In my point of view this is ridiculous and needs stopping

There are people who make a good living providing trendy "clothes" for dogs, cats and even tortoises! Never had any time for this nonsense. Most dogs and cats are provided by nature with something called fur. I know that there are hairless cats and dogs (or delicate ones) who may need a warm coat for a walk in cold weather but most have no need of this. Just another way for feckless people to show off.

Well I don’t watch it and if that is the sort of level of interest it presents then glad I don’t.

BlueBelle

I agree totally foxie but this thread wasn’t about other forms of cruelty it was about this form of using animals for humans recreation and using being the main word

I'm honestly not trying to be argumentative but surely pet owners all use their animals in some way, it's just "some ways" are more acceptable than others and IMO some are cruel. The question is always for me is how much harm does something do. Top of my list is letting a pet get too fat. This would offend me more than seeing a fit slim poodle dyed pink or looking like a tiger, because the damage to the fat dog is long term. My vet friend says nearly every dog and cat she sees is overweight and many are obese, this makes them much more susceptible to cancer, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, hypertension, osteoarthritis and faster degeneration of affected joints, urinary bladder stones, and anesthetic complications. Just my POV, of course but I hope a valid addition to this discussion. I did a bit of low key showing with my horses, just to get them out and about in the world and learn basic manners around other horses. They never did that well as I wouldn't have them in show condition (ie Fat), I wouldn't shorten their tails enough as I liked them to be able to use them as fly swats and although I did "plait up" I had a couple of horses who really didn't enjoy it that much. tbh most were happy to be groomed, they were used to it but a muddy puddle was a magnetic and they loved a good wallow and were more than happy to be covered in mud.

So sorry about your daughter- I can't find the right words.
Knowing that the dog stayed with her must make the bond between you and him very strong. So sorry to hear about your loss Iam64- dogs can suffer grief too, as we all know, and react in a variety of disturbing ways. Hope he will settle down soon and that you will continue to help each other.

www.amazon.com/Foldable-Garbage-Gripper-Grabber-Reacher/dp/B074PQY8XB?tag=gransnetforum-21

I agree totally foxie but this thread wasn’t about other forms of cruelty it was about this form of using animals for humans recreation and using being the main word

Your dog sounds fabulous, MIY, and in my experience dogs love being useful - whether that is by rounding up sheep, picking up game or helping their owners across the road. I can't see why a properly trained dog would feel that picking things up was a life of servitude - not at all.

I'm also very sorry to hear about your daughter

MadeinYorkshire - what a huge loss. All dogs are Therapy dogs but only a few of them have the official label. I don’t have sufficient skill with words to express the impact your description of your daughter’s life and death had on me.

I experienced a very different kind of bereavement late last year after my husband died six months after a devastating, unexpected diagnosis. My young dogs reacted to his illness and his death in different ways. Things are settling down, they’re so tuned in to my feelings. Helping them with their response to their loss is helping me.
Thanks for telling us and I hope your assistance dog continues to be a four legged Therapist

I’m sorry about your daughter but did you really intend the dog to pick things up from the floor for you? What sort of life does that dog have? I’m not surprised you couldn’t adopt if you wanted the dog to be your servant. Poor thing. A life of servitude. Have you ever thought about how the dog feels?

*GermanShepherdsMum

"MadeInYorkshire admits having purchased a dog to train as a support dog but that it didn’t work out. No UK rescue charity would allow a dog to be adopted for that purpose."

I still have him, I still love him, and he has a garden with a 6ft fence - he does help me a great deal emotionally as he did for my daughter before she actually managed to commit suicide - that dog stayed with her for 14 hours that night, without making one sound, just lay with her ... he saved her life several times. He IS a support dog, but not in the accepted sense of the word, ie he doesn't pick things up off the floor for me which is what I did want, but he is worth his weight in gold ..... and has since saved me too from following her.

BlueBelle

Look at that link and Tell me that’s ok and no different to shining a horses coat with brushing Foxie !! !

Not advocating, not defending, merely suggesting that there are other less visible signs of cruelty and certainly not said "it's OK"

If anyone has been turned down by a rescue charity it’s for a very good reason in the best interests of the animal. Unfortunately people seem to think they should be entitled to adopt a homeless animal no matter what their circumstances.
No, I don't have a sense of entitlement. We were ready and willing to offer a home to a Newfoundland pup. We knew what we were doing, and met all the criteria (2 gardens, both at home, experience with large dogs, no children etc. I was in my late 50s and my husband early 60s). We'd seen him on the local shelter website, phoned to ask about him, and filled in the forms. We were told that someone would come out after Christmas (this was a few days beforehand) to check the house and interview us as potential owners, and that he was ready to come for an initial visit as soon as they reopened after the holidays. When the day came we were very excited (we had bought a bed, and I'd even saved some leftover chicken as a treat for him) and rang the shelter to arrange to collect him, only to be told that he had spent the past weeks with another family to see if they were a good fit, and he was staying with them. We had been kept on the back burner in case it hadn't worked out, but never mind - they had a lovely older staffie who could go that day. I was so disappointed. We didn't want an older dog, didn't want a staffie, and we'd been lied to.

My daughter and her partner wanted to adopt before getting her current dog. It would have been a first dog for both of them. There were no children, but the assessor felt that they might have them (they were in their late 20s). They both work full-time. They have a small back garden that is more of a yard.

They were rejected, and got a dog from a breeder. But:

They were both brought up with dogs and are very used to them - their dog is extremely happy and well cared for. They volunteer at a dogs' home on a scheme run by their work, so deal with all breeds and varying temperaments.

My daughter and her partner work in the same place, so were able to arrange their hours in the office to ensure that at least one of them is in the house at all times. Surely the vast majority of young couples work, anyway? Are shelters only willing to look at benefit claimants and the retired?

Their house backs onto a field, and is round the corner from a canal - their dog has plenty of space to run around and has two long walks a day. They are planning to move anyway - again, something that people of their age do. They have put a garden at the top of their wishlist for a new house.

My daughter may have children one day, but may not - these things are not always predictable, are they - for anyone? If she does, the dog will be as much, but no more of a risk than any other dog when a baby joins the family. It will be up to her to protect the baby, as with any other mum in the circumstances, but her dog is happy around children. We had a dog when she and her brother were born, and there were no issues - there is no reason to suppose that it would be different for her.

I can't help feeling that the shelter lost a chance to rehome a dog who would have had a good home with my daughter, and there is no chance that we will ever go to the one who lied to us about 'our' puppy again, or donate to their regular requests for money. Maybe they don't care - it could be that they have enough people wanting dogs - but the news is full of stories about 'lockdown pets' being abandoned now that people are back at work.

(I am talking about two different shelters in two different areas of the country)

Look at that link and Tell me that’s ok and no different to shining a horses coat with brushing Foxie !! !

Don’t know if this link will work fingers crossed
www.google.com/search?client=safari&channel=ipad_bm&sxsrf=APwXEdf0DWENy5pFeClh_90Dqgywzv6h_g:1680022856960&q=Poodle+hair+dye&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&vet=1

I have always rescued GSDs.

Children - I have never had a problem with very occasional visiting children but you can’t be too careful.

Minimum 5foot fencing all around the garden - dogs can jump and climb.

No other pets - you can’t predict how a rescue will react to another animal even if they have lived with another pet in the past. My current dog hates all other dogs.

Rescue dogs, unless already working dogs, are meant to be pets living inside, not working dogs.

Landlord’s permission would always be required if you are renting; the lease will stipulate that. No rescue wants a pet returned because landlord’s consent wasn’t obtained.

Your home will also need to be checked for suitability - sufficient garden area and a clean house and decent standard of living, not a tip inhabited by a hoarder!

You will need to spend a lot of time at home so that the animal is not left alone for long periods.

Rescues have requirements (including one’s physical and mental ability to look after the pet properly) for good reasons. Unfortunately many people now adopt from abroad where these checks may not be carried out - and this adds to the problem animals who end up either pts or in rescue homes. MadeInYorkshire admits having purchased a dog to train as a support dog but that it didn’t work out. No UK rescue charity would allow a dog to be adopted for that purpose.

If anyone has been turned down by a rescue charity it’s for a very good reason in the best interests of the animal. Unfortunately people seem to think they should be entitled to adopt a homeless animal no matter what their circumstances.

Sorry MadeinYorkshire, I should have realised, in fact after pressing post almost added an apology. I’ve ‘done’ assessments for children and since retiring, for a specific breed charity. It’s quite flexible, adoption assessments are about linking a specific dog with the prospective adopter where on paper it’s looking like a match.
I understand why shelters are so careful, they get dogs returned too often.
The charities I’m in contact with, like the two I know as a volunteer, all say dogs are coming in with more problems than in the not too distant past. So even greater care about prospective adopters.
My current 2 year old lab has been more of a challenge than any of my rescues or foster dogs. He came at 9 weeks, from really good breeders, good job he’s not my first dog and he’s lovely

I think it's pretty stupid to "tart" dogs up but I had to check myself. When competing at dressage my mare had a sparkly browband, I plaited her mane, made sure her tail was tidy and I polished her coat until she shone. I'm not sure it is really that different??? She was also clipped to prevent her getting hot when working so she had to wear rugs when it was cold. What is cruelty is letting animals get too fat or too thin, not giving them enough exercise, not getting them looked at by a vet when they are unwell or lame, beating them etc. tbh I like poodles, they are active intelligent dogs but I wouldn't want to want to dye them different colours but really, is it that bad if the dog is otherwise well looked after and loved??

*Iam64

Tongue in Cheek obviously!

It really isn’t easy.
No children
No other pets
6ft fence
Not working
Landlord permission if in rented
House check

Am not saying that these things aren’t important but you really do need to jump through hoops to get anywhere with the UK Rescues. That was about 20 years ago when I last tried to give a rescue dog a home. Have a Romanian rescue now and one from a breeder (although that was because I wanted a particular breed to hopefully train as a Support Dog, not that it worked out, but would have been even more difficult if I had had a rescue dog as you just don’t know what they have been through)

My experience anyway.

MadeinYorkshire - honestly, you couldn’t adopt children more easily.

Remember that fad for 'handbag' dogs? For some, they're just a fashion accessory, an aid for their attention-seeking. Heaven help their children!

Crazy thread….
Dog rescue.
Poodle fur dying 🤷‍♀️

MadeInYorkshire

Doodledog

The problem is that rescues go too far the other way. It is all but impossible to get a rescue dog unless you are retired, or otherwise in all day, have a garden, and fit all sorts of other criteria (no children, some children, another dog, no pets) and so on. By no means all people wo go to breeders are 'shortsighted and selfish', for heaven's sake. Sometimes it's the only way.

A friend of mine is trying to adopt a rescue dog, and sent me this in frustration. It made me laugh out loud, as I've been there myself.

You could adopt children easier!

Been there and tried, impossible - ended up with a Romanian rescue and bought one from a breeder - just stupid!

I'd be really interested in the reasons they gave.

I didn’t see the programme and am glad I didn’t. It’s surprising that people still have money to spend in this kind of way given how the economy of the country is suffering.

Doodledog

The problem is that rescues go too far the other way. It is all but impossible to get a rescue dog unless you are retired, or otherwise in all day, have a garden, and fit all sorts of other criteria (no children, some children, another dog, no pets) and so on. By no means all people wo go to breeders are 'shortsighted and selfish', for heaven's sake. Sometimes it's the only way.

A friend of mine is trying to adopt a rescue dog, and sent me this in frustration. It made me laugh out loud, as I've been there myself.

You could adopt children easier!

Been there and tried, impossible - ended up with a Romanian rescue and bought one from a breeder - just stupid!

One of my rescues was thrown out of a
Moving car, outside the dog shelter. They called him Noel as it was Christmas week
He was still skin and bones when he came home with us six weeks later
We changed his name, I felt too sad with the image of this poor neglected frightened scrap the week before Christmas
He took a while of course but became a gorgeous member of the family. Much loved