Whilst the recession is causing many people to buy second-hand products, from cars to TVs, it is not actually a major reason for buying preloved dogs.  Dogs that have been given to animal charities such as the RSPCA or that have ended up in a rescue centre through abuse, neglect or abandonment, are more in need of a good, stable home than many other dogs.

It is a sad fact that job losses and resulting house-moves have meant that many people have become unable to afford to care for their dogs, and the RSPCA has seen an increase in the need for dog rehoming.  Many people may be wary of rehoming a dog or puppy from an animal charity or rescue centre, because they may believe that the dog has been neglected or abused and may well find it hard to adjust to their new home – or that the dog may even be aggressive. 

But whilst it is sadly true that many dogs are abused and neglected and subsequently rescued by the RSPCA, only dogs that are suitable for rehoming are made available for adoption.   They are checked for signs of ill health by a vet, and are monitored closely by trained staff to see what sort of temperament the dog has.  Different people want different characteristics in a pet dog, so there is always a wide range of temperaments and personalities amongst the dogs put up for rehoming, but all are suitable for adoption by the right home.

If you adopt a dog or puppy from the RSPCA, it will have been vaccinated and neutered, and you will be questioned about your living arrangements so that the charity can be sure that the dog or puppy is going to a good home.

It takes about two weeks for a dog to settle into its new home, so if the staff have assured you that you have a vivacious and active dog but you find that you have a clingy, quiet dog at home, just give it a little time to come out of its shell and feel safe and secure enough to show its real temperament – trust that the RSPCA staff will have monitored the dog’s temperament over a period of time and in different environments and know what it’s like.

If at all possible, when adopting a dog take time off work and make sure that you have enough time to dedicate attention to your dog whilst it settles in to your new home (of course, it will need time, care and attention beyond the settling-in period, too).  Set boundaries and choose key words for instructing your dog that the whole family will use to minimise confusion for the dog. 

Make sure that each member of the family knows what responsibilities they will have for caring for the dog – will there be one main carer or will everyone share in the care?  Whoever is going to care for the dog needs to be prepared to do so for the rest of its life: so if you’re choosing a dog to be a companion for your child, remember that your child might have left to go to university before your dog has left for the big kennel in the sky…

Puppies are gorgeous, aren’t they? Is there any other creature more likely to make us go all soppy and want to take them home? Probably not – their big eyes and too-large ears are enough to make anyone want to give them a home.

Puppies handed in to rescue centres or animal charities such as the RSPCA are much more likely to find new homes than older dogs. Yet adult pre-loved dogs often make the best pets and there are plenty of reasons why you should consider rehoming one.

For one thing, when you meet a puppy you are meeting a partly developed dog. You don’t know how it is going to grow and develop: how big it will get and what its temperament will be like will be largely dependent on its genetics, and you may never meet its parents. Even early experiences in a puppy’s life can affect how it will develop, so even if you take home a puppy and give it the best, most loving home it could imagine it could develop a temperament that you wouldn’t expect.

Dogs, however, are already grown up, so you know what size of dog you’re going to need to accommodate. They are also fully developed in their temperament and nature and this will have been largely determined by the temperament of its parents but also of its upbringing. If you meet a fully-grown dog in a shelter, you will be able to tell whether it will fit in with your family and whether it is a dog that you will want to take home.

They also take far less training than puppies – they are normally house-trained and know basic commands like ‘sit’ or ‘stay’. They don’t need round-the-clock care like a puppy can, though you’ll both probably want to spend much of the early days together until your dog starts to feel secure and safe in its new home.

Preloved dogs are usually given to animal charities like the RSPCA because their owners cannot care for them anymore. Most dog-owners do everything they can to avoid having to give their best friend away, but sometimes financial and home circumstances can be bad enough that giving the dog to a charity is the kindest thing. Other dogs available for rehoming have been neglected or abused and these dogs can be unsocial or aggressive – or they can be incredibly grateful for being given the chance of a new life. These latter dogs make fantastic, loyal pets. 

If you adopt your dog through the RSPCA, their staff can advise you on a dog’s background and temperament so that you can choose carefully the ones that you want to get to know a bit better before making a final choice.  edit.