For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
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By avtur3
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1792982
Sorry folks this so far off aviation I know but we're in a real quandary.

We lost our canine best mate just a few weeks ago after 16 years, for those familiar with pet ownership you'll know what the impact is.

There are so many aspects of daily life which make you realise what you're missing and we're finding it tough. Here's a really daft example, earlier I was loading a dinner plate into the dishwasher, for years that would see our 'Monty' stood alongside and licking the plate, to the point where we had a nick-named him 'prewash'. He wasn't there.

There is no way we can replace Monty but we certainly want to continue our relationship with another dog, we've had a dog for almost all of our 36 married years.

But here's the problem. We bought Monty 16 years ago, when the environment for buying puppies was just so different, this was pre-internet days. You looked at the classified ads in the local rag and that was it, you made your choice. There weren’t the crooks involved in puppy farming.

Now everything is on the internet BUT there are huge caveats about the status of people selling puppies and what a crooked industry it can be. This means it is mind-blowingly difficult to look at adverts and understand whether they are genuine 'family breeder sales' or disguised puppy farm sales.

Choosing a puppy should be a fun part of the process but we're finding that it is quite the opposite, it is stressful simply because you look at the text of the advertisers and wonder if what they are saying is true.

We’re looking for a female Cocker Spaniel puppy, ideally, on the black, grey white spectrum, and from parents who have a good health history, our maximum price is £2k. If by any chance that rings a bell with anyone I’d love to hear from you. I’m in mid Sussex but willing to travel….
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By rf3flyer
#1792987
We lost our elderly cat a few weeks ago so I understand the gap in your lives, but why not do what you would have done 16 years ago and look in the classified ads in the local rag? Or put a 'wanted' ad in the window of your local newsagent or whatever local establishment still does that. The choice of animal might be more limited, but you never know.
By avtur3
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1792990
rf3flyer wrote:We lost our elderly cat a few weeks ago so I understand the gap in your lives, but why not do what you would have done 16 years ago and look in the classified ads in the local rag? Or put a 'wanted' ad in the window of your local newsagent or whatever local establishment still does that. The choice of animal might be more limited, but you never know.



Life has changed so much in the last 16 years. I hate to admit but we've been anticipating recent events and have been looking at local classifieds, there is literally nothing there, where we live there just aren't any of those local shops with the postcards adverts in the window. There is a website called "pets4homes" which is literally the pet version of 'Autotrader' and that is where everyone is advertising pets for sale. I would like to find a 'none media' link to someone selling puppies which is exactly why I have posted here.

We are networking with friends/neighbours, we are chatting to people while we are out walking, we'll try anything but the world of selling puppies these day is just so different to how it was 16 years ago.
By Bill McCarthy
#1792992
I am of an age that I can no longer contemplate getting another Border Collie for shepherding (although I’d dearly love one) as there is a fair chance that it will outlive me now and I wouldn’t want it to grieve over my demise, and on top of that, get turfed out to another home where it’s natural instinct to work would be denied.
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By ChrisRowland
#1792994
avtur3 wrote:We’re looking for a female Cocker Spaniel puppy, ideally, on the black, grey white spectrum, and from parents who have a good health history, our maximum price is £2k. If by any chance that rings a bell with anyone I’d love to hear from you. I’m in mid Sussex but willing to travel….


When we have bought kittens we went through the pedigree cat breed club sites and had no problem finding reputable breeders. We actually went to a cat show to see who was round and bought one kitten from the people who bred the best in breed. We bought another from thier rival, a stalwart of the breed club and were able to see round everything, the accommodation for the toms, the shared accommodation for the queens and the honeymoon suite. There wre the retired queens, neutered and drifting around the area. Apparently they brought prey back and shoved it under the wire of the queen's enclosure. This was 10 years ago and we started with my wife falling in love with a photo of a kitten, Daisy, on the breeder's web site.

I still have Daisy, not my wife :(, and I fear that I won't have Daisy for much longer, she's got cronic kidney disease.

I'm not au fait with current spaniel prices but I'd expect that a pet quality puppy would be available for £2k.

Otherwise the pet rescue places, may breed societies have rehomng services. You may have to wait a bit and/or take something that's a bit older.

If I was looking for a moggy cat I'd go for the Cat's Protection people, is there a canine equivalent?

HTH

Chris
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By ChrisRowland
#1792996
Bill McCarthy wrote:I am of an age that I can no longer contemplate getting another Border Collie for shepherding (although I’d dearly love one) as there is a fair chance that it will outlive me now and I wouldn’t want it to grieve over my demise, and on top of that, get turfed out to another home where it’s natural instinct to work would be denied.

Bill, how about taking on an older BC from the BC rehoming people? I guess there is such a thing. That way there will be one rehomed BC that you can ensure gets looked after correctly.
By Nick
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1793009
avtur3
How about contacting the Kennel Club, they have a list of breeders of every breed. Find a breeder you like and feel you can trust. You will have to wait for a litter but in the meantime you can get to know the breed line, you hope to be be buying into. You will more than likely build up a friendship with the breeder too.

HtH. Nick
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By AndyR
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1793011
The Kennel Club have a list of approved breeders. As you say, too many out to make a quick buck these days. Be prepared to travel. Our latest flat coat came from a breeder in Scotland and the only other breeders I would consider for the breed, after some investigation, were in Essex and Wales.

You’re clearly prepared to pay for the ‘right’ puppy, so registered breeders or recommendations from a Spaniel owner are the way to go.
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By Nick
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1793012
Bill,

You must be in contact with other local stock farmers. Why not ask if one of them will undertake to give your 'New dog' a home when the time comes. If it comes to you first! If you have a dependable friend, I'm sure you live longer.
We undertook to give my late Father in Law's dog a home. We ended up getting him three terriers, he outlived the first two. The third lives with us and our two dogs now. They all get on well together, he used to bring his dog over to us for a run every day, so when the time came he just moved in seamlessly.

Something to think about.

Nick.
By Bill Haddow
#1793020
Have you any contacts (or contacts of contacts) in the shooting community? Most have dogs, and many breed the odd litter but stop well short of being puppy farmers. In the spaniel stakes they go more for springers, but cockers are not unknown. Possibilities are someone with a largish litter and a couple of pups left which now really have to go, or someone with a dog that's not making the grade as a gundog, though that's more likely to be a young adult (might be used to a kennel in a run as opposed to being a housedog).

Just a thought.

Bill H
(Still missing my wee besom 13 years on)
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