Longest time a dog has stayed in stray kennels?

dingle12

dingle12

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Anyone that involved with stray dogs, what's the longest time your have had one in waiting for a home?

I ask this because the rescue that has taken the little jrt I found the other month has a staffie ( sadly I know the breed does not help and there are hundreds dotted all over wanting a home) she has been with them 7 months now and has only ever had one person come and look at her. I feel so sorry for her as she was 6 months when she came in so all she really knows is kennel life. I've been doing some dog walking for them and she is fab but so full of energy and strong.

Here she is poppy http://www.roystonanimalwelfare.org/rescue/Home/up-for-adoption

The jrt I found is Bobby so wish I could have him at home but he needs a lot of work regarding other dogs.
 
I've known some dogs that have been in the same kennels for years. Off the top of my head, 2 Akitas, went out and came back, one GSD that died in a kennels, a GSD x Rott that I used to walk that was in for two years. Beautiful big dog but looked very fierce (he wasn't) He used to stare at his own reflection in puddles :(

Just checked, Akitas were at the centre for two years, came back after a divorce, and then have been there for at least another 18 months, two years :(
 
I'm genuinely shocked at the length of time that you say that some dogs remain in kennels. I view the existence as being a bit like being contained until something better comes along, but without interim input in to the animal. It would be the same thing with zoo animals, except that they haven't been bred specifically, to interact with humans.

If I kept a bird in a cage, then there would have to be a purpose to it's life, other than being an ornament, which is why I don't keep birds in cages. It would be the same with dogs. Mine live in kennels, but there is purpose to their lives, and there's a balance, of sorts.

For a dog to live a kennelled existence for 7 years, and probably without an established bond, should be unthinkable. I'm not having a pop at those who are caring for such a dog, as the inevitable question is, "At what stage do we say that enough's enough"?

I wonder if there's the canine equivalent of being institutionalised. I find it very sad, and would question the ethics of such a long term sentence, despite the stated stance.

Alec.
 
Our greyhound was in kennels for almost a year and was becoming institutionalised and they rana campaign to get him a home. He was very distant to humans, couldn't be kenneled with others and was in a bit of a sorry state - poor lad just needed a sofa and some company :(

Needless to say he loves people and most dogs now and enjoys most of his life between the garden, 2 sofas and hanging out with his humans :D It is awful to see what they become when in kennels too long :(
 
The Dogs Trust did have a sanctuary for dogs that are unadoptable run along the lines of a zoo wolf enclosure but it appears to have disappeared from their website.
The concept was not well received and the resources given to keeping a few dogs that were unable to interact with people colud have, in mine & many other opionions, been put to much better use.

Longest I've held a rescue / rehab dog is 3 months but they spend at least an hour a day out of the kennel with me even if only sat at my feet whilst I'm at the computer.
 
Not a great deal wrong with the seven-year-stayer except that he's a bull breed and a curiously ugly one at that!

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It's a council pound with a no-kill policy, they are very proactive in getting the dogs out and about to events and promoting their oldies and bull breeds. They usually have a good success rate. I sent them a stray elderly terrier the other week, extremely thin, manky teeth, thought he'd be a goner - he was homed this week. :)

That said, our local RSPCA centre had a long-stay siberian that IMO should have been put down long ago. He was painting the walls of his kennel with liquid diarrhoea (they refused to change his diet), began kennel guarding and was near impossible to walk on a lead. They won't rehome to a working home or seek the help of a breed rescue to place him (as an organisation they do not approve of sled dog racing). Last I heard he'd been transported to another centre to try his luck there.
 
blackcob said:
Not a great deal wrong with the seven-year-stayer except that he's a bull breed and a curiously ugly one at that!

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........
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Hardly a handsome dog, I agree, but he has a certain charm and attraction, I suppose!! It would be a sad day if we only ever judged our friends by a degree of prettiness, wouldn't it? I'd end up living the life of a Trappist Monk! :D

Actually, the more that I look at him, so the more that I like him.

Alec.
 
We rehomed a rough coated lurcher who had been in kennels three years. He had become a great favourite with the staff and they seemed both pleased and sorry when we said we would like to adopt him. He had obviously been worked and trained to a high standard once. When he was recued his pelvis and hind legs had been broken by some louts on bicycles when tied outside a pub, and he still had the most wonderful temperament. He did not seem institutionalised and became part of the family very quickly until his death of old age.

From this experience i would say that in a good kennel with caring staff who spend quality time with the dogs, an animal with a fairly laid-back temperament has a good chance of emerging unscathed from a long stay.
 
These stories break my heart :(

When I did a volunteer day at a local kennels they had a staffie who had been there for 18 months - he was just one staffie amount a sea of staffies and no one even gave him a second look - all he wanted was company - he would literally lick you to death.

I've not been back since but they did an appeal in the papers for him and he is no longer on the website so I'm praying that he found a good home.

Some of the staff were keen to point out how poorly staffies cope in kennels - generally they become so stressed that it makes them even more difficult to rehome.

When I'm in a position to take on another dog/dog's, I'll definitely consider the breed!
 
Absolutely heartbreaking how long some dogs stay in kennels :( although agree with planete that it's not quite so bad in a good centre.

My first rescue had been in for 14 mths but it was a good place and she had been well cared for and socialised.

My latest, who came to me on Tuesday, had been in a not so good centre for 4 years, poor little lad. He's an oldie with very bad arthritis, hardly any teeth, is deaf and has a wonky jaw because they were putting 2 dogs at a time in 1 kennel and he was attacked.

But he is an absolute poppet, clean in the house and just wants to sleep on the sofa next to me. Has met several other dogs while we go for our little walks and has been fine with them. So brain wise he seems to have come out of it ok.
 
CaveCanem said:
As for your second paragraph...that's a disgrace :( shock horror, a working dog being allowed a job to occupy him.....
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It was a crime in his case, he would not have made a pet dog but he would have made someone a cracking worker. They have a similar policy about working gundogs. For some reason canicross is regarded as ok though. :confused:

Bulley there is still looking for a home if anyone fancies having his unique visage around the house! :D
 
blackcob said:
That said, our local RSPCA centre had a long-stay siberian that IMO should have been put down long ago. He was painting the walls of his kennel with liquid diarrhoea (they refused to change his diet), began kennel guarding and was near impossible to walk on a lead. They won't rehome to a working home or seek the help of a breed rescue to place him (as an organisation they do not approve of sled dog racing). Last I heard he'd been transported to another centre to try his luck there.
Click to expand...

This makes me so cross - they have the same policy with equines :mad:
Local centre has 2 registered native ponies in (not yet 'ready' for re-homing) & have refused the breed society's offers to be involved at all.
They are not interested at all in any assistance :rolleyes:
 
They really are a towering shower of effluence. The best one was another sibe - I was only there for totally unrelated training classes held on their grounds but the RSPCA centre staff would keep me updated on sibes they had in. :p

Anyway, someone mentioned that he'd come in with his pedigree papers. I had a look, recognised the name of the breeder and expressed my surprise that the breeder hadn't taken the dog back. Cue blank looks - no-one had thought to contact the breeder. One phone call later and he's making the six hour round trip to come and collect the dog, being absolutely mortified that he'd ended up where he had as he'd done everything right, sold with a contract and endorsements etc.
 
Innit. :p

ETA: He had a stonking retrieve, very unusual. Lovely dog. He was 24 hours away from losing his balls and being rehomed!

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