A moral/cultural conundrum: online advert (i.e. "eBay") dog or puppy?

I've been getting a lot of pressure the last couple weeks from friends in Germany to just get online, answer an ad (think eBay) and pick up the puppy of my choice. Easy peasy. Part of this stems from me having gone totally ga ga over a Lab/Rottweiler mix rescue I met recently (already adopted) and a most it comes from the fact that week before last was the year anniversary of Brogan's passing and pretty much everyone I know thinks I need to go out an get my next dog...well, pretty much yesterday. I've learned to not bring up the dreaded dog topic with anyone anymore except here on the Forum - and thank goodness for the Forum where I can get my dog fix in peace!

When I get asked about it here in Germany and reply that it's not that easy to find either an appropriate rescue or puppy from an excellent responsible breeder, invariably out come the mobiles and a simple "Labrador mix" or "Rottweiler mix" search brings up dozens of online ads for suitably adorable puppies who are all available either NOW or in a few short weeks. Hey, problem solved!

However, I'm American and my background is doing a lot of rescue volunteering. To me, anyone who advertises puppies in the same place that you can also buy a used car is not someone you want to deal with. It just ratchets up my ick factor by about 1000%. I would love to find a rescue - a dog who genuinely needs a home and is adoptable from a legitimate rescue group. Or a puppy from a breeder who breeds to further the health and temperament of the breed, does all health checks and has a sterling reputation. Someone who thinks it would be (1) cool to see their dog give birth before she's spayed or (2) hey, we needed to make the rent so we could just sell some puppies for EUR700 a pop...this really doesn't fit the bill.

But I also understand that Germany doesn't have the massive dog overpopulation problem that the US does and that for my friends, this whole "just find a dog in a newspaper" strategy seems logical and I seem like a total idiot for digging in my heels. These are people who care about me and are trying to help and I simply can't seem to bridge the cultural divide to explain why the idea of BYB (back yard breeders) makes me want to punch the world in the face. Or maybe the situation here Germany is very different and it's me who can't see beyond my cultural bias. Either way, I simply can't seem to make this work for me and REALLY wish I could cut off my friends' mobile service so they'd stop showing me pictures of adorable puppies. They mean well, but it's depressing the heck out me.

I guess I've answered my own question in writing this all out (once again a novel from me!), but I guess I just needed to do a sanity check here. So please feel free to weigh in and check my sanity: any opinions?

 

I can see why your friends lovely good will could be a bit distracting...especially as each suggestion would require some polite exploring, then a well meaning conversation around the reasons why the pup wouldn't be suitable. This is the bit I guess you are find quite wearing. Only you really know what you are looking for, and the right pup is certainly out there, maybe tomorrow, next month or next year. Could you maybe say you are dialling back your search right now? Or words to that effect? Then continue your search quietly in the background?

 

Wise words. Yes, this is essentially what I've done - gone "underground" with my search activities. Ironically, though, I think that's why they are stepping up their push as they heard about the search ad nauseum over the summer, now they think I've gone quiet so are trying to come to the rescue. I've indeed tried to explain why all the online ad stuff makes me uncomfortable but one thing about Germans (or at least MY Germans) when they think they are right, there's really no other valid viewpoint than their own. It's an endearing quality but can be a little bit like trying to persuade a brick wall not to be so darn "bricky"!

 

I hope you find your pup. Am very interested in your description of the rescue situation in Germany.

This is quite interesting, isn't it? I looked into the stats in the UK a while back - well, as much as I could from information that was easily available.

I was prompted to do so when I tried to rescue a dog and was pretty much turned down as unsuitable (because my existing dog was entire, one of my gardens isn't secure, I work out of the house sometimes). I was struck by just how picky the main rescue organisation were able to be about prospective owners.

Turns out, a lot of dogs are imported from Ireland, Cyprus, Spain to fill the UK's dog rescue infrastructure. So while of course some dogs need homes, and there are sad stories, it's not the case that the UK generates its own overpopulation problem.

The exception is bull breeds - staffies in particular. The terrible story here is the certain areas of the UK does produce a lot of unwanted bull breed puppies, these do end up in rescue and are terribly difficult to rehome. Some of the big rescue organisations won't take them because they say they would just fill up all their spaces and that would be that - they would never move them on. So sad.

 

Well it's your life, so entirely up to you when you get your next dog. However, perhaps there is a happy medium between careful research and agonising over your decision. I think you want a pedigree puppy with all the health tests and therefore that's what you should go for - find a breeder you like and get your name on a waiting list.
I waited a nearly a year after my old Lab died, frequently looking at ads for puppies and adult dogs and in the end really got Molly on impulse (suddenly decided I could be dogless no longer) and of course I love her to bits. She's a cross, not pure Lab.
I actually did the same thing with my previous dog, come to think of it. It was about a year since I'd lost my beloved cocker spaniel and I was really looking for another cocker bitch when I saw the advert for chocolate Labs and bought Rolo on the spur of the moment. One friend, who knew what I'd been looking for, laughed when she saw him and asked me if I'd noticed he was male and not a cocker spaniel. I loved my dear Rolo as much as any of my dogs.
I think you'll know when the time's right for you.

 

I think you are right to keep quiet so that the mobiles don't get whipped out.

THEN - get yourself on a breeder's waiting list without telling them and surprise them all!

I'm a lot like you, I wear my heart on my sleeve - so, when I do manage to surprise people it gets talked about amongst my circle of friends for years lol

((hugs))

 

It's a big decision - the anticipation being whatever dog you choose will be your companion for at least (hopefully) the next decade.

I have no doubt many have made "spur of the moment" decisions in this regard and have been very happy and content with the outcome...but for some it's a decision which will be agonised over.

Good luck in your search...I'm sure you'll find a new love eventually.

 

Yes, same here in Germany, or at least my part of Germany. Our little merry band of dog walkers has dogs from Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Romania and Hungary. Two friends of mine run a rescue group and pull dogs mainly from Romania. They talk about the local city-run shelter with huge contempt because even though they have lots of space, they will not take dogs from outside of Germany. I volunteered there for a bit last year walking dogs in the morning. It was a really nice facility (no kill of course) and had very few dogs for the number of runs available. Many of the dogs were in fact paid boarders over the holiday season, not dogs without homes. I stopped volunteering because there were more volunteers to walk the dogs than there were dogs...seemed a bit silly to get into a huge competition for who could show up earliest and stand in line longest to get a dog to walk! But better that than the alternative of not having enough volunteers. Now I get my dog fix by doing freebie doggie daycare for several friends. Everybody wins.

 

In a way - apart from the UK's scandalous Staffie problem - it's a good position to be in.

 

I'm normally such a talker that I'm not sure I could keep my mouth shut long enough to really have a secret like that! But it's a good aspiration to have. I'm heading off to Spain in three weeks so it will be infinitely easier to not only avoid the mobile phone puppy picture attacks, but also keep my search on the down low. I should use @snowbunny as inspiration...she kept little Luna a happy secret until just about the very end!

 

Absolutely!

 

Absolutely - for me it's really THE BIGGEST DECISION and most days I can't even decide what color shirt to wear. Who is going to be my next best buddy and assistance dog is rather overwhelming.

 

Like so not! Some of us had to listen to her search for Luna for weeks! Just getting her own back because she had to listen about the search for Betsy for months!

 

Lovely story, thank you for sharing.

 

Ah well, maybe I should have said that she was good at keeping a secret from the Forum overall... you sound like you belonged to the select contingent who did have a little inkling that Luna was on her way.

 

Ah, you loved it, don't pretend otherwise

 

I did! Vicarious chocolate labrador puppy shopping - what's not to like!

 

It's so tough Emily, but if you are considering a rescue there is a rescue called www.spanishstraydogs.org.uk who have gorgeous dogs ready for rehoming to various countries. I hope you don't mind me saying, don't want to step on your toes and risk the roth of Emily! xx

 

That is a GREAT tip - thank you, thank you!!! I've been lurking on several Spanish/German rescue sites for months but hadn't seen this one yet. I will back in Spain in three weeks' time so looking in Spain is a big part of my competing plans of either adopting a rescue this spring or going the breeder route and getting on a list for a summer puppy.

That really is a dangerous site, look who I found already (Labrador/Mastiff x)- I love the drool.

 

So glad to help. Oh I love Bruno, he is stunning I was really tempted by Lydia a Pointer cross. It's so dangerous looking on these sites. I feel so very sad for them all but if I even attempted to suggest another dog to David I would be in the divorce courts before I finished my sentence xx