What questions should be asked to a potential buyer of your dog?

[TR0Y]

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With regret, we have had to advertise our dog to go to a new home.

What sort of questions should I be asking anyone who comes to visit and shows interest? We are very concerned of what new home she goes too and who her new owners will be.

Someone is coming today to take a look but I don’t know a polite way of saying “No” to them if I don’t feel they will be right for the dog.

 

[Mad Murphy]

Ask to visit them , if they don't want to let you see how and where they live it's a big red flag.
When I decide to adopt George I allowed the owner full access to my FB page so that they could see what kind of people we were and where we walked etc. I gave them lots of info about us and I would not have minded if she had said no. She has my address and I said she is welcome to visit.

Be very careful , I would have gone via a rescue if I ever needed to re-home a dog so that deeper checks could be done but as you've chosen not to take that route you are going to have to play detective and make sure these are the right people.

 

[Mayblossom]

Is this the Border collie you’re looking to rehome ? How old is she ? There is a Border collie rescue and would definitely be the best route to go down to find her her a good home, they would find someone who can give her the work and stimulation she needs being a collie. They can assess her regarding the problems you had when you first brought her home, she may not like men so better suited with a female owner. Must be very hard for you to do this and you only want the best for her but a rescue will do all this for you and you won’t have to worry about her going to the wrong home.

 

[Finsky]

Try to find out what their life style is and if it could suit your dog's requirement...out of house hours etc. If they have any/much/previous experience with dog(s) and what sort...would that experience with the previous breed(s) suit handling requirements for your dog's breed.
And the most basic question is 'why do they want a dog'.
Often it is not so much a specific questions but to able to bring up conversation in which you get a feel of the potential owners and their capability of taking on the dog.
You are able to see if they are physically able to handle your dog and its size should trouble situation arise...lots of clues are out there without straightforward questions.
But if it makes it any easier for you, just say straight on when meeting them that you feel like you need to ask some questions to make your mind up if they are suitable new owners, that you don't want to come across as (insert suitable word here) and you are only looking after the dogs best interest and your peace of mind. From admitting that straight on, if they are not able to understand/respond the way you feel right to that...then that on its own would be big red flag for me. Vetting who you let your do go is sign that you are responsible owner as letting one's little one go is not easy thing to do. The main thing is....don't be shy, even if it goes against your grain...just spit it out as it is. You are all then on the level playing field before starting the discussions. Even just the dog's response to the viewers can tell you a lot...let them to interact with your dog..it tells you more than 'thousand words'.
All my 'second hand' dogs we've had in past were straight on from their owners rather than from rescues. As much as they were checking us were doing same for them, both parties need to feel that they can step back and say 'sorry, this doesn't suit us'. ETA; coming to view a dog is never a 'done deal' so don't feel like you are promising anything....it is just a possibility for BOTH of your wishes to come true.
Good luck..

 

[Mayblossom]

Please don’t advertise her on Gumtree or any of those sites as there are many unscrupulous people on there, your little one deserves the best x

 

[JudyN]

You ca always tell a prospective owner that you will be 'interviewing' a number of candidates and will let them know. But as others have said, personally I'd go through a rescue. At the very least, I'd ask a good rescue for advice as they will have experience in assessing potential owners.

 

[JudyN]

I've just checked back on your previous posts and realised who your dog is - bear in mind as she does have a few issues (to be expected after such an unsettled start in life), it will be doubly important to find the right home - you will need to be completely open about her issues and ask them how they would deal with them. Often, people who have have owned dogs for decades still use the methods that were recommended decades ago, which could be a disaster for a sensitive collie. You need someone specifically collie-savvy, too.

It might also be worth asking for a reasonable sum of money (though I don't know what that sum should be), to deter people who just want her to sell on and make a profit, or use in a puppy farm, or as a bait dog....

 

[Kara 1]

Pro dogs direct take dogs that have issues ...you wont get any money for her but they maybe able to find her a perfect home ...or rescue remedies...

 

[DixD]

If it’s a young colllie, it may be useful finding out contact details for nearby agility clubs. Usually there are a lot of experienced collie owners in them, who may have the ability to take on and work with your pup, and she may well improve in a dog centric household. Valgrays Rescue rehome a lot of collies, and many of them are competing in agility, an environment that keeps their brains well stimulated and employed!

 

[TR0Y]

Thank you all very much for your replies.

I will be taking her today to her new owner for 10am. They came by yesterday and nothing stood out as any red flags. They responded well to questions I was asking and they had some for me aswell.

The new owner is only 20 minutes away from where I live and he was more than happy for me to come by and visit occasionally to see her progress, this was also his suggestion. He lives alone and doesn’t work due to his Epilepsy. Based on his information, he had a husky for 12 years which passed away about a year ago. He is simply looking for another companion again. He has also agreed for me to drop the puppy off today at his place to have a look at her new environment. I had explained that I was mostly concerned about her meeting someone who simply breeds dogs at young ages then abandons them. This is my main fear because it happened to a dog we owned years ago but I’m pleased to say she is living out the rest of her days now with my parents.

Ideally, I wanted to hand the dog over yesterday to the new owner as my wife and children had already said their “goodbyes” and didn’t want to say it again. However, he said he had dinner plans and didn’t want to leave the puppy alone so soon. This was reassuring to me because I felt he was already displaying good qualities as a responsible dog owner.

As some of you suggested, I also registered the puppy at a rehoming Center, just in case I couldn’t find the right new owner. I had some odd phone calls and emails about the puppy with people offering me more than double my asking price but I simply said it wasn’t about the money, I just wanted to find her a good home.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make but with my daughter having Autism, it was just proving too much to have a dog aswell at this time. We will revisit dog ownership again later down the line when we move home and when my son starts school.

We will miss “Skye” very much!!....

 

[Kara 1]

Let's hope this is her forever home

 

[Mayblossom]

Really hoping so as very concerning as she’ll have had 3 homes in 4 months

 

[DixD]

My niece has two children on the autistic spectrum, She had a collie, who found the energies very difficult to cope with. Collies are on point, basically, all the time trying to read subtle body language and signals. Luckily, a kind relative gave it a good home, She now has a lovely Cavalier King Charles, who takes family life in its stride. As you’ll be aware, autism in the family changes your way of life completely.

Perhaps, if you have another dog, you should pick the job it’s bred for more carefully, and go for one bred to be a companion, There are lots about,

 

[TR0Y]

Really hoping so as very concerning as she’ll have had 3 homes in 4 months

We feel a sense of failure and guilt...

 

[Mayblossom]

You’re trying to do the best for her and hopefully this will be her forever home,life doesn’t always work out how we want it to sadly. Fingers crossed all will be ok and being close to you will let you make sure she’s doing ok

 

[Mad Murphy]

Everyone can make a mistake, whats important is the way youve dealt with it.
Youve admitted where you went wrong and done your best to find a suitable home and do whats best for Skye.

My grandson is severly autistic (8yrs old non verbal etc) and he does very well with my sons BC. But the difference was that Amy was in the house before he was born. So he grew up with her and she adjusted to his behaviour as he grew.

maybe before you consider another dog it would be worth while contacting an autism charity to see what help or advice they can offer. These people provide support dogs and even if you dont want to go down that road they might have some advice on how to go about choosing a suitable dog . UK's first charity exclusively providing Autism Assistance dogs

 

[Biker John]

My son is Aspergic, (high functioning Autistic), growing up he got on ok with all the dogs. Then we took in a Whippet that had been nearly starved to death, He became my Sons best friend, wherever one was the other was. And I know that he used to talk to the dog telling him of any problems or worries he had. So although problems with people on the spectrum can be a lot more than my son had I can see how a suitable dog could be a great help.

 

[niamh123]

My daughter has Autism she was 9 months old when we got Travis our Curlycoated retriever he was her best friend if I took Trav for a walk he would be so eager to get to his offlead run he would pull like a train if Niamh was holding the lead he would walk at the side of her with no pulling he was her best friend

 

[Mayblossom]

Hope all was ok with Skyes new home yesterday .