A reputable breeder would always do the right thing, even if they cant keep it they would either find a doog home or give to the RSPCA or Dogs Trust, unreputable ones of puppy farms it doesn't bear thinking about.

foreign_correspondent

bubbles - you clearly 'thought long and hard' and are a responsible dog owner and expect your dog to behave like a dog. My post was not directed at all owners of toy breeds, but just at anyone who buys a dog (any dog) without thinking it through, and for the wrong reasons.

Sadly, a lot of people who want a dog as an accessory rather than a real, living, breathing, demanding companion choose toy dogs as they fit in with their 'image' - that does not mean all owners of toy breeds fit this pattern!

Bubbles911

I understand where you are coming from foreign correspondant and really pleased that you took my post in the way it was intended. Reading it back thought i had said things really wrong and may have caused offence so glad it did not! I just hate the way people stereotype, people ask me all the time if he has a tutu and it starts to annoy after a while! lol.

Thank you for your post, and I'm glad you clarified things as your original post did not. I know exactly what you mean and this morning read a thread someone who clearly hadnt thought of the implications of buying a puppy and all that entails and now the dog is suffering. Its a shame for these people puppys dont come with a magic wand! Personally, I wouldnt change the hard stages at the beginning, they are what connects you to your dog, regardless of its age when you get it. All the poop, sleepless nights, teeth marks and damage to anything chewable is all worth it in the end as long as you set boundaries and persevere.

Personally, as someone said above, I believe you should need a licence to breed dogs and dogs that dont have the licence neutered/sprayed, not just for unwanted puppies but the health and temperament measurements too. Unfortunatly, chances are it will never happen. People are always telling me to use Bobby as a stud but I personally dont believe in it, breeding should be left to people who know what they are doing so although I am going to be scared and in bits (did I mention I'm an over protective mum?!) he is being neutered next week.

suki1964

Hi Bubbles - thankyou for such a fantastic post, its such a please yto read a post like that - especially after the thread we had about the puppy.

If only everyone went into dog ownership with their eyes wide open.

As for your babies op - he wont know a thing and I bet you have trouble insisting he stays calm and quiet. My lad was out lead walking the fallowing morning and back off lead by 48hrs - wasnt even bothered by his stiches

One strange side effect is, he now always runs around with TWO tennis balls in his mouth - im wondering if hes trying to tell me something :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

MrsTinks

LOL one reason they are supposed to rest is that the stitches could get aggitated too much and fluid build up in the sack where their bits have been removed from
More actually a problem in medium and big dogs than tiny ones...
Personally I don't feel any attraction to tiny dogs - but I also appreciate other people don't feel attracted to large dogs like I do - or in fact even me for that matter! :rotfl:
The world would be boring if we all liked the same things

And as for fashion accessories... it's not just Chi's and similar breeds that become fashion accessories... Look at the amount of Staffies, Dobes, Rotties and Bulldogs that are fashion accessories for the wrong kind of owners. And they are the ones that will end up giving the breeds a bad name... Not saying small dogs don't have worse behaviour problems (which it is my oppinion that they often do!) but being a small dog it's either cute or people won't diciplin them for fear of hurting their feelings... *sigh*

ANY dog as a fashion accessory is a bad thing - big OR small...

Bubbles911

suki1964 wrote: »

One strange side effect is, he now always runs around with TWO tennis balls in his mouth - im wondering if hes trying to tell me something :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Me and my mum nearly wet ourselves laughing at this! I will have two tennis balls ready just incase!

Mrs Tine, I get what you mean about everyone likes different dogs, some big, some small, some would never go near staffies because they believe the press and see every dog as being "bad". In my opinion, none of it depends on the breed or the size, its the dog and the personality. You dont love your dog because it is a lab or a chi, you love it cos of the stupid things he does! Like when Bobby crawled into the duvet cover when my parents were making the bed and tried to shake it to get the lump out before they realised it was him!

Having a small dog I do miss some things like taking him for a walk on the fells (I would lose him and he doesn't have the stamina for long walks!) and stuff so am hoping in the future to get a larger dog from a rescue centre if I can twist my dads arm. Everytime I go to puppy classes I fall in love with a new breed.

Basically I'm one day you might fall in love with a small dog with such a big personality that you change your mind. Personally, I love all dogs big or small and have about 5 I would like to nick from puppy classes! lol. I need to win the lottery I think so I can buy a farm and have loads of dogs!

sarah*a

Hi olibrofiz

We fostered our wee terrier from http://www.friendsoftheanimals.co.uk/help.htm and eventually adopted him - they are always looking for new foster families and they supply all food, vet costs etc for the entire time you are fostering.

It's so rewarding fostering them I'm sure you'll love it

olibrofiz

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I'm stunned, I've been to a rescue centre to see a doggie I saw on the web and they said to bring a photo of my garden and the dog was ready to go so I could take it home with me there and then :eek: :eek: . And it wasn't a foster place they were talking about.

suki1964

olibrofiz wrote: »

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I'm stunned, I've been to a rescue centre to see a doggie I saw on the web and they said to bring a photo of my garden and the dog was ready to go so I could take it home with me there and then :eek: :eek: . And it wasn't a foster place they were talking about.

OMG :eek::eek::eek:

What are you going to do?