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rescue v. breeder

C

cbm618

Member
There are probably some very strong opinions on this point, but I'd like to get a general impression on this subject.

I posted in the newcomer section, but let me do a lil intro. I currently own a border collie, Skipper. She is five and has always had another dog in the house. We are about to move out on our own :)rah: ) and I want to get her a companion. I've always loved cav's (too frickin cute for words) and they have made it into the #2 spot on my list of possible breeds (the first being bc).

So the question: Go to a rescue or get one as a pup from a breeder?

In my research there seem to be very few in need of rescue (as compared to bc's at any rate). I usually look into rescue first as they are the ones in need of help (I've actually had my eye on Brady in Chicago... I think someone posted about him not too long ago).

General impressions and things you've discovered over the years would be a big help and thanks in advance :D !
 
Where are you from cbm618? I'm told there are lots in rescue in the UK. Karlin is your girl for this question. :D
 
Now the answer to that question I suppose is do you want a pup or an adult dog? If you want an adult try rescue or breeders xbreeding dogs. I love helping dogs in need but I have to admit there are not a lot of Cavs in rescue.

If you want a pup, make sure you find a good registered breeder. Make sure the parents and grandparents have been health tested. (see the paperwork don't just take their word) Make sure they are registered with an approprate body (some have papers but they don't mean anything. Check for the true body in your country or state).

Hope that makes sense!
 
Pauline: I'm in the capital of the US at the moment, but I'm moving to Ohio in August.

Vanessa: I wouldn't care if it was a puppy or an adult. A puppy would be fab just cause it is a super cute puppy, but an adult would be just as great cause you skip any usual puppy problems (rolls of ripped toilet paper come to mind here :p). By "registered with an appropriate body", which body is this? AKC? CKCSC?

To anyone's knowledge, do the majority of ppl on this board have breeder pups?
 
My own Dachshunds are from breeders. There are no Dachsies in rescue.

Anyway cavaliers.....

I have fostered quite a few cavvies and trained many. With the fosters/rescues they have all been very easy, adjusted well and been no problem at all to care for. I can ONLY say that for Cavaliers. I can't say that for other breeds.

I also home board and I LOVE to care for cavaliers. I have never home boarded a cavalier that was difficult or hard to manage regardles of whether it came from rescue or breeder background.

Having said that I don't mean to make adopting a rescue sound easy but I can honestly say that any of the rescue cavaliers that have been here have been great.

We have only ever seen 1 aggressive Cavalier in our training centre and this was most certainly caused by the owners. That was a breeder dog.

Hope that helps.
 
you had me scared for a second. i live in the chicago area, and my dogs name is brady! i thought maybe my boyfriend played a trick on me to try and get rid of our little guy. he says he doesn't like him so much but i know he loves him deep down. how could you not?

good luck on finding a cavalier.
 
If you are thinking of a rescue, and love BCs, there are certainly a LOT more BCs in need of rescue homes as this can be a harder breed to home -- as you will know, many families get them when they are adorable puppies and fail to realise this is a highly active, very intelligent breed that needs a commited equally active owner happy to challenge that active collie brain and body :). If I were viewing the choice by 'most in need of good homes' the jury would definitely come in on the side of rescue BCs. :)

A cavalier wil be a much more laid back personality and not nearly as active as a BC though many are well able to keep up and they are very trainable too. On the down side, they also do have some sometimes costly health issues that are far less likely in BCs -- especially as they age, as half will have heart murmurs by age 5. This doesn't necessarily mean a compromised life at all, but it is something to keep in mind as there may be costs and may mean you have one very active dog and one that cannot be very active. Many rescue cavaliers (as with many rescue dogs) will have some health problems -- sometimes this turns out to be the reason they are in rescue. But they are less likely to have some of the behaviour and training issues some adult BCs will have that end up in rescue, if they have been neglected and/or allowed to get away with poor behaviour for a long time.

Puppies only very rarely come in rescue with cavaliers; any that do are probably puppy farm rescues. If you are interested in an adult cavalier, there will probably be a waiting list with breed rescue though dogs may come up on Petfinder especially in the Ohio region as there are numerous puppy mills in that region. It is also worth contacting Lucky Star (see the breed rescue forum list of rescues).

I can give you a recommendation for a breeder in the Ohio region privately if you decide to go that route. :)
 
Personally, I favor rescues above puppies and always have, no matter what breed. I agree with Karlin, there are far many border collies in needs of homes than Cavaliers, and if you know the breed and do well with them, they really need you. However, being in rescue, you never know what the next call may bring, and having applications already completed for CKCSCR makes it easier to those of us trying to decide what would make the best home for any rescue case by case. One thing we do look for is a fenced in yard, someone who is home more than someone working full time, whether or not small children may be a potential issue, etc. I am also a small breeder and of course understand the appeal of a small puppy, but I also look for someone who is not at work all day in most cases. If you do go the breeder route, please be careful, there are lots of people out there who don't know or don't care enough.
 
I agree with those who are in favour of a rescue. In France, a lot of cavaliers king charles are abandonned and we have an organization "ASENACK"which is responsible for them. Its members find it difficult to find new masters for these dogs. I think that if you want an adult, you can contact one of these organizations but if you want a puppy, you should go and see a breeder. Be careful, some breeders are not good !
good luck !
 
hot subject and one that is hard to venture into as someone will always be offended ......if it was a puppy i wanted i would go to a good breeder someone i knew if possible with a history of good strong lines would be esssential with all the problems our dear breed has i would really need to know its genetic history .....however i could never turn a dog away

hope that does not offend anyone ..its just what i would do
 
one thing to keep in mind also, is that not only is it harder to find cav's that need a new home, but i would guess many of the ones in rescue came from byb or puppy mills. i am under the impression that most reputable breeders want the dog returned to them if the owners can't keep them. and this MAY lead to a higher risk of health problems in recues since byb and puppy mills aren't trying to breed for health, just profit. however, many people also get healthy dogs from byb and puppy mills, so its definitely not to say that all dogs from those places will have more health problems. hope that came out right.

i think either choice of a dog would be great adn either a rescue or a reputable breeder would be great with either breed. its great that you are researching before deciding. good luck with the move and the new pooch (eventually)!
 
This is all great advice.

The only reason I haven't absolutely decided on another bc is b/c I got extemely lucky w/ my current one. She's very mellow and has a definite on/off switch. I'm just afraid that I won't be able to provide an adequate level of excercise for a traditional bc temperment.

Sorry if I sound a little odd. I've been up for 18 hrs and am a lil sleepy :lpy:
 
I would think that the collies would be more in need of rescue, as people think that that brilliant working is easy to achieve and give up when they find out that effort and commitment is needed.

I don't know how many rescues there are in your country (lots here), but try one that has the dogs in foster, as this way, you get a better idea of the individual's temperament.
 
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