With the loss of one of our two ageing cockers, we made the decision a while later to adopt from a semi local charity shelter.
We had a video home visit. Gave our details, wasn't overly invasive imo. We picked up Chance about a week later, a 1-2 year old cocker who had been abused and only used for mating purposes, he'd never had a name or been trained in any way. The recommendation was that he was to go to a home with slightly older kids and would be joining another existing dog in the home.
His toilet training went pretty well. Still the odd accident but overall great, he's a very shy lad except with our youngest girl who he lets hold him. He is coming round more and more though and is slowly showing us his great little personality.
My wife being the kind soul she is, stayed on their social media pages and we saw a second cocker, Amber, again from a puppy farm used as a puppy maker. We picked her up a few weeks later when we went up to see another dog but wasn't ready for rehoming yet.
Amber (approx 3-4 who'd only been rescued 2 days before) came straight over to me out of quite a few people and sat with her chin on my knee, she had marks on her face from either fighting or cage distress and had also just been spayed. She was emaciated and I could see every rib, her pelvis/backbone were protruding to the point I wasn't sure she'd make it. We got her home and couldn't believe how docile she was towards the whole family, really easy going but had health problems with profuse bleeding and her spay wound not healing shut also, you could see an inch hole straight into her stomach area that the stitches just weren't holding closed.
After several visits to the vet to get everything repaired, she has taken her place in the home really well, loves her scratches and getting up on the sofa for a nap beside us.
So that was us up to three doggos and life was still going on nicely. My wife decided a fourth and final dog would be awesome and said there was another youngish cocker, Charlie, that needed a home too, me being the sucker for dogs that I am, relented after a few days and we went up to collect him. He doesn't have much history other than coming from a similar puppy farm to Amber, the vet said he was between 1 and 2 years old but seems much younger ie still learning coordination and is as hyper a dog at times as I've ever seen but is the most loving little lad too, always happy to see you, wants to run around but get a cuddle too, we've had him around 2 weeks now and had no health complaints whatsoever. He has struck up a real affinity with Amber, we semi joke that he could be one of her pups given how close they were rescued to eachother geographically.
Through all this, Ted our original cocker has taken most of it in his usual grumpy stride, a few growls but also likes to go out and trot round the back garden with them, not getting too close but will partake in all the usual sniffing eachother etc. He is acting a little younger these days and the limp he had seems to be secondary these days.
The one major help in most of this was getting advice from the rehoming and vets, we had 5 weeks free insurance on each dog from the rescue centre but have signed each up to a policy now. Food wise we use the Pets at Home Ava and Ava Senior for Ted, mix in some roast chicken and shredded carrot and all three new dogs have almost gotten to their ideal weights already, Amber and Charlie were miles off that when we got them and the vets are really happy how well their weights have improved in a relatively short time.
Anyway (edit and probably a tl;dr having just seem that wall of words), what I'm getting at is that these dogs shouldn't be written off so fast, some health problems aren't permanent, they can be such a great addition to a family too and help teach responsibility to children too, even the slightly older lazy teens.
2nd edit, some typos and pics added.
Charlie left and Amber right, this was taken this week, waiting on dinner.
Amber and Charlie, this is a regular thing. Regardless of where or what chair, they'll both lay together.
This was Amber when we collected her, my heart was broken when I saw her sides and back with loose skin and ribs showing, I had to get her home to give her a better life.
This is Chance, he's a little odd at times but very loving.
Ted is the old man of the house, approaching 11 this year. Very hard to pull the wool over his eyes, a very intelligent fella and very protective of my wife and always has been.
He's my go to dog if there's an unusual disturbance in the middle of the night. I know he's not going to bugger off if i need him by my side. Other caveat was I had to agree for his frozen semen to be used for ongoing breeding, in fact a DNA test kit is in the post to me as I type.