Advice on finding a new companion

[MoosGranny]

Hi. Thanks for letting me join the forum. 

 

I'm looking for suggestions. 

 

I'm hoping to find a sociable, medium size dog which is cat friendly.  Happy to take on an older dog. I work from home so I'm around most of the day.  I have a secure garden but can't  have 2 dogs (which seems to be a requirement for many rescues).

 

I had to say goodbye to my 13 year old Stafford in January. She had cancer.  I do miss her devoted doggie presence. I now realise more than ever how important it is for physical and mental health to have the companionship a dog.

 

I've looked at rescues and can only find large, strong dogs, many of which have behaviour issues or are dog aggressive.  I feel this would be setting us both up to fail.  I also have an elderly cat who has lived with dogs before. This means any new family member needs to be disintetested in cats. 

 

I live near a dog park where owners meet up twice a day for socialisation and play time.  Moo had 2 walks a day, she came everywhere with me.  She was a great character, calm and friendly and a very good ambassador for her breed.   

 

I'm an experienced owner, with great vet references, who has had a variety of beeds over the years.  I'm not particularly concerned about the breed or gender, its more about finding a good fit.

 

Thanks 

 

 

 

 

[Loving my Oldies]

Have you tried SAFE?  

[MoosGranny]

22 minutes ago, Loving my Oldies said:

Have you tried SAFE?  

Hi.  Thank you for the suggestion.  Their dogs are mostly large, not cat friendly and need a friend. While I love large dogs I don't feel a large breed is right for me in my situation. 

[Dogsfevr]

Maybe give us more info.
Whilst you say the right fit is important does that mean short,long haired ,simple grooming expense grooming,what weight range would be better suited ??
Are you wanting another Staffy if so have you tried contacting the club as often they know of breeders wishing rehome home older dogs or dogs owners can no longer keep .
 

[MoosGranny]

38 minutes ago, Dogsfevr said:

Maybe give us more info.
Whilst you say the right fit is important does that mean short,long haired ,simple grooming expense grooming,what weight range would be better suited ??
Are you wanting another Staffy if so have you tried contacting the club as often they know of breeders wishing rehome home older dogs or dogs owners can no longer keep .
 

Thanks for your message.

At this time in life, I want a dog/cat friendly companion who can be part of the family.   I don't have a particular breed in mind. 10-20 kg ish. Moo was 24 kg - but wouldn't rule out a smaller dog entirely. Grooming is not a problem but would choose a low shedding that can be groomed short or short haired dog as I live near the river.  I've reached out to several breeders without success and all the rescues who (given that they're run by volunteers) say to watch their websites.  I follow Pet Rescue etc.

 

Thought I'd found a gorgeous 6 months old who has lived with cats but was turned down as I didn't have a playmate for him.   I've thought of fostering but my cat is nearly 16 and an indoor cat so I think it would be too much for her and I need to take her needs into account. 

 

I'm happy to pay a fair price but don't want to spend $4000+ on a puppyfarm pup from a petshop.  I guess its just bad timing what with covid and everything. 

 

 

 

[MoosGranny]

[_PL_]

If you haven't tried it already, a lot of rescues have moved over to Savourlife  

https://www.savour-life.com.au/adopt-a-dog/search-now/

[MoosGranny]

3 hours ago, Powerlegs said:

If you haven't tried it already, a lot of rescues have moved over to Savourlife  

https://www.savour-life.com.au/adopt-a-dog/search-now/

Thank you for the suggestion - I check them daily 

[julesluvscavs]

Hi MoosGranny, i  sorry to hear about the loss of your Staffy earlier this year, its so heartbreaking, especially with how this world is atm  
I too lost a dog (Miah) in April suddenly and unexpectedly. She was only 7.

We do have one dog still with us, he's been missing her.
I've been casually looking on the pet rescue site for a while now and also contacting a few rescue places.. within SA.. but there's only been bigger dogs (id only want another smaller dog) and i also don't want to take on another dog with any serious medical issues ( well at least not from the start) which quite a few seem to have (not that their fault of course) but when you have just been through a difficult time, its not ideal. We have 2 cats, one is about 18 so another dog would need to fit in with our family.
Try also contacting breeders of what breeds you are interested in and seeing if they are rehoming any of their dogs, as often they do with retired dogs and not all are older. Not all are actively advertising them.
There is defiantly a shortage of dogs (especially smaller breeds) this year i think due to Covid, i'm finding out.
Good luck! Hope you find something suitable

Edited August 19, 2020 by julesluvscavs

[MoosGranny]

5 hours ago, julesluvscavs said:

Hi MoosGranny, i  sorry to hear about the loss of your Staffy earlier this year, its so heartbreaking, especially with how this world is atm  
I too lost a dog (Miah) in April suddenly and unexpectedly. She was only 7.

We do have one dog still with us, he's been missing her.
I've been casually looking on the pet rescue site for a while now and also contacting a few rescue places.. within SA.. but there's only been bigger dogs (id only want another smaller dog) and i also don't want to take on another dog with any serious medical issues ( well at least not from the start) which quite a few seem to have (not that their fault of course) but when you have just been through a difficult time, its not ideal. We have 2 cats, one is about 18 so another dog would need to fit in with our family.
Try also contacting breeders of what breeds you are interested in and seeing if they are rehoming any of their dogs, as often they do with retired dogs and not all are older. Not all are actively advertising them.
There is defiantly a shortage of dogs (especially smaller breeds) this year i think due to Covid, i'm finding out.
Good luck! Hope you find something suitable

Hi. Thanks for your message and good wishes. It does feel like an impossible quest at times. The loss has been profound, I think in part because she was my shadow, never got the "no dogs on the bed" memo and seemed to be truly happy when she was right next to me.  Every time we went for a walk she made a new friend which was good for me as well.   My family always had Labradors or German Shepherds.  I had a JRT as a kid but they're often not so good with cats because of their high prey drive and of course staffies.  I nearly adopted a 4 year old standard poodle but in the end was able to work with the family to get the help they needed to keep him.  He just needed some training and lots of exercise.  I would like to find a medium size, cat indifferent dog that will bring some joy.   I hope you can find your perfect match too.   Best wishes.