Rescue crisis

[splashgirl45]

The rescue I got Red from is a brilliant and realistic person. They are out there. And tbh no one can say they need to adopt from abroad now, every thing is available here now with all the baggage of a foreign rescue and less of the disease risks.

the trouble is the foreign rescues(or businesses) put lots of cute puppy pics on their sites and basically sell them. There seems to be no vetting of the homes at all so it’s very easy to get a dog. I could have had a foreign rescue but I don’t agree with how so many are being shipped over here with no thought of the diseases they could bring in. and would not add to the problem. There seems to be no happy medium, either a foreign rescue with no checks or
uk rescue who seem to not want to let dogs go to homes who don’t tick every singlebox.

 

[misst]

Kitten in the Tree : It is not horrible to be realistic. Dogs needing highly specific homes spend months or years in kennels. Older dogs are harder to rehome than little puppies or small youngish dogs. There is a lack of money and space in kennels. Much better to PTS quickly and kindly than languish in kennels for long periods of time if they were once ordinary family dogs.

I have had an older dog as a rehome after she had a hard long life breeding and being dumped at the RSPCA who gave her to an old man with Parkinsons. She lived in a nursing home with him for 2 years and barely left the room except to go into the garden for a wee or poo. When he died he was rehomed to us through the Cinnamon Trust. She had two and a half wonderful years with us where she relearned the joy of life in the woods and interacting with family and friends. She was a wonderful old girlie probably a staffie/lab cross. She wasn't pretty and had been hard to rehome. She was not what we were looking for .

We have no regrets and feel we gave her a proper retirement and she was spoiled rotten and had her own sofa and place in front of the fire. BUT she would struggle now to find a home and had we not taken her (or someone like us) then PTS would have been a fair option for her. I would take another older dog on in the future but it is not for everyone when they come with a short time to be with you and health problems associated with old dogs - and the costs.

 

[TheresaW]

In reality my post was in response to one above that seemed to be saying that elderly dogs should be kept in kennels, if that is all that is available. It wasn't a criticism if your arrangements but I felt my post followed on from yours.

I didn’t take it personally as such.

She still has sofa snuggles ?. OH was in the bath ?

 

[Moobli]

My mums theory is that in 10 years ‘poos’ will be the only ‘breed’ available. She has a point!

I hope not!

 

[silv]

I think, especially in the current market, any dog in rescue which has bitten, more than ‘a nip cos I got sat on’ should be pts. Also anything over 10 years old. Anything with long term health issues. Anything that needs rehoming to a world with one severely agoraphobic adult who doesn’t have any friends or visitors.
I am sure lots of those could with work go on to be decent and rewarding pets but right now let’s just get numbers under control.
I don’t breed anyway but part of getting Ffee spayed was because I foresaw no market in the next few years so no point me even thinking about it as a maybe.

Well if you killed off everything that was over 10 years old, this absolute darling dog Boo who I fostered recently would have been one of them. He is 10 1/2 with lots of life left him. Yes his owner died and I fostered him, it was hard for me not to keep him as he is such a character. He is now living with a retired couple who wanted an older dog as they are both in their late 60's, he couldn't have found a better home and they are a very happy family. Photo below.

The problem with over dog population is not the good breeders it is jo public with a small dog thinking how easy it is to find another small dog and pump out puppies, sell on free adds or local auction site and hey they have a few thousand in the bank. Most don't even vet the homes just send them off all over the country. None are bred from tested stock either. A lady I know who used to be a good friend does this to supplement her retirement. I avoid her these days as wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut on what she is doing. The only way to stop would be for the tax man to clamp down hard on these situations. I am not in favour of more taxes but it might help the dogs.

 

[skinnydipper]

I adopted a JRT from the Dogs Trust. He was 9. His owner had gone into sheltered housing. Poor little chap had been moved to the "quiet block" and wasn't doing well, wouldn't eat, just sat facing the corner.

He walked in here, ate the cat food, jumped on the sofa and looked forward to the next 7 years of his life.

Brilliant little dog.

. This was my Ben, RIP.

View attachment 28388

 

[Clodagh]

Well if you killed off everything that was over 10 years old, this absolute darling dog Boo who I fostered recently would have been one of them. He is 10 1/2 with lots of life left him. Yes his owner died and I fostered him, it was hard for me not to keep him as he is such a character. He is now living with a retired couple who wanted an older dog as they are both in their late 60's, he couldn't have found a better home and they are a very happy family. Photo below..

But he isn’t stuck in kennels, there was a foster space and then a home for him.

 

[cbmcts]

I can't speak for the big rescues like Dogs Trust, Wood Green, Battersea and the like as I've never been involved with them except to collect the dogs that they pass to the breed rescue. But do remember that the smaller breed or local rescues are run and staffed by volunteers who do it because they love the dogs. They take in dogs, often with very little info (and the info you get especially from people desperate to off load their dogs is often inaccurate. Whether that is through ignorance or deliberate is debateable) Rationally I understand that PTS is an option in a lot of cases but it is a lot to ask of those who look after these dogs on a daily basis, rehab them, get attached to them and see their potential to make the brutal decision to PTS. Some vets are also very resistant to PTS of a 'healthy' animal and will advise the owner to sign them over to rescue which doesn't help. I do feel for those who find barriers from rescues and do think that a lot of them are a bit silly but there are pragmatic rescues out there but you do need to seek them out and be a bit flexible yourself... If it's any consolation, the local RSPCA will not rehome to me despite me being good enough to handle, walk and transport their dogs because I work fulltime (WFH with one day in the office every couple of months)

Also, I'm really beginning to understand how jaded you get when you are dealing with potential adopters - so many people say all the right things and then go and do the complete opposite. But it becomes the dogs fault every single time. The quality of adopters at the moment is dire IME and they have very little or no insight in their real ability or limitations. The dogs you see advertised on websites or social media are the trickier ones as the easier, less complicated dogs never make it to the internet, they are rehomed very quickly to the long waiting lists. If I wanted another dog now, I would expect to have to wait 6 months to a year to get to the top of as list due to having current dogs and a cat that a new dog would have to be suitable to slot into. No longer than I'd wait for a pup from a reputable breeder really. I will never be prepared to buy a dog, especially a pup from a gumtree ad or the like, nor from a back yard breeder as I would be supporting an industry I despise and clean up after daily. I would happily buy a pup and pay good money for it from a reputable breeder if I decided I wanted a puppy though.

Surprisingly, it's relatively easy to find a home for an elderly dog. They really pull at the heartstrings and often just glad of a sofa and a daily pootle around. Just what a lot of people actually want.

 

[millikins]

the trouble is the foreign rescues(or businesses) put lots of cute puppy pics on their sites and basically sell them. There seems to be no vetting of the homes at all so it’s very easy to get a dog. I could have had a foreign rescue but I don’t agree with how so many are being shipped over here with no thought of the diseases they could bring in. and would not add to the problem. There seems to be no happy medium, either a foreign rescue with no checks or
uk rescue who seem to not want to let dogs go to homes who don’t tick every singlebox.

I have to disagree with this. My dog is a Cyprus rescue and I went for this charity because I knew 3 dogs from them, all healthy, polite animals and because I couldn't tick the boxes for U.K. rescues. All their dogs are assessed, vaccinated, neutered and health problems treated and declared pre rehoming. I was home checked and there is a returns policy and back up should it be needed. I very much doubt my dog is a street dog, she'd last about 10 minutes before she found a friendly human. She may be a lost dog or a dumped dog but she was house trained and showed no fear of humans, including men.

 

[Birker2020]

I have noticed the prices for puppies has gone way down now but a lot pf people forced back to the office and no longer have time for their cute fluffy woofies ?

A lot of irresponsible back yard breeders made a mountain of money from selling a dream to people on lockdown who were too shortsighted to see further than the ends of their noses on what would happen to these poor fluffy souls once their owners returned to work or the novelty wore off.

Get rich Idiots with a badly bred daschund bitch reeling out puppies on a production line for dic*s prepared to part with £2700 on Gumtree whilst another sad and lonely dog waits in hope and despair at a rehoming centre for another six months.

 

[Barton Bounty]

I would always try to rehome an sspca dog before buying a puppy

 

[meleeka]

I think there is a problem with too many dogs in this country. Back yard breeders have always bred puppies, so I’m not sure they can be solely blamed for it. A lot of the problem lies with the rescues. They make such stringent rules that if makes you wonder if they even want to rehome some of the dogs. There’s also so many foreign rescues now and that’s because of the impossible criteria in this country. Buying a dog from a foreign rescue or back yard breeder has become so easy that people are buying them with little thought. It’s then our rescues that have to pick up the pieces when the owner comes to their senses.

 

[Chiffy]

I have always had pedigree dogs but always have a rescue as well. Always sourced in this country. Only a drop in the ocean but my tiny bit to help.
A man moved to live near us a couple of years ago. He arrived with 11 dogs as well as his horses! He has three breeds, whippets, mini dachshunds and toy poodles. He arrived with a whippet in pup and has been breeding from something ever since. He asks top money for them, produces them beautifully and is fussy where they go BUT why doesn’t he understand the market is swamped. At the moment he has not sold all his latest poodles and yet he still covered a dachshund! I now know why he has so many of his own. I am not brave enough to suggest he stops breeding!

 

[silv]

But he isn’t stuck in kennels, there was a foster space and then a home for him.

Actually he did end up in the pound, fortunately the dog warden saw what a lovely dog he was in spite of his age and contacted the rescue that I foster for.
Lots of older people want elderly dogs, as they know that their years of dog owning are probably limited and old dogs are often pretty easy content with shorter walks etc.

 

[splashgirl45]

I have to disagree with this. My dog is a Cyprus rescue and I went for this charity because I knew 3 dogs from them, all healthy, polite animals and because I couldn't tick the boxes for U.K. rescues. All their dogs are assessed, vaccinated, neutered and health problems treated and declared pre rehoming. I was home checked and there is a returns policy and back up should it be needed. I very much doubt my dog is a street dog, she'd last about 10 minutes before she found a friendly human. She may be a lost dog or a dumped dog but she was house trained and showed no fear of humans, including men.

You have been lucky then. In my area there have been quite a few very scared and stressed dogs who are petrified of people but ok with other dogs. One of the people I used to meet regularly lost her dog and because she couldn’t get a dog from a uk rescue she ‘ bought’ a puppy from Romanian rescue. Was told she would be a small dog and she was well socialised and would fit in well. The truth was the 4 month old small puppy was already bigger than a Labrador so was going to be very big. This was not a huge problem but annoying, the biggest problem was she was petrified of people , particularly men, and this lady was married which the rescue knew. They tried really hard but the dog didn’t improve and it was causing a lot of upset as the husband felt left out. In the end the behaviourist who had been helping them took the dog on as the rescue didn’t want to help, the dog has improved as she is in a household with a single female and 4 other dogs..I know one successful rehome from Cyprus who, after 2 years is now like a normal dog

 

[AmyMay]

I have to disagree with this. My dog is a Cyprus rescue and I went for this charity because I knew 3 dogs from them, all healthy, polite animals and because I couldn't tick the boxes for U.K. rescues. All their dogs are assessed, vaccinated, neutered and health problems treated and declared pre rehoming. I was home checked and there is a returns policy and back up should it be needed. I very much doubt my dog is a street dog, she'd last about 10 minutes before she found a friendly human. She may be a lost dog or a dumped dog but she was house trained and showed no fear of humans, including men.

I think you’ve been really lucky. Foreign rescues operating in the way you describe seem far and few between. But you’d obviously done your homework - which so many others don’t seem to have done.

 

[rabatsa]

It narks me that some people go straight to a foreign rescue and anounce it like a badge of honour. As foreign dogs would not get a home otherwise.

Obviously British dogs in a British rescue will all find homes very quickly.

 

[Sleighfarer]

Surprisingly, it's relatively easy to find a home for an elderly dog. They really pull at the heartstrings and often just glad of a sofa and a daily pootle around. Just what a lot of people actually want.

My nephew and his girlfriend, both in their 20s, recently rehomed a 10-year-old dog from a local rescue. They both work so I don't think the big rescues would have entertained them. Dog is quite large, sprightly, non-destructive, good with other dogs, loves visitors and pootles with his dog walker during the day. He arrived with a two-page letter from the daughter of the couple who had owned him and could no longer keep him, detailing his life-history and character. He has slotted right into his new home and they are delighted with him.

 

[Birker2020]

Well if you killed off everything that was over 10 years old, this absolute darling dog Boo who I fostered recently would have been one of them. He is 10 1/2 with lots of life left him. Yes his owner died and I fostered him, it was hard for me not to keep him as he is such a character. He is now living with a retired couple who wanted an older dog as they are both in their late 60's, he couldn't have found a better home and they are a very happy family. Photo below.
View attachment 100641
The problem with over dog population is not the good breeders it is jo public with a small dog thinking how easy it is to find another small dog and pump out puppies, sell on free adds or local auction site and hey they have a few thousand in the bank. Most don't even vet the homes just send them off all over the country. None are bred from tested stock either. A lady I know who used to be a good friend does this to supplement her retirement. I avoid her these days as wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut on what she is doing. The only way to stop would be for the tax man to clamp down hard on these situations. I am not in favour of more taxes but it might help the dogs.

This is a lovely story. I would do this if I had the time (we both work FT) and our dog wasn't the unsociable thing that she is. Its really good to rehome and elderly dog, I can't bear the thought of them alone after being with an old person years and years and then they have died and the poor dog is left behind.

 

[ArklePig]

I'll be flamed for saying this, but I honestly don't think it's as difficult as people say or think it is to get a dog from a UK rescue, and it's definitely not a UK wide problem, but it's always used by an excuse for people who want to buy a puppy- just buy the puppy. Or by people who try one rescue and give up, or who aren't honest with themselves about their own red flags. A lot of the foreign rescues I know of have been turned down by local rescues for things like - applying for dogs unsuitable to their circumstances, garden not safe etc.

Including myself I know 5 people who have recently (in the last year anyway) rehomed dogs, one from our nearest Dogs Trust, another one from the same rescue as me, and the other 3 from other reputable rescues around. We all work between part and full time and have arrangements in place for the dog and one couple have children 8 and over. I'm just sharing this because I was pleasantly surprised that the rescues were sensible on a case by case basis and relatively prompt. What I'm saying is in the majority of cases rescues just want their dogs rehomed to a good home and I had nearly been put off applying due to seeing repeated comments about how difficult it is. We really didn't find it that onerous.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I'm on the fence about rehoming.

My mother rehomed a dog during lockdown relatively easily. He'd already been returned once and I totally understand why as the behaviours didn't become apparent until a few weeks later, luckily my Mum loves him to bits and is willing to overlook them.
It wouldn't have worked for me as I rent/need my dogs to be clean/non destructive and like to drive in silence/without barking, which is why I go for a known quantity or a young dog that I can shape.
So I can see why some might be stringent to avoid bouncebacks, as this would be very stressful for the dog.

I'm currently trying to place a really nice dog who's only issue is dog aggression, absolutely lovely with people and fine with a confident handler, but the homes just aren't out there ATM. Luckily his owners, who are overdogged, are willing to hang onto him until the right home comes along, in the interim they are bringing him to club for someone else to work/train with him to try and keep on top of his energy levels.

 

[Clodagh]

With older dogs, like @TheresaW ’s Ellie, she has spent her whole life as an only dog with little exercise and 100% attention from her elderly human.
Suddenly she is in a household with other dogs, people who work and life has been a bit overwhelming for her. She’d probably have been happier going to someone like my mum, another elderly person where she’d be a single dog.
She’s also a collie so a head case anyway!

 

[conniegirl]

I'll be flamed for saying this, but I honestly don't think it's as difficult as people say or think it is to get a dog from a UK rescue, and it's definitely not a UK wide problem, but it's always used by an excuse for people who want to buy a puppy- just buy the puppy. Or by people who try one rescue and give up, or who aren't honest with themselves about their own red flags. A lot of the foreign rescues I know of have been turned down by local rescues for things like - applying for dogs unsuitable to their circumstances, garden not safe etc.

Including myself I know 5 people who have recently (in the last year anyway) rehomed dogs, one from our nearest Dogs Trust, another one from the same rescue as me, and the other 3 from other reputable rescues around. We all work between part and full time and have arrangements in place for the dog and one couple have children 8 and over. I'm just sharing this because I was pleasantly surprised that the rescues were sensible on a case by case basis and relatively prompt. What I'm saying is in the majority of cases rescues just want their dogs rehomed to a good home and I had nearly been put off applying due to seeing repeated comments about how difficult it is. We really didn't find it that onerous.

i disagree.

We found it impossible to get a rescue dog, we tried everyone in the local area and several national ones.

we were a young couple, we owned our home, the garden has 6ft dog proof fencing round it. We had loads of time, experience and money. We had brilliant relationships with local vets and were well versed in taking on rescues. Every single one turned us down because we worked full time, even though we were willing to have walkers in or take to doggy daycare.

so we bought, 2 older dogs in need of new homes. They have a wonderful life tht a rescue could have been having.

 

[Barton Bounty]

i disagree.

We found it impossible to get a rescue dog, we tried everyone in the local area and several national ones.

we were a young couple, we owned our home, the garden has 6ft dog proof fencing round it. We had loads of time, experience and money. We had brilliant relationships with local vets and were well versed in taking on rescues. Every single one turned us down because we worked full time, even though we were willing to have walkers in or take to doggy daycare.

so we bought, 2 older dogs in need of new homes. They have a wonderful life tht a rescue could have been having.

I also know people who found it particularly difficult to rehome a dog , yet rescues are full of them??‍ it astounds me

 

[misst]

I particularly wanted another JRT when I got Ruby. I already had a 5yo male rehomed terrier x. Every JRT up for rescue had to go to a single dog home, or to a child free environment and also could not be left for more than a couple of hours.
We have a granddaughter who stays a lot so childfree was a no no. I work 4 hours twice a week. My husband is almost always home when I am out but occasionally we go out in the evening for 3 or 4 hours. I also have chickens. We live on a common with a good sized well fenced garden. We are terrier savvy . I could not find one JRT or JRT x to rehome for 3 months. I bought a puppy from a KC registered breeder. All health checks done on parents, vaccinated, chipped and socialised. She was £900 (in the January before lockdown). She was a bargain.

My terrier x was a rehome. He was a Spainish street dog picked up by a british rescue at about 6 or 7 months. He was adopted online by a british family who changed their minds when he was midair. He arrived with no where to go and a friend of a friend fostered him but could only do it for a couple of weeks. We were looking for a larger older female dog to rehome after losing Breeze. We took him out of pity! He was skin and bone but vaccinated and vet checked for leish brucella and rabies etc. He does have issues but we live with them. He is well loved and I would not change him for the world but he has arthritis already and quite deformed legs which my vet thinks is due to a poor start in life. We did not set out to get a foreign rescue but he sort of fell our way so I would say sometimes these things work out. The right dog sometimes just finds you.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

i disagree.

We found it impossible to get a rescue dog, we tried everyone in the local area and several national ones.

we were a young couple, we owned our home, the garden has 6ft dog proof fencing round it. We had loads of time, experience and money. We had brilliant relationships with local vets and were well versed in taking on rescues. Every single one turned us down because we worked full time, even though we were willing to have walkers in or take to doggy daycare.

so we bought, 2 older dogs in need of new homes. They have a wonderful life tht a rescue could have been having.

I wonder if there are regional differences, maybe NI rescues are more realistic.

 

[Karran]

I'll be flamed for saying this, but I honestly don't think it's as difficult as people say or think it is to get a dog from a UK rescue, and it's definitely not a UK wide problem, but it's always used by an excuse for people who want to buy a puppy- just buy the puppy. Or by people who try one rescue and give up, or who aren't honest with themselves about their own red flags. A lot of the foreign rescues I know of have been turned down by local rescues for things like - applying for dogs unsuitable to their circumstances, garden not safe etc.

Including myself I know 5 people who have recently (in the last year anyway) rehomed dogs, one from our nearest Dogs Trust, another one from the same rescue as me, and the other 3 from other reputable rescues around. We all work between part and full time and have arrangements in place for the dog and one couple have children 8 and over. I'm just sharing this because I was pleasantly surprised that the rescues were sensible on a case by case basis and relatively prompt. What I'm saying is in the majority of cases rescues just want their dogs rehomed to a good home and I had nearly been put off applying due to seeing repeated comments about how difficult it is. We really didn't find it that onerous.

Also going to disagree. (Sorry!!)

I applied to several large charities - Battersea, DT etc when looking for another dog, was rejected right away. Spoke to a person at Spaniel Aid at a precovid event I was at with Mrs Spaniel. I was there doing flyball but also explained I competed Agility, Mrs Spaniel has loads of long walks and adventures and I had at the time ShareMare and would be interested in another WCS. They were over the moon to hear from me until I explained that I worked full time, but the arrangement at the time meant the dogs were left with loo breaks three days a week, rest of the time, either me or my brother that I live with were at home.
They asked if I could consider re-applying once I retired (I was 36 at the time...) if I was still as active and interested.

I tried my two most nearest reputable small rehoming charities, both of whom asked me to consider going part time and then reapply.

Incidentally one of these small charities took in a bulldog, I can't remember the specifics but it had a life-limiting condition. My friend bred bulldogs, showed them at Crufts, and although not my cup of tea at all, she has them around her horses leading as active a life as they can. She fell for this bulldog, offered to rehome it and give it sofa space for the remaining time it had and was rejected in case one of her horses hurt it.
She pointed out that she had successfully trained all of hers around the horses, the horses were completely dog-proof but they still preferred to keep the dog in the kennels, where I believe it stayed for the rest of its time.

 

[ArklePig]

That's fair enough @Karran and @conniegirl thanks for sharing your experiences. It's a shame that dogs missed out on great homes. It really doesn't seem to be like that in NI, which is what I meant by not UK wide at least, I wonder why such differences? It seems like here a good home will suffice and over there the dog suffers on the off chance that the perfect home shows up. There is no perfect home though is there and any committed home would be better than staying in kennels.

 

[millikins]

It narks me that some people go straight to a foreign rescue and anounce it like a badge of honour. As foreign dogs would not get a home otherwise.

Obviously British dogs in a British rescue will all find homes very quickly.

I hope you aren't having a dig at me? I have owned 5 dogs in my adult life, 4 have been rescues, all U.K, until the last one where as others have said if you work it doesn't matter what arrangements you make with family/dog walkers etc. the rescues say no.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

We had a mixed experience of rescues but I think it was only 2 or 3 months for us to get a dog. Some breed rescues were strictly do not even apply if you work (which personally I think is ott, particularly for greyhounds). We applied to one which wanted us to research day care as even getting a dog walker was apparently not sufficient for the two days a week it may be needed. In the time it took for us to sort out dog fencing and research daycares, we found Ivy. We were fully open about working hours, fencing etc.

I realise it's been more luck than skill on our part with Ivy but I am so glad we (and she) were given the chance. We're not the perfect home but she has a good life with us.

Interestingly both next door neighbours got a puppy. One side chewed a gap in fence and got in our garden. The other got separation anxiety and was left crying for hours even after we let them know it was happening.