I'm torn... breeder or rescue?

Corrinne

Corrinne

bad spellers untie!
Nov 2, 2006
1,090
0
#1
My family is a Welsh Corgi family. Weve had this breed for years and have no intension to change because they just fit our family so well. Last November we lost our oldest corgi, Dustin (11 yrs), to cancer. he was a wonderful guy and we know that one never replaces a dog because their personalities are just so different. We also have a 7 year old female, Evelyn who is just so sweet, we love her to bits. We bought both of these dogs from a wonderful breeder, the dogs were actually second cousins.
We are looking to expand our corgi family and I was very interested in adopting a rescue corgi. I'm fully aware of the risks involved, but it is
such a great thing to do for the dogs. I did A LOT of research and found a 1.5 year old corgi adolescent that needs a forever home. He is everything I was looking for in a dog, smart, loves to learn (i love to train them, we both have a lot of fun), playful (which Evelyn would benefit from), and he is described as a very sweet dog. Now we sent in the adoption application a while ago and didnt hear anything, so we figured he was adopted. We called our breeder to ask her advice on getting a puppy. She said she was planning a littler for the end of April and she would be happy to add us to the top of her waiting list. Who dosnt love a new puppy? Cute, funny, adorable, and you get to see them grow and mature, however they are obviously a lot more work than a full grown dog.
As fate would have it, just today I got an email saying our appication has been forwarded to the rescue dog's foster mom for review. This does not mean we are absolutely guanenteed to get him, but its a very big step in the right direction. Adoption is a long process to make sure the dog and family are a good match for each other.
So now were in a pickle, if we get approved for the rescue dog, what about the puppy? I'm stuck weighing the pros and cons of a puppy vs. adolescent dog... rescue vs. our breeder. I know our breeder would not be offended if we decided to adopt. As much as I would love it, we cant do both.. 3 dogs would just be too much, 2 is perfect.
Ideas? Advice? :shrugs:
TIA!!!!
 
#2
Good luck with your rescue and if this teenage furbaby is meant for you, he will be with you. Usually "older" dogs remain up for adoption for longer times because they have lost their cute puppiness, however as a dog owner you know how they never stop being your babies. I say go for the rescue!!.. he needs a home more that the breeder puppy which will probably find a home much faster.

About a year and a half ago my boyfriend and I adopted a rescue Aussie Shepherd. We had to go through the adoption process; long application, personal references, even a visit from a rescue person to assess our property (she even brought her dogs so we could make sure that this is the breed we wanted). Yes it took about 3 weeks to get an answer but we got accepted. She was about 10 weeks old when we got her and she got along just fine with out other dog Max a shepherd mix we got from the pound.

Keep us posted
 
#3
It is tricky!:yes:

Last year, we lost our 17 year old cat to renal failure...naturally, after the grieving period, we decided it would be nice to have a couple of cats around the place again.

Our original plan was to go for two kittens, a Siamese and a Silver tabby.
We followed up several leads from breeders, only to be let down a few times...a couple of others we phoned up about, and they were either gone, or were too far away to go and see. So getting a pet went on the back burner.

Until one day, my partner was browsing through a leftover newspaper at work and he just happened to spy an advert for a couple of one year old Bengal cats (brother and sister) for sale - at a good price. The owner was moving to India for 5 years to teach, so she wanted to give the cats a loving, permanent home.

We went to see them and straight away, and we just knew they were 'the ones':yes:

We got breeder quality cats at a fraction of the price, plus we were helping out in what could have been a potentially sad situation. If we didn't have them, where would they have gone?

I definitely think you need to keep your options open.

You'll know by instinct which one you'll really and truly love and which is totally the pet for you, when the time is right.

If you adopt, you'll be doing both the dog and the shelter a huge favour.

There will never be a shortage of puppies or kittens, but it's the older dogs & cats that tend to get neglected because people do like the idea of having a puppy or kitten so they can 'train' them.

Although, IMO, it's not always easy to train an animal even from birth. I had a tabby cat once that was as wild as a feral by nature, even though i'd cuddled and nurtured her since i first had her at 6 weeks!

I wish you the best of luck whichever you decide upon.:tender::heart:
 
#4
thank you both for the excelent words of wisdom! From the moment I saw George (the rescue - online) I was immidiately attracted to him. Something about him captured me. I browsed many many corgis and I just fell for him. Of course I'm a softie for animals but when something just catches you, you know. I still think theres a lot to think about and I just want whats best for everyone. The suspence is kiling me to wait for a reply from the rescue, i'm checking my email like a maniac every chance i get!

im so torn!!
 
#5
corrinne, he is gorgeous!!! i'd fall for him too.

How soon do you have to let the breeder know and when do you have to make the payment?

I'd say to go for the handsome guy in the picture because it is so awesome to be able to give dogs a good permanent home.

but i know the process is lengthy with no guarantees so perhaps you can tell the breeder to put you on the list and ask them when is the latest you can give them a confirmation. i'm sure they can find someone to tkae the puppy if things work out with the adoption.
 
#7
bubbleliciousis said:
corrinne, he is gorgeous!!! i'd fall for him too.

How soon do you have to let the breeder know and when do you have to make the payment?

I'd say to go for the handsome guy in the picture because it is so awesome to be able to give dogs a good permanent home.

but i know the process is lengthy with no guarantees so perhaps you can tell the breeder to put you on the list and ask them when is the latest you can give them a confirmation. i'm sure they can find someone to tkae the puppy if things work out with the adoption.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I took the picture down because I wasnt sure of copy rights and all that since i didnt ask permision.
The puppys arnt even conceived yet so theres a while before we would have to do anything about that. I would consiter this breeder more than a breeder, shes become a family friend, weve stayed in touch since the beginning. I believe the way it worked previously was if your on her puppy list, you go meet all the pups first, and if you decide on one thats when you deposit, then pay the rest at the time of pick up.
I didnt mention that George, the rescue, is in Kansas and im in NH, he woud have to be shipped if we got him. The corgi rescue has a long description of the shipping standards that they meet and exactly how they go about it. Theyve shipped over 150 rescues since they were founded, all with 100% happy results.
 
#8
Fate will take a hand I am sure, if you are meant to have George you will have him. Its really funny how these things work out.

I do hope he comes to you having a rescue dog is one of the most rewarding things. I always have a rescue in my household. At the moment I have 2 I had since puppys and my beautiful rescue English Setter.

Good Luck and let us know what happens
 
#9
I can relate to your dilemma. As my username suggests, I've had a lifelong attachment to Boxers. As a child my parents bred them and later on they adopted an abused 1+ yr-old male boxer. He was every bit as wonderful a family member as the dogs we raised from puppies. My husband and I had 3 boxers from breeders and 2 senior age rescue boxers. They all have been special. I encourage adoption because there are so many pets looking for their forever home. The breeder's pups will get homes easily. I think when you meet the rescue Corgi, you'll get a feeling about which way to go

Bless you for being open to the idea of adopting an adult dog. Best wishes whatever you decide--you sound like the kind of pet owner every animal deserves.:heart:
 
#10
I'm sure you will make the right decision. We started with a full bred puppy from the breeder and a year and a half later I found Quinn - she had been in the "kill" shelter four times and the 4th the owners didn't come get her. :sad: They couldn't bring themselves to put her down because she was just so sweet. But she had to wait until there was room in the special Husky shelter.

She waited fo rus and we drove 10 hours (round trip) to pick her up.

And now we are a fa mily of 5 with our newest full bred Malamute. So you can have it all! Adoption and puppies! lol But I would wait until the adopted guy settles in and feels like it is his home. It can take adoptees a little while to feel secure.

I hope you post photos!!!
 
#11
my baby is a beagle/corgi mix (beagle head, corgi body...so freaking cute) that i adopted. it was a kill shelter and they were going to put her down that next day.

there is NO love like the love you get from the one you adopt.:heart:
 
#12
My breeder dogs have such love stored up that it gets hard sometimes with the amount of snuggles they have stored up. BUT... I think this holds true for most dogs. good luck to you!! I would say that the rescues may have a few extra snugs to hand out. :heart:
 
#13
kallison said:
my baby is a beagle/corgi mix (beagle head, corgi body...so freaking cute) that i adopted. it was a kill shelter and they were going to put her down that next day.

there is NO love like the love you get from the one you adopt.:heart:
Click to expand...
you guys are great, thank you for your advice and opinions! I have decided that if the adoption works out, after the phone interview and home visit, etc etc etc, that adoption is the way to go. i would feel so good to take in dog and give him a great life. If it dosnt work out, there is always an option for the puppy, although im hoping that this adoption works out!!
i love reading all your success stories, feel free to share more! :wlae:
 
#14
YAY! I'm so happy to hear you decided to adopt the rescue puppy! All dogs are wonderful, and I don't discriminate--I love all. It is more difficult for rescue dogs to find homes though, so it's really wonderful when someone opens their heart to them. :yahoo:

We have three rescue dogs--one Husky/Rottweiller cross, (pictured in my avatar) a Belgian Shepherd/Collie cross, and a "Lab/many other breeds" cross from a reserve. There is something special about the love we share with these dogs--I am so grateful we found them, and I know they feel the same!

Please keep us updated!
 
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