Anyone have a clue where I can get a puppy that gets on with cats?

Sorry not a cat related post:

Anyone have a clue where I can get a puppy that gets on with cats?

Have been looking since March but no luck. (It’s not a Christmas present and would be waiting until after Xmas to collect it to save it the trauma of my gran drunk on sherry….)

The rescue homes don’t seem to have anything suitable and I don’t really want a pedigree because of all the health problems they have as well as the fact that I can only find show quality dogs for over £650

There seems to be an abundance of kittens around but no puppies!

Am I looking in the wrong places?

Nicky

Ps. I live in outer London if that’s any help…

Well we got a Shih Tzu puppy and she does great with the cats. I am sure if you get any puppy at a young enough age you can teach them what they can and can't do with the cats, and the cats will also teach them in their own way. Try some purebred rescues, not all purebreds have a whole list of health problems, all dogs get it. A lot of purebred rescues also have animals that are mixed with that breed, you can check online to see what dog is best for you, try this site (it might be slow opening so just be patient): Breed Recomender

Forgot to add the puppy whilst a family pet is especially for a 14 year old boy.

He has specifically rejected the following breeds:

Shih Tzu, Spaniel, westie, Labrador, Chihuahua.

Basically anything I like (and can find) he says he’d be ashamed to be seen with!

-- Meagan I’d love a Shih Tzu. They have the cutest little gremlin faces! Remind me of those mogwai’s of the gremlin movies.

Thanks for the website, I’ll get him to take a look at it.

Nicky x

If you can decide what your son wants you can put in a search at petfinder.com. That's how I got two of my dogs.

Perhaps if he is rejecting so many puppies, he just doesn't want one in the first place?

It’s a little brother not a son. I just feel really bad because he’s always wanted a pet and the kitten attacks him at every opportunity! He’s such a sweet, kind boy I think the cat sees him as an easy target and lays in ambush!

Thanks for that website, again I’ll pass it on to him. I’m not going to hold out much hope because I’m thinking its not meant to be.

Hissy- I think its more peer pressure. If you were a 14 year old boy would you really want to walk something small and fluffy?! He also told me he doesn’t want anything that might gang up on him with the kitten!

And he also wants quite an active, bouncy large dog that he can take to the park and be active with. A boxer would be ideal.

I think its also got to the stage where my dad has promised him a puppy for so long he’s given up hope of getting one. There just seems to be a shortage of puppies that fit our needs I guess.

One animal rescue centre basically told us not to bother because they were reluctant to re-home a dog to a house where there was a cat! Even though a worker there who knows our family recommended us. Also she was put off because we have quite a large family (5 adults, one 14yr old and two boyfriends who practically live in).

Maybe we’re just not suited to being dog owners?

Nicky

A lab is a good choice for a young man, if he's into bigger dogs. I have a Minature Pinscher, they look like the Doberman in a small size Ceasar is about 11 inches tall and weighs 10 lbs. He is not a foo foo looking dog at all.

Golden retrievers are cool too. They get along with just anybody for their large size and are pretty active too.

We adopted a puppy from the shelter about a year ago (golden retriever looking dog). They are great dogs, high energy, and promptly decided that the best thing in the world was to play with my cats. They were not amused.

We went back the following month and adopted his littermate brother. He immediately decided to ignore the cats and focus his attention on his brother. Everyone has gotten along great since that time.

What I learned from this experience is that Sam (the golden) came from a litter of 11 puppies where he constantly had playmates his size to romp with. He came to our house, saw all the cats and decided they were his littermates and played the same way with them as he did his siblings.

Perhaps don't focus so much on the breed as the dogs background? Find one that was raised with a small number of littermates, or one that was being fostered in a house with cats (and used to them). Although you do need to be somewhat sensitive to breed - any dog from a working class (collies, shelties, etc) are going to be very active and will want to herd the cat. Labs are typically mellow, but are still high strung when young.

Good luck! I love to see dogs and cats bond, but you can't expect things to be perfect overnight. It's something you have to work at.

We have a Golden/Lab mix and he is pretty good, although he likes to chase the cats and corners them. He didn't do this until Toby came along (German Shepherd) who likes to herd the cats.

I find all puppies will adjust to cats as long as they are very young.