desparate for a dog!

suki1964

dollparts wrote: »

my husband? You mean the man I married that was unfaithful to me twice whom I am currently divorcing?

Gosh, I hadn't thought of that....thanks for the heads up though.

I came here from some practical advice, and largely people have been helpful. Some have assumed I'm some kind of impulse buyer, not giving any thought. Others have been more balanced in the things they have suggested I consider.

However, I start to lose my patience when people begin to make loose-lipped comments such as the one about my husband.

How very dare you! Read the WHOLE thread. Please don't make some Johnny come lately comment which only highlights the fact you haven't bothered to read further than my OP.

I can see why people are put off from posting on these forums at times.

Makes me wonder why I bother.

Take no notice, theres some who post here on this board who think there way is the only way.

If you are still thinking of buying a pup then heres your first stop - The Breed Club
http://www.thewesthighlandwhiteterrierclubofengland.co.uk/

Get in touch with the secretaries of the areas you are prepared to travel to and get chatting. Usually the secretary is your first " interview" so to speak. From how that goes s/he will put you in touch with breeders who s/he thinks will be a good match for you and then its up to you to find the breeder for you

This can all take months btw so dont be thinking of getting a pup this side of Christmas. GOOD REPUTABLE breeders don't have litters this late in the year.Most will aim for easter so that new families have the luxury of long summer evenings ahead to be more inclined to take the pup out for toilet training, walks etc - its a bit less of a chore if the evenings are bright

Yes westies do get terrible skin conditions ( same as cockers and other breeds) which does take a lot of time and money to treat so do make sure you get a very good insurance policy from day one. You want LIFETIME for CONDITION cover, not just the first year or few thousand. Look to be spending at least £15 a month so do include that in your budget

You have waited this long for your pup, aim for around easter or early summer to get him( will take you this long to interview and be interviewed by breeders) and you could possibly have saved enough to purchase one from a good reputable breeder.

Whatever why you go - breeder or rescue - all the best xx

dollparts

Thanks Suki, theres no rush for getting one and the summertime sounds a really good time to aim for.

I will have a look at the link.

vikingvampireparrot

I'd say someone who is coming on here and asking questions isn't an impulse buyer by definition! Someone where I work recently decided a puppy might be quite nice, against my recommendations went to a breeder almost immediately, bought a pup and brought it home within a week - it kept 'going for' their youngest child (who didn't meet it prior to it going home with them) and promptly returned it within 24 hours - that's an impulse buyer!

I would second what someone else has already said about going to Dogstrust if you have one near enough - both of ours have come from there and they are so upfront with any problems the dog has that you have as much information as you could hope for - I've never understood people who say they wouldn't take a rescue dog cos they don't know it's history - how do you know someone selling a dog is telling the truth? and the rescue ones (at good rescues) have been properly assessed by behaviourists to match them to the right home.

The pair of them do seem to cost me a small fortune (and I'm famously tight!) but nowhere near the amount my rats do!

I think insurance, and good insurance, is the key to managing things. It's pretty much the one thing where the cheapest option is usually the worst. Flea and worming costs can be a bit of a shocker too though, I always notice the months I've had to buy those in! But a smaller dog like a Westie shouldn't be so bad, I think?

Kimberley

dollparts wrote: »

my husband? You mean the man I married that was unfaithful to me twice whom I am currently divorcing?

Gosh, I hadn't thought of that....thanks for the heads up though.

I came here from some practical advice, and largely people have been helpful. Some have assumed I'm some kind of impulse buyer, not giving any thought. Others have been more balanced in the things they have suggested I consider.

However, I start to lose my patience when people begin to make loose-lipped comments such as the one about my husband.

How very dare you! Read the WHOLE thread. Please don't make some Johnny come lately comment which only highlights the fact you haven't bothered to read further than my OP.

I can see why people are put off from posting on these forums at times.

Makes me wonder why I bother.

Then don't bloody well put your business on here then if you don't want posts like mine and I will dare all I like thank you very much.

Kimberley

suki1964 wrote: »

Take no notice, theres some who post here on this board who think there way is the only way.

Everyone and I mean everyone can give their opinion on here whether the OP likes it or not. If she doesn't then she shouldn't posts such threads.

fantasia322

Kimberley wrote: »

Everyone and I mean everyone can give their opinion on here whether the OP likes it or not. If she doesn't then she shouldn't posts such threads.

What's happening here is easy to analyse.
When newbies post (myself included) and experienced mse'rs reply, sometimes its difficult to interpret what they mean. Some people are more blunt than others and on a forum you cant read body language blahblah
Basically though, its nice to be nice, and it costs nothing to be polite etc., And forum (n)etiquette is loosely interpreted at the best of times

Kimberley

fantasia322 wrote: »

What's happening here is easy to analyse.
When newbies post (myself included) and experienced mse'rs reply, sometimes its difficult to interpret what they mean. Some people are more blunt than others and on a forum you cant read body language blahblah
Basically though, its nice to be nice, and it costs nothing to be polite etc., And forum (n)etiquette is loosely interpreted at the best of times

I understand that but when they say things like "how bloody dare you" then they want a response. She could have said "Kimberley that was upsetting and to read back on her posts" I would then have apologised.

dollparts

Kimberley wrote: »

Then don't bloody well put your business on here then if you don't want posts like mine and I will dare all I like thank you very much.

If you didn't bloody well pry and ask questions about my husband then I wouldn't feel the need to explain myself.

You came along and stuck your oar in channeling an angle that had nothing to do with the topic. You was the one fishing for personal info. I replied, but you weren't ready for my answer were you?

Good job I wasn't looking for a dog to keep me company after my husband had been run over by a bus eh?

dollparts

Kimberley wrote: »

I understand that but when they say things like "how bloody dare you" then they want a response. She could have said "Kimberley that was upsetting and to read back on her posts" I would then have apologised.

and I didn't say how bloody dare you I said how very dare you.

Quite different.

Kimberley

You still came across as aggressive. If I come across as aggressive to others I get PM's and we sort it out. If people are nice to me then i'm nice to them.