advice needed on this dog advert

dougm1970

thanks in advance for any replies.

my son (18) has his heart set on a young dog 6-12 months (we are near sligo) and loves lurchers, anything mixed with lurcher.
anyway...we found this and he really wants this pup, the brown faced one..so i contact the seller who insisted on bringing the dog to us to make sure we have a good home for the dog, which seemed understandable to me.
except...my friend is telling me it looks very much like a dog farm scenario, and typical of what sellers like that say.
now i dont know what to think, and i cant make my son not want the pup.
my friend suggested insisting on seller letting me see the dogs current home before he sees ours.

thought i would through it out here for any advice i might get.


<snip>

fathead82

I don't think it sounds like a puppy farm, if it was they would probably want to meet you much closer to their home,in a carpark. Maybe it was just an accidental litter & they want to ensure they go to a good home. Puppy farmers usually only have purebred pups.
If you're suspicious, it would be no harm to say you want to meet the pup first & they can come see your home if you decide to take the pup.

Knine

I would ask can you see the other puppies & adults in their own home. To be honest from the photos the other dogs look clean & in great condition. Although I would have liked to have seen bedding under the new puppies.

If you look on the same site at German Shepherds you will see some puppies in horrible condition on a particular ad.

Often puppy farmers post 'cute' posed pictures of puppies in the house & the puppies look scared or overwhelmed to be inside the house. I know from my 2 puppies here, they are very hard to photograph as they never stay still too long. Puppy farm breeds are usually small breeds/crosses.

Dial Hard

Pretty much every rescue in the country has lurchers and sighthounds on their hands, they are one of the most common breeds in rescue. Would you consider that route? No qualms/guilt about supporting irresponsible breeding then, be it commercial or "accidental".

DBB

Hi OP,
Unfortunately, I've had to remove your link as it's a forum rule that links to pets-for-sale sites is not allowed on-thread. Sorry about that.
People here can advise on what to look out for, no matter where you're sourcing a pup. Clap on the back to you for asking questions before pup arrives!
Thanks,
DBB

ted1

The pounds are full if lurchers don’t buy one , rescue one. Also your kid is 18 he will he moved out in a few years who will get the dog ?

Panthro

We picked up our lurcher from <snip> rescue out Connemeara. Lovely dog. You can call out to their place, and take the dogs out on the lead for a walk, see how ye get on.
They'll also more than likely send someone round to see if you've an enclosed garden and suitable place for the dog to stay overnight. (lurchers love a good warm fire and a comfy couch!)
Have a look at <snip> too. Your bound to find a suitable dog.
Please don't buy. Rescue!


Mod edit: Just a reminder... naming rescues is not permitted on-thread. Any recommendations by PM only please!
Thanks,
DBB

DBB

Now... With mod hat off
Definitely, definitely meet these pups at the owner's premises. One concern I'd have is that at 4 months, their socialisation phase has pretty much ended, that is, the period of mental development when pups learn how to be nice pet dogs. It lasts from 3wks to about 16wks, and when it's gone, it's gone... The opportunity will never present itself again on how to properly teach a pup how to talk dog, how to talk cat, how to deal with kids, how to cope with hoovers, how to deal with big men suddenly appearing in the doorway (you get the gist... Socialisation and habituation is all about making novelty a non-issue for a developing brain)... Essentially it's the time that pups learn how to cope with life in a home and the madness that can entail.
In this case, the owner has had the pups for the entirety of this vital stage of behavioural development... Normally, pups change hands at about 8wks, giving the new owner a chance to put their stamp on the pup that they have to live with for the next 12+ years. But you'll have to put your trust into these people that they've put a whole shed load of work into these pups to make sure they're ready for anything... And this is why you've GOT to meet these pups on their premises, so that you can see for yourself how they've been raised, how they react to you and your son (and other family members?), how comfortable they are inside the house, how comfortable is the owner when you ask to interact with the pups inside the house, how confident are they, how is the temperament of the dam and sire, will the dam and sire interact with you and your son, and will they allow you to mess with the pups? Loads of questions, I can think of loooads more, but you get the gist, I hope! The bottom line is this... If you get a little voice nagging at you that there's something not quite right, listen to it. As Dial Hard has said, there are so, so many lurcher pups that come into rescue, and with one of the better rescues you'd have ongoing support for the life of the pup.
The chances of this being a puppy farm are slim. Lurchers are not a puppy farmer's choice. But, what you do have there is a VERY popular mix of breeds much favoured by people who like to hunt foxes (illegal without landowner permission), and people who like to course hares (illegal in all instances unless at an Irish Coursing Club meeting at a closed coursing field, and these are usually purebred greyhounds). So... Personally, I'd very much want to meet the owners because... Well... I don't want to spell it out too clearly, but I'd want to know what sort of folk they are, and why they created this cross? I kinda hope it was an accidental mating but I'd be sceptical. They certainly talk the talk in the ad by saying stuff that'd make the pups seem attractive, but I'd want to meet them, at their home, to make sure they're putting their words into action.
If they did indeed put as much work as they say they did in, if the dam and sire are lovely, happy, friendly dogs, if the pups roll around the house without a second thought (and the owners aren't too houseproud ), if the pups approach you without fear and are quick to play with you and your son, and are happy to be picked up, restrained somewhat (hugs, holding the collar), and don't bat an eyelid if you suddenly (but gently) grab at them, and come back to you with a wag if you gently push them away, and if you're happy that all is genuine, then they could make fab pet dogs. But, as with any new canine acquisition, it's caveat emptor. You just need to minimise the risk.

dougm1970

thanks so much for all this

griffdaddy

Just to echo what everyone else has said about lurchers in rescue centres. There's a huge amount of them in every centre, so no need to look anywhere else. Also, on a lighter note, keep in mind that when you adopt a lurcher you're essentially adopting a four-legged baby that can run 40 miles an hour. They really enjoy being with their owners and can get separation anxiety pretty badly but once they're in your house you'll be in love.