Turned down by a rescue ...

I have a friend who applied for a great dane from a rescue. She was turned down as her 150 acre farm was not adequatly fenced (post and rail for horses).
 
It really bugs me that rescues seem to think a dog will have a better life if its owner doesn't work (no income?), has a postage stamp fenced garden and 2 onlead walks in the park per day than if it gets to run free over acres of farmland and, when it is tired out and ready to sleep, gets left for a few hours while the owner goes to work!

Incidentally, I had a very good experience with Scruples too and now have a lovely whippet boy from them. They did ask if we had a fenced garden (which we do) but it is actually the only place the dogs aren't allowed so it can be a dog poo free zone for children!! Apart from that they were very realistic about finding the right home for the individual dog (who in this case has a very strong hunting drive and needs to work to be happy).
 
OP you're near me (well near where I live on weekends/parents are). Afaik we don't have a council pound- on the basis that when I did work experience 12 years ago the dog warden took them to the rescue that is weston way, or heaven's gate langport way. I hope you manage to find a new one soon.
 
Lexiedhb: I think you have hit the nail on the head. My only concern was that it may not be able to get up my steep stairs!

Bosworth: Many thanks and would love a Greyhound/Lurcher/Whippet and did look at the site but I am so after something little. Was thinking of a whippet a while back and indeed enquired about one but was told that it weighed roughly 15kg (was it fat?) and I would like something I can pick up without too much trouble in my frail old age should it be ill/injured.

Tarr Steps: Heavens, I had not thought of Cinnamon Trust. Am aware of the work they do fostering and will look into rehoming.

Inca Cola: Had not heard of the rescue prior to this and will keep an eye on their site. They seem to have larger dogs at the moment.

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions and links and I will keep looking. To be fair I think the rescue would have happily considered me for many of their other dogs but the poor lady fostering the one I wanted was clearly having kittens at the thought it might go outside, together with another lady at the rescue who was adamant that her Chi liked to lie all day on the sofa and was amazed when I said my terrier had run around with one in a field for a good hour and I had seen another, happy and still alive, in a stable yard. Anyway, the dog I applied for was a Chi x terrier and it looked fairly robust to me!

I briefly fostered for a local rescue and saw 3 of mine go to new homes. Two were young (a Yorkie and a Lakeland) and the third a middle aged JR, who was an absolute scream. I was totally happy with his home with a lovely family who
kept in touch for ages but not so happy with the other two, and for that reason I would not do it again.

Anyway, still looking for a small youngish dog not too far away and will keep scouring Preloved as well. Xmas is not far away and we all know what happens then ...
 
Don't give up! I was turned down by a rescue near us because I work part time! That was the only thing they were interested in. I got my wonderful little dog from the police pound and guess what she survives being left for 4 1/2 hours after a lovely walk and a meal. Some of these rescue centres are ridiculous, dogs fit in with your lives as long as they are well excercised and loved. Good luck!
 
I went to see a dog at a small local rescue after seeing him on their website. When we arrived there was no going to see the dogs in the kennels, you could only look at pictures and then request an audience with one. The dog I had gone to see was an 8 year old male border terrier that had come in as a stray. The girl there asked me some questions and then agreed that I could see the dog so someone was sent to go and fetch him, the girl then asked where I lived and when I replied 'Okehampton' said Oh I think that was where he was found and went dashing off into the back office she then came rushing out past us saying 'Yes he was found in Okehampton, you can't have him' and sped out yelling 'Take him back, take him back'. She then returned and said as I lived where the dog was found the policy was not to rehome him there....despite them having absolutely no idea where he came from! So that was that, we were not even allowed to clap eyes on to him.
I also visited an RSPCA shelter, again we weren't allowed to actually look at the dogs as they said it stresses them out. I would have thought that any extra attention would have been welcomed and I went away that day without leaving a donation and with the feeling that I would not go back there to find a dog.

On another note, I would like to point out to supporters of the Cinnamon Trust that in the accounts submitted to the charity commission in the final year before the charity was reregistered (2010), there was a payment made into the founder/head/trustee of the charity's pension fund of around £350 000. The accounts were available to view via the Charity Commisions website but I'm guessing due to the charity being reregistered they are no longer available.
 
It is also the policy of the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home to not rehome to the village/town/city where a dog came from. I guess it is to do with the possibility of the dog's previous owner finding out where their dog was rehomed and wanting it back. There is also a chance (albeit remote) that a dog might end up back in the same area or even on the same street as its previous abusive owner. I can see it from that point of view, but then again, a dog's former owner might see them when in another town or village. If Brochan had been found as a stray in Livingston, then my Mum and I wouldn't have our beautiful and adorable boy.

I used to have a lot of respect for the Dogs Trust, but I have learned that they pick and choose what dogs they take. A dog I know developed aggressive tendancies after he was neutered. His owner took him to the Dogs Trust to be rehomed. They told her that if he was a risk to their staff, then she would have to take him back! They hand out rather dubious advice and some of their policies on rehoming beggars belief. Before my Mum and I got my second dog (a female Greyhound), we tried to adopt an older male Staffie from the Dogs Trust last year. We were told not to bring Brochan (first bit of bad advice) when collecting the other dog and to take the new dog into the back garden then to let Brochan out. I thought this was absurd given that the garden is our dog's territory and he probably wouldn't take kindly to another male dog in it. Well the first thing my dog did was to go for the other dog. It wasn't an all out attack as he didn't try to bite the other dog, but he certainly wasn't happy. It should be noted the other dog did not try to defend himself. He was a lovely old dog. We very sadly had to take him back the next day. In fact, he had been a dog we had looked at before we got Brochan. We really felt he was the dog for us when looking at the dogs. However, since he had been a stray, they didn't know anything about him and felt he wouldn't be suitable for us. It turned (after being in foster care) that he would have ticked all the boxes for us anyway. More recently we contemplated a third. We went to see a male dog at the Dogs Trust and asked if it would be possible to get the dog in the car to see if Brochan would accept him in the car (if he had done then that would indicate that he would be fine with him in the house) and they said that is something they wouldn't push for. However, we could tell going by what the other dog was like that he and Brochan would not have been a good match. Neamhnaid (our Greyhound and her name is pronounced Neeva) would have probably been okay with him. There are other rescues that will deliver your new dog to you and that don't have a problem with getting their dogs into potential new owners cars to what the existing dogs and potential new dogs reactions would be. The rescue we got Neamhnaid from was one such rescue. We got her from the Reston branch of the Retired Greyhound Trust. She is a right sweetie pie. :)
 
swalk said:
I went to see a dog at a small local rescue after seeing him on their website. When we arrived there was no going to see the dogs in the kennels, you could only look at pictures and then request an audience with one. The dog I had gone to see was an 8 year old male border terrier that had come in as a stray. The girl there asked me some questions and then agreed that I could see the dog so someone was sent to go and fetch him, the girl then asked where I lived and when I replied 'Okehampton' said Oh I think that was where he was found and went dashing off into the back office she then came rushing out past us saying 'Yes he was found in Okehampton, you can't have him' and sped out yelling 'Take him back, take him back'. She then returned and said as I lived where the dog was found the policy was not to rehome him there....despite them having absolutely no idea where he came from! So that was that, we were not even allowed to clap eyes on to him.
I also visited an RSPCA shelter, again we weren't allowed to actually look at the dogs as they said it stresses them out. I would have thought that any extra attention would have been welcomed and I went away that day without leaving a donation and with the feeling that I would not go back there to find a dog.

On another note, I would like to point out to supporters of the Cinnamon Trust that in the accounts submitted to the charity commission in the final year before the charity was reregistered (2010), there was a payment made into the founder/head/trustee of the charity's pension fund of around £350 000. The accounts were available to view via the Charity Commisions website but I'm guessing due to the charity being reregistered they are no longer available.
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There are VERY good reasons for the rehoming centres to behave the way you describe above.

Firstly, it really DOES stress kennelled dogs to have numerous people pass by, laughing, cooing, poking, prodding, kids screaming etc etc daily. Therefore many rehoming centres have adopted the policy of booking an 'appointment', so as to minimise this, and avoid the timewasters who just bring their kids along to coo at the doggies in the kennels without actually being interested in rehoming.

Secondly, the reason some rehoming centres do not rehome to the same area is that quite often if neglect etc has taken place, the likelihood is that close family members of said dog will try to reclaim the dog on behalf of the owner in order to hand it back to said neglector. Also, people may recognise said dog ie neighbours of original owner, and attempt to rehome as feel sorry for dog, having known it originally, only for them to recieve persistent harrasment from original owner, and problems then occur, including dog being returned to rehoming centre, or worse still, original owner.
 
Forget them, they don't put dogs down either so the dog is not on death row. Please go to your local council pound, these are the dogs in most need, and they have a death wish.

One of my staffies is from the local pound and its the best dog we have ever had the pleasure of owning, she is amazing, when we came across her at the pound they said she was in depression god only knows what life she had come from, she never even lifted her head to look at us through the cage, just stayed curled up shaking, it was heartbreaking , we could nto leave her their so took her straight away, we had a few issues with her but we worked through them and she is a cracker. if your having no luck with rescues please please go to the pound and save a dogs life.
 
I got turned down for a mule by a big donkey rescue because we have horses on our yard which attend shows so we would be putting the mule at risk of infection. This is a yard which I have had my horses on for over 20 years without a single case of infection of any sort. Some of the ponies are HOYS qualifiers and show frequently at county level, and many of the horses are well into their 20s (and some in their 30s) and all the owners love their horses much too much to risk their health in any way. Amazing.
 
If you haven't got something already look for 'Matching Partners Canine Rescue' on FB, it's ran by a friend who used to run the hydrotherpay I took my collie to. She's sensible, isn't horse negative and gets small terrier types over from Ireland every week. We're up in Cumbria so you might need to come up but she's super nice and won't turn you down for daft things like 'it'll get muddy'
 
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