Rescue crisis

[Sussexbythesea]

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 have had the exactly same experience with the Greek rescue (Healing Paws - Zakynthos ) I got my dog from. He was just as described and I chose him from his lovely photos and description. He was dumped at the rescue as a puppy with the rest of his litter.You could not get a better dog. He is very obedient, loves everyone, comes out with the horses, is fabulous with my cats and even the yard cat loves him. He did very well at agility although I’ve not had time recently. He’s definitely got better social skills than a lot of UK bred and raised dogs I’ve encountered.

I know personally about 7-8 friends with dogs from the same place and they’re all absolutely lovely as are the ones on the FB pages where adopters share their stories. There are some with challenges mainly older ones and yes mine did need to adjust but that is the same of any rescue.

I do in retrospect think the bringing in disease issue is the one thing that would stop me doing it again now I’ve read more about it although I did research prior to adoption. However I could not find a suitable dog via any uk rescue as either the restrictions were ridiculous, the dogs had terrible behavioural issues or they just were not a good fit for my lifestyle and needs.

 

[splashgirl45]

I am Suffolk/Essex border and wanted a small to medium dog as I am a older person and felt that a large breed like rottie / German shepherd etc would be too much for me if they were untrained so tried most of the rescues within max 2 hours drive. It seems that every smaller dog in the south of the country cannot be rehomed with another dog, I could have had quite a few staffies or similar but I didn’t want a dog that I didn’t like the look of, call me too picky but I like pointy nose dogs so lurchers,whippets/collies appeal. Each time I tried for about 3 months and got disheartened so ended up getting a puppy. I find it quite upsetting when I am looked down on by people who say everyone should rehome a rescue and it seems like those who can manage to rescue feel above those of us who can’t.. believe me I have tried !!!

 

[ArklePig]

I hope you don't think that's what I meant SG, I've said numerous times across this forum that I've no issue with people buying responsibly bred pups at all. I definitely don't look down on people for buying, a rescue was right for us and it seems that here in NI the criteria is less ridiculous so I'm sorry to hear the issues you and some others have had in trying to rehome a dog.

 

[AmyMay]

I find it quite upsetting when I am looked down on by people who say everyone should rehome a rescue and it seems like those who can manage to rescue feel above those of us who can’t.. believe me I have tried !!!

I really wouldn’t let people like that worry you xx

 

[Annette4]

I've had mixed experiences with rescues.....one allowed us to foster and later adopt without ever home checking us, we had no contact until they had found a home for the foster dogs and one was returned within 24 hours as they'd placed it with a totally unsuitable woman who we fed back wasn't a good fit. Equally we've been pressured to take a dog even though we had told them about precooked holiday during the home check but they checker hadn't made a note of it. When we declined cancelling our holiday 3 days before they were really rude! We've also been turned down by the major rescues for having other (neutered) dogs and working full time.

Most recent rescue was very sensible. No in person home check due to covid restrictions at the time but virtual one done and we had a reference from someone who had adopted from them previously. We were VERY honest about the issues with our existing dog (Dobby....Fizz we knew would be fine) and they matched us well.

I do think it is a rescue to rescue issue but I would agree that there are worse fates than pts for some dogs.

 

[splashgirl45]

Thanks AP and A , it’s hard to ignore the general tone which seems to suggest if I can’t get a rescue it’s somehow my fault for not trying longer or taking a type of dog I don’t like

 

[skinnydipper]

I find it quite upsetting when I am looked down on by people who say everyone should rehome a rescue and it seems like those who can manage to rescue feel above those of us who can’t.. believe me I have tried !!!

It's my choice to adopt a rescue. Nobody should feel pressured to do so or uncomfortable if they don't.

 

[CorvusCorax]

If I could get the type of dog I want from rescue, I would, but I can't, so I won't and in doing that, I also support breeders who do the right thing in terms of working and health testing their dogs.

 

[AmyMay]

Thanks AP and A , it’s hard to ignore the general tone which seems to suggest if I can’t get a rescue it’s somehow my fault for not trying longer or taking a type of dog I don’t like

I don’t think a larger rescue would give us a dog, so I wouldn’t even try them. I’d have more luck with our smaller local ones. But they’re all tricky.

 

[rabatsa]

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.

No digs at anyone on this forum, it was a comment about people who live a lot closer to me and who I have known for a long time.

 

[MurphysMinder]

I used to home check for a GSD Rescue, their criteria was ridiculous, I wouldn't have passed it myself. When I was doing the checks if I thought the home was right I used to turn a blind eye if they didn't fit some of the stupid rules.
I wouldn't rule out having a rescue at some point, but imagine with other dogs, cats and horses, plus working part time and not having 6 foot fence all round the paddocks, very few would home to me.

 

[YorksG]

The foreign rescue set ups worry me. I know of a very nice mastiff x greyhound, who was brought into the country and homed with a woman who could not/ would not train him. She then passed him on to someone I know well, who has done wonders with him, he fits well with their other dogs, but is still scared of men he doesn't know well and they are wary of letting him loose, as he had no recall training as a pup. The original rescue don't know where he is.

 

[CorvusCorax]

The problem with some of the foreign rescues is, aside from the fact that some are perhaps unwittingly funding/supporting criminality, is that they can sometimes sell the lie to inexperienced pet owners that every issue that a deeply traumatised/genetically or generationally damaged dog has, can be cured by 'loving' it.
If a dog fecks off as soon as it is able and will not be caught, then I am sorry, but it does not want to be around people, it does not see them as safe, however loving a home they are trying to offer it, and is unlikely to ever have been or is unlikely to ever to want to be, a domesticated pet animal in the average family home.

 

[meleeka]

I know someone who rehomed a foreign rescue. She’s since sold the dog for £50. When it was reported to the rescue that the dog wasn’t being looked after, they didn’t want to know at all. Not all rescues are equal, that’s for sure.

 

[misst]

A friend has a dog from Bulgaria. She had not had a dog for a long time but had a spaniel years ago.
Bonnie is a lovely looking medium sized tricoloured dog. She was a stray in Bulgaria. She is about 3 or 4 years old.

My friend thinks she is wonderful and loves her so much. I am less keen. She is dominant with smaller dogs and reactive with bigger ones. Her recall is dreadful and she has been "lost" in several places for hours at a time. (I could not cope with this). She is a gentle nice dog on her own in her own home but I don't trust her. She has trust issues with people except my friend. I think she is some sort of hound crossbreed so is like a beagle in that her nose goes down and she is off and running. She was run over when she ran across a road to get at another dog (on an extension lead that did not lock). Fortunately she was bruised rather than badly injured. She guards food/toys/people. Friend is not bothered by this but again I would want to stop that if possible.

She is in a loving home for life but had been returned previously. My friend is retired and no small children visit the home so I think overall she has fallen on her feet (especially now she is on a fixed lead!). However the rescue did not follow up on her rehoming and it could have all go so wrong.

 

[marmalade76]

Everyone seems to want anything crossed with a poodle, I would want nothing crossed with a poodle, I don’t like the feel of their coats apart from not liking the look of them , it’s another fad which has produced hundreds of dogs many of whom are in rescue because they are food and /or dog aggressive..

Agreed, not a fan either. And getting the Dyson out is much easier than arranging appointments at the doggy hairdressers.

 

[marmalade76]

While the market for 'a puppy' is saturated there will always be a market for responsibly bred working, sports or show dogs IMO.

There's something of a crisis in the breed I have at the moment in that fewer than 30 puppies have been born each year for the last several years, from a historical peak (if you can call it that) of 47. I can think of only two puppies exhibii8ted at championship shows this year, they are shortly due to age out with nothing looking to replace them at least in the early part of next year. The breed club rescue averages one dog per year and they are almost exclusively elderly dogs belonging to elderly people who have gone into care or passed away. These breeders need all the encouragement they can get and cannot be lumped in with the type that have caused any possible rescue crisis.

Agreeing with MM that we wouldn't discount a rescue again this time round but I am alarmed at the number I've come across not just with complex issues but with documented bite histories, the combination of which I wouldn't want to touch even as a relatively experienced owner. The ideal home for these dogs is vanishingly rare.

What breed do you have?

 

[blackcob]

What breed do you have?

A schipperke. Endmost comment agreeing with MM wasn't in relation to schipperkes, just to clarify - I was looking at another Siberian husky or a German shepherd at the time. There's only one schipperke in rescue currently and she's old enough to have no teeth to have a bite history with ?

 

[Flowerofthefen]

We would love a rescue terrier but we both work ( to pay for dog food and vets bills!!) OH is in and out all day as he works on the farm. We don't have a secure back garden, just acres to walk a dog off lead!!

 

[JoannaC]

I always remember looking round Battersea years ago when we were wanting another dog for my dad after he lost one of his. Nearly all Staffies and most could not live with cats or other dogs or have visiting children. My dad looked after my nephews after school and had another dog and cats so basically none were suitable. They all looked so sad and miserable, and I remember thinking at the time they would be better off pts. We did get a rescue from Forever Hounds Trust who was 9 months old and we were her fourth or fifth home but I knew one of the people in charge of rehoming so I didn't have to jump through hoops. A few years later I applied to several rescues and didn't get a single response so ended up getting a puppy so this time round I just went straight to a breeder.

I do think there should be a ban on bringing dogs in from other countries now not least because of the risk of disease as well as the lack of checks etc.

 

[honetpot]

The problem with some of the foreign rescues is, aside from the fact that some are perhaps unwittingly funding/supporting criminality, is that they can sometimes sell the lie to inexperienced pet owners that every issue that a deeply traumatised/genetically or generationally damaged dog has, can be cured by 'loving' it.
If a dog fecks off as soon as it is able and will not be caught, then I am sorry, but it does not want to be around people, it does not see them as safe, however loving a home they are trying to offer it, and is unlikely to ever have been or is unlikely to ever to want to be, a domesticated pet animal in the average family home.

We have someone local who has been looking for her dog for over a year, there are sightings, its living feral on the fen, the mild winters mean there is lots to catch. I think its been 'lost' now for longer than she had it.
It is the same with rehomed feral traumatised cats from CPS, they just wander off, and as long as they are not hit by a car are quite happy living off the land.

 

[JJS]

As others have said, I do think one of the biggest issues is the impossible restrictions rescues place on potential adopters. My husband and I both work from home and are experienced dog owners, so should on paper be perfect.

However, we wouldn’t have been considered by a single one of the rescues we looked into, besides some of the foreign ones. Not only do we lack six-foot fencing, but we have two cats and need a dog that gets on with other dogs. One rescue even said we couldn’t adopt because my OH hasn’t turned 30 yet.

 

[malwhit]

Choosing a rescue centre is just as important as choosing a puppy breeder. Some rescue (including some abroad) are no better than puppy farms. The dog comes in, gets smartened up and sometimes gets given a "fake" background story. Then it is sold to someone else. Similar to many horse dealers?

One of my best dogs came from a great rescue centre, but another turned out to be one of the few I regret owning.

The rescue crisis doesn't seem to have hit S. Yorks yet, at least not on the Facebook pages of local rescues. I have seen a lot of adverts from people trying to sell older dogs aged 6 months and over. No doubt if they don't sell, they will end up at a rescue centre

 

[Moobli]

We would love a rescue terrier but we both work ( to pay for dog food and vets bills!!) OH is in and out all day as he works on the farm. We don't have a secure back garden, just acres to walk a dog off lead!!

Whereabouts are you? I just saw a terrier looking for a new home. Small independent rescue and sensible about rules. He’s in NW England.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

My sister is in the process of starting to look for a second dog. Her old girl is a lively 13 and is a collie lurcher. She is looking for collie or collie x, sweet tempered, able to get on with her dog, her hens that have free run of the garden and also our sheep. Smallish, smooth coated and about 6 months or so. Found one on pets4homes that fitted the bill but no reply when she messaged the owner.
She is starting to think she will have to get a puppy, but she really wanted a rehome/rescue.

 

[SpotsandBays]

My sister is in the process of starting to look for a second dog. Her old girl is a lively 13 and is a collie lurcher. She is looking for collie or collie x, sweet tempered, able to get on with her dog, her hens that have free run of the garden and also our sheep. Smallish, smooth coated and about 6 months or so. Found one on pets4homes that fitted the bill but no reply when she messaged the owner.
She is starting to think she will have to get a puppy, but she really wanted a rehome/rescue.

Not sure where abouts you are but I’m pretty sure Many Tears rescue put a post up a couple of weeks ago with collie pups they had in. Might be worth a look on their website!

 

[Moobli]

My sister is in the process of starting to look for a second dog. Her old girl is a lively 13 and is a collie lurcher. She is looking for collie or collie x, sweet tempered, able to get on with her dog, her hens that have free run of the garden and also our sheep. Smallish, smooth coated and about 6 months or so. Found one on pets4homes that fitted the bill but no reply when she messaged the owner.
She is starting to think she will have to get a puppy, but she really wanted a rehome/rescue.

Collie rescues are bursting at the seams. I’m sure there’ll be one to suit. Whereabouts is your sister EP?

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Collie rescues are bursting at the seams. I’m sure there’ll be one to suit. Whereabouts is your sister EP?

She is Northamptonshire/Warwickshire border. We are both trawling all the sites but nothing suitable at the moment and considering how many are supposed to be in need of rehoming, in practice very few. The new dog needs to be ok with step grandson who is about 7 which is another hurdle to cross. We are watching Valgrays, Border Collie Spot, Border Collie Trust plus Pets4homes, Preloved, Gumtree etc. Haven't looked at Many Tears yet. Her current dog came from Wiccaweys when they were local to us but they don't seem to have the right sort of dogs these days. Other problem is that my sister is 70 and OH 81 so not all rescues likely to approve them. The right dog is out there, just got to find it.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Just looked at Many Tears and nothing showed up in the up to 1 yr range and even when I widened it to all breeds then only 11 bitches.

 

[Moobli]

She is Northamptonshire/Warwickshire border. We are both trawling all the sites but nothing suitable at the moment and considering how many are supposed to be in need of rehoming, in practice very few. The new dog needs to be ok with step grandson who is about 7 which is another hurdle to cross. We are watching Valgrays, Border Collie Spot, Border Collie Trust plus Pets4homes, Preloved, Gumtree etc. Haven't looked at Many Tears yet. Her current dog came from Wiccaweys when they were local to us but they don't seem to have the right sort of dogs these days. Other problem is that my sister is 70 and OH 81 so not all rescues likely to approve them. The right dog is out there, just got to find it.

Might also be worth putting a post up on the working sheepdog fb pages as there are often plenty of non workers looking for collie savvy, rural homes. The little bitch from a pet home here might have suited except for the grandchild.