Rescuing a dog - what to expect?

[Ariadne123]

Hi everyone,

Hubby and I are finally at the point in our lives where we can commit to a dog. Wanted to get one for years but never felt it was the right thing to do when we were both out all day and commuting. Now he works full time from home, I'm out of the house a couple of days a week but otherwise around, we own our own house and it has the fully fenced garden most rescues seem to ask for.

We were already pretty clear on what we wanted - 6months+, suitable to live with a confident cat, larger dog (hubby works shifts so I would have to take the dog out in the dark by myself some of the time, and would feel safer with a bigger one). I grew up around dogs so not a total novice, but I've never had a rescue before. We've applied for one dog and not heard back yet, albeit it's only been a few days; keen to hear from others what their experience of rescuing has been like? Is it normal to get rejected a few times before you find "the one" (translation: should I prepare myself for heartbreak?). I'm aware of the 3:3:3 advice and the need to take things slow and steady when the dog has been through a difficult time, but is there anything else in particular you'd recommend me reading/being aware of?

Super excited, super nervous...can't wait to meet our new baby, whenever he/she comes along.

 

[AmyMay]

Remember, you’re not rescuing- that’s been done. You are re-homing.

 

[smolmaus]

When you get a response depends completely on what rescue you have applied to and what resources they have. Try not to get frustrated if you don't get a response, resources are very stretched a lot of the time for a lot of places, a followup email is appropriate but do try and be understanding. (This is on behalf of our poor staff member who handles all applications and gets some real nonsense sent to her by very impatient people!)

If you don't suit the dog you have applied for or if another home is just more suitable for them they should try and match you up with another dog that might fit your home. It's not a rejection! It's the best home for each animal and some dogs will have a LOT of applications. The rescue I volunteer for will ask you to come meet the dog several times, take them for a walk etc. we do an in person home check where its safe, for some dogs we ask that you do some training sessions with our trainer after rehoming but that process will vary depending on the dog. It might be appropriate to read up on positive reinforcement training, house training, crates, managing leash reactivity or separation anxiety or resource guarding, I'm sure people more knowledgeable then me can recommend resources, but those things would be good to have a basic knowledge of to show you've done and are willing to do the homework. I only do homechecks for cats and horses myself but the willingness to take advice and do the research is something I think is really really positive.

 

[Kat_Bath]

I can't comment on dealing with a rescue organisation as we rehomed via word of mouth, but I wanted to say, go with the flow, both when looking and when he/she arrives. You'll probably know/feel this already but the right one is out there for you and at some point you'll come together - it might take a while, but it will happen! I hadn't heard of the 3:3:3 advice until recently but we may be re-homing a second dog soon so it's been handy to think about. Although I think I'd also say it depends on the dog because Harvey appeared to settle within about 3 minutes and it was like he'd been here his whole life!

I hope you find your next 4-legged friend soon! Keep us updated.

 

[windand rain]

Hope it goes smoothly for you it was a never to repeat nightmare for me so yes there will be heartbreaks in many cases even nonsense but if you find the right one it could be plain sailing

 

[Karran]

Patience and plenty of your alcohol of choice ?? one of mine was a word of mouth rehome, the other a preloved advert.
I'd only heard Rule of three thing recently but fits in with both of my experiences! Hopefully the rescue will be able to give decent back up if needed, so don't be afraid to get in touch!

 

[Ariadne123]

Thank you everyone! Some really helpful pointers and advice here - very much appreciated. Will keep you updated!

 

[Clodagh]

Good luck ?

 

[cbmcts]

First things first - have a good long honest think about what you can cope with and where you would go for help when needed. Be really, really honest with yourselves and the rescue especially as you want a larger breed. Accept that most dogs in rescue now have issues either health or temperament (in fairness the great majority of temperament problems are nervousness/lack of socialisation, resource guarding or the dreaded Kevins, the teenage months, all of which are more manageable then most people think!) and be aware that you cannot get previous health issues covered by insurance, at least for the first few years- 'easy' dogs are sold or rehomed online at the moment due to the price of puppies or if they come into rescue there will be waiting lists a mile long for them. The trick is to know what issues you can deal with and what will be more than you can cope with and not fall for an unsuitable dog. It takes some discipline

Are you thinking about a particular breed? If so, it's worth contacting the breed rescues. If just a large dog you could try https://www.largebreeddogrescueuk.co.uk/ They do good work but go in with your eyes open re health and the reason they are in rescue...

With the smaller rescues, try filling in their application form on spec, adding a letter telling them about you, your home, your other animals and any support that you could access if needed. It's a great opportunity to let them know that you are prepared to insure a dog and have an idea of much it will cost (lots!), that you realise that there are different ways of feeding and you're not planning on cheapest supermarket kibble, what arrangements you have for holidays, security of garden and where and how often you'll walk the dog etc. Tell them what you are looking for i.e. 6 months or over, dog/bitch/either, upper age limit though try not to make your wants too specific or have an unreasonable wish list. Offer to send a video of your home & garden by Whats App if they give you a mobile number. You can ask them to keep you in mind if a suitable dog comes in. Just be aware that it might not be a quick process but, to be fair there's a lot to be said for getting a dog in spring rather than the depths of winter especially if house training is involved.

If you have a local rescue, it's a really good idea to see if you can volunteer with them. You can get experience with various dogs - it's so different going from the family pet some years ago to your very own dog -. You are also on the spot if a suitable dog comes in but even if it doesn't, other rescues will be very reassured if they can get a reference from a rescue for you. Some rescues would also like to talk to your vet or at least know that you will register the dog with a vet ASAP now due to so many vets not taking on new clients at the moment.

I help with a breed rescue and regularly sift applications and talk to prospective adopters. I breathe a sigh of relief when there is a letter attached to the application as it saves so much time on the phone. It also allows me to check the written answers by asking the same question a slightly different way to see if the answer is the same a month or two later. My big bugbear at the moment is when I ask people to send a home video ( I'm looking for it pretty much there and then) is that the 6ft fencing turns out to be 3ft 6 in places, the large garden is a tiny cluttered yard or there are kids toys evident when they have said no kids living or regularly visiting because minding the toddler grandchildren 4 days a week doesn't count...but they are looking for a large, young dog with either no history as a dumpee/stray or with disclosed issues. Love will cure everything y'know. Except it won't. The rescue rehomes nationally and the video saves so much time and money as arranging an in person home check can take a few weeks due to co ordinating volunteer/adopter schedules and while the home checkers are volunteers (few and far between so don't want to waste their time) the rescue does contribute to their petrol costs.

 

[gallopingby]

Cbmcts has summoned things up very well! Sadly although there are lots of dogs needing homes it’s not that easy to rehome one from a reputable rescue. Most will have people waiting, some for many months as it’s a question of matching the dog to the best home and the ‘easy to place’ dogs go to the 5* homes as described above. The breed society rescues are probably able to offer most help/ info so maybe look at these if you know what you’d like. Expect to be asked lots of questions and supply photos or a video of your garden and rooms the dog will have access to. We ask for references and follow them up.
Local authority centres are in some cases less fussy where they rehome to and will sometimes only keep stray dogs for seven days before passing them on, it very much depends on the dog. There are still some centres in Ireland that look to pass dogs on very quickly so if you can travel that could be an option. Offering to help walk dogs at a rescue centre will give you sone brownie points and you may find a ‘difficult’ dog that you bond with over a period of time.
Don‘t rule out rehoming an older dog from a registered breeder. They won’t be advertising dogs but sometimes will have one that they’d let go to a suitable home because they feel it would benefit from .....xyz, these dogs usually go to friends of friends as theres usually a network around each breed.
Finally remember the rescue will be looking for a donation / rehoming fee. We have increased ours to cover the costs of neutering/speying, health check and vaccination and the age of the dog, so instead of £100 it can now be up to £400 for a healthy young dog although much less for an older one. Everyone wants an up to 2 years, house trained bitch that doesn’t bark and gets on with children, next doors cat won’t trip granny up.

 

[Ariadne123]

Thank you very much, everyone. Lots of great advice here - and I hadn't come across LBDR, so will definitely keep an eye on that site.

We aren't hugely fussy about breed as we wanted to keep our options as open as possible, and we're happy with a cross too; it's more about matching with the right dog. (We're already ruling out a large swathe of available dogs because of the cat; if we get too picky I suspect we won't match with any dogs at all.)

Thanks also for the idea of rehoming an older dog from a registered breeder. I adore Dobes and grew up with GSDs, but it doesn't look like too many rescues will rehome those to first time owners - understandably, since they're not the easiest dogs to begin with and they're probably in rescue because there is an actual or perceived problem!

We're happy to manage a longer term health condition if needs be; we've got the funds to do it (partly why we waited until we were at this point in our lives, so we could cover the unexpected costs). In terms of behavioural issues we would be very willing to work with a nervous dog, or one that needed careful socialisation, as long as the rescue were also comfortable that the dog was the right fit for us. The Kevins don't worry me too much, but we'd work with a professional behaviourist if we really felt we were out of our depth.

 

[Clodagh]

If you go to the breed rescues they should take your details and put you on a waiting list, you never know what’s out there ?

 

[Esmae]

Be aware that whatever dog you choose, I always think they need a full year before they become the dog you hoped you were getting that first day. Patience is absolutely key. Good luck and pictures are a legal requirement when said pooch comes home.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Agree with Esmae, it will be at least six weeks before you see the dogs real personality -good luck!

 

[Ariadne123]

Hi again everyone!

So we followed up with the rescue about the dog we'd applied for; they said they had passed our application on to the dog's foster carer, and that they'd follow up and ask them to contact us.

Hoping this is a good sign? Or at least not a bad sign?

(Can you tell I'm new to this and nervous as heck...)