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Can you afford one? Feeding a dog is not especially expensive but you also need to take into account neutering, vaccinations, veterinary treatment and/or insurance, leads, collars, bedding etc. Plus any additional care you may require for them such as dog training, walking or kenneling. There is also likely to be a cost associated with giving a dog at home, if you offer a home to one of ours there it is expected for you to make an appropriate donation dependent on the age and health of the dog. If you would like more information with regards to these donations please get in touch.

 

Do you work? Dogs need your time and attention and should not be left alone for long periods of time. If all adults in the house work have you considered how you will ensure that the dogs is cared for (doggie day care, dog walkers etc). When calculating your working day remember to take into account your travelling time.

Who will be the main carer? In most cases the majority of the dogs care falls to one person, is this person happy that they have the time and energy to do so? In families with children it is usually mum who has to look after the children and the dog. Remember the dog is like having another child in the family with special needs of its own could you cope with another child? Remember Springers are slow to mature and in most cases this is at least three years old.

What doggie experience do you have? Springers like most working dogs need both mental and physical exercise to keep them happy and fulfilled. They are not a breed that will be happy with a ten minute walk round the block and are likely to develop behavioural problems if not given the mental and physical activity that they need. We will take into account your experience with dogs and although not essential for all dogs many of our dogs will be better suited to people who have had previous experience of spaniels or breeds with similar needs.

Is your garden secure? Springers are a very agile breed and can jump 4-5ft fences quite easily. Even if the majority of the time you intend to walk the dog there may be situations where you need the dog be able to go into the garden and you need to ensure that it is safe and cannot get out.

Are there any children/grandchildren in the house (inc regular visitors)? Great care must taken be taken where children are involved and with children under 10 we always recommend taking a dog that has known experience of young children. It is our policy never to re-home a dog that has come in as a stray with children under the age of Ten. Before taking on a rescue dog it is important that you consider how the child/children are likely to treat the dog. We know that everyone likes to think that theirs are angels but you need to be sure that your child will not torment the dog and will give it its own space when required.

Have you any other pets? When taking on a dog you also need to consider other pets in the house, these are your responsibility too and you need to be confident that they will not be too upset by the introduction of a dog into your house and depending on the type of pet that it can be kept safe and out of the way of a dog if necessary. If your other pet is a dog, how do they get on with other dogs that visit the house?. If you are looking for a companion for your existing dog we would usually advise that you look for a spayed neutered one of the opposite sex to avoid conflict.

Are you willing to work on training a dog? Dogs whether bought from pups or adopted via a rescue can have some behavioural issues, however this is more likely with dogs that have come into rescue. Have you the time, patience and skills needed to work at training the dog and hopefully resolving these issues and if these issues cannot be resolved would you be able learn to live with a dog with less than perfect behaviour?

Can you give a Springer the exercise it needs? A springer needs a lot of exercise and will need walking everyday regardless of how busy you are and how bad the weather is.

Can you cope with the dirt? Four paws can bring in a lot of dirt especially in the winter and in most cases when a dog shakes you can see a cloud of dust come out of its coat. Could you live with this?

Future Plans? Please remember a dog is for life depending on the dogs age that can mean 13 to 15 years commitment on your part. You need to be sure that you can include your dog in any future plans you make and not be someone else to let it down.

If after thinking about all of the above you are still interested in giving a Springer a second chance in life. The first stage is to fill in one of our application forms Please take a look at our dogs looking for homes and contact us if you feel any of them would fit into your family.