Puppies in Manchester?

Kiechi

Where's the best place to get a puppy? I don't mind rescuing one either, it just has to be small and a puppy! I want to watch him grow. Thanks!

sarabe

List of available dogs in rescue nationwide

http://www.dogsblog.com/

Bunny

Manchester Dogs Home. We got my grandads dog from there, he was barely 1 year old, but they had lots of dogs there and I'm sure there'll be a puppy or two

foreign_correspondent

I know you really want a pup, but it is worth considering whether a pup is really the right choice - for some people it is, but many people find it much harder work than they anticipated, and end up struggling with the pup, or even giving it up, sadly.

A pup needs constant supervision for the first weeks/months, its owner needs to be watching it all the time and taking it out every 30 minutes and several times overnight, so that it has chance to wee/poo outside, and be praised/rewarded every time so it knows it is getting it right! A pup has no idea whether it should wee/poo on the grass or on your carpets!

It will also go through a phase of chewing everything in sight - it does not know the difference between a toy and your furniture/best shoes/ remote control - owners need to be aware of this, and able to deal with it without getting too stressed, and to put everything that can me moved out of the way.

Pups also tend to go through stages of mouthing/nipping at anyting moving and interesting - this may well be your ankles/hands etc... if you have kids, it will include them - some children become quite fearful of pups that do this - although it is 'play' it can hurt!

Even the best watched, quick to learn pup will leave puddles/poo/sick on the carpet, chew things they find, and be generally hard work.

Also, a young lively dog may not be able to be left for more than a couple of hours for many weeks/months. Even an adult dog should not be left for more than four hours at a time. Some will cope with being left, others may get distressed, howl, whine, bark and generally upset the neighbours!

An adult dog may be easier, but you may still need to employ a dog walker if you are out at work all day. Dog insurance is a must if you dont have plenty of readily available cash for unexpected vets bills, and jabs/neutering, food and wormers/flea stuff all add up - as does the cost of kennels/dog sitter if you want to go on holiday! Dogs are a daily responsibility, and may live for up to 20 years, so consider whether you can realistically commit to this first!

Of course, you may well already have considered all that, and decided that your lifestyle is right for a pup - if so, the links people have already given are great, also, there is a list of rescues here for your area - http://www.dogpages.org.uk/nth-west.htm

Plese be careful though, there are a lot of puppy scams online (generally people offering a free/cheap pup, often with a sob story 'this pup belonged to my daughter who was killed in a car crash, seeing him makes me sad, I need to find him a good home' etc etc)
http://www.ripofftipoff.net/puppy_scams.htm

Also, sadly, many pups do come from puppy farms, where the parents are often kept in awful, dark conditions, just treated as breeding machines - make sure you know enough to avoid these - if no one bought from them their vile trade would not exist!
http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/az/b/batteryfarmeddogs/default.aspx

Having a dog is great, I love it, (and I don't want to put you off!!) but it is a bind, and means a lot of adjustments to your life - personally, I have always gone for adult rescue dogs, as you can see what you are getting far more than with a pup, and there are so many dogs sadly in rescue (pups and adults) that I feel that taking on a rescue dog is a very rewarding thing to do.

Good luck!

dannyjebb

I think the first thing you need to do is research different breeds of dogs and find which suits your needs! Will you be able to take it on walks 3 4 times a day or just a quick walk morning and evening, will there be someone around the house all day or will the dog be left alone whilst your at work? Some dogs require alot of mental stimulation or will demolish your house when left alone, others are happy to lie in there basket most of the day! From my experience the biggest reason why people have to give up their dog is through lack of research before they got it, and didnt see what was coming when they got a collie that was left alone 7 hours a day and the owner came back toa chewed up settee!

All the best with your new dog