The importing rescue dogs question

SpringArising

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On the behaviour side, she [Boyden] says that many of these dogs will have been free-roaming, used to making their own choices, and that taking those choices away by putting them into a British domestic environment can increase their stress levels." - moot point given that many UK rescue dogs are the same - does she think it's better to leave them on the street to die?

I'm not for or against, but she sounds like a bit of a div.
 

CorvusCorax

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On the behaviour side, she [Boyden] says that many of these dogs will have been free-roaming, used to making their own choices, and that taking those choices away by putting them into a British domestic environment can increase their stress levels." - moot point given that many UK rescue dogs are the same - does she think it's better to leave them on the street to die?

I'm not for or against, but she sounds like a bit of a div.

Not necessarily true. Most dogs in UK rescues have lived in a home or a back yard, they're mostly not traumatised welfare cases, their owners just didn't want to or couldn't keep them any more, for me the moot point is calling them 'rescues', they're just moving from one home to a kennel or a foster and then another home. The amount of genuine street dogs which have been born from generations of street dogs, in the UK, would be few and far between, the dogs from Romania have, in a lot of cases, never been in a house, or a garden, or a car, never been on a lead, never mind the long drive and ferry journey over here, they have been living on the streets, sometimes for generations and used to a fight or flight lifestyle. The journey over alone would be extremely stressful, my own dogs drop a few kilos on long journeys and they are well used to it.

I think she makes a good point.
 

blackcob

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"Reiterer has a selection of essential oils – ginger, peppermint, valerian, hops, hemp and so forth. She just puts them out and the dogs come in and choose their own, a practice called zoopharmacognosy. “It’s self-selection,” Reiterer tells me. “So they’re healing themselves, and I offer them tools.”

...these people are not going to be interested in the facts, logic or science of what they are doing. :rolleyes:
 

meleeka

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I don’t know where all the unwanted dogs in this country go? I’m sure there must be more than what’s in the bIg rescues. I was looking for a mature small dog and it’s impossible to find one unless I wanted a dog imported from Europe. I’ve seen many examples of these dogs going missing within hours of being rehomed and they’ll roam for days or even weeks refusing to be caught.
 
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The Fuzzy Furry

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meleeka, make friends with local dog warden, also keep up with small rescues.
Locally to me, the dog warden tries to offload to small recognised rescues if they have room to hold for 7 days (this is usually in foster), rather than send small dogs into the big places like Battersea, Windsor etc. Hence unless there is a big uplift from a hoarder etc, its unlikely that many small ones are found in bigger centres.
I have no idea how it works outside the county tho.
 

tda

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My friend's niece got a dog from one of these foreign rescue places, all seemed well at first, then it escaped (but I got the impression she was lulled into a false sense of security) never to be seen again (8 months later) very sad situation
 

Clodagh

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My friend's niece got a dog from one of these foreign rescue places, all seemed well at first, then it escaped (but I got the impression she was lulled into a false sense of security) never to be seen again (8 months later) very sad situation

If I hear of a rural loss of a feral dog I only feel sympathy for the farmers, keepers et al who may be effected and hope it is quickly shot.
(And I'm really sorry but am not sure if it is affected or effected...let's hope SC doesn't enter AAD).
 

SadKen

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I actually would go further and prevent imported rescues.

Unpopular with many I'm sure; but we have so many unwanted dogs. My cynical side says that the marketing foreign rescues are doing in terms of horrendous stories is better. Plus rescuing from abroad has cachet around the dinner table. And the dogs are appealing to look at, where home grown staff crosses are not going to give that dinner table cachet and indeed may even make people think the owner is (sniff) common.

I know this isn't the case for all. But I would be surprised if those factors weren't involved in quite a few imported rescues.

As Amymay said, getting a UK rescue can be very difficult indeed which doesn't help.

I would also say that dogs with severe physical or psychological problems should be PTS whether at home or abroad. I cringe when I see them sometimes on Supervet having surgery for severe deformity and living a better but still clearly limited life. A healthy dog could have had a magical life instead.
 

splashgirl45

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when i was looking for a small dog i wanted to get one from a rescue and wasnt prepared to consider a foreign dog. most of the small dogs needed to be the only pet(according to the rescues) and this meant i wasnt interested as i was looking for a companion for my dog as i had lost my other one. if you look on dogs blog most of the dogs on there are from abroad. the money being spent to bring them over here should be spent in the original country IMO and either set up rescues or arrange to humanely pts the hundreds of street dogs. also provide free neutering so the problem gets less. i am also worried about the diseases these dogs could bring in. what also saddens me is when they bring a blind, deaf dog over here for rehoming, poor thing would have been terrified and would have been better PTS in their own country. i think more thought should be put into what is best for the dog especially the old,infirm ones who have to endure a long journey to a different climate and a completely different way of life. i am sure you can tell i feel really strongly about this
 

JFTDWS

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I think the "rescuers" are actually "dealers" and making a few pennies from their endeavours. No evidence but I wouldn't be surprised. I think it's ridiculous. The whole thing. For all the reasons already discussed.

Some probably are. Some aren't... My mother has brought a fair few over (via UK rescues, as she's not mad enough to bring anything over without rescue back up in case it doesn't work out). She has one at home, he's aggressive and neurologically impaired. It's not great, tbh.

I say they should be rounded up and killed - humanely, with as much kindness as possible. Sadly, the Romanian side of the equation (those picking them up off the streets) often have strong religious objections to this idea. That's why so many of the dogs are seriously disabled (multiple amputation rescues aren't unheard of being shipped to the UK) - they value life at all costs. The situation over there is awful, and you can't fix it when the locals either see the dogs as a means to make money (hence the brutality of how dogs do get kept and killed over there), and those who do care about the dogs are determined to keep them alive at all costs.

I wouldn't have an imported rescue. I wish they'd get a grip on their own problems over there, and sort it out - in a humane manner. I don't think they will any time soon though.

For balance, I wouldn't choose to have a staffordshire type UK rescue either. Maybe I'm just a dog-snob!
 

rara007

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I think the "rescuers" are actually "dealers" and making a few pennies from their endeavours. No evidence but I wouldn't be surprised. I think it's ridiculous. The whole thing. For all the reasons already discussed.

And who is going to give those trucks a good check over for drugs...

From a biosecurity point of view is it really worth the risk? I'm not convinced. I've met many fantastic street dogs (I don't tend to remember which country they come from- sorry!), others with horrific behavioural problems, others who are so scared they clearly can;t with household living, others that have died from exotic diseases within the first year of them being here. I really just don't see the need. I'd ban it. I don't blame the well meaning new owners entirely, how are they to know, they just see a sad story and want a pretty dog.
 

CorvusCorax

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I think a lot of it is also human arrogance. You see it as well with people who want a high drive working type dog because of how it looks and then complain when it eats the kitchen because it is completely understimulated.
Or when people get an 'interesting' breed and expect it to excel in a discipline it was never mentally or physically capable of, because that would be 'cool' or 'quirky'.
A dog which has genetically evolved to be wary of humans, to fight for food and to run from danger, as a generalisation is never going to make a good pet and cannot be 'loved' better.
Placing a dog like this with a first time dog owner is grossly irresponsible IMO.

PF I read somewhere online about an Irish 'rescue' outfit recently, wish I could find the link. They were just breeding or buying 'normal' dogs and selling them for a mark-up. Some not even from Ireland.

Square pegs and round holes....
 

ester

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I think a lot of the rescues are very good at making people think that there isn't a health risk/disease issue. They regularly spout the vaccinated and health checked phrase and either don't understand the issue themselves (despite efforts to explain) or don't care so long as dogs get rehomed.

I do worry that those that really can't cope with a 'home' life would never be PTS for their distress because they were 'rescues'.

CC Ahar seem to end up buying plenty of dogs..
 

Pearlsasinger

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If I hear of a rural loss of a feral dog I only feel sympathy for the farmers, keepers et al who may be effected and hope it is quickly shot.
(And I'm really sorry but am not sure if it is affected or effected...let's hope SC doesn't enter AAD).


I can tell you, it is affected. I do enter AAD. Can I suggest that a dictionary would be a good place to check:p
 

turkana

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Some probably are. Some aren't... My mother has brought a fair few over (via UK rescues, as she's not mad enough to bring anything over without rescue back up in case it doesn't work out). She has one at home, he's aggressive and neurologically impaired. It's not great, tbh.

I say they should be rounded up and killed - humanely, with as much kindness as possible. Sadly, the Romanian side of the equation (those picking them up off the streets) often have strong religious objections to this idea. That's why so many of the dogs are seriously disabled (multiple amputation rescues aren't unheard of being shipped to the UK) - they value life at all costs. The situation over there is awful, and you can't fix it when the locals either see the dogs as a means to make money (hence the brutality of how dogs do get kept and killed over there), and those who do care about the dogs are determined to keep them alive at all costs.

I wouldn't have an imported rescue. I wish they'd get a grip on their own problems over there, and sort it out - in a humane manner. I don't think they will any time soon though.

For balance, I wouldn't choose to have a staffordshire type UK rescue either. Maybe I'm just a dog-snob!

I so agree with you, I friend of mine was house sitting for somebody who had 2 Romanian rescues, both cute little dogs but one of them was very seriously disabled, only it's front legs worked properly, with one back leg completley rigid & useless & the other back leg only partailly usefull. Seeing the poor creature struggling to walk was very upsetting, it should have been put down in Romania.
The so called rescue organisation that bought it over were trying to raise the money to send it to The Super Vet - I didn't donate & would only donate money if it was to to have it PTS.
 

Cortez

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I donate to a foreign rescue, but wouldn't ever want to bring any foreign dog over here. There are rescues here overflowing with animals that need homes. I have two rescue dogs (one of them from AHAR, incidentally), but for some reason people prefer to buy dogs rather than rescue.
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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I feel the same as I did with the importing horses to rescue when that was a thing, plenty of horses in this country needing homes before we bring more in.

If our rescue centres were empty then fine take foreign rescues but with so many animals looking for homes here then I can’t see the sense in bringing more in.
 

Cortez

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I feel the same as I did with the importing horses to rescue when that was a thing, plenty of horses in this country needing homes before we bring more in.

If our rescue centres were empty then fine take foreign rescues but with so many animals looking for homes here then I can’t see the sense in bringing more in.

I think that with some of the foreign horse rescues (from Spain, specifically) that is more the people wanting to get a cheap horse - it usually doesn't end well....
 

Blazingsaddles

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These so called charities that import ‘stray’ dogs should be banned. We've got Enough abused/neglected/stray/damaged dogs in the UK. If a dog is born on the streets, grown on the streets & all its ever known is the streets, transporting it hundreds of miles to an unfamiliar land to live an unfamiliar life is cruel.
 

Blazingsaddles

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Some probably are. Some aren't... My mother has brought a fair few over (via UK rescues, as she's not mad enough to bring anything over without rescue back up in case it doesn't work out). She has one at home, he's aggressive and neurologically impaired. It's not great, tbh.

I say they should be rounded up and killed - humanely, with as much kindness as possible. Sadly, the Romanian side of the equation (those picking them up off the streets) often have strong religious objections to this idea. That's why so many of the dogs are seriously disabled (multiple amputation rescues aren't unheard of being shipped to the UK) - they value life at all costs. The situation over there is awful, and you can't fix it when the locals either see the dogs as a means to make money (hence the brutality of how dogs do get kept and killed over there), and those who do care about the dogs are determined to keep them alive at all costs.

I wouldn't have an imported rescue. I wish they'd get a grip on their own problems over there, and sort it out - in a humane manner. I don't think they will any time soon though.

For balance, I wouldn't choose to have a staffordshire type UK rescue either. Maybe I'm just a dog-snob!

Why?🙂
 

alibali

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I can tell you why the dog pounds aren't overflowing here, it's because 1000s of dogs are quietly pts each year. Meanwhile hundreds are imported from abroad. Heart breaking. Charity begins at home (though I do have to agree some British rescues have almost unobtainable requirements for prospective adopters)
 

CorvusCorax

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Pounds and rescue centres are different things.

A lot of dogs in council pounds have seven days to be reclaimed, rehomed, moved to rescue/foster or PTS. It's not a secret/done quietly as far as I'm aware?
 

Clodagh

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Pounds and rescue centres are different things.

A lot of dogs in council pounds have seven days to be reclaimed, rehomed, moved to rescue/foster or PTS. It's not a secret/done quietly as far as I'm aware?

TBH if you are sensible and prepared to PTS if it doesn't work, the pound is my go to for rehoming! My lurcher came from one and she was fantastic. Now I have working dogs I get pups, but all our previous were rescues/rehomes.
 
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