Rescue Centres …….. discuss.

I heard just the other day who had adopted a "GSD cross" from a rescue. Knowledgeable folk saw this dog and said it looked very much like an Anatolian shepherd, and it turned out it had been rescued from abroad.

In response to the original post, I am with CT and others who posted in similar vein, and I would also rather see pts in many circumstances rather than a long and often painful/stressful route to maybe have the chance of a home.
 
I am most worried by the scale of the import of foreign rescues and the type of owner (often first time owners) that they seem to be going to. when I was looking I had no idea of just how many were coming in and the main reason, is that these people are not eligible for a UK rescue as far as I can see-and some sob stories by those facilitating it. many of these dogs carry disease and potential owners are not fully informed of the longterm implications, both of cost and reduced life span-of course though, you get those people who also want to rescue at any cost. some of these diseases may yet pose a threat to the UK population of dogs. many more have to cope with a massive cultural change to become a UK pet dog, from discarded hunting dog/chain dog/feral dog to a 3 bed semi in town. and the worst are those specialising in importing these same dogs with blindness or other disabilities.

every missing dog we've had locally is a foreign rescue that's legged it out of a front door or boot of a car.

raise the money and PTS in situ or neuter.
stop being so bloody pernickity about people working for a living-most of us have to.

1-3 yes, PTS.
4-on a case by case basis

I am not a big fan of the DT but they do at least fund an outreach program that goes into schools-they talk about the cost in £££ of keeping a dog, time, breeds, etc etc
 
Last edited:
Jeeeeez. I had heard about leish but not babesiosis.
One friend's dog got it in 2012 and another in 2014 on different trips to the continent, it was absolutely brutal and they both nearly died, two dogs from other countries on the 2012 trip did die.
 
We tried to get a dog from a well known rehoming center some years ago.
We took along our own two dogs just to be sure they would all get on but were refused the dog as the center said our kids were too young (6 and 8) as the dog may jump up and scratch them.
The dog in question was a greyhound. A very difficult breed to rehome as many people are mis-informed about them
The dogs we took with us? A saluki x greyhound and a greyhound.
Go figure!
 
The Dogs Trust can afford to have outreach programmes, the new centre at Evesham cost £8.4m to build according to the local paper which seems a hell of a lot of money to me. I also think some dogs with severe behavioural problems should be pts and I don't think we should importing dogs from abroad either. I know of a couple of rescue dogs that have made really lovely family pets but tbh I know of far more that have issues that mean they can't be walked off lead or are potentially dangerous with children, dogs or strangers. Problem is, the adopter gets attached to the dog and often won't/can't return it. I can't help thinking the new owner would be much happier with a more straightforward companion.
 
Spontaneous dog ownership (oo that puppy on Gumtree looks cute, oh I don't want it anymore because it doesn't match my handbag etc etc) and complete lack of understanding of dog ownership or dog training is the root cause of many things I think.

So many dogs arrive in rescue under socialised or with other behavioural issues like resource guarding, then the rescues get the blame because they can't rehome to people with kids or people who actually want to leave the house. If the original owners had had better support when they got the dog, actually done some research and gone to training classes, the dog would never have ended up in rescue. The big charities are using all those funds to invest in better owner and buyer education to try and get somewhere to solving this problem.

A lot of the bigger rescues rehome dogs with known health issues on the a shared ownership type scheme where the future vets bills will be covered by the charity. Only the big rescues can afford to do that though.

I don't like dogs coming from abroad either, it doesn't fix the problem in the source countries at all and in some cases has been used as a cover to bring puppy farmed dogs to this country. And the whole disease issue too. Rabies is the only one they really test for.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Imagine living every second of your life in fear, on alert, not understanding or being terrified by very everyday activities, actions and noises, and not being able to rationalize why.
Click to expand...

At the weekend we walked past a collie on a lead in a busy area full of walkers. Our (off lead) dog wanted to say hi, but the owners of the collie pulled his lead shorter from about 18 to 6 inches, started to panic, and tried to hide their dog behind their legs. They shrieked "he's a rescue, he's a rescue!" at us. At the time I felt terrible that our puppy had frightened this dog (the owners were clearly terrified he was about to launch a full scale attack on our dog - I wonder if he had prior form in this regard) but thinking about it, I have no idea why these people thought that taking a dog aggressive, frightened animal into an area heaving with people and other dogs was appropriate. Then I started to wonder why he'd been rehomed at all. He didn't seem able to cope with normal life. Then I felt cross. So, it's interesting that this has come up now.
 
They may have been terrified, they may also have been really frustrated that all the good socialisation work they try to do with their rescue dog just gets undone by people who allow their offlead dogs to approach their on lead for a reason dog.
 
Or like me, their dog might have previously been seriouslyattacked, and now they don't want any off lead dog to approach, at any point...
 
I am against importing foreign dogs, but tbh all you see here are lurchers or staffs that must be an only dog, no children, cannot be left. The only dog bit gets me because I imagine that most people who want a rescue dog probably already have one and want another. Where are all these stay at home, childless people with no other pets? I imagine a 'rescue' that tugs on the heartstrings and allows anyone to adopt anything will always find a place, and make plenty of money as well. Same for the likes of Many Tears.

My mother has rehomed her past two dogs from preloved and has done well, yes both had minor issues but nothing major and she is generally dog savvy.

And I do agree, Widgeon, that if I see another dog on a lead mine are not allowed to approach, but if I am in the park and I see one off lead running around I let them go and play.
 
Tiddlypom said:
Erm, Widgeon, it's never a good idea to allow your off lead dog to 'say hi' to an unknown on lead dog that you meet on a walk. The on lead dog will be on a lead for a reason.
Click to expand...

You're quite right, and I do know that - part of the reason I was so upset in the first place was because I knew it was my fault for letting him anywhere near it, and I felt very bad. He didn't go up and touch noses (all I said was "he wanted to say hi", and you can see that from long way off) or anything like that - I'd called him away before he got close to the other dog, but it was obvious from his body language that he wanted to say hello. But I thought that a) their reaction was a bit odd - to scream and stand still rather than just quietly walking away, and b) I am still not sure that taking a dog aggressive, frightened dog into a place where there are known to be lots of off lead dogs, is a good idea to start with.

Is it really standard practice to expose a dog to things that frighten him, when you know he can't cope? He looked afraid when other dogs passed him too. It sounds from the last couple of posts that that is regarded as normal, though, which I have to admit still puzzles me a bit.
 
And I am sorry, I had no intention of derailing this thread, I was just thinking out loud really. I certainly wasn't attempting to appear "holier than thou" - I'm not going to make excuses for my own dog's less than perfect behaviour. I guess my original point was, why would you take on a dog with (clearly) fairly serious behavioural issues when there are plenty of them out there who don't have those problems? I suppose that's just back to the question (that's already been fairly well answered here) of resource allocation.
 
Last edited:
I've had the opposite problem to be honest, a huge, fat, aggressive dog who comes charging over to mine barking and covers quite a bit of distance to do so, there I am in the middle of two large dogs while the owner is miles away drinking her coffee, yelling 'HE'S A RESCUE!'.
I don't give a crap what it is or isn't, I just want her to put it on a lead - every time she lets it happen she is reinforcing his bad behaviour and undoing any work that I am doing with my own dog (and she has been told this in varying different tones of voice).
 
Regarding rescues from abroad I have always been of the opinion that there are too many here already so why bring them over. However I now have a dear little man from Spain.
We were looking for an older larger female rescue to replace our lovely old girl who we had lost. We looked for a while but nothing locally fitted with our lifestyle and our little JRT. A friend of a friend was fostering a little male yorkie x pup aged about 7 months. He was a street dog from Spain who had been "spoken for" by a family in the UK and flown over. When he landed they decided they had changed their minds!
He was already traumatised and nervous and turned out to be unreliable with children. Now he was in temp foster care so he at least wouldn't have to go into kennels again. So after much thought we took him. It was a great decision for me my husband and our JRT. He is a fab little man. So sometimes rescues from abroad do work out and whilst I would never look for one deliberately a dog in need is a dog in need..
 
misst said:
Regarding rescues from abroad I have always been of the opinion that there are too many here already so why bring them over. However I now have a dear little man from Spain.
We were looking for an older larger female rescue to replace our lovely old girl who we had lost. We looked for a while but nothing locally fitted with our lifestyle and our little JRT. A friend of a friend was fostering a little male yorkie x pup aged about 7 months. He was a street dog from Spain who had been "spoken for" by a family in the UK and flown over. When he landed they decided they had changed their minds!
He was already traumatised and nervous and turned out to be unreliable with children. Now he was in temp foster care so he at least wouldn't have to go into kennels again. So after much thought we took him. It was a great decision for me my husband and our JRT. He is a fab little man. So sometimes rescues from abroad do work out and whilst I would never look for one deliberately a dog in need is a dog in need..
Click to expand...

I'm really sorry to say this misst and it'll be vane hope, I realise, that you aren't offended, for it isn't my intention to do so, but you and those who act as you do are achieving no more than worsening the problem.

Alec.
 
have a look on www.dogsblog.com and see how many british dogs are on there....i reckon its about 10%. there are lots of very cute looking dogs and puppies so people go for them rather than our own dogs that need rescuing.

regarding the post by widgeon, i had the opposite problem , i have my 11 month old pup off lead as much as poss but if i see someone with dogs in the distance i call him and pop him on the lead until i get closer and know what the reaction of the other dog will be. a month ago i had done just this and was walking past some people with a collie off lead, it came up to my pup and without warning attacked him drawing blood, the owners didnt seem at all surprised and then put it on the lead., i didnt realise it had bitten him till i got home and then wished i had given them a piece of my mind, luckily it hasnt upset him too much as he is a very friendly outgoing little chap,,,,
 
just looked on dogsblog and there is a 5 year old crossbreed who cant use his back legs and they are asking for a special home for him. he is currently in romania, poor boy....why on earth wasnt he PTS? how unfair to keep him alive and expect him to make a long journey to this country ....
 
Last edited:
I just looked in dogsblog too. How utterly depressing. A cynical part of me thinks these "rescues" are possibly actually turning a tidy profit importing and selling stray street dogs.... it's certainly very dodgy ethical ground when there are plenty of dogs needing homes here, it possibly brings in diseases and while for some individual dogs it helps it does very little to tackle the actual street dog issue.
 
Widgeon said:
At the weekend we walked past a collie on a lead in a busy area full of walkers. Our (off lead) dog wanted to say hi, but the owners of the collie pulled his lead shorter from about 18 to 6 inches, started to panic, and tried to hide their dog behind their legs. They shrieked "he's a rescue, he's a rescue!" at us. At the time I felt terrible that our puppy had frightened this dog (the owners were clearly terrified he was about to launch a full scale attack on our dog - I wonder if he had prior form in this regard) but thinking about it, I have no idea why these people thought that taking a dog aggressive, frightened animal into an area heaving with people and other dogs was appropriate. Then I started to wonder why he'd been rehomed at all. He didn't seem able to cope with normal life. Then I felt cross. So, it's interesting that this has come up now.
Click to expand...

Oh lord, that is me all over. I want to keep other dogs safe and it drives me nuts other owners letting their dogs pelt up to mine who is extremely dog aggressive.

NinjaPony said:
Or like me, their dog might have previously been seriouslyattacked, and now they don't want any off lead dog to approach, at any point...
Click to expand...

Exactly why mine is so horrible with other dogs. Must attack before being attacked :(
 
splashgirl45 said:
just looked on dogsblog and there is a 5 year old crossbreed who cant use his back legs and they are asking for a special home for him. he is currently in romania, poor boy....why on earth wasnt he PTS? how unfair to keep him alive and expect him to make a long journey to this country ....
Click to expand...

Exactly what I meant about pts those with major issues rather than spend fortunes on one dog that can’t be fixed.
 
cinnamontoast said:
Oh lord, that is me all over. I want to keep other dogs safe and it drives me nuts other owners letting their dogs pelt up to mine who is extremely dog aggressive.



Exactly why mine is so horrible with other dogs. Must attack before being attacked :(
Click to expand...

Yeah me too I'm afraid - my dogs are fine with other dogs but having had one dog attacked there's absolutely no way that any strange dog is getting within touching distance of any dog of mine again
 
Alec Swan said:
I'm really sorry to say this misst and it'll be vane hope, I realise, that you aren't offended, for it isn't my intention to do so, but you and those who act as you do are achieving no more than worsening the problem.

Alec.
Click to expand...

Not really. As someone said above most rescues here are dogs of the type that people just don’t want so if you’re never going to adopt any of them then you’ll either get a puppy or not get one at all. The Many Tears dogs are mostly dysfunctional ex puppy farm dogs.

I’ve been browsing (although currently not in a position to get one) and I definitely do not want a bull breed although I am a boxer fan (family always had them). I don’t want a lurcher or anything that might not get with my cats. I don’t want a really big dog either. I’ve seen very few that would suit my needs and the home I could give it. Coupled with the fact that I work full-time although I work at home a fair bit most wouldn’t allow me to adopt in any case.

A couple of my friends have adopted dogs from
http://www.healingpawsanimalrescue.com/

They’re lovely little dogs and tested for disease. My friends are not stupid in the slightest.
 
Sussexbythesea said:
Not really. As someone said above most rescues here are dogs of the type that people just don’t want so if you’re never going to adopt any of them then you’ll either get a puppy or not get one at all. The Many Tears dogs are mostly dysfunctional ex puppy farm dogs.

I’ve been browsing (although currently not in a position to get one) and I definitely do not want a bull breed although I am a boxer fan (family always had them). I don’t want a lurcher or anything that might not get with my cats. I don’t want a really big dog either. I’ve seen very few that would suit my needs and the home I could give it. Coupled with the fact that I work full-time although I work at home a fair bit most wouldn’t allow me to adopt in any case.

A couple of my friends have adopted dogs from
http://www.healingpawsanimalrescue.com/

They’re lovely little dogs and tested for disease. My friends are not stupid in the slightest.
Click to expand...

I am not disputing that Many Tears are dysfunctional ex puppy farm dogs, but a rescue from Romania (Or wherever) is equally unlikely to make an easy family pet without some work.
I believe that leish, for instance, can present a false negative, so testing for that does not mean the dog does not have it.
When I moved back from Australia, years ago, and bought my dog, she had to go into quarantine for six months. She was still not tested for heartworm, which at that time was not in England. I tested her myself as I could not risk bringing something into this country.
 
Sussexbythesea said:
I’ve been browsing (although currently not in a position to get one) and I definitely do not want a bull breed although I am a boxer fan (family always had them). I don’t want a lurcher or anything that might not get with my cats. I don’t want a really big dog either. I’ve seen very few that would suit my needs and the home I could give it. Coupled with the fact that I work full-time although I work at home a fair bit most wouldn’t allow me to adopt in any case.
Click to expand...

Get friendly with your local dog warden, when they do pick ups obviously the dogs are scanned for chips. If nothing tracable then dog will go to holding kennels for 7 days.
Its quite easy to put your name to one IF thats what you want to do, then if unclaimed you can have a head start.
Round here many small dogs picked up are usually reunited, but some end up in foster (dog warden has own holding kennels too) and they might never see a kennel or big rspca centre. My friendly dog warden drops the big dogs to one of 2 rspca centres but the small ones either go to private kennels or temp foster carers.

Def worth cultivating a friendship :)
 
Sussexbythesea said:
Not really. As someone said above most rescues here are dogs of the type that people just don’t want so if you’re never going to adopt any of them then you’ll either get a puppy or not get one at all. The Many Tears dogs are mostly dysfunctional ex puppy farm dogs.

I’ve been browsing (although currently not in a position to get one) and I definitely do not want a bull breed although I am a boxer fan (family always had them). I don’t want a lurcher or anything that might not get with my cats. I don’t want a really big dog either. I’ve seen very few that would suit my needs and the home I could give it. Coupled with the fact that I work full-time although I work at home a fair bit most wouldn’t allow me to adopt in any case.

A couple of my friends have adopted dogs from
http://www.healingpawsanimalrescue.com/

They’re lovely little dogs and tested for disease. My friends are not stupid in the slightest.
Click to expand...

My current lurcher is a rescue that supposedly spent her first 2 years going from rescue to rescue till I took her on, she clearly had never seen a cat and is now no one assistant when it comes to hand rearing them, she loves them and is brilliant, my last lurcher I had from 8 weeks old would hunt cats given the chance.
 
Alec I am not easily offended :-) and I know you are right overall.
My little dog was already here and if I had not taken him he would have gone to Battersea or somewhere. He was very neurotic, aggressive with small kids, and probably would have been hard to rehome. We wanted another dog - he needed a home - my little JRT bitch liked him - our kids have married and left home and there were no small children coming and going, so we gave him a shot. 18 months later we have no regrets. I would not, however, adopt directly from abroad. I think the Spanish rescue that shipped him over for a family with young children need a rocket up them. I also think anyone who changes their mind once a dog is on the plane also needs a piece of my mind.
For us though it has been lovely and a little dog has a home where he is safe and happy and his behaviour has changed for the better.
 
UK rescues are increasingly picking up the pieces when people have either privately or through smaller organisations, brought dogs over from abroad but not had the time or the experience to try and settle them into normal home life - so give them up. I knew of two ex-Spanish hunting Podengo crosses that ended up in a bigger rescue because of that, they could never be let off a lead as they would smell something and be gone. Beautiful dogs but complete live wires. Not the kind of dog which will settle and sit on the sofa with you. All they knew was hunting in Spain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top