Prancerpoos
Well-Known Member
So they got an adult pit bull x husky as a pet for their 4 year-old. Yes, I am feeling very judgemental now.
Poor, poor child. I am sickened.So they got an adult pit bull x husky as a pet for their 4 year-old. Yes, I am feeling very judgemental now.
I was wondering that too.Where has that been reported?
It hasn't officially. The Mirror's reporting that a neighbour believes it was a husky X pit, in the same way that the Mail reported that a neighbour believes it was an American bulldog.Where has that been reported?
Some of the reasons where age can be a barrier, considering that we are talking about a large guardy breed are concerns about physical strength, not just walking them but when it all goes tits up - but I have also seen issues with small dogs causing trips and falls - finance, these are not cheap dogs to insure and feed and sadly, as people age, more and more need carers going into the home. We have had multiple requests in the past year to take dogs because carers will not go into a home with a large dog. Understandable in a way but very sad for both dog and owner. The dogs that we would consider for someone 70+ are also the dogs that are suitable for many homes so I'm afraid we would probably take the home with younger applicants.
CT dogs have already lost a home through age or illness. I can understand why they want to minimise the risk of it happening again.
I say this as some one who is mid fifties with a partner in his seventies. I know (reluctantly!) that my current big dog, assuming that he makes a decent age for the breed will probably my last challenging dog. I enjoy working through issues with a dog - despite the regular whinging I did on here a few years ago - but I know that I don't have the strength that I had 20 years ago. My OH doesn't walk this dog, he's content that he's strong enough to hold him but not strong enough to deal with issues caused by other dogs/people. He can carry this dog - I can't - but he's not as agile as he used to be if that makes sense? A previous dog of mine suffered terribly when his owner got Parkinson's with associated dementia. A lot of the confusion and anger was directed at him and of course, there was the common problem of under/over feeding, lack of exercise and vet care when people start to suffer with age related issues. Nobody wants to be ageist but it's not a human right to have the dog you want and in some (many?) cases, it would be irresponsible to rehome without taking all aspects of a home into account. Some of the saddest dogs we get are the ones that have come from elderly homes, often delivered to kennels by emergency services, they weren't battered as such but they were neglected badly and take a lot of time and money to get right. Also, it can take forever to get them signed over to the rescue as the owner probably doesn't have capacity to do so and you are relying on a social worker to do the paperwork. Funnily enough, they are easy to rehome as they are generally easy dogs who are so 'grateful' for any love or attention. They knew it once.
Ah, no, I assumed that was fact. A big brown dog could be a chocolate lab or a brindle greyhound. The neighbours may be right, will wait and see.Ah yes I won't believe a neighbours guess at this point then.
Considering armed police turned up in numbers and told the neighbours to stay indoors until they shot it I very much doubt it was a lab or a greyhound.Ah, no, I assumed that was fact. A big brown dog could be a chocolate lab or a brindle greyhound. The neighbours may be right, will wait and see.
Well yes I agree but a big brown dog is fairly vague.Considering armed police turned up in numbers and told the neighbours to stay indoors until they shot it I very much doubt it was a lab or a greyhound.
sorry I think the rescues need to see the applicant before they throw them out because of age. I am now 76 and have 3 dogs, the oldest is almost 6 and the youngest 10 months. It’s unlikely that I will outlive them all but I have arranged for my family (siblings all younger) to care for them when I die. My dogs want for nothing, they are all in good condition, have their vaccinations annually , are up to date with worming/flea treatment are brushed and checked over almost every day, and see the vet if necessary. They also get walked for over an hour EVERY day as well as a play in the garden. I am sensible enough to know that although I could manage a large dog at the moment I may not be as strong later so I looked for small to medium size dogs ..just because a person is older doesn’t mean they are completely incapable mentally and physically . I would imagine those who work in dog rescue wouldn’t think that they couldn’t have a dog when they retired so why shouldn’t I..
I'd love to hear what people think a rescue could do better.
I'd love to hear what people think a rescue could do better and how. I fully agree that some rescues could be more inclusive while also, through personal experience understand why they are wary and jaded especially after recent events and going through the insanity of the past few years...
I'd love to hear what people think a rescue could do better and how. I fully agree that some rescues could be more inclusive while also, through personal experience understand why they are wary and jaded especially after recent events and going through the insanity of the past few years...
perhaps they could realise that when people go to them they would like to adopt a dog, treat them a little better and seem even vaguely interested. I think, or at least I thought until I obviously realised differently, that people tried to adopt a dog to give it a good home and to relieve pressure on rescues who always seem to be full until you actually want a dog.
I wanted a dog. I had planned on a GSD puppy but then thought perhaps we should see if there was a suitable dog (of any breed or mongrel) that needed a home. Neither of us work,, we were not old, money was no problem, walking and home wasn't, we had both a fenced garden and fields for it to run in, no other dogs, no kids. We had had many large dogs over the years. We, very naively, thought that we could be suitable dog parents. We had hoped to see some dogs and it was very likely we would fall in love with one with or without problems which we felt we would probably be able to cope with, Large dogs were fine.
We arrived, no one to speak to. Finally found an office, no one interested in us. Finally someone spoke to us. There was no way we would be able to see any dogs full stop. We were handed a small folder with a few passports size pics of dogs. Only one shot per dog, could barely see them let alone their character. If we were still interested, actually we were slowly losing the will to live, we could apply to adopt and if we were lucky may (or may not) be allocated a dog. Any dog, not necessarily one of our choosing.
If I take on any animal it has to be one that I get some sort of bond, one that I like and feel something for. One that relates to me.
So no dog, not even a dog in sight. Total waste of time. Never again. Volunteering is not an option.
I started to understand after that visit why people adopt dogs from abroad.
Will we get a dog from you?Amymay
A fit 62 year old would have had a choice of dogs from us especially if they were experienced and would consider one of the (affectionally named) thug gang i.e. a young male. No grass and one afternoon a week away? Not a problem. No rottie owner has much grass in winter, just mud and even full time workers are fine for some dogs as long as there are arrangements in place so that they get a visit in the middle of the day...
If it's any consolation to anyone, I was refused a dog by various rescues in 2021 when I was looking for a friend/assistance dog for my idiot rott. Not that old, fairly fit and healthy, WFH, experienced with many breeds, owned home, no children, one cat who is very dog savvy and as she is elderly now, stays away from the dogs usually, happy to take a older dog or with some health issues, fabulous references from my vet, trainers and the rescue. Despite all my rescue contacts I ended up doing a private rehome through a friend of a friend of a friend. But despite being slightly peeved at the time, I did understand that I was looking for the dog that everyone else wanted - easy going, great temperament, small to medium size as having one dog with severe behavioural issues that we were working through I couldn't have another difficult dog or a pup. I could have had my choice of rotts in any of the breed rescues ( there has to be some perks to volunteering ) but despite having up to 4 rotts at a time in the past, I sadly realised that I wasn't strong enough for 2 big dogs in public, especially if my one kicked off at something stupid as was likely. Also, I just couldn't afford two! I pay £160 a month in insurance for my 2, the big dog is nearly 5 and the little dog (only 20kgs) is 9 years old. £130 of that is for the rott alone.
When a rescue turns you down, it's not personal, it's more likely that there is a lot of competition for that dog or they are big enough to have set in stone policies and procedures. If they don't reply to you try again, dog rescue is their thing, not organisation/customer service! They are probably running around like headless chickens or just a bit scatty.
Better still, go and volunteer. The rescue gets to know you, you get to play with dogs and as a bonus, you get the inside track on what dogs are available and what they are really like. Win, win
Thank you ellieb
Will we get a dog from you?
We are waiting till we retire and agreed a few years back that we would get a dog then.
Both active, live in the countryside , don't smoke .
We want any dog that wants us but hubby says he doesn't want to see it's bottom all the time (he said that, but I kind of get what he means )
we turned up at a time when the rescue was advertised as being open to the public. There were plenty of people on site. As it was during it's advertised opening hours we presumed it would be along similar lines to the cat rescue from which we had rehomed many cats. It didn't seem unreasonable that as prospective adopters that someone would consider what we were looking for, advise if they had anything suitable or had something suitable in the pipeline. We were hardly expecting to pick a dog and take it home that day. We were well aware they would home check.Had you arranged in advance to visit the kennels or just popped in? If it was without notice, it's very likely that there wasn't anyone on site who could show you a dog. Kennel staff, even in exclusively rescue kennels would not be allowed or insured to start bringing dogs out to random visitors - nor can you just wander around, it's a workplace plus can you imagine the fuss if someone stuck their fingers in the wrong kennel and got bitten. Nearly all rescues now have a strong SM presence and a website with all the write ups and photos of available dogs. Some are more up to date than others but y'know volunteers and competing priorities
And yes, I do expect someone to fill in a form - it's only 2 pages FGS. Yes, I will check out their address on Google Maps and have a quick trawl on SM. At that point I may ask them to do a couple of minutes long video of their home and garden before I decide to call them and have a chat about dogs available and which may suit them. You would be amazed at how often the dog they apply for and the dog they actually rehome are completely different. At that point, I've spent around 1-2 hours on a single applicant. They decide they would like to meet a dog so the attempts to coordinate a visit between my schedule (work, my own animals, prior commitments) and theirs while fully appreciating that they may have a fair distance to travel. On the day, I may have to travel an hour each way to pick up a dog from a foster home because most fosterers are understandably either busy or reluctant to have strangers in and out of their home. Not helped by the applicant who created a huge fuss when he arrived to visit a foster dog but decided he preferred the resident dog and refused to leave until her son arrived home...he hassled the rescue for months afterwards about the dog that wasn't even the rescues to give! Then at the meet, after traffic delays, people getting lost and so on, you need to allow an hour, often longer. Then a physical home check has to be arranged which once a date has been decided, might take the volunteer home checker 3 or 4 hours once travel time has been included. If all good, the new owners will come to collect the dog and do all the paperwork, another hour at least. At any point, the applicant can say no thanks not for me and that is fine, no hard feelings and if we have another dog that may suit, they can see them too.
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That's why rescues ask that anyone who might want one of their dogs show a little commitment beforehand. A kennel is not a supermarket or a zoo. No different to reputable breeders, they sure as hell don't allow you to rock up at their door on the off chance either, they interview prospective homes, ask for proof of address and ID and charge you a hefty chunk of cash but nobody seems to mind a 6 hour drive to go to their choice of breeder, once to pick their pup and again to collect it. The kind of breeder that just hands over a pup for cash is not the kind of breeder that I'd use nor a business model that a good rescue should follow. However, it is the business model that 'rescues' that import dogs use.
Also, to add to cbmcts' great post, if you choose one rescue organisation and don't like how they do things/they turn you down, try another one. There are loads of them. It's not fair to tar all rescues with the same brush forever more just because one didn't treat you the way you expected.