Mrs Jingle
Well-Known Member
I shall probably be shot down for this. Does anyone watch the Dog House? I do any generally enjoy it as for the most part it is nice viewing to see rescues find lovely new homes. However from time to time I feel a little uneasy at the choices of dog offered to prospective new owners, despite the shelters very best of intentions and one assumes extensive experience with rehoming.
Last night was a prime example, a gorgeous Malinois that had come into the shelter (as a stray I believe but not certain on that) The poor thing was obviously very, very stressed and did need a good bit of careful handling by a handler described as experienced with the breed. Of course I am not an expert on the breed, but even to my inexperienced eye this dog was not going to be suitable for many private homes at all. Personally I thought rehoming consideration would have to be restricted to the most experienced owners that had extensive history owning the breed and catering to its high demands for action, exercise both physical and mental and the capacity to very quickly realise when the dog was getting seriously ramped up and needing firm guidance to be helped to lower the stress threshold for dog and handler.
The couple they offered the dog to had what looked like a cross breed German shepherd and claimed to have enough experience with the breed and no qualms with taking on another shepherd. When the meet and greet was started it became evident very quickly that the would be new owners where entirely out of their depth and terrified when the dog immediately took a dislike to the man and said so quite forcefully! Luckily they turned the dog down instantly and the staff did not try and encourage them to give it a go, as I have seen happen before.
I only just caught the end but I 'think' the dog had eventually been rehomed to some sort of Malinois rescue centre that looked like the dogs were given extensive work outs and challenges to give them some quality of life, even if not in a private home. Thank goodness for that at least.
The point of this ramble is, IMHO if even a very reputable facility like Wood Green can get it so horribly wrong from time to time, no small wonder that many dogs end up being rehomed into entirely unsuitable environments with very often, very inexperienced owners via all the other less high profile rescue centres. I think we owe it to the dogs to be as responsible and realistic as we possibly can when rehoming, and in an ideal world all homes would have to pass some sort of extensive test proving their know how and suitability to the dog being offered. Obviously that can't ever happen, but it isn't just private rehoming is the issue, not sure what the answer is really. My sympathy is with both those injured or killed when it goes wrong, but also for those poor dogs who have been failed by us too, time and time again.
Last night was a prime example, a gorgeous Malinois that had come into the shelter (as a stray I believe but not certain on that) The poor thing was obviously very, very stressed and did need a good bit of careful handling by a handler described as experienced with the breed. Of course I am not an expert on the breed, but even to my inexperienced eye this dog was not going to be suitable for many private homes at all. Personally I thought rehoming consideration would have to be restricted to the most experienced owners that had extensive history owning the breed and catering to its high demands for action, exercise both physical and mental and the capacity to very quickly realise when the dog was getting seriously ramped up and needing firm guidance to be helped to lower the stress threshold for dog and handler.
The couple they offered the dog to had what looked like a cross breed German shepherd and claimed to have enough experience with the breed and no qualms with taking on another shepherd. When the meet and greet was started it became evident very quickly that the would be new owners where entirely out of their depth and terrified when the dog immediately took a dislike to the man and said so quite forcefully! Luckily they turned the dog down instantly and the staff did not try and encourage them to give it a go, as I have seen happen before.
I only just caught the end but I 'think' the dog had eventually been rehomed to some sort of Malinois rescue centre that looked like the dogs were given extensive work outs and challenges to give them some quality of life, even if not in a private home. Thank goodness for that at least.
The point of this ramble is, IMHO if even a very reputable facility like Wood Green can get it so horribly wrong from time to time, no small wonder that many dogs end up being rehomed into entirely unsuitable environments with very often, very inexperienced owners via all the other less high profile rescue centres. I think we owe it to the dogs to be as responsible and realistic as we possibly can when rehoming, and in an ideal world all homes would have to pass some sort of extensive test proving their know how and suitability to the dog being offered. Obviously that can't ever happen, but it isn't just private rehoming is the issue, not sure what the answer is really. My sympathy is with both those injured or killed when it goes wrong, but also for those poor dogs who have been failed by us too, time and time again.
