Tell me about getting a dog and a cat.

[Epona]

Similar advice in terms of getting a kitten - visit the family with kittens, do not take one away from its mum too early (12 weeks with mum and siblings results in a massively better socialised cat than one separated at 8 weeks). If going to a breeder, pick an ethical breeder. Do not support backyard breeding.

 

[Thora]

I'd be interested in where you got that information from.

I do home-check visits to potential adopters and having children or being employed definitely does not automatically bar someone from adopting a dog.

I have never seen a cat or dog available through a rescue that said it was suitable to live with small children.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Might I suggest investigating the local rescue centres ? at least for discussions over the 'phone.

Another possible source of advice and information (sometimes the actual animals) would be the local small animal veterinary practice.


If you haven't been used to cats or dogs as a pet previously - bearing in mind the length of their lifespan - then a small animal such as a couple of boy gerbils might be a good introduction, for several reasons.

Had cats and dogs and gerbils growing up. Have not had anything as an adult myself. I deffo don't want gerbils again.

 

[scifisam]

I have never seen a cat or dog available through a rescue that said it was suitable to live with small children.

I see a lot of cats, but rarely dogs. And an awful lot of rescue dogs are labelled as can't be homed somewhere with cats.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

I'd be interested in where you got that information from.

I do home-check visits to potential adopters and having children or being employed definitely does not automatically bar someone from adopting a dog.

Your spaniel website said it was set in stone

"To adopt one of our dogs the following is set in stone and there are no exceptions:
We do not re-home our dogs to homes with children under 5 years old. We do not re-home to people who are out of the house for more than 4 hours per day, so if you work full time and pop back at lunchtime this goes over our 4 hour rule, sorry."

but maybe you meant children over 5 and working at home or for short periods?

 

[Epona]

Why do you even want a dog if you aren't going to be home most of the time? Consider whether this is something a dog wants, or something you want.

4 hours is a long time to leave a dog alone. (It is also a long time for your neighbours to spend hearing your dogs barking and wailing because they have been left alone). Cats are fine with it.

 

[a_chap]

I have never seen a cat or dog available through a rescue that said it was suitable to live with small children.

But that's different to what you'd originally said, which was "most UK rescues won’t rehome to families with children or who work"

Your spaniel website said it was set in stone

"To adopt one of our dogs the following is set in stone and there are no exceptions:
We do not re-home our dogs to homes with children under 5 years old. We do not re-home to people who are out of the house for more than 4 hours per day, so if you work full time and pop back at lunchtime this goes over our 4 hour rule, sorry."

but maybe you meant children over 5 and working at home or for short periods?

It was the blanket: no children, no workers (and "most charities" for that matter) that I was asking Thora to cite a source for.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Why do you even want a dog if you aren't going to be home most of the time? Consider whether this is something a dog wants, or something you want.

4 hours is a long time to leave a dog alone. (It is also a long time for your neighbours to spend hearing your dogs barking and wailing because they have been left alone). Cats are fine with it.

Where did I say wasn't going to be home most of the time?
Anyhow, I do appreciate what a commitment a dog would be, I'm just looking into the possibilities. I have thought about it before, and it was just not really doable. My wife and I now both work from home though, but I am still very very wary.

 

[Thora]

I see a lot of cats, but rarely dogs. And an awful lot of rescue dogs are labelled as can't be homed somewhere with cats.

Some of the local cat rescues will home with children in their teens, but all ruled out under 5s. We bought a kitten. A friend of mine is trying to get a rescue kitten at the moment but their aren't any suitable for her because her youngest child is 6.

 

[a_chap]

.

(bugger, cannot edit a post to save my life today!)

 

[Thora]

Why do you even want a dog if you aren't going to be home most of the time? Consider whether this is something a dog wants, or something you want.

4 hours is a long time to leave a dog alone. (It is also a long time for your neighbours to spend hearing your dogs barking and wailing because they have been left alone). Cats are fine with it.

Lots of people who do work for more than 4 hours at a time or have children under 5 do want dogs though, and as UK rescues won't rehome with them they have more luck with imported rescue dogs.

 

[Looby]

I mean now with COVID restrictions, given that anyone entering the country from Romania needs to isolate for 14 days, even once lockdown ends

We were still able to bring Humphrey here from Slovakia. It was in July so restrictions were lower but animal imports were still allowed during the last lockdown. That’s how we managed to get him, because everyone else on the breed group assumed it couldn’t happen. We called DEFRA to check,

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

It was the blanket: no children, no workers (and "most charities" for that matter) that I was asking Thora to cite a source for.

I know, but I was just asking because you said your own home visits would not rule out children and workers but your website says it does.

 

[Epona]

Lots of people who do work for more than 4 hours at a time or have children under 5 do want dogs though, and as UK rescues won't rehome with them they have more luck with imported rescue dogs.

If you can't get one from a UK rescue then I would say your next recourse would be to try accidental puppies that need homes (via the modern equivalent of classified ads) or going to a good breeder who has health checked lines rather than importing. Sorry but the whole import a puppy thing (and no-one cares if it is going to be left alone for hours on end) that you seem to be promoting sounds odd and doesn't match with my ideas of promoting proper animal welfare and care.

 

[Thora]

If you can't get one from a UK rescue then I would say your next recourse would be to try accidental puppies that need homes (via the modern equivalent of classified ads) or going to a good breeder who has health checked lines rather than importing. Sorry but the whole import a puppy thing (and no-one cares if it is going to be left alone for hours on end) that you seem to be promoting sounds odd and doesn't match with my ideas of promoting proper animal welfare and care.

I'm not promoting it, I didn't bring it up and I haven't imported a puppy myself. Just commenting on why people import rather than get a local rescue dog.

 

[Detroit City]

Dogs are more work but give you more. Cats are less work but give you less

 

[Epona]

I'm not promoting it, I didn't bring it up and I haven't imported a puppy myself. Just commenting on why people import rather than get a local rescue dog.

Except you said 3 posts above mine that people who import rescue dogs from other countries don't care whether you are at home with them - don't you think they should care?

 

[Epona]

Dogs are more work but give you more. Cats are less work but give you less

My cats give me loads, I have OSH and they absolutely fucking adore me. Trying to type round Sonic right now, he has his face pressed to mine

 

[a_chap]

I know, but I was just asking because you said your own home visits would not rule out children and workers but your website says it does.

My home-check visits are arranged with people that SAUK know have children and who are working. The web site, according to your post earlier, says that SAUK will not consider adopters who have children under five nor who will leave dogs alone for more than four hours. This is not the same as Thora's assertion of a blanket: no children, no workers for most charities.

By the way, it's not my web site. I'm simply a volunteer.

Anyway, I think I've made my point, so I'll leave it there.

 

[Detroit City]

My cats give me loads, I have OSH and they absolutely fucking adore me. Trying to type round Sonic right now, he has his face pressed to mine

My cat doesn’t give a shite about anything

 

[oryx]

My cats give me loads, I have OSH and they absolutely fucking adore me. Trying to type round Sonic right now, he has his face pressed to mine

Yes, all the six cats I've had have been really rewarding. It's a lovely feeling to have a cat purring contentedly on your lap, or to have it rub its nose against your hand when you play with it or stroke it.

 

[Looby]

EDIT to add: I think a more useful suggestion would be to get adult animals rather than puppies and kittens if you have no experience - pups and kits is really being thrown in at the deep end!

I disagree with this re dogs. Puppies are hard work but with time, patience and some classes you can train most dogs well. Traumatised rescue dogs are another case altogether and a huge amount of work for an inexperienced dog owner. Lots of dogs are returned to rescues because people can’t cope with them and can’t put the time in.
I think rescue dogs often need a far more experienced owner and preferably someone with breed experience.

Ask all the rescued collie owners on here.

 

[Thora]

Except you said 3 posts above mine that people who import rescue dogs from other countries don't care whether you are at home with them - don't you think they should care?

I don't have a strong opinion on it.

 

[Looby]

If you can't get one from a UK rescue then I would say your next recourse would be to try accidental puppies that need homes (via the modern equivalent of classified ads)

Sorry but many of these will be from puppy farms. They’ll advertise them as puppies from family dogs, they’ll possibly let you meet mum or any female dog who could be mum. It’s very risky way of getting a puppy. It can work out ok, we actually did this when we didn’t know any better but I wouldn’t again. It could have gone so badly wrong.

Also, someone mentioned earlier about hugely inflated puppy prices at the moment and I just wanted to reassure this isn’t always the case. I’m active on a few bearded collie sites and the decent breeders are charging exactly the same as they were pre-Covid for registered health checked puppies. I’m sure it’ll be the same for other groups too.

 

[Epona]

Sorry but many of these will be from puppy farms. They’ll advertise them as puppies from family dogs, they’ll possibly let you meet mum or any female dog who could be mum. It’s very risky way of getting a puppy. It can work out ok, we actually did this when we didn’t know any better but I wouldn’t again. It could have gone so badly wrong.

Also, someone mentioned earlier about hugely inflated puppy prices at the moment and I just wanted to reassure this isn’t always the case. I’m active on a few bearded collie sites and the decent breeders are charging exactly the same as they were pre-Covid for registered health checked puppies. I’m sure it’ll be the same for other groups too.

I am going to be a bit controversial here and say that really I think the only way that animals should be available is from health-checked and dna tested ethical breeders, everyone else should neuter their pets. The norm shouldn't be loads of unwanted puppies and kittens.

 

[strung out]

Our cat Milo is fucking hard work. He's a rescue cat who lived with owners at some point in the past, but came to the rescue centre as a stray.

• He doesn't have any front teeth, so struggles to kill his prey - we've had multiple post-midnight scrambles to chase, catch and remove live rodents that he's brought in.
• He starts fights that he can't finish, due to his aforementioned lack of teeth. He's had to go in to the vets about five times for abscesses resulting from fighting wounds. His ears are all chewed up, he doesn't have hair on his forehead, and he's got scars all over his body from years of being a bruiser.
• He suffers from anxiety and regularly scratches up the carpet/chair covers when he's hungry or nervous, and he's always hungry or nervous.
• He regularly goes off his food and becomes almost impossible to feed until we find him something else to eat. He's recently decided that he won't eat dry food, and is subsequently constantly hungry, waking us up in the middle of the night wanting food, despite having been fed just before bed time. He's off to the vet tomorrow for a blood test, to check if there's anything wrong with him.
• He has got the most gratingly loud miaow I've ever heard from a cat. He starts shouting at 6am and barely stops until bed time, except when sleeping
• He expensive. He's a big old cat (6kg+, despite not being fat) and easily goes through £60 of food every month. We also pay £20 a month insurance, and put aside £50 a month for the inevitable insurance excess vet fees, vaccination charges, flea/worm treatments etc.
• He's also a gentle, soppy old git when he wants to be. He'll regularly come and plonk his not unsubstantial arse down on your lap for hours at a time, way past the point of you getting a dead leg. His purrs are like the warp core of a starship, and he absolutely loves having his belly rubbed as long as he has a full stomach. Despite his awful miaows, he's super chatty, and I'll spend whole afternoons chatting to him (and getting responses) while I potter around in the kitchen.

Overall, he's difficult, expensive, an utter pain in the arse, and a constant source of stress and anxiety. He's also been the most rewarding investment in time and money that my wife and I have ever made. Having had such a tough bloody life up until now, seeing him happily roll around in the garden asking for belly rubs, or snoring his way through a day on the sofa is satisfying in a way that makes up for all of the above.

If your cat ends up being anywhere near as difficult as ours, I definitely wouldn't recommend getting a dog too. Obviously ours is somewhat of an outlier though.

And seeing as we haven't had any pics on this thread up to now, I feel it's probably time to share some...

 

[Guineveretoo]

This is what I was thinking, but corona seems to have put them out of action. Might have to wait. Is there somewhere in south London that is recommended? Battersea is of course the obvious one. . . any others?

Celia Hammond Animal Trust have a Lewisham branch - that is where I got my 3 cats from 13 years ago - although it is, as you say, closed by Covid-19 at the moment.

I think you can still phone up and register an interest, though, and I think they do some video calls to check you out, as well.

 

[Detroit City]

Our cat Milo is fucking hard work. He's a rescue cat who lived with owners at some point in the past, but came to the rescue centre as a stray.

• He doesn't have any front teeth, so struggles to kill his prey - we've had multiple post-midnight scrambles to chase, catch and remove live rodents that he's brought in.
• He starts fights that he can't finish, due to his aforementioned lack of teeth. He's had to go in to the vets about five times for abscesses resulting from fighting wounds. His ears are all chewed up, he doesn't have hair on his forehead, and he's got scars all over his body from years of being a bruiser.
• He suffers from anxiety and regularly scratches up the carpet/chair covers when he's hungry or nervous, and he's always hungry or nervous.
• He regularly goes off his food and becomes almost impossible to feed until we find him something else to eat. He's recently decided that he won't eat dry food, and is subsequently constantly hungry, waking us up in the middle of the night wanting food, despite having been fed just before bed time. He's off to the vet tomorrow for a blood test, to check if there's anything wrong with him.
• He has got the most gratingly loud miaow I've ever heard from a cat. He starts shouting at 6am and barely stops until bed time, except when sleeping
• He expensive. He's a big old cat (6kg+, despite not being fat) and easily goes through £60 of food every month. We also pay £20 a month insurance, and put aside £50 a month for the inevitable insurance excess vet fees, vaccination charges, flea/worm treatments etc.
• He's also a gentle, soppy old git when he wants to be. He'll regularly come and plonk his not unsubstantial arse down on your lap for hours at a time, way past the point of you getting a dead leg. His purrs are like the warp core of a starship, and he absolutely loves having his belly rubbed as long as he has a full stomach. Despite his awful miaows, he's super chatty, and I'll spend whole afternoons chatting to him (and getting responses) while I potter around in the kitchen.

Overall, he's difficult, expensive, an utter pain in the arse, and a constant source of stress and anxiety. He's also been the most rewarding investment in time and money that my wife and I have ever made. Having had such a tough bloody life up until now, seeing him happily roll around in the garden asking for belly rubs, or snoring his way through a day on the sofa is satisfying in a way that makes up for all of the above.

If your cat ends up being anywhere near as difficult as ours, I definitely wouldn't recommend getting a dog too. Obviously ours is somewhat of an outlier though.

And seeing as we haven't had any pics on this thread up to now, I feel it's probably time to share some...

View attachment 240036

View attachment 240037

View attachment 240038

View attachment 240039

View attachment 240035

He’s lucky to have you. Great story

 

[bellaozzydog]

You can get a Romanian rescue puppy for nowhere near 2 grand.

May I refer you to my previous post

 

[strung out]

He’s lucky to have you.

We often tell him this.