Dog Adoption real life advice

Since we have purchased our home im thinking of adding a new addition to our little family. Since we are still renovating I thought it would be ideal to do it in the near future before the house is finished. Now iv thought a lot about this and the idea of adoption is appealing as the rescue centers around me are over run with the staffordshire breed and im not planning on having any more children (ones enough ) and it is deff a staff that i want.
Now as i have never done this before id just like peoples opinions on this. I have a large garden and we have just put up a new secure 7 ft fence so we have the room and my kitchen (were they would be when we are not in the house or when they have been out) needs updating so wouldn't matter if it got slightly chewed lol but our son is nearly four, he has been around dogs since day dot, our dog is super giddy at times so he is use to rough and tumble etc. Tyke is not a problem as we have had 8 week old puppies round him, old dogs, males and females etc

Any advice would be brilliant

sounds like you have though it out well and you have the ideas under control already , go for a girl to balance things out you may have to persevere with the rescues as many are blinkered and may well refuse on the grounds your son is only 4 but just carry on

Yea thats my main fear my little one been young and its hard to explain your a responsible dog owner! I can under stand were there coming from with safety etc. i just want to go in with my eyes wide open and armed with advice.

Can't really add anything, it sounds like you've got it all figured out, so whenever you feel is the right time, start looking around

And female i was swaying towards, only thing is iv seen them become pretty territorial of there family and property, my sister has a female were as tyke lets anything into his bed, lets them play woth his toys etc!

normally for saftefy reasons people pair up males with females, but there are of course there are exceptions to that rule. my gran had 3 males all in the one home, none of them had the snip and they all got along like a house on fire. another friend has two females and they fight over everything.
the most important thing is not only that you have a bond with the new dog, but thet get along with tyke too, it is his home after all, and like people, not all dogs like other dogs even if there are male and female.
Maybe ask if you can bring Tyke and a new dog to nutral ground to meet before you sign off on it.
and like the others say, when they confront you about your boy you just need to point out you already have Tyke, that your responsable and if they say no, try, try, try again.

Contact the shelter they will help you out with what suits your home and Tyke, and yay!

rebeccaleanne wrote:And female i was swaying towards, only thing is iv seen them become pretty territorial of there family and property, my sister has a female were as tyke lets anything into his bed, lets them play woth his toys etc!

My girl is as placid as placid can be , Tommy runs rings round her though if he pushes her to bullying or a little too much over food she will respond and really go at it with him

Tyke and ryan are my main concern. I know you can never say that all will be hunky dory and tyke will accept any dog. I need tyke to be happy with his new friend. Luckily tyke was snipped at the earliest convenience. My sister who has the female, when she has had enough them she will let tyke know and she will put him in his place but again he doesnt react.

Most shelters will allow you to bring your current dog to see how they will get along with the new addition. Try taking them for a walk and if things go well leave something with your dogs scent at the shelter and vice versa. Walk them together before taking the new dog into your house the first time and don't pay too much attention to the new dog to avoid jealousy issues

Good on you

However, I do know the pound I volunteer with don't rehome dogs to families with small children as they don't know the dog's background. I think this is fairly common for rescues, especially regarding staffy-types.

Good luck in finding the perfect companion. They will be very happy to find their forever home with you and your family.

Yea i think this is going to be the biggest problem is having a youngish child, but we may get lucky and be able to work on something etc. And jstaff, we did the same when we brought our son home from hospital we treated him exactly how we treated him before we came parents and would do the same with a new addition

Good luck in finding your new addition to the family. Can't think of any advice you haven't already thought of or thats been mentioned but if any questions do pop up, your in the right place to get advice.

I also think your toughest hurdle will be the age of your child.

Having said that, it sounds like you have your head screwed on & could possibly persuade a rescue centre that you're ideal!

If you get turned down at the first hurdle please don't give up!

thats my plan, to try talk them round if they look like they giving. To be honest ryan is pretty good with tyke (seen some kids and they bloody night mares) only habit he has is feeding him things ( not that he complains mind you)

Iv got my heart set on doing this. and im a firm believer that if you get turned down its the wring thing for you and something that suits you is just around the corner

I wish you all the luck in the world - it sounds like any dog rescued by you would be very lucky indeed!

Caryll wrote:I wish you all the luck in the world - it sounds like any dog rescued by you would be very lucky indeed!

awww thank you

Best thing to do is keep checking the websites of your local rescues. I went to a few and they all said the dogs that are good with dogs/cats/kids are never on long as they are the ones that get snapped up straight away.

Mike wrote:Best thing to do is keep checking the websites of your local rescues. I went to a few and they all said the dogs that are good with dogs/cats/kids are never on long as they are the ones that get snapped up straight away.

yea I have been looking at a few each day. Sort of narrowed it down as well to what im looking for as well as brindle's are always over looked and noticed tan, white etc go straight away. I know i want to give a home to one that desperately needs one i.e been in kennels along time i know they all need one but my heart goes out to the ones that have been there for ever and a day!

Now what you mean
Only thing about going the rescue centre is they aren't just pictures anymore they become real animals which you end up feeling so sorry for stuck in cages and just wanna end up taking them all home. I have to agree my heart seems to go out to the ones that get overlooked too

Thats why its good to contact them first, you can get matches (sounds like a dating website lol) before they are advertised Hence even people that want pups, they usually have prospect parents before they arrive (cause they will).

The first thing is to pass the shelters tests so to speak, not all are as set in stone as people think, and after that its just a matter of time.

Going to a rescue doesn't mean you have to take one there and then, you have to find one and they have to find that suits you

For example, I didn't have a garden when I went to rescue my first, RSPCA wouldn't even do a house check, but after a full interview with Battersea they where happy to let me rehome.

Took a bit of time and a couple of meetings, but its never impossible

Sorry, i don't think you should. I think you should wait until everything is finished. Moving home is stressful enough for a dog, but coming into a home where things wil be changed all the time until they're right - won't help. Thats just my opinion.

I respect the wanting to add a rescue though! And please do!

Good luck to you in your search for your new rescue and well done for wanting to rescue, there are so many staffies in shelters

Hayley wrote:Sorry, i don't think you should. I think you should wait until everything is finished. Moving home is stressful enough for a dog, but coming into a home where things wil be changed all the time until they're right - won't help. Thats just my opinion.

I respect the wanting to add a rescue though! And please do!

Working on the house is never finished. Personally I think if you feel the time is right then it's right. I know if I was in a shelter I would pick being in a house with a routine and being walked everyday while living in a forever home I would pick that over a cage any day of the week even if work was being carried out

Mike wrote:

Hayley wrote:Sorry, i don't think you should. I think you should wait until everything is finished. Moving home is stressful enough for a dog, but coming into a home where things wil be changed all the time until they're right - won't help. Thats just my opinion.

I respect the wanting to add a rescue though! And please do!

Working on the house is never finished. Personally I think if you feel the time is right then it's right. I know if I was in a shelter I would pick being in a house with a routine and being walked everyday while living in a forever home I would pick that over a cage any day of the week even if work was being carried out

Thank you for the comment hayley but i tend to agree with mike, its going to take up to two years to complete the extension and kitchen due to funds etc, but i do not think that the dogs would be effected with a few extra builders and noise over a noisy kennel. Should a seen the house when we first moved in and it didnt bother tyke one little bit. But all opinions are appreciated and thought about

It may be an idea to contact your local dog warden too, they should be able to put you in touch with the local dog pound where there are, sadly, bound to be strays taken in often. These strays are usually given a week or two for the owner to claim if not they are handed to a rescue centre or pts. You may get lucky and get in there quick.

If all else fails if your not far from York Rspca they have a litter of staffy pups 6 males and 6 females if you struggling with a older dog and there background you could always try there.