Adopting a dog
Discussion
We have had dogs in the past, lots of them, when we lived overseas. They all lived outside because it was hot and there were more than a few of them...
So, now we are back in the UK to live and my daughter desperately wants another dog. We visit a dog rescue centre, Hillbrae, every weekend and walk a few dogs there, but she wants one at home.
Personally I am not a great fan of having a dog in the house, but what is 'normal' for the English family?
We have a reasonable sized garden, and today we begin 'dog proofing' the fences and hedge with some netting.
There is a side shed area that I thought we could put a kennel in, like an open front outhouse. But it is round the side of the house and if the dog were put in there at night it would be a bit lonely and away from us, but it would have its own private area and also have the run of the back garden though.
Or, and my daughter suggested this, it could have its home in the conservatory, which opens directly into the dining room via double glass doors How about a dog flap though the outer conservatory door from the garden? Hot in summer, cold in winter....
Would the dog live happily outside, in a cage/run type thing, like they all do at the rescue centre? A nice kennel would keep it warm, I guess.
Or is it normal practise to have the dog in the house until it actually wants to go outside?
We will be affixing some wire fencing into this hedge today as behind it, buried inside, is a dilapidated wire fence we can't really get to to repair.
So, now we are back in the UK to live and my daughter desperately wants another dog. We visit a dog rescue centre, Hillbrae, every weekend and walk a few dogs there, but she wants one at home.
Personally I am not a great fan of having a dog in the house, but what is 'normal' for the English family?
We have a reasonable sized garden, and today we begin 'dog proofing' the fences and hedge with some netting.
There is a side shed area that I thought we could put a kennel in, like an open front outhouse. But it is round the side of the house and if the dog were put in there at night it would be a bit lonely and away from us, but it would have its own private area and also have the run of the back garden though.
Or, and my daughter suggested this, it could have its home in the conservatory, which opens directly into the dining room via double glass doors How about a dog flap though the outer conservatory door from the garden? Hot in summer, cold in winter....
Would the dog live happily outside, in a cage/run type thing, like they all do at the rescue centre? A nice kennel would keep it warm, I guess.
Or is it normal practise to have the dog in the house until it actually wants to go outside?
We will be affixing some wire fencing into this hedge today as behind it, buried inside, is a dilapidated wire fence we can't really get to to repair.
Really you should be addressing your question to the rescue centre, as most have rules that the dog has to live in the house as part of the family.
I think you were talking in another thread about the dog being a husky x? I think anything with a coat like a husky would struggle living in a conservatory. My dogs (who all have short coats) have spent time in a conservatory, but the door into the house has always been open, as they can only stand to be in there a short time once it gets hot.
As far as I'm concerned, 'normal' is having my dogs with me in the house.
I think you were talking in another thread about the dog being a husky x? I think anything with a coat like a husky would struggle living in a conservatory. My dogs (who all have short coats) have spent time in a conservatory, but the door into the house has always been open, as they can only stand to be in there a short time once it gets hot.
As far as I'm concerned, 'normal' is having my dogs with me in the house.
They asked about fences in the garden, also asked if the dog will be allowed in the house.
The husky we wanted was already on reserve, or so we found out after they took all our details.... However, he was supposed to be collected yesterday and nobody turned up.
Our house is a bit awkward at the rear, as there are two doors to go through no matter how you get to the back yard, so a dog flap is out of the question. Having an out door house of his own the dog could feel secure if we go out for the day, I assume. I have no real objections to him being in the house, as long as he doesn't eat everything the minute we turn our backs.
We just went out and bought some wire fencing and posts, so we shall set to securing the back yard to start with.
The husky we wanted was already on reserve, or so we found out after they took all our details.... However, he was supposed to be collected yesterday and nobody turned up.
Our house is a bit awkward at the rear, as there are two doors to go through no matter how you get to the back yard, so a dog flap is out of the question. Having an out door house of his own the dog could feel secure if we go out for the day, I assume. I have no real objections to him being in the house, as long as he doesn't eat everything the minute we turn our backs.
We just went out and bought some wire fencing and posts, so we shall set to securing the back yard to start with.
Some dogs will live quite happily in a kennel outside, they are rarely pets though.
You may find a dog in rescue who has been kept outdoors & the shelter may be happy for you to continue that, why would you want to though? Not all dogs steal food, could be worth doing some breed research before deciding.
You may find a dog in rescue who has been kept outdoors & the shelter may be happy for you to continue that, why would you want to though? Not all dogs steal food, could be worth doing some breed research before deciding.
Dogs living outside is definitely not the norm in the UK. Not to say it doesn't happen but I am not sure many rescues would be thrilled about that unless they have a dog to meet those requirements. You could look into failed police dogs as they tend to be kennelling outside even though they live with a handler?
Noisy dogs cause huge issues for neighbours in the UK and it tends to be dogs that are shut out that are the cause of it. There are kennelled dogs down from us (white GSD's) nice looking outdoor kennels etc but they still bark at everything especially in the evenings.
Personally I don't see the point unless you only want a guard dog or if you are keeping several dogs and in the situation you were abroad with heat etc it was a bit different. They are generally regarded to be part of the family and as such live in the home. Outdoor living possible but you will have to be sure they won't bark all day and they get plenty of interaction/stimulation.
Noisy dogs cause huge issues for neighbours in the UK and it tends to be dogs that are shut out that are the cause of it. There are kennelled dogs down from us (white GSD's) nice looking outdoor kennels etc but they still bark at everything especially in the evenings.
Personally I don't see the point unless you only want a guard dog or if you are keeping several dogs and in the situation you were abroad with heat etc it was a bit different. They are generally regarded to be part of the family and as such live in the home. Outdoor living possible but you will have to be sure they won't bark all day and they get plenty of interaction/stimulation.
bexVN said:
Dogs living outside is definitely not the norm in the UK. Not to say it doesn't happen but I am not sure many rescues would be thrilled about that unless they have a dog to meet those requirements. You could look into failed police dogs as they tend to be kennelling outside even though they live with a handler?
We have a very secure garden (a must when you have dogs. Cannot be risking dogs getting out) so in decent weather the back door is open all day for the dogs to go in and out as they please......door is open dogs are snoozing together on the sofa
Noisy dogs cause huge issues for neighbours in the UK and it tends to be dogs that are shut out that are the cause of it. There are kennelled dogs down from us (white GSD's) nice looking outdoor kennels etc but they still bark at everything especially in the evenings.
Personally I don't see the point unless you only want a guard dog or if you are keeping several dogs and in the situation you were abroad with heat etc it was a bit different. They are generally regarded to be part of the family and as such live in the home. Outdoor living possible but you will have to be sure they won't bark all day and they get plenty of interaction/stimulation.
We have a very secure garden (a must when you have dogs. Cannot be risking dogs getting out) so in decent weather the back door is open all day for the dogs to go in and out as they please......door is open dogs are snoozing together on the sofa
Noisy dogs cause huge issues for neighbours in the UK and it tends to be dogs that are shut out that are the cause of it. There are kennelled dogs down from us (white GSD's) nice looking outdoor kennels etc but they still bark at everything especially in the evenings.
Personally I don't see the point unless you only want a guard dog or if you are keeping several dogs and in the situation you were abroad with heat etc it was a bit different. They are generally regarded to be part of the family and as such live in the home. Outdoor living possible but you will have to be sure they won't bark all day and they get plenty of interaction/stimulation.
How old is the daughter? Do bear in mind that the novelty quickly wears off with kids vs pets and it will be you that ends up walking it twice a day for the next 12+ years. You should perhaps use your experiences of having dogs in Manila as an indicator of what's likely to happen here, ie. did the daughter take the dogs for a decent walk twice a day over there or did she only play with them when it suited her and the rest of the time they were left to amuse themselves on their own in the garden?
Does the daughter have enough income to pay for all its food and potential vets bills? And does she realise that it'll be her that has to clean all the rain and mud off it when returning from its daily walks in wet and muddy weather? That is a big enough pain in the arse with a short haired dog; keeping a Husky or GSDs coat clean requires a lot of time and dedication.
Does the daughter have enough income to pay for all its food and potential vets bills? And does she realise that it'll be her that has to clean all the rain and mud off it when returning from its daily walks in wet and muddy weather? That is a big enough pain in the arse with a short haired dog; keeping a Husky or GSDs coat clean requires a lot of time and dedication.
Daughter is 15, 16 soon. I'm not averse to having dogs in the house, just wandering what is normal. My brother in law lives nearby and he has a huge 'ponderosa' built in the back garden for his two labs. They seem to spend all their time in the house though......
I spent this afternoon building a wire mesh fence across the hedge area, not to solid looking but it would take a hell of a dog to bust through it. A persistent escape artist might burrow underneath, or manage to wriggle under it at ground level.
The slat fence to the left has gaps at the bottom, so a 'gnawer' or chewer might enlarge a hole to get through. I have a roll of wire I'll probably secure along that fence though.
The dog we wanted has gone, been adopted by someone else.
Time to make another choice.
I spent this afternoon building a wire mesh fence across the hedge area, not to solid looking but it would take a hell of a dog to bust through it. A persistent escape artist might burrow underneath, or manage to wriggle under it at ground level.
The slat fence to the left has gaps at the bottom, so a 'gnawer' or chewer might enlarge a hole to get through. I have a roll of wire I'll probably secure along that fence though.
The dog we wanted has gone, been adopted by someone else.
Time to make another choice.I could be wrong but most rescue centres won't like the idea of a dog being housed outside so they might not approve your application. Some will make you sign an agreement to say you won't have a cage inside the house/
Hillbrae have a good reputation as a rescue centre. Good luck with the search.
Hillbrae have a good reputation as a rescue centre. Good luck with the search.
Another kennels we checked into stated they have given up on home checks because what they see when they look usually bears no resemblance to what would/could happen later....
.... how a huge garden and nice indoor bed can easily be replaced by a shed at the bottom of the garden once the dog arrives.
.... how a huge garden and nice indoor bed can easily be replaced by a shed at the bottom of the garden once the dog arrives.
Having adopted a lab/collie cross from the dogs trust and with already having another three year old dog,I certainly wouldn't advocate leaving it to live in a kennel outside.As has been mentioned,they live in kennels between (hopefully permanent) homes,but this is only a temporary arrangement,unless it is a working dog.They need care,probable training and help with the trauma of living somewhere new and with unfamiliar people.Leaving a dog outside will do nothing to help.
Adopting a dog can be hard work and some come from terrible situations-some of which,the kennels may not be aware of and as such,you may only find out after a few weeks of ownership.
Some of the issues that may be highlighted by wherever you source your dog from,may never manifest itself and some other issues may develop over time.
I personally wouldn't take on two rescue dogs in one fell swoop,unless you can devote a huge amount of time to help everyone (including your family) integrate properly and find a happy medium.
Please don't take this the wrong way,but your tone of not being keen on a dog living in the house makes me think that you may not be 100% committed to what having a (rescue) dog entails.I don't know how old your daughter is,so a bit more info may help and may give people an idea of the sort of dog that may suit your lifestyle...
There may be the option of taking the dog home for a short period,to see how you all get on.This isn't ideal though,as it could cause further trauma to the dog if things don't work out.
Lots of things to think about...
Adopting a dog can be hard work and some come from terrible situations-some of which,the kennels may not be aware of and as such,you may only find out after a few weeks of ownership.
Some of the issues that may be highlighted by wherever you source your dog from,may never manifest itself and some other issues may develop over time.
I personally wouldn't take on two rescue dogs in one fell swoop,unless you can devote a huge amount of time to help everyone (including your family) integrate properly and find a happy medium.
Please don't take this the wrong way,but your tone of not being keen on a dog living in the house makes me think that you may not be 100% committed to what having a (rescue) dog entails.I don't know how old your daughter is,so a bit more info may help and may give people an idea of the sort of dog that may suit your lifestyle...
There may be the option of taking the dog home for a short period,to see how you all get on.This isn't ideal though,as it could cause further trauma to the dog if things don't work out.
Lots of things to think about...
- Apologies,just re-read and saw your daughters age.
Edited by Billyray911 on Sunday 9th April 19:30
King Herald said:
Daughter is 15, 16 soon.
The dog and its welfare will be history to her in the next few years when she discovers nightclubs and the opposite sex. Add in that you're intending for it to live outside because that's the norm in Manila then with all due respect please forget about the idea. The dog will have a better life staying where it is in the rescue centre kennels.Old Tyke said:
...Add in that you're intending for it to live outside because that's the norm in Manila then with all due respect please forget about the idea. The dog will have a better life staying where it is in the rescue centre kennels.
And we have a Winner! The first predictably d
headish PH response to the thread. If happens every time, every single time!Read the opening post, get a life, and shut up!
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