Rehoming a dog from a rescue centre

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buzzles

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I want to get another spaniel as I had my old springer put to sleep last summer aged 14 and the place is much too quiet without a mad spaniel causing trouble!! I have 4 other dogs- a female GSD, a female terrier x and 2 labxcollie brothers. My dogs have a great lif, they have 12 acres of land to run on, get taken on walks and hacks, have a huge dog run they go in when we're not around, sleep in a warm shed stuffed with straw, have lots of company and are generally happy, healthy, well rounded dogs. I was hoping to rehome a spaniel from a rehoming centre (my old springer was a rescue) however have been turned down as my dogs sleep outside. Ireland has a ridiculously high rate of stray dogs euthanised every day, surely there are dogs who be better off living with me than either be put down or spend the rest of their lives in kennels?! I don't really want to buy another dog as I don't like supporting unnecessary breeding when there are already too many unwanted dogs, but feel I might not have a choice.
Just feeling a bit peed off tbh, so anyone know of a spaniel, preferably male and under a year old, looking for a kind home?
 
That's daft about living outside!! Our dogs have always lived outside (well, apart from on sneaky weekends when Mum is away, hahahahaha, lalalala, wasn't me...)
As a GSD owner, I have had dogs who have been just plain uncomfortable inside, not fun if the heat is on and you have a double coat...
What places have you tried? 'Shop' around, don't fall at the first hurdle, some rescues are a bit more understanding than others.

TBH most of the charities over here, including two that I support, send surplus dogs to the Dogs Trust.

It sounds like you could offer a fantastic life to a dog, well done for considering rescue and I hope you get sorted.
Much as I hate them, could you try Gumtree or another free website in your area? I am loathe to pay money or support people for choosing the wrong pet or being irresponsibe but you do often find people who's circumstances have genuinely changed and are offering dogs for very litte or free.
 
try a specific spaniel rescue - or spaniel breeders - may have had dogs returned to them that are used to outside kennels
 
Thats madness that they wont home to an outdoor home!
Our dogs have always been outdoor pets,its not that unusual at all over here!

Boards.ie has a rehoming thread on it that can be quite good.Its all from private homes so its a case of contacting the meber rehoming for whatever region...

What county are you in?
there may be other rehoming charities in the area with different standards.i know the NWSPCA tend to be resonable whan it comes to keeping dogs outdoors ...

If you were willing to risk heartache....because you may have to go in on the PTS day to choose and collect....you could also ring the dog warden or pound direct and ask if they have any spaniels in.But their is no temperment check/vaccinations etc involved.

If your in dublin you could try dogsindistress,who rehoming from ashtown pound and keep their dogs in foster homes but i dont know what their policys on outdoor dogs are.
 
Yet another reason why rescues are over run with dogs.

Ridiculous, I can't think where dogs slept before we came along...oh thats right, outside.
 
Thanks everyone, I'll have a look at the places suggested, (although it won't be dogs in distress!) I'm not going to give up yet!! I'm going to try more centres, rural based ones which might have some country dogs! It was just the reply I got which made me feel like a bad dog owner when I know my dogs are a lot happier than most town dogs. This is what was attached to the email (I directy copied it)

Keeping your dog outdoors:
Perhaps the biggest and most widely held misconception about dogs is the belief that they will be healthy and happy living only in the back garden. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Current studies in dog psychology show that dogs isolated in back gardens are highly likely to develop serious behavioural problems that often result in euthanasia for the animal.
DOGS ARE PACK ANIMALS THAT THRIVE ON COMPANIONSHIP
. Dogs are highly sociable animals. In fact, dogs are more social than humans and need to be part of human families. When you own a dog, you become the dog's pack and he wants to be with his pack. Forcing a dog to live outside with little or no human companionship is one of the most psychological damaging things a pet owner can do to a dog. Even a dog that sleeps outside is being separated from his/her family and the comforts of surrounding smells, the dog will think its being punished by separating it from the family home. This in turn can be the cause of aggression in some dogs.
INCREASED AGGRESSION SEEN IN OUTDOOR DOGS.
Dogs are territorial by nature so will naturally protect their sleeping areas. If a dog sleeps in a shed/kennel/garage he will defend it. As the dog will be the main inhabitant of the garden the dog will become the dominant leader in that area. This can lead to aggression towards family members as the dog becomes more comfortable in his surroundings. OUTDOOR DOGS HAVE MORE BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS
. Since all your dog's instincts are telling him it is not good to be left alone or isolated from his pack, your dog can become very stressed or anxious. A dog exhibits stress by digging, barking, howling or whining, chewing, escaping, and exhibiting hyperactivity. These problems can become so troublesome that your neighbours may complain about the barking, howling, property destruction, or your dog escaping.
OUTDOOR DOGS ARE HARDER TO TRAIN.
Considering a backyard dog does not develop a strong bond toward your family, he is harder to train than a dog allowed to be in the house with your family. This also makes him less responsive to commands. Your dog has a wonderful ability to learn and therefore to be housetrained. A dog who resides more in your house is a much happier animal, because of the security of a den and your companionship.
OUTDOOR DOGS MAKE LOUSY GUARD DOGS
. As a dog becomes naturally protective of where he lives (his territory), he will only defend the place he lives in. If he is never allowed in the house, then the house will not become a place to protect. Most people keep their valuables inside their houses, so why wouldn't you want your dog to protect the inside of your house? Unless allowed to live inside, your dog will not develop that sense of territory. He will not sound the alarm when someone tries to invade your house.
OUTDOOR DOGS HAVE HIGHER RATES OF EUTHANASIA.
They will have far more health problems due to differing changes in weather. Therefore your outdoor dog will probably rack up far more veterinary bills then a dog kept inside the family home



Sorry but what a load of bulls***! I've hardly had any health problems with my dogs (touch wood frantically!!) and I would have thought that an active dog like a spaniel would be better suited to an active life, as the reason most are handed into pounds is that people can't provide them with enough exercise which leads to behavioral problems.
 
I'm a dumbass, I didn't spot you were in Ireland too!!! What area are you?

I am really angry about that email, it is the biggest crock of ****e I have read in a long time. Please PM me which organisation send you that heap of tripe because I can feel a strongly worded letter coming on. Or an article, ho hum.....where do their rescues stay, presumably OUTDOOR kennels???
 
CaveCanem said:
I'm a dumbass, I didn't spot you were in Ireland too!!! What area are you?

I am really angry about that email, it is the biggest crock of ****e I have read in a long time. Please PM me which organisation send you that heap of tripe because I can feel a strongly worded letter coming on. Or an article, ho hum.....where do their rescues stay, presumably OUTDOOR kennels???
Click to expand...

LMFAO....that is ridiculous.....I have never read such trip in all my life.
I (without blowing my own trumpet) own the most relaxed, well behaved non agressive japanese akita you could wish to meet, she came from a HOME environment with aggression issues and was going to be pts, and now she is with me, has her feet walked off, lives in a posh;) kennel I will have u know LOL, along with my very friendly well mannered deerhound, next door to the most loyal friendly little ginger x breed and equally friendly whippet x s.b.t, I would love these people to contest my dogs behaviour because they live outdoors (AND IM A BLOODY RESCUE) I find that appauling, what about working homes, where these breeds belong, they are mostly kept outdoors, because they have more than likely been kept indoors ripping the house apart and howling and not been walked!!!!!
Maybe I should put my rotti outside and according to that e.mail, she will stop guarding her home, yeah right!!
We get spaniels in all the time, I have jsut rehomed 7 of the little feckers...I mean angels...lol, we always rehome our springers to the prison service, it's certainly not a fluffy life, but it's a working one (that is our priority) I would have no issues if your kennel check passed....:D rehoming one of our rescues to you.


Some rescues have alot to answer too!!
RANT OVER....of to see Cesar...yipeeeee...will report back in.
 
Dog homes make me REALLY angry :mad:

When we were looking for dogs we saw that our local rescue had 2 lab brothers, 4yrs old, had been outdoor dogs all there life. Perfect, pretty much exactly what we wanted :) So we hoped in the car, went straight there really excited....to be told that it is cruel to keep a dog outdoors and therefore for the benefit of these dogs they were seperating them and rehoming them individually to indoor homes :( :mad:
 
buzzles said:
Keeping your dog outdoors:
Perhaps the biggest and most widely held misconception about dogs is the belief that they will be healthy and happy living only in the back garden. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Current studies in dog psychology show that dogs isolated in back gardens are highly likely to develop serious behavioural problems that often result in euthanasia for the animal.
DOGS ARE PACK ANIMALS THAT THRIVE ON COMPANIONSHIP
. Dogs are highly sociable animals. In fact, dogs are more social than humans and need to be part of human families. When you own a dog, you become the dog's pack and he wants to be with his pack. Forcing a dog to live outside with little or no human companionship is one of the most psychological damaging things a pet owner can do to a dog. Even a dog that sleeps outside is being separated from his/her family and the comforts of surrounding smells, the dog will think its being punished by separating it from the family home. This in turn can be the cause of aggression in some dogs.
INCREASED AGGRESSION SEEN IN OUTDOOR DOGS.
Dogs are territorial by nature so will naturally protect their sleeping areas. If a dog sleeps in a shed/kennel/garage he will defend it. As the dog will be the main inhabitant of the garden the dog will become the dominant leader in that area. This can lead to aggression towards family members as the dog becomes more comfortable in his surroundings. OUTDOOR DOGS HAVE MORE BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS
. Since all your dog's instincts are telling him it is not good to be left alone or isolated from his pack, your dog can become very stressed or anxious. A dog exhibits stress by digging, barking, howling or whining, chewing, escaping, and exhibiting hyperactivity. These problems can become so troublesome that your neighbours may complain about the barking, howling, property destruction, or your dog escaping.
OUTDOOR DOGS ARE HARDER TO TRAIN.
Considering a backyard dog does not develop a strong bond toward your family, he is harder to train than a dog allowed to be in the house with your family. This also makes him less responsive to commands. Your dog has a wonderful ability to learn and therefore to be housetrained. A dog who resides more in your house is a much happier animal, because of the security of a den and your companionship.
Click to expand...


I actually agree with much of this but only if the dog living outside never has any human/canine interaction at all and is just left outside all day and night and forgotten about. My dog-aggressive beagle was left in the back yard and never did anything else, was walked, etc. for the first four years of his life. He suffered from that and still has issues today because of it. BUT, if a dog is walked, trained and has other human/canine interaction, living outside is fine. It seems the rescue group is short-sighted and is making generalisations. It's sad that dogs will not find good homes because of this. :mad:
 
I think it really depends on how you keep the dog. One dog on its own, isolated, never walked etc could have problems, equally a dog kept in the kitchen on its own and not walked etc could have problems. There are more factors than just whether they are in or out, you need to look at the whole picture. my dad had three dogs kept outside and they had no issues at all. They roamed around his 1 acre garden, played with us kids and had a great life. He has 2 GSDs now who live inside, who also have a great life, perhaps abit more spoilt though!
 
Oh I agree Galupy - that's a no brainer, I was just taking it for granted that no one would think that was a normal life for an outdoors dog - but a dog left in the house alone all day and unsocialised and a dog living outside all day and not socialised will have the same problems IMO.

Some of the worst dog aggression cases I have seen, the animals lived in the house, slept on the bed and were treated like babies. They thought their owers were their property to be guarded and protected from all-comers.

My old girl was an only dog and spent up to eight hours alone outside and a more healthy, well rounded dog you could not have wished to meet, she died aged 14 when she became immobile and we had her PTS and she had been sound (despite suffering a broken leg in puppyhood) until that first day when she was unable to stand without struggling and the vet was called.

Our last bitch was also a single dog, living outside, and I don't think I have ever met a dog who was walked more, by so many different people!
I don't see how or why a fatal tumour on her spleen could have been caused by the weather.....

Oh and I wonder how many of the poorly trained Working Trials/Schutzhund dogs I have seen competing to the highest levels lived inside :p

On one hand this is saying living outdoors makes dogs aggressive and protective and on the other it says it makes them crap guard dogs....
 
Cavecanem- I'm in leinster. The organisation was Dogs in distress, which is based in Dublin. I was honest in my application form about what sort of lives my dogs have and did say I wanted an active dog suited to outdoor life and listed a few of the dogs I was interested in, spaniels or spanielx. I suppose I could have lied and said it could sleep inside!! Actually my GSD isn't even locked up at night and she chooses to sleep at the front door rather than in her warm kennel. I'm going to try Sharpeshill, that's where I got my springer - ironically she was a purebred 13 week old puppy who had been handed in as she was too hyper and was destroying the house! I had her for 14 years and the only time she spent in the house was once when she was injured and then in the last two weeks of her life so I could monitor her as she had started fitting, tbh once she came in I knew it was the end of the road for her as she could only be let out on a lead which she hated. Up to then she was as active and energetic as ever.

Cayla- have a good time with Caeser, I wonder where his dogs sleep?!!
 
Rescues really do take some of their rules and regualtions to far!!:mad:

My pampered pooches (spangle and lab) will sleep outside in the utility/boot room - door always open to the garden - out of choice as they get too hot in the house and they spend all day out there with the garden to roam in. Of course it does mean they get to stake out the cat food and chase cats.............:rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
CaveCanem said:
Oh I agree Galupy - that's a no brainer, I was just taking it for granted that no one would think that was a normal life for an outdoors dog - but a dog left in the house alone all day and unsocialised and a dog living outside all day and not socialised will have the same problems IMO.

Some of the worst dog aggression cases I have seen, the animals lived in the house, slept on the bed and were treated like babies. They thought their owers were their property to be guarded and protected from all-comers.

My old girl was an only dog and spent up to eight hours alone outside and a more healthy, well rounded dog you could not have wished to meet, she died aged 14 when she became immobile and we had her PTS and she had been sound (despite suffering a broken leg in puppyhood) until that first day when she was unable to stand without struggling and the vet was called.

Our last bitch was also a single dog, living outside, and I don't think I have ever met a dog who was walked more, by so many different people!
I don't see how or why a fatal tumour on her spleen could have been caused by the weather.....

Oh and I wonder how many of the poorly trained Working Trials/Schutzhund dogs I have seen competing to the highest levels lived inside :p

On one hand this is saying living outdoors makes dogs aggressive and protective and on the other it says it makes them crap guard dogs....
Click to expand...



Agreed, except I don't share your optimism that people understand that living outside is also a normal way to keep a dog. I know when I was on the Board of Directors of a rescue group here that while we didn't deny adopters for wanting the dog to live outside, a lot of people didn't like it that we didn't because the dog wasn't being treated like "one of the family." It didn't seem to matter to them how the adopters otherwise planned to treat the dogs or that more dogs waiting to come into the rescue would be PTS if we didn't adopt out to those kinds of homes. Of course on a side note they didn't want us to adopt out to hunters either. Excuse me but what beagle doesn't love and want to hunt! Ridiculous.

It just seems like a common misperception and shortsightedness surrounding keeping a dog outdoors. As we both agree, it can be, but as we both also agree, it generally isn't. I won't even touch on the veterinary side of their argument which is also ridiculous.

You are also right of course that keeping a dog inside certainly doesn't guarantee a good life for it. It also doesn't guarantee that it will be trainable :D.
 
my local dogs home wouldnt let me have a terrier cos they thought i wanted to go rabbiting! and my garden wasnt dog fenced (its 27 acres!!!) i did get one from them a labx cos i know their vet and he gave me a reference and i also had a chat with the dog warden who does the home inspections. sometimes you have to bend the truth in your application. my JR puppy lived indoors for about 4 months then chose to go and live outside with the labs (in the feed room with big beds and duvets) i was gutted as she was supposed to be a house dog! i did feel sorry for them when it was really cold and had them all in, but had to take them out around 12/1 in the morning as they were too hot and wanted to be back outside!!!! ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with keeping dogs outside in a nice kennel with a nice bed! mine all shiny the correct weight fit and well and come out in the morning and are on the go most of the day happy to go to bed after their dinner! sociable, love people and other dogs guard the property in general but not possessive about their feed room!!!
 
buzzles said:
Thanks everyone, I'll have a look at the places suggested, (although it won't be dogs in distress!) I'm not going to give up yet!! I'm going to try more centres, rural based ones which might have some country dogs! It was just the reply I got which made me feel like a bad dog owner when I know my dogs are a lot happier than most town dogs. This is what was attached to the email (I directly copied it)

Keeping your dog outdoors:
Perhaps the biggest and most widely held misconception about dogs is the belief that they will be healthy and happy living only in the back garden. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Current studies in dog psychology show that dogs isolated in back gardens are highly likely to develop serious behavioural problems that often result in euthanasia for the animal.
DOGS ARE PACK ANIMALS THAT THRIVE ON COMPANIONSHIP.
Dogs are highly sociable animals. In fact, dogs are more social than humans and need to be part of human families. When you own a dog, you become the dog's pack and he wants to be with his pack. Forcing a dog to live outside with little or no human companionship is one of the most psychological damaging things a pet owner can do to a dog. Even a dog that sleeps outside is being separated from his/her family and the comforts of surrounding smells, the dog will think its being punished by separating it from the family home. This in turn can be the cause of aggression in some dogs.
INCREASED AGGRESSION SEEN IN OUTDOOR DOGS.
Dogs are territorial by nature so will naturally protect their sleeping areas. If a dog sleeps in a shed/kennel/garage he will defend it. As the dog will be the main inhabitant of the garden the dog will become the dominant leader in that area. This can lead to aggression towards family members as the dog becomes more comfortable in his surroundings.
OUTDOOR DOGS HAVE MORE BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS.
Since all your dog's instincts are telling him it is not good to be left alone or isolated from his pack, your dog can become very stressed or anxious. A dog exhibits stress by digging, barking, howling or whining, chewing, escaping, and exhibiting hyperactivity. These problems can become so troublesome that your neighbours may complain about the barking, howling, property destruction, or your dog escaping.
OUTDOOR DOGS ARE HARDER TO TRAIN.
Considering a backyard dog does not develop a strong bond toward your family, he is harder to train than a dog allowed to be in the house with your family. This also makes him less responsive to commands. Your dog has a wonderful ability to learn and therefore to be house trained. A dog who resides more in your house is a much happier animal, because of the security of a den and your companionship.
OUTDOOR DOGS MAKE LOUSY GUARD DOGS.
As a dog becomes naturally protective of where he lives (his territory), he will only defend the place he lives in. If he is never allowed in the house, then the house will not become a place to protect. Most people keep their valuables inside their houses, so why wouldn't you want your dog to protect the inside of your house? Unless allowed to live inside, your dog will not develop that sense of territory. He will not sound the alarm when someone tries to invade your house.
OUTDOOR DOGS HAVE HIGHER RATES OF EUTHANASIA.
They will have far more health problems due to differing changes in weather. Therefore your outdoor dog will probably rack up far more veterinary bills then a dog kept inside the family home.
Click to expand...

Well that was informative, you learn something new every day.

















0011hc6g.gif






I knew that you didn't have to pass any intelligence test to become a dog breeder but obviously, you don't need to pass one to become a rescuer either!

:rolleyes:



Personally I own dogs because I enjoy their company and I would not want it any other way, than having them living indoors with me but I still believe that dogs can have their needs looked after, just as well by living outdoors.

As always, it is all about how so or so individual handles their dog owning and about the actual quality of care and time that they get.


If you can't dazzle the world with your knowledge,
you can always baffle them with your bull****!
 
FinnishLapphund said:
If you can't dazzle the world with your knowledge,
you can always baffle them with your bull****!
Click to expand...

*laughsnort* :D

When we were looking to rehome a dog we got turned down by the Dogs Trust (they didn't visit, just on the principle) and probably would have been by any other rescue organisation to be honest because we don't strictly speaking have a garden, only a funny little yard about 24ft long and 6ft wide with a cobbled floor and 8ft high brick walls all around. One of our neighbours has right of access through it to put out their wheelie bins, too.

Because they didn't take into consideration anything else about our lifestyle, location and dedication a rescue dog missed out on an active rural home and I ended up buying a dog from a bloke who was moving abroad for work. She was advertised in the local paper. :rolleyes:

A little common sense and discretion is needed, I think. I dread to think what would happen to an active dog like Dax rehomed to a family who had a large garden but otherwise did bugger all with the dog.

For the record if I did have the space outside she'd bloody well be kennelled, her farts are toxic in indoor spaces. :p
 
FinnishLapphund said:
Well that was informative, you learn something new every day.

















0011hc6g.gif






I knew that you didn't have to pass any intelligence test to become a dog breeder but obviously, you don't need to pass one to become a rescuer either!

:rolleyes:



Personally I own dogs because I enjoy their company and I would not want it any other way, than having them living indoors with me but I still believe that dogs can have their needs looked after, just as well by living outdoors.

As always, it is all about how so or so individual handles their dog owning and about the actual quality of care and time that they get.


If you can't dazzle the world with your knowledge,
you can always baffle them with your bull****!
Click to expand...

LMFAO.....I had to re-check that bottom bit was part of your post...:D
 
Rescues over here have that policy, too, but keeping dogs on chains 24/7 in unfenced yards is a *big* problem over here, and that's what rescues are trying to prevent.

It's silly. My friend's Samoyed lives outside all year round, as the dog is miserable sleeping indoors. On the other hand, Stella would probably do fine as an outdoor dog in a warm climate, but she could not live in a kennel otherwise--not unless someone supplied her with an old mink jacket :D
 
prosefullstop said:
Rescues over here have that policy, too, but keeping dogs on chains 24/7 in unfenced yards is a *big* problem over here, and that's what rescues are trying to prevent.
Click to expand...

You see, I have lost count of the number of Americans who have stayed with us who have voiced disquiet or even say they find it 'cruel' that ours are kept in runs (they have two smallish seperate runs, but beside one another, they are kept apart only by a sheet of mesh) and a larger exercise run where they spend most of their time when I am at home and they are not being walked. Many of those keep their dogs on their large property encircled by a dog fence.

But here's the difference - mine are walked (at a fast pace, mostly uphill, and usually for 90 mins!), stimulated, exposed to different experiences, the beach, the woods, a busy towpath, training club.

As we have discussed before, give my dogs the run of the property (not that we could afford the fencing and we live in sheep country, the farmers would not be best pleased, and most of our guests would be a bit iffy about loose GSDs too!) and they would just lie in the same spot all day.

The reason they are fit and happy is because I am bloody making them!
 
CaveCanem said:
You see, I have lost count of the number of Americans who have stayed with us who have voiced disquiet or even say they find it 'cruel' that ours are kept in runs (they have two smallish seperate runs, but beside one another, they are kept apart only by a sheet of mesh) and a larger exercise run where they spend most of their time when I am at home and they are not being walked. Many of those keep their dogs on their large property encircled by a dog fence.

But here's the difference - mine are walked (at a fast pace, mostly uphill, and usually for 90 mins!), stimulated, exposed to different experiences, the beach, the woods, a busy towpath, training club.

As we have discussed before, give my dogs the run of the property (not that we could afford the fencing and we live in sheep country, the farmers would not be best pleased, and most of our guests would be a bit iffy about loose GSDs too!) and they would just lie in the same spot all day.

The reason they are fit and happy is because I am bloody making them!
Click to expand...


There is a strange mentality over here that if you have a "yard" that is sufficient for keeping a dog stimulated and exercised. So yes, while a lot of people outside the city have maybe a garden that's 0.5-2 acres in size, usually delineated by electric fencing, I honestly think that my dogs have the better deal, with their daily long walks, trips to the dog parks and weekend hiking. They're certainly better socialised.

Last year I stayed and worked in CT for a month. I had Stella with me, so walked her three times a day. In all that time I can count on one hand the number of dogs I saw out walking, and yet plenty of suburban homes had dogs behind electric fencing back yard. I can only assume that they lived outdoors during the day for "exercise" and went indoors at night.
 
prosefullstop said:
There is a strange mentality over here that if you have a "yard" that is sufficient for keeping a dog stimulated and exercised. So yes, while a lot of people outside the city have maybe a garden that's 0.5-2 acres in size, usually delineated by electric fencing, I honestly think that my dogs have the better deal, with their daily long walks, trips to the dog parks and weekend hiking. They're certainly better socialised.

Last year I stayed and worked in CT for a month. I had Stella with me, so walked her three times a day. In all that time I can count on one hand the number of dogs I saw out walking, and yet plenty of suburban homes had dogs behind electric fencing back yard. I can only assume that they lived outdoors during the day for "exercise" and went indoors at night.
Click to expand...

Agree with this. I have friends who walk regularly as well but for the majority of dogs, they are walked once or twice a week if at all. I am often looked on in bemusement for the fact my dogs go out three times a day for good walks.

I don't have a garden to speak of though but adopted all three of my dogs. The shelter and rescue group I went to didn't care as long as we planned to walk them. We are actually looking to buy a place with an acre or two now south of Boston but we will still continue to walk them (less the midday walk probably because they are older now and will have free range of a properly fenced back yard - no electric for us - that wouldn't protect them from somebody coming in to mess with them). In fact, I am keen on places that are within walking distance of some great woodsy trails to make it easy to still get them out and about. I just think of how I would feel if I didn't get out regularly.
 
Galupy said:
Agree with this. I have friends who walk regularly as well but for the majority of dogs, they are walked once or twice a week if at all. I am often looked on in bemusement for the fact my dogs go out three times a day for good walks.

I don't have a garden to speak of though but adopted all three of my dogs. The shelter and rescue group I went to didn't care as long as we planned to walk them. We are actually looking to buy a place with an acre or two now south of Boston but we will still continue to walk them (less the midday walk probably because they are older now and will have free range of a properly fenced back yard - no electric for us - that wouldn't protect them from somebody coming in to mess with them). In fact, I am keen on places that are within walking distance of some great woodsy trails to make it easy to still get them out and about. I just think of how I would feel if I didn't get out regularly.
Click to expand...

Agree about the proper fencing. If I lived out in the sticks, it would be fenced-in yard all the way, and with metal roller tops to stop coyotes from climbing over.

Last summer we rented a house on two acres, and several people thought it strange that I walked the dogs off the property twice a day.
 
Wow I didnt know dogsindistress had that policy..pity.

http://www.irishanimals.ie/dublin_homes.html is usually a good place to find dogs from rescues up for rehoming...thats the dublin link but different counties often have different dogs down under their links.
dogs in distress is one of the shelters involved but their are others who may have other policys on rehoming ..or a more broad minded view
your more likely to find that in the country rescues than the Dublin ones though...
 
She promised me she would chase it up Kitty, will remind again in a day or two. Have to say I think GSD rescue are a bit iffy about dogs being kept outside too, but I think it is mainly because they do not want them going as guard dogs.
Whilst I have 2 of my 3 in because I like having them with me as much as possible, the eldest has always lived outside. She spends her days in an outdoor, roofed run, when she is not loose with me, and sleeps in a brick kennel. She did have a heat lamp on in the very cold weather earlier this year but she was 12 in February and is (fingers crossed and touching wood) fit and healthy, and has had hardly any illness throughout her life. She is one who doesn't settle inside.
 
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