Anyone adopted fron The Dogs Trust

Spit That Out

Spit That Out

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Hi, as title really!

We have decided to get another dog to hopefully join myself, hubby and our wonderful 2 year old collie.
I have seen a dog on The Dogs Trust's website and I'm going to give them a call in the morning.

Has anyone had any experience with The Dogs Trust? We have never rehomed from a charity before so are there any tips?

What does a home check involve?

Depending on how the chat goes in the morning then we will go and see him and the second visit we will take our dog to meet him. If all goes well their website says it can be as quick as 8 days to get him home...eep

I can't help feeling excited :)

But the fly in the ointment is that we both work full time. They are regular hours and I come home at lunch to go for a walk but I have heard that they can be strict about people who work. Our dog goes for 4 walks a day as my hubby takes him before he goes work then I take him before I go, he's on his own for 4 hours before I come home for lunch and then approx 4/4.5 hours before we are home for another walk which is over 3 miles across te fields. In total we walk about 6 miles a day.
The dogs will have each other but also a box of toys, filled kongs and a sofa to sleep on until we are home to play. At weekends we go to the seaside, the forest and river walks.
When we go on holiday we only go to dog friendly cottages.
I even wash his towels daily with fabric softener!!
Anyway, do you think they would take all this in to consideration or is it a blanket no because of us working?
 
If they are anything like my local RSPCA, that will be a 'no' cos of the working full time bit. I did the same routine as you, had two wonderful dog walking professional if I had an emergency at work and cdnt get back at usual lunch time, also several neighbours who were more than happy to take GSD out any time I needed back up. GSD died in March this year, aged 13, and still happy to have her four walks a day ( little ones, by then). Sadly, it was her kidneys going very suddenly that required immediate pts, very calmly and with dignity. RSPCA not interested, cos of my working pattern. Not even for an older dog, (9yrs and with them for a long time) which was very sad. Now have Whippet Quick, who is 8, or thereabouts, has three or four walks a day, does a mad whirl roun the Downs each time and snoozes on my bed with the cat for the rest of the day! Think that Rescues get very hung up on 'rules' and dont always look past them to see which dog may have a better quality of life adopted by someone who works f/t but chooses the right sort of dog and makes fail safe arrangements. Also, a long walk in the morning is a good idea, to encourage them to rush about, eat breakfast and crash out for a few hours!
 
I seem to remember reading on another Forum that the Dogs Trust has become more flexible and understand that people need to work. I would think if you can come home lunch time it wont be a problem. Good luck with your quest for a new dog and let us know how you get on.
 
I had a collie from them around 3 years ago, and i just took them a letter from my vets saying i was a responsible dog owner (vets had known me for around 5-6 years), so no need for a home check, i too had a collie already. I took my collie to meet and greet the new collie and they seemed to be very indifferent to each other, sadly when i took the new one home things didnt work out :( i did speak to their behaviourist and they were helpfull with all sorts of suggestions, but it got to the point that my original collie wasnt allowed out of her bed without the new one attacking her :eek: i tried everything but sadly after 5 - 6 weeks of hell i took the new collie back, it broke my heart having to take her back there but i just couldn't put my dog through anymore and it was becomming dangerous.

I was very pleased with the behaviourist who was extreamly helpfull but the staff were not very nice to me when i finally took the collie back, i felt as though i was being treated like someone who had abandoned the dog in the first place :( it was not an experience i would like to go through again, sadly my original collie has since sadly passed away in the last 12 months but i do know that the rescue collie found a good home after a few more weeks

good luck with your new dog, but i would spend more than just one visit to check if they will really get on, and be prepared to take a few days off work to help them settle in. its a long process but my other experiences of rescuing have been very long and happy ones :)
 
Its a shame about the 4 hour rule but they tend to do it more for the benefit of the dog than us. So long as your current dog is healthy and happy well cared for that will go in your favour and as your already accommodating times to walk your dog so not left for too long that will be a good thing.

Hope its positive for you :D
 
If the Dogs Trust say no then try some other, smaller rescues as they can often be more willing to judge the situation on an individual basis. I work fulltime and managed to adopt from a rescue, as do many others :)
 
We adopted Jade (lab x) from the dogs trust about 4years ago. We were told thye dont rehome dogs to familys who would leave them alone for more than 2hours!!!!

As it was i could take her to work with me but that changed about 6months later to her staying home and me popping back in my lunch break. we didn't bother telling them (naughty us) and she was far happyer away from the bustle of the office.

They were very strict about it at the time and i dont think it was reasonable so hopfully they've changed now
 
I think it depends a lot on which centre you go to and which staff you deal with. When I got my boy 5yrs ago they had a blanket policy of not rehoming if you were out more than 4 hours at a time, but they had a dog they tried to interest me in who had been used to being left 10 hours (!) in his previous home so they were happy to rehome him to a working home who might leave him longer than 4 hours. Given that you aren't leaving more than 4hrs or so between visits if you have a good centre then you might well be fine

The homecheck is nothing to worry about, they come and make sure you have the fencing you say you have, that you have a secure garden (I was advised to raise a section of my wall a little but didn't need to prove it as essentially it was secure, but just advised to be aware of it), they ask to see where the dog will sleep, eat etc, ask about anyone else living in the house, human or animal, and general stuff like that.

I picked my boy up within the week once we had decided I would be a good enough match, took me by surprise a little!! I did have an open line to the behaviourist (mine came with issues, but each centre has it's own behaviourist and they offer lifetime support as needed) which was really helpful, even just to ring for reassurance or support.

The downside is that compared to smaller rescues which may rely more on fosters, I'm not sure they necessarily know their dogs that well and how they may react on going into a home, but if you are ready to cope with the potential for a few wobbly behaviours once the honeymoon period is over before they really settle in it isn't too much of a problem.
 
Thanks everyone, I completely understand that they don't want a dog on his own all day but that's why I come home at lunch now... Even though I'm greeted with a dog on his back on the sofa asleep who I'm not sure would be bothered if I came home or not?!?
It's just a shame that they would rather a dog be alone in a kennel most of the day rather in a loving home with toys, lots of walks and another dog to play with but like you have said there might be someone there that is willing to bend the rules a bit and go on a case by case basis?
I'll call them later today and have a chat over the phone.
 
I rehomed from the blue cross who were more than happy for me to have a dog and work full time, provided he won't be left all day. Currently I pay a walker on a monday, neighbour lets him out (coudl be for hours if she's gardening :) ) or walks him on tues and weds, thursday either I go back, or my parents help, and friday I try to do half days.

I think after spending 8 months in rescue kennels (and being rehomed and returned twice), he's more than happy with his lot! :D

How did it go today?
 
The RSPCA centre in Shrewsbury will also consider homes where owners work - they will want to see a contract with a dog walker or some proof of your working hours that allow you to come back at lunchtime but they are much more open to the idea than they used to be. :)

ETAl MM why did you make me look at the Grinshill website, I am a little bit in love with Johnny, exactly my type of dog!
 
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I found the Dogs Trust extremely understanding. OH and I work, live in a one bed flat with a garden that's not enclosed. However, we were willing to pay for a dog walker who could have the dog at a dog crèche all day and we're surrounded by fields and foot paths. Sadly the dog we fell in love with failed the cat test (we have a guinea pig) so we couldn't rehome him. I would certainly consider them again for rehoming.
 
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