A tentative hello

Hello, I am Sarah and have fallen in love with staffies (well, one particular staffy actually).
My husband and I have 4 rescue birds (2 cockatiels and 2 budgies) and we recently started to help our local dog rescue, mainly with walking the strays, but the odd other thing. We have never had a dog of our own but I grew up with dogs, including terriers (but not staffies). One of the dogs has been at the kennels for 2 months without a sniff of a new home. She is wonderful, loyal, energetic and just lovely. We are thinking of taking her on. We had discussed getting a dog 'one day' when we moved house as we felt our house wasn't suitable for birds and dogs. However this staffy can't wait for 'one day' as there is a risk she will be pts if no home can be found. I know there will be another one along soon (the kennels fills up with staffy-types regularly) but if we can take her on we will.
I just wondered whether this could work? Could a youngish female staffy be taught to sleep in a crate in the living room for a bit in the evenings while we interact with the birds? Could she sit in the kitchen/hall during the day while we are out without eating the living room door to get to the birds? I am unemployed at the moment but do need a job so could end up being out all day. Is this unrealistic?

Advice/suggestions very welcome

Hi &

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Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me.

There are members here who do work full time and keep a dog so it can work if you want it to. Would you be able to get some help with walkies during the day ? a dog walker may be a good idea if you know someone local who you could trust to do it.

Crate training is a good idea anyway we have one for Rocky still, although he dosn't go in it much these days, and prefers our bed.

Hiya and welcome from me and Moo Of course it can work, staffs are easily adaptable, I work full time but have mum/walker take her out in the day Xx

Welcome

I think it could work. She might get used to being around birds, but that'd require a lot of time and training, and even then it might not happen. But even if not, you could keep her in a crate while the birds are around, no problem. Loki sleeps in a cage, we got it so he had somewhere to chill out where we didn't have to worry about him wrecking the house, and he loves it, so it's definitely possible for you to take her on while having the birds around.

Hi and welcome from us and Suki

Thanks for all the lovely replies - it sounds like I am not being totally unrealistic and mad then!
Home check next week...

Ahhhhh good luck with it, fingers and paws crossed here for you

Hi & welcome.

No, not unrealistic at all. As long as you give her things to keep her entertained while you're out she should be fine. A kong stuffed with her favourite food, or even peanut butter & then frozen will keep her entertained for some time!

Most dogs can be taught to accept a crate, and if it's done properly they'll treat the crate as their personal space - a cosy den. Just cover it with an old blanket or curtain so that only the door side is free, put some comfortable bedding in it & she'll love it!

it can deffentlly work if hopefully you can get a job not to far from home good hour walk in the morning before work (ideal if close enough)pop home on lunch break for another 20 min 30 min walk.
then some pamper time after work and another long walk and she will be fine
and all the better if you could get someone to pop round a couple of times between your visits just to give them a toilet break (so not much to ask if you are good at perswayshin lol.
training for a crate is normally painless and they love them .
and training to be around animals cats and birds(i would amagin cats and birds must be hard )is possible.
good luck with the home check.

Certainly possible, my OH's parents have a male staffy and a female bull terrier in a house FULL of birds where the birds (particularly the parrots) have free roam. Its about a good successful introduction and continuous training on how she should behave around them. Hiccup's never been around birds but recently had to stay on the farm and share a living room with a macaw. We just kept an eye on him in the beginning and corrected him if he showed too much interest and then he just ignored it.

As for the crate training, I've never had the need to do it so I can't offer any advice but there is a wealth of info, both on the forum and on the internet and as far as I understand, it is not difficult to do if approached right.

Hi and welcome from Ki and me,
good luck with the home check, dont forget to let us all know how it goes

Hello and welcome from me and Tyson

Welcome, I certainly think it's possible, but I can understand your reservations.

Hope you can work it all out and give this gorgeous girl a forever home

welcome

Hi & welcome to the forum

hia from me and sasha
i think it could work,look in to some one coming at dinner time to let her out/take her for a walk,hopefully when you get a job you could pop home in your lunch break if your near enough,good luck on your home visit i hope it goes well

Hello and welcome from me and the kids

Welcome to the board.

Welcome. Can't wait to hear about her being brought home!

Hello and welcome from me and the kids

Hi from me and the boys

Hello and welcome

Hello and a big welcome to you.... the bottom line is, that without you the poor girl probably wouldn't have any chance of a home, so well done, just give it your all and I'm really sure that things will work out.. good luck!

Hello and welcome aboard

Hi & welcome to the forum ><

Hi and welcome from me, Millie and Bella. Good luck with the home check. Bella is in her crate whenever I am out of the house and she just settles down to sleep in it. As soon as I start getting my coat and shoes on she goes in and lies down.

Homecheck is on Wednesday evening and I am sooooo nervous
We walked 'our' dog on both Saturday and Sunday morning and she is just so lovely. I can't get enough of that staffie-smile

Good luck for Wednesday

Good luck with the home check, I'm sure it will be fine

Hi and welcome.
Cal is crate-trained. I do take her to dog day care some days but she is fine here with a dog walker coming once during the 9-hour stretch on days when we need to do that. And she sleeps in her crate at night.
I think you could do it. She's better off with a few extra hours in a crate than with no home and it sounds like you think she's a special girl

We had the homecheck and it is all looking good

We have to discuss her coming for a visit, but it looks like we will be staffy owners soon
Thank you everyone for your welcome, help, and advice. It is much appreciated.
So here are a few photos of the dog that has stolen our hearts, she is adorable...

Oh wow! Bet your rather excited Good luck XxXx

Ahhhhh she's beautiful, good luck with it all

she is lovely, dont forget to keep us up to date with how things are going

Lovely girl!

hi and welcome from me and licks from troy congrats on pasing she looks lovely our last staffy got on with all animals ferrets cats and rats can see it working with birds too

Well, we had her to visit today. It went OK. She doesn't bark (not even at the postman!) and she has obviously slept in a crate before, as she was fine with it. She wouldn't be left in the garden alone, and she doesn't settle. We both sat on the floor but she just wouldn't settle down. The birds were naughty (kept screeching and getting her attention ). At one point Maddie was in the garden and managed to run into the house, onto the sofa, and then she launched herself at the budgie cage. Poor budgies were somewhat taken aback . She has had problems in kennels and has got very stressed (she collapsed on the way to the vets for vaccinations earlier in the week). She has also become quite DA. This was a problem on our walk as we were on the common avoiding other dogs until some silly woman with a setter let her dog run full pelt about 1/4 mile head on to Maddie. The woman was by the entrance chatting and this dog went straight for Maddie. She didn't bark but nearly choked herself trying to escape hubby's grip. Finally the dopey bat noticed me shouting and trying to chase the setter away and called her off . After that Maddie wouldn't settle and we brought her home and shut her in the crate to calm down (it was about a 20 minute walk so not that immediate).
We are exhausted and the cockatiels are sulking. One of the budgies is out but the other is still cross at being attacked by a flying dog and refuses to leave his cage.
We have the chance of moving house, to a relative's house with two reception rooms, so two doors between dog and birds. It is just the intervening months that would be the issue, although Maddie does settle well in the crate.
Our hearts are saying to take her on, teach her the boundaries, and she will improve.
Are we mad?

No, your not mad, this poor girl has not had many chances in life and is going to struggle with change of any sort, its a shame really that it could not wait until you move house to have Maddie on a permanent basis, that would have prevented her being unsettled yet again! However, on a positive note the fact that she feels stable in her crate is good. I would say take little steps with Maddie so that she doesn't feel overloaded with new experiences, that in itself would be stressful. Try to avoid areas where there are lots of other dogs and she can relax and enjoy herself. I think if it was me (I am certainly no expert) I would keep Maddie on a leash whilst in the living room, so that you can gently restrain her if she shows excessive interest in the budgies, until eventually her interest diminishes, the same with the garden until her confidence builds up. I'm sure some of the others will have some much better ideas as they are more experienced, I do think though that you are lovely people giving this girl a chance!!!

Maddie is coming home tomorrow
Wish us luck!

We have a baby gate at the lounge door so hopefully she can't let herself in when our backs are turned. Our new crate arrived today and I have bought a Kong and a puzzle ball. I need a chewy toy like a nylabone next, and she needs a new collar and a tag (she has been chipped).

We will be dog owners tomorrow, and not just any old dog owners, but staffy owners!

Amazing

Lots of pics, lots of fun, congtrats

So pleased, congratulations!! I'm sure everything will work out well, Maddie is a very lucky girl to have been found by you!! All the luck in the world!!!

thats great news
she sounds like she has found a great home cant wait to see loads of photos

Hello and welcome aboard