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Arriba

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« Reply #15 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 07:17:57 »

Goes up with age. £40 seems high for a young dog. 
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4D
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« Reply #16 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 07:34:12 »

I may be barking up the wrong tree  Smiley but I think you can get an insurance which increases with age or an insurance for the life of the dog, which probably relates to the higher premiums early on.
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swindonmaniac

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« Reply #17 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 07:41:13 »

Get a rescue dog
100% this, got our second rescue dog nine months ago.   Why fill the pockets of unscrupulous breeders ??, I know there are good breeders out there but how do you tell ?, You only meet them once.
Insurance is a minefield,  our Goldie was 14 when we had to make the dreaded decision last year,  paid insurance a!l of her life, got a pay out of around £150, total joke,  paid in absolute thousands.  Yes, it's great if you have to claim for a major operation that runs into thousands, but like car insurance, you get what you pay for. Don't bother now, just put £40 a month into a separate bank account and even with a couple of vet visits in the last nine months we're still quids in..
Have a look on the 'Many Tears' website,  got our current dog from there, amazing place, lovely people all done in just a few days and the website is updated every day, not like some of the others we looked at.
Sure they would love to hear from you,  100% recommend them, and you'd be helping to give another dog ' a life'.
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« Reply #18 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 09:13:04 »

Rule number 2. Get one from a rescue centre. Probably should be number 1.

Get a rescue dog

100% this.  Rescue is the best breed.
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horlock07

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« Reply #19 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 09:18:47 »

Goes up with age. £40 seems high for a young dog. 

Depends what model it is.
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normy

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« Reply #20 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 09:45:34 »

We had two rescued Labradors (both about two years old) up to about two years ago, when they died aged 12. They were great, though one had separation anxiety. We paid thousands of pounds of insurance, which increased as they got older. What few claims we made was always reduced because of their excess charge of £99, and a percentage of what's left of the claim.  Also, a maximum of £4000 per claim per year.

Mrs  normy wanted another dog, much smaller and easier to handle, due to our advancing years. My Lab pulled me over and hurt me once, leaping for a cat. Small rescue dogs were hard to find locally, so she got a puppy from a friend she knew locally who bred it from her home, so we had full inspection of the parents and the home. It's been a great  success so far.

We decided to pay vet bills ourselves, because it's never been value for money.  We opened a special account with a lump sum and pay what we can in to it every month, at least £40.  Haven't paid vet fees in the year we've had the puppy. It's a cavasu , ( schitzu/cavalier cross)

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RedRag

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« Reply #21 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 09:54:41 »

Self insurance is well worth considering.  Especially if you are prepared to fork out big if necessary.

I would recommend at least considering starting off with insurance for the first two or three of years.  Premiums are relatively friendly.  That's also when you are least able to anticipate your dog's behaviour and will lack the control you (eventually!) achieve. Behavioural difficulties.  Youthful/wild behaviour leading to accidents or injury in the undergrowth or even on the road.  Dog fights.    Stomach upsets.

My last experiences with young new dogs 0-2 years old:

Premiums reached about £170 per month when our late collie cross, Badger, reached 11 or 12.  Should have self insured earlier.  But with older dogs do be prepared to fork out a few hundred from time to time, almost routinely.  When he was 2, he injured a leg in the woods and could have lost it.  TV vet, Noel Fitzpatrick, saved the leg which gave Badger high performance use for well over a decade later.  We'd have still been paying "millionaire" Fitzpatrick had we not been insured.
  
Our two year old border collie, Misty, is costing £35 pcm (£30 pcm last year).  Self insurance would have worked but we have claimed £600+ due to a bad stomach upset that (inevitably) occurred when the vets were shut and required a visit to the emegency vet, an overnight stay and further treatment by our ordinary vet the next day.

Premiums do go up significantly over time, so self insurance can tend to make sense.  

Also look closely at what is covered and what is not, "pre-existing conditions" and what you are expected to do to ensure your cover will be accepted (eg annual health check, vaccination, teeth etc)

I recommend Rescues.  Put the £3k a cocker poo might cost in a vet account!  But do look into breed types as your rescue will likely have characteristics linked to pedigree dog behaviours.  Usually those characteristics are watered down in a positive manner.  

Think carefully now.  You are about to make a great decision, I'm sure!
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RedRag

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« Reply #22 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 10:17:56 »

We had two rescued Labradors (both about two years old) up to about two years ago, when they died aged 12. They were great, though one had separation anxiety. We paid thousands of pounds of insurance, which increased as they got older. What few claims we made was always reduced because of their excess charge of £99, and a percentage of what's left of the claim.  Also, a maximum of £4000 per claim per year.

Mrs  normy wanted another dog, much smaller and easier to handle, due to our advancing years. My Lab pulled me over and hurt me once, leaping for a cat. Small rescue dogs were hard to find locally, so she got a puppy from a friend she knew locally who bred it from her home, so we had full inspection of the parents and the home. It's been a great  success so far.

We decided to pay vet bills ourselves, because it's never been value for money.  We opened a special account with a lump sum and pay what we can in to it every month, at least £40.  Haven't paid vet fees in the year we've had the puppy. It's a cavasu , ( schitzu/cavalier cross)


2 years ago, we were 64 when we were looking for a puppy, ideally  rescue.  We're in decent health but one rescue place turned us down flat due to age!  Dog selling has an increasingly shabby and callous side to it.  The "friend and pre-inspection" route seems great if the rescue alternative is not for 4D for whatever reason.
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Arriba

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« Reply #23 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 10:43:32 »

I must admit that if I was to get another dog I'd probably gamble on it and not bother with insurance. Saving a tenner a week would do as well I'd think. Can't see is getting another one for a few years (Mrs took ours passing in Jan badly)
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TheDukeOfBanbury

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« Reply #24 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 10:52:37 »

Always have had Labrador working dogs.
No better dog in my opinion, loyal, loving, obedient and real characters. (Personal choice of course).
Current one is an absolute beauty. Daftest of the 4 I have had and softest.

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Peter Venkman
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« Reply #25 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 11:00:59 »

Always have had Labrador working dogs.
No better dog in my opinion, loyal, loving, obedient and real characters. (Personal choice of course).
Current one is an absolute beauty. Daftest of the 4 I have had and softest.
Labs are amazing dogs, intelligent, loyal, easy to train and loving.

But fucking hell can they eat!
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The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey

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« Reply #26 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 11:04:19 »

I have a 10+ year old greyhound. Never had him insured and they are one breed that doesn’t suffer from any kind of inherited medical problem. Can’t beat a hound for an easy to look after dog. They don’t have separation anxiety, never aggressive with people/children and are, generally, thick as shit.

Being stupid makes for a happy hound!
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pauld
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« Reply #27 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 11:04:37 »

Always have had Labrador working dogs.
No better dog in my opinion, loyal, loving, obedient and real characters. (Personal choice of course).
Current one is an absolute beauty. Daftest of the 4 I have had and softest.
And roughly the size and weight of a peak Arnold Schwarzenegger from what I can gather Smiley
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normy

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« Reply #28 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 13:34:18 »

Always have had Labrador working dogs.
No better dog in my opinion, loyal, loving, obedient and real characters. (Personal choice of course).
Current one is an absolute beauty. Daftest of the 4 I have had and softest.


Agreed. One of my labradors was relatively slimly built and very trainable. We did agility training and competing for a few years, and had quite a few clear rounds and rosettes. Never a win, because collies were always too fast and clever.  Our new little dog seems untrainable, I believe he thinks he's training us, more like a cat!
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RobertT

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« Reply #29 on: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 13:36:46 »

I hate dogs.
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