Puppy or rescue???
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| It's completely up to you whether you want to go breeder or rescue route. Puppies do occasionally go through rescues too. Great dogs go through rescues and the rescue groups are good at setting you up with a dog/pup that will fit you. Not all rescue dogs have medical issues. No one here is going to fault you for going through a good breeder either. Looking for a breeder you should start here. http://www.oldenglishsheepdogclubofamerica.org/breed_info/breeder_referral.php |
| My last...............5? sheepdogs have been rescues. Medical issues, yeah but so did the puppies before. I feel like the Mother of All Dysplastic Sheepdogs. I knew hip dysplasia before it became a "household word." Lymphoma, yep. The bone cancer was in my other breed, Great Pyrenees. Personally I want an older dog, past the two year mark so the craziness is reduced. That doesn't mean I dislike puppies........oh no! I love puppies, but no longer for me. (I don't think....) Legit rescues are very upfront with the pup as it has been vetted before hand. Issues are know. Current health problems are known. No telling what will come down the road, rescue or puppy. The only "short termer" was a bearded collie from the pound, he died from torsion. So I'm up on rescues, but if you do go puppies, go with those who do the upfront work, the Xrays, hearing and eye tests on the parents and give you certificates of such. Don't fall for "we've never had problems, our dogs are healthy." OES club of America has a breeder referral service. A good place to start. As for rescues, go the main page of this site and scroll down, there's a menu with rescues there. |
| I have had both, and I think this is just really a very personal choice. There can be health issues with even very well bred dogs, there is no true "guarantee" against potential health issues down the line. |
| I have both groups, and likely always will. My 2 current OES are wonderfully well bred and champion dogs - they also are much more. My family pets, they are therapy dogs, we compete as teammates with in nearly every dog sport imaginable - from dog sledding to obedience, agility to weight pull. Just to mention a few.  Except for the conformation showing part, I do the same with my other dogs. Currently we have 6. The 2 OES mentioned already. 1 rescue basset Harley, who just turned 16 yrs old last week! He came to us as a foster dog at 11.5 yrs - he's my exception to all the jobs - he just hangs out! But my basset before him was Simon, and he was adopted from basset rescue at age 6 yrs - and he was a therapy dog and we competed in Rally - all the way through the Rally Excellent titles. Riley is an 8 yr old rat terrier who we got as a puppy. He's also a therapy dog, and did Rally Novice. Maggie is an 8 yr old blue tick coonhound, and a rescue we got at about 1.5 yrs old. She is a hunting coonhound with my husband, and also runs with our sled dog team and has dabbled in weight pull. Biscuit is a 3 year old black lab. We've always had a lab in our married life - Todd's hunting dogs. Biscuit was from a litter that was out in the Dakotas, and they couldn't sell the puppies and were going to put the remaining ones to sleep. Todd brought Biscuit home...   He is not a hunting dog at all, just a happy and clueless hound. He has no hunting drive, no instinct and no retrieve. But he is really a big sweet lunk! He is a strong work horse puller in my sled dog team, a great wheel dog. He also has a weight pull title. We foster for both basset and OES rescue. I strongly believe in both breeders and rescue. Without (real, ethical) breeders, the breeds we love will disappear. Imagine if all we were left with are offspring from the puppy mills and BYB's - they already breed dogs that barely match breed descriptions of what they are advertised to be. Then add in no health testing to screen out the dogs who have genetic conditions that affect life and quality of life of the dogs into adulthood. And these same good and ethical breeders are NOT the dogs that we see in rescue, shelters, etc. The ones (of any breed) in rescue are from the same irresponsible people who don't test, don't breed to the standard of the dogs, and mate 2 handy dogs so they can sell "purebred" dogs. And make some money...as we all know OES are "rare" and "expensive".  These are the dogs that we see in rescue.  |
| I reread your original post - and can reply to the retired show dog part as well. My daughter has the sister of my older OES. She was kept as pick puppy, then showed to her CH. My daughter got her afterwards, she was almost 2 yrs old when they got her. She is perfect for them, as they are a young and very busy family, and NOT having a puppy was a big plus. Total win:win for everyone! And my rescue basset Simon - we had several bassets over the years of our marriage (30 yrs), even when I was a teen in college at home. I hadn't had one for years, but didn't need to add a puppy at that time. Adopting Simon as a 6 yr old was the perfect solution. He integrated seamlessly, and WAY less work than a puppy would involve. A good rescue will have done any needed vet work, but also disclose any long term conditions - as many are poorly bred and have know health issues. Some people are fine with committing to a known illness or condition, others are not. Both groups I work with foster in homes, so once they have been in your home for awhile, you are able to determine the best match in a new home - what situations to avoid (no stairs, no little kids, eats cats, etc) but also what they enjoy (another pet - calm or playful, person home all the time d/t insecurity, sedate vs active lifestyle and so on.) |
| Thanks everyone for taking your time to try to help me. I realized after clicking on the referral link for rescues, the ones I have been looking at in this area are on it. I feel much better now. I am looking very cautiously at pets on puppy finder site and have noticed the difference in how things are worded in some of the ads. And I do agree, you never know for sure about the health issues. Bear Bear had arthritis, on meds for that, adequan shots, special food. Two kitties so far with CRF that I gave fluids to at home and special food. One cat, Pandora, such a sweet baby had breast cancer, nothing we could do, so she seemed happy, regular vet check ups, it was kinda gross, but i put medicine on it and made a diaper kind of thing that held a pad to soak up the runny stuff. Used to bathe her every night and dry her before putting her special cream on. Then she would crawl up and sleep on my chest and shoulder. Only thing was it did not smell to good, so had to sleep with my head turned to one side. But...it made her happy and that made me happy. I am good with special needs, and meds. I worked at a vets doing kennel work when I was younger and helped with some other stuff as well. And poop is not big thing either, well, unless you have a rather large dog...lol...doesn't make me cringe to clean it up, or throw up, or walking in the dark down the hallway to kitchen to eat and step in a rather cold hairball. Have one rescue now with allergies, special food, fish oil supplements, allergy pills, pred when it really acts up....Having a rescue with issues would not be a deal breaker, just would like to know up front of anything they are aware of at that point. I realize things happen as they get older, and there are no guarantees, really for any of us if you think about it. |
got sheep wrote: I strongly believe in both breeders and rescue. Without (real, ethical) breeders, the breeds we love will disappear. Imagine if all we were left with are offspring from the puppy mills and BYB's - they already breed dogs that barely match breed descriptions of what they are advertised to be. Then add in no health testing to screen out the dogs who have genetic conditions that affect life and quality of life of the dogs into adulthood. And these same good and ethical breeders are NOT the dogs that we see in rescue, shelters, etc. The ones (of any breed) in rescue are from the same irresponsible people who don't test, don't breed to the standard of the dogs, and mate 2 handy dogs so they can sell "purebred" dogs. And make some money...as we all know OES are "rare" and "expensive". These are the dogs that we see in rescue. Dawn, you always say it so well! Benson is our first purebred. All my pets growing up were shelter animals, and as an adult, Hubby and I spent 25 years caring for the ones "no one wanted" that came through the vet practice where I worked. Dealing with long-term issues (behavioral and physical) is not a deal breaker for me either. But once our last furbaby left us (kidney failure and diabetes), we decided to find a well-bred puppy from a good breeder. That generally reduces the risk of health issues, and pretty much means that if she develops any bad habits, it's our fault.  That being said, there are no guarantees that a purebred will be healthy, or that a rescue will not. Whatever you decide, this board is a great resource for you. And everyone here loves new additions, no matter what route they took to join your family! |
| Finding an OES puppy in rescue is very difficult. Here in Indiana I have had two 10 week old OES littermates and one 5 month old in about eight years of being in rescue. Other dogs are usually older, many are seniors. Send in adoption application to as many rescues within your driving distance as most rescues will not transport and check in with them occasionally to show your continued interest. Petfinder is a great place to search for a rescue dog but do your research on the organization you consider dealing with. If your heart is set on a puppy, your best bet is to go to a reputable breeder. Build a rapport with the breeder and they will be there for the life of your dog and usually beyond. Should you need to give up your dog for any reason they will usually take him/her back without hesitation. Most rescues were not produced by the most reputable breeders. Many are "puppymill" dogs that were sold in a mall pet store or on-line with unknown origins. Many are from families who have a pair of pet OES they just decided one day to let them breed. Most are great puppies but the families who bought them just didn't know what they were getting into. You'll find several of the country's top breeders that have done or are still doing rescue. And it's not their dogs that go into rescue because they look out for their own. they simply care about the breed. Some of the best dogs that come through rescue were from very humble beginnings and purchased by unsuspecting families on an impulse. Then the puppies grew too large and knocked down the kids. They learned how difficult and quirky this breed can be. Re-homing them is the kindest thing they can do as most end up in fabulous homes through rescue. Heath issues can appear in a well-bred dog or a rescue dog. Nothing is guaranteed when dealing with nature. Your chances with a puppy from parents with health clearances are so much better. People adopt rescues because they want an older dog vs. a puppy; they can't afford a dog from a breeder; they want a dog whose personality and temperament has already developed so there are no surprises or maybe they just want to help a dog that needs a home or nurture a special-needs or senior dog. Personally, I've had several rescued Old English Sheepdogs and have seen the best and worst temperaments and health in them. I currently have an 18 month old puppy from a top breeder that is a fabulous girl. When people ask why someone in rescue bought a dog from a (gasp!) breeder, I tell them it's because I want this breed to continue and thrive for the future. There is no right or wrong when making the decision to buy or adopt. Just follow your heart but use your head. |
| Good post Nita. You touched all the vital areas. I have never owned a rescue but being a breeder I do help in rescue from time to time with transporting them from point A to point B which often time includes an overnight stay for them here. Most seem to sense you are their hope & they are sweet as pie. Probably the one that upset me the most was the 14 week old puppy I picked up from a very well-to-do family who had bought her on impulse from a pet store. They kept her in the basement the last few week (starting at eleven weeks of age) because she was jumping up on the kids!!!!!!! When I asked them for the rest of the food they had for her so I could help transition her over to decent food, they told me they had "just run out of food that morning"!!!!!! Right! Did they really expect me to believe that????? Happy ending is she went to a loving, caring couple. As for it being the norm for a breeder to ask for a deposit upfront? Yes, reputable, responsible breeders will ask for a deposit up front, generally once they have puppies on the ground. This reserves one of the puppies for you & they will watch those puppies with an eagle eye for the 8-12 weeks they have them to decide which one will fit into you lifestyle best. This is one of their jobs...to find the best forever home for the puppies they produce. Eye appeal of the puppy buyer is not the best way to choose a puppy. We all have preferences & we all have things that we just couldn't live with. But the bottom line is the personality of the dog & the family it will be living with. You can certainly let them know which ones catch your eye but that doesn't always mean that is the best pup for you in the long run. If the fit isn't right, nobody is happy. So rely on your breeder's expertise. |
| Well said Nita, Marilyn, Dawn...well everyone's response so thoughtful and spot-on. There is such a wealth of experience and expertise on this forum!! Speaking from the rescue perspective, yes, we do our best to let perspective adopting parents know everything we possibly can about the dog they're interested in adopting. Our goal is to place them in a home where they'll live as cherished family members for the rest of their lives. This requires full disclosure from all parties. Whichever route you choose, communication is key. Talk to the breeder or placement director of the rescue. Tell them all about you, your home, family, lifestyle, etc so they can make the best choice possible when placing a dog in your home. |
| Nita said this: Quote: Petfinder is a great place to search for a rescue dog but do your research on the organization you consider dealing with. This is very, very important. I'm not sure I was told the entire truth about my dog. I adore her, but there are some issues that had I been told the truth, I wouldn't have taken her on. I'm still in touch with the rescue, which means that I've found out more after we brought her home. I did not get her from an OES or dog specific rescue though. |
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