Advice On Buying A Dog

[delboyuk2005uk]

My missus is on at me to buy her a dog. I know nothing on where to look and Prices etc etc.

Can anybody give me any good advice

 

[dan1979]

I'll give one you piece of advice:

Don't buy, adopt

 

[Accylad]

Like buying a car it's running them that cost you money

 

[AnthonyG]

We got our dog from our local pet store as a puppy.

He cost us £30.

If you don't want a puppy you can look at your local cat and dog shelter and buy a dog from those.

Another idea is to look at the classifieds section of your local newspaper as usually you will see ads for puppy's there too (This is usually the cheapest way to buy a puppy as its usually people whose bitch has just had a bunch of unplanned puppy's and they just want to get rid of them ASAP).

 

[John Simon]

Freind of mine has a 6 month old Labrador - has already cost over £600 - its a big commitment that you need to be prepared for.

 

[Steven]

Hate to say it, but a dog isn't for Christmas. You need to be prepared to invest time, money... and if you get a puppy - patience (when toilet training)

Cheers

 

[TopMeTom]

get a rescue...

 

[Mr_Wistles]

I have 2 labradors and I consider my self a specialist on dog costs (roughly translates to a mug).

Mine cost around: -

£3 a day in food
£80 a month in insurance

You then have the destruction factor. My first lab (Pluto) ran through nearly every fence pancel in our garden chasing the cat (He could not jump so he ran through them). All of these obviously had to be replaced.

We were going to have wood floors layed but realised the dogs would wreck them, so we had Amtico laid through the whole downstairs.

The brown lab is in a whole other world on the destruction factor. If you leave ANYTHING on the side, it gets destroyed, phones, books, baby toys etc....

and my personal favourite: -




Thats a 4k sofa.

I love them to death though. The only thing they can do wrong is hurt the baby, which they never would.

 

[Garrett]

Don’t buy one if your going to leave it all day whilst out at work.

Have you time to take it walks every day come rain or shine?

Do you want a mongrel or a pedigree?

Mongrels generally have less health issues than pedigrees but what you buy as a pup sometime you do not know what the grown up dogs going to be like.

If it’s a pedigree your looking round the £500 may be more. If that’s what you want look up on the net for the national club of that breed and see if that can recommend a breeder. An other place to look is the Dog mag’s or paper Our Dogs?

 

[mjn]

I personally would go the adopt route, rather than buying a puppy.

A puppy will require a load more attention, than an adult dog.

Don't forget, they need exercise, come rain, wind or sunshine. So be prepared to go for the walks even when its -2 degrees outside and howling winds.

 

[Toasty]

I agree with all the above, however, if you are looking for a specific breed of pup, look here for a general idea.

 

[Garrett]

Oh and if a pedegree do your home work on the breed they may not be sutable for wat you want.

 

[Lee]

get a rescue...

Agree with a rescue dog. If you are after a German Shepherd my father in law recently got one from here.

 

[TopMeTom]

We got pixie from the R.S.P.C.A Godstone.

She is brilliant, makes us happy, she is not too keen on loud movies though!!

 

[andyrj1]

Not sure what dog you are looking for we have a Labrador he is five now and is a sweetie

We got hime from www.poolehalllabradors.co.uk run by a couple called Jane and Nigel very nice people

 

[mikeycubed]

How about giving a home to a rescue greyhound?
They can be great family pets and contrary to popular belief they don't need a lot of exercise, spend most of the day lazing about.
A lot of greyhounds are abandoned or ill treated when their racing days are over or are injured. One of my friend's family has a greyhound kennel and their house always had at least 3 of them lying around the house!

Mike

 

[Praxidike]

get a rescue...

I would go with this as well. Our dog is a rescue dog, the first rescue one we've had, and by far the best... we haven't had to clean anything up from the kitchen, no scratching or cupboards or biting anything. Makes a bit of a fuss when visitors come but think that's the same with all dogs really.

The other dogs we've had have (not rescues) tended to be a bit nasty and try to chew and destroy everything in sight.

I think the RSPCA generally doesn't let the dogs out if they're not going to be nice, and probably trains them if they need it and can manage being trained.

 

[Deleted member 171211]

I think the RSPCA generally doesn't let the dogs out if they're not going to be nice, and probably trains them if they need it and can manage being trained.

In my experience (when I was getting my cats from them), they had a pretty good idea of the animal's temperament and the sort of home it would be suited to. They do home visits before and after the animal comes to stay there too, to make sure that it will be OK there and it should come fully up to date with its jabs and neutered/chipped.

I'd also think about a Heinz 57 dog, you often have fewer health problems with them, compared to some of the almost inbred pedigrees out there.

Cheers,
Stephen

 

[Miyazaki]

I would say be cautious if getting a rescue dog as your first dog.

9/10 the dog is fine, but if it has had a horrible history the dog may be more unpredictable than any normal well adjusted dog.

I have owned my first dog now for about 6 months and love him to bits!

Potty training him was a breeze and he has a really good temperament, dunno if that is the breed or because of how he is treated but he is lovely, i'd recommend getting a dog!

 

[F1Fan72]

We have just brought a 16 week 'whippet' named 'Harry', He cost £250 which I believe is a bargain.. I'm sure he's going to be expensive to run as the kids

 

[Nimby]

Dogs, like people and cats, are all different.

Some chew the scenery and eat several babies for breakfast. Others don't. Dogs are like that too.

Visit the nearest dogs rescue home to get a feel for which type of dog appeals. It may be a daft mongrel which triggers your companionship emotions. The one you can't bear to leave behind.

 

[Miyazaki]

It may be a daft mongrel which triggers your companionship emotions. The one you can't bear to leave behind.

Is that how your missus ended up with you?

 

[y2k]

It depends on where you live as to what kind of dog you should choose, if you live in a flat or apartment you wont want a yappy dog that will bark all day and night and get on everyones nerves and if you are not gonna want to take the dog out for long walks your better of looking for a lazy dog with small legs. Personaly I would love an German shepherd to take out for ling walks but I live in an apartment so will do without a dog until I get a bigger place. If you are gonna get a rescue dog I would find out a bit about the dogs history first because if the dogs gonna live with you then you will need to know whats happened in the dogs past because if something bad has happened to the dog then it might have something wrong with it and the dog could end up being a burden on you, even if you are trying to do the right thing by adopting it.

 

[Nimby]

Is that how your missus ended up with you?

No smiley?

We were both looking for a pet for life.

It was a good choice for both of us and neither has strayed or had to be taken back or rescued. (so far)

With advancing age we both beginning to feel that ear tattoos might be useful in returning us promptly.
(should we get lost on our daily walks)

Instead, we chose mobile 'phones.

Got to go. She's standing by the door with my lead.

 

[Miyazaki]