Unwanted dogs

[moosea]

Rescues seem to find any excuse not to remove their dogs.
Last time I adopted a rescue, several yeas ago, I just lied because their criteria was ridiculous.

I told them my partner did not work, when in fact he worked nights. So I would be home at night and he during the day.
The rescues expectation was that an adult dog should not be alone for more than 2 hours. Ever.

I was looking at an older dog who had some agreession. In fact the rescue staff were terrified of him and it took two of them to get him out of his kennel.

He was a fab dog and we had him 6 years. We death with his aggression, left him for longer than 2 hours on a regular basis, and he had a great life.

Rescues are only looking for middle aged couples who don't work but own their own property, don't ever go out for more than 2 hours, have 6ft fencing, and are prepared to jump through a hundred hoops to adopt a dog.
They would rather a dog be in a kennel for 23 hours a day than snoozing on the sofa for 4 hours alone.

It's no wonder why there are so many dogs in kennels.

 

[honetpot]

Rescues are only looking for middle aged couples who don't work but own their own property, don't ever go out for more than 2 hours, have 6ft fencing, and are prepared to jump through a hundred hoops to adopt a dog.
They would rather a dog be in a kennel for 23 hours a day than snoozing on the sofa for 4 hours alone

Exactly.

The rescue's job is to try and match the dog with the best possible home resulting in everyone involved being happy and despite the doom and gloom you hear about, the frustrations that many including me voice does work out well often enough.

And there's the rub. You are looking for the perfect home with no risk, so animals end up staying longer in kennels and catteries, where they are more likely to become stressed and exposed to disease. Like I had posted before I tended to be offered the no hope animals that have been housed for months, and at what cost to the animal and the charity. TBH I no longer want the work, a stray kitten not too bad but the four months of young dog with acute seperation anxiety before it settled was no joke. It's easier to go and buy a puppy with a clean slate.
Its seems that these charities are businesses that wants to keep themselves self in work, sorry to be so cynical, but if the business is rehoming the model doesn't seem very effective. I haven't rehomed from a large charity in a long while but the biggest negative from them was they never asked if I had any experience with dogs, or provided any support, even though they knew that one came out of kennels with a contagious illness and I had small children. They just wanted rid, tick the right box and its yours.
I used to know the local dealer well and at one point they were importing donkeys because the Donkey Sanctuary had reduced the amount of available donkeys for sale. The last time I could find a number that the DS had in the largest sanctury was 3,000. Our local donkey lady could not get a donkey from them even though she had owned them for years, supported them, and left them money in her will, she had to buy one through the dealers contacts. Her main negative was her age, but they will still happy to take her money

It would be interesting to do a survey of how many domestic pet owners on this site have multiple animals, children etc and otherwise unperfect homes. I certainly do not have a six foot high fence, but I have two dogs under two years

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Rescues seem to find any excuse not to remove their dogs.


Rescues are only looking for middle aged couples who don't work but own their own property, don't ever go out for more than 2 hours, have 6ft fencing, and are prepared to jump through a hundred hoops to adopt a dog.
They would rather a dog be in a kennel for 23 hours a day than snoozing on the sofa for 4 hours alone.

It's no wonder why there are so many dogs in kennels.

*waves*
Middle aged couple here, sadly lost our last dog to old age issues at beginning of October.
We failed the home check for a specific breed rescue - one section of fence is 4ft between us and adjacent neighbour. (I understand that they want 6ft, but there is also a huge difference between a large breed dog and a toy breed under 7kg as an adult, isn't there?)
I then found out they choose the dog for you, you are supposed to be grateful with whatever you get. We couldn't face taking on another senior which is what was mentioned 'if we extended the fence section'.

We failed the 2 local rescues, this time because 'we dont rehome small dogs if there is a resident cat'.

The large RSPCA local branch didnt have anything that fitted the bill, they only had large and medium types, mostly staffy and husky sorts, great if you like them, but not for us.

Blue Cross and Dogs Trust list suddenly decreased when I put we had a cat (a very dog savvy confident calm cat), whittled down to only a couple once forms completed, both v elderly.

After a frustrating almost 3 months, we purchased a puppy. Never thought I'd be going down that route again as the last 3 dogs were all adult rescues. Last puppy was in the last century!

Puppy now 8 months and now 5kg, great chums with cat who is almost 7kg. Pup does 1.5 days a week at the office (we have 4 office dogs over 3 floors) and she's having great times at the yard.

I've said it before, but D is definitely the last dog, honestly!

 

[splashgirl45]

I’m another who got fed up with applying for dogs in rescue , I completed the forms honestly and wasn’t successful for any I’d applied for. I’ve had dogs all my life and know what type of dog would be happy with my routine and what type of dog I would want. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be happy having a dog chosen for me which may not be the sort of dog I want. For instance I don’t like the texture of poodle coats so a poodle cross would not suit me, also I don’t like the look of bull breeds and although the ones I know are nice natured dogs they don’t appeal to me, my life revolves around my dogs and I am happy with that but the dogs have to be the type I want ..

 

[cbmcts]

Exactly.

And there's the rub. You are looking for the perfect home with no risk, so animals end up staying longer in kennels and catteries, where they are more likely to become stressed and exposed to disease. Like I had posted before I tended to be offered the no hope animals that have been housed for months, and at what cost to the animal and the charity. TBH I no longer want the work, a stray kitten not too bad but the four months of young dog with acute seperation anxiety before it settled was no joke. It's easier to go and buy a puppy with a clean slate.
Its seems that these charities are businesses that wants to keep themselves self in work, sorry to be so cynical, but if the business is rehoming the model doesn't seem very effective. I haven't rehomed from a large charity in a long while but the biggest negative from them was they never asked if I had any expeirnce with dogs, or provided any support, even though they knew that one came out of kennels with a contagious illness and I had small children. They just wanted rid, tick the right box and its yours.
I used to know the local dealer well and at one point they were importing donkeys because the Donkey Sanctuary had reduced the amount of available donkeys for sale. The last time I could find a number that the DS had in the largest sanctury was 3,000. Our local donkey lady could not get a donkey from them even though she had owned them for years, supported them, and left them money in her will, she had to buy one through the dealers contacts. Her main negative was her age, but they will still happy to take her money

It would be interesting to do a survey of how many domestic pet owners on this site have multiple animals, chidren etc and otherwise unperfect homes. I certainly do not have a six foot high fence, but I have two dogs under two years

Ok, I'll bite There's not much on telly tonight.

You appear determined to be anti all rescues which of course is your prerogative.

I'm looking for the best home for that particular dog - not perfect, not no risk as that is unachievable but I make no apology for aiming to minimise risk. To do otherwise would be grossly irresponsible. Kennels are not perfect but the ones that I actually know well have really good biosecurity including isolating any dogs that are unvaccinated until they have completed the full course of jabs or showing any signs of illness and to be fair, any of our dogs could be infected with all sorts in public as so many people do not vaccinate/get kennel cough jabs and so on. Any really ill ones go straight to the vets on arrival. The stress? Well yes though that is minimised as much as possible but bouncing from home to home via rescue/social media/sales sites is also stressful. We all saw a lot of that during the pandemic and more recently with the XLBs. We all decry that irresponsibility but then slate rescues who try and avoid doing exactly that?

The young dog with separation anxiety? You as an experienced owner, presumably with no near neighbours struggled on for 4 months to sort it - sincerely, that must have hellish - but imagine how it would have gone for the dog if it had gone to the standard 'semi in suburbia' family home? With neighbours and family life, kids to get to school, the regular times that the dog needed to stay home, the noise and damage that would be done and a very distressed dog etc. Even if the family were prepared to persevere unlikely as that is, their neighbours wouldn't be and there would be noise complaints to the council so the dog would be returned with even worse SA then it went with. How is that sensible?

Yes it's easy to buy a pup and perfectly understandable to want to but it's not so easy to buy a responsibly bred pup especially if you don't have the breed knowledge/contacts and pups are not suitable or even wanted by everyone. My next dog will be a terrier bitch pup if all goes to plan so I'm not rescue at all costs but a pup was not an option for me for the 15 years prior to the pandemic as I wasn't home enough. Now I WFH except for half a day every 6 -12 weeks ( the last time I went into the office was Oct 23 ) so a pup is possible now. Despite that, I've had multiple rescues, fostered dogs, had private rehomes and 2 pups over the past 30 years despite working full time with a commute and living alone for much of those years. The big rescues turned me down flat obviously and yes, I'm still bitter Did I have a huge choice of dogs each time I was looking for one? No. Did I have to compromise regarding what I actually wanted against what was available AND would work in my circumstances? You'd better believe it, it often meant that I'd take a dog with issues usually behavioural, sometimes medical but vet care was much more affordable then and I was less skint so that was ok. I had no kids, a yard where the dogs could be exercised on private land and a house that was set up to separate dogs from each other/visitors if required. I went with those dogs as the alternative was no dogs and TBH, my life would have been much poorer without them. I also found that I got a great sense of satisfaction and really enjoyed working with those dogs so no saviour complex here...
I can't comment on the big charities being run as businesses as I've no involvement with them. If they are, just like any business we can choose whether to interact/support them or not. But you complain that they rehomed a dog with you without checks and ill despite you having children? But you also complain that rescues have checks and are picky about who they rehome to?
I can only speak about the rescue I know. If we were a business, we'd have gone bust years ago! The kennels we use charge such a low fee it barely covers food. Volunteers do most of the work except the kennel jobs - walking/training/sorting applications/fundraising/home checks/meets/transporting dogs/fostering. The rehoming fees barely cover keep and routine vet care but we are very lucky to have a (very small) trust fund left by the late founder of the rescue. Without that I doubt we would have survived the pandemic.
As for having to be an independently wealthy 50 something to rehome, the last few dogs that went out were;
A 4 yo male stray so no history to a couple, he's home most of the time as late 60s and retired, she's younger and works.
A 3yo dog to a middle aged couple - came in because he didn't fought with a smaller dog in previous home but apart from that really easy.
A 2 yo dog pulled from a pound just before he was PTS - went with one of the kennel staff to live on a stable yard. Is kennelled at night as there are no soft furnishings he will not shred.
Another poundie, approx 2 yo, no chip of course to a single man in his 30s, he's a tradesman and the dog travels with him.
2 yo dog, poundie, very nervous to a lady in her 60s - she fostered him and kept him and 6 months on, he's finally settled.
1 yo bitch to a couple in their 30s who live in a very posh apartment, the concierge keeps dog biscuits on his desk for her apparently.
5 yo bitch to a bloke 40ishwho lives on a moored narrowboat.
A 9 month old bitch to a family with 2 older children - secondary age but they waited nearly a year for a suitable dog
A 6 yo bitch, imported previously from Romania, been through 3 owners in 4 years - so we were told - absolutely perfect dog unless you're a small fluffy, very high prey drive! - to a couple in their 70s
A 6 yo bitch to a single lady in her 40s to live with her 3 yo dog. This lady has also waited a while but that was more for her dog to grow up and calm down as he was too full on for most of the bitches he met.
A 4 yo bitch as a handled security dog - to an ex copper who now does security. She was one of our long termers.
A 8 month old male also to a working home - this was a PTS discussion as he was so drivey and the mouthing was off the scale but we were contacted by someone we knew who needed a security dog so he went on a months trial and stayed.
A 2 yo bitch to a young couple, a spaniel and 3 cats.
Her 6 pups (she arrived a week before she had the pups after being abandoned in a park, very skinny) Obviously knew what mum was but dad must have very big - the guess is mastiff. One of the pups is over 40kgs at 6 months old. They all but one went to homes with dogs. One went to a first time owner. 2 went to homes with older kids - 8+ . All are doing really well. There were over 150 applications for the pups unsurprisingly but less than 20 of them were even worth talking to and of course, out of the 20, there are disappointed people who could have given a really good home to them but there were only 6 pups...
There were also 4 failed rehomings where the dog was returned within the week, one because a former yard dog cocked his leg indoors, one because the children refused to bring the grandchildren round if they had 'that type of dog', one because the dog chased next doors cat (yes really, next door threatened to sue) and the other because she snapped at them. One dog returned after nearly a year - no reason given but they did ask if they could swop them. I wanted to offer a stuffed toy.
That's just this year so far. As you can see, no dogs went to homes with very young children but most of the rest of society is included. All we ask of those who work out of the home is that the dog is not left for much longer than 4 hours without a visit so they can be let out for the loo and that, with a few exceptions that they are indoor rather than outside dogs for most of the time. If for whatever reason they can't keep them, we'll always take them back but are also open to them rehoming if they have a suitable home lined up.

 

[cbmcts]

Ooops meant to add

On your survey, I do have 6ft (heras) fencing but the wood fence is only 5ft which was more than adequate until current big dog arrived. The heras fencing is because the idiot dog likes to hurl himself at the fence and I had visions of it collapsing. Not my fence and even if it was I didn't and still don't have the £3k needed to have a 48kg idiot proof fence. He is 6, other dog staffie x is 11, not that you'd guess and I'm planning on adding a small pup. There is also an old cat who along with non doggy OH is regularly unamused by canine antics and doesn't hesitate to thump dogs in her way. Live in built up suburbia, surrounded by screaming kids on trampolines - big dog is very lucky he is deaf sometimes. He is managed carefully as he is wary of strangers and due to an abusive past, could be unpredictable I fear so no chances taken. Little dog is as bombproof as any dog can be, loves everybody and everything, really easy. He was a private rehome as I couldn't find a suitable rescue when I was looking - I really didn't want a male terrier but you know what, it's worked really well. He grew up with kids and my step grandchildren love him.
I also grew up in a house with many kids and quite frankly totally unsuitable pets in many cases but if we got bitten or scratched we got a b******king because it must be our fault. However, 50 years ago, a dog bite wasn't an automatic referral to social services, dogs were allowed to be dogs rather than furbabies or toys and our expectations of them were much more realistic. What rescues there were did not have conditions imposed by insurance or the fear of the damage done by blow ups on social media nor the risk of being sued.
I'm not having a go at anyone and I'm sure you'd all be more than suitable to rehome a dog from a rescue - horse owners generally are really sensible with dogs too - but do remember that rescues, especially small ones are doing the best they can in their own imperfect ways. If the first one, even second or third doesn't work out for you and you do really want a rescue, keep going. You might have to wait, there will be hoops to jump through (blame the idiots who lie, promise the earth and then start shouting the odds all over the internet for that) but it's doable for anybody who's prepared to compromise a little bit.

 

[honetpot]

Ooops meant to add

On your survey, I do have 6ft (heras) fencing but the wood fence is only 5ft which was more than adequate until current big dog arrived. The heras fencing is because the idiot dog likes to hurl himself at the fence and I had visions of it collapsing. Not my fence and even if it was I didn't and still don't have the £3k needed to have a 48kg idiot proof fence. He is 6, other dog staffie x is 11, not that you'd guess and I'm planning on adding a small pup. There is also an old cat who along with non doggy OH is regularly unamused by canine antics and doesn't hesitate to thump dogs in her way. Live in built up suburbia, surrounded by screaming kids on trampolines - big dog is very lucky he is deaf sometimes. He is managed carefully as he is wary of strangers and due to an abusive past, could be unpredictable I fear so no chances taken. Little dog is as bombproof as any dog can be, loves everybody and everything, really easy. He was a private rehome as I couldn't find a suitable rescue when I was looking - I really didn't want a male terrier but you know what, it's worked really well. He grew up with kids and my step grandchildren love him.
I also grew up in a house with many kids and quite frankly totally unsuitable pets in many cases but if we got bitten or scratched we got a b******king because it must be our fault. However, 50 years ago, a dog bite wasn't an automatic referral to social services, dogs were allowed to be dogs rather than furbabies or toys and our expectations of them were much more realistic. What rescues there were did not have conditions imposed by insurance or the fear of the damage done by blow ups on social media nor the risk of being sued.
I'm not having a go at anyone and I'm sure you'd all be more than suitable to rehome a dog from a rescue - horse owners generally are really sensible with dogs too - but do remember than rescues, especially small ones are doing the best they can in there own imperfect ways. If the first one, even second or third doesn't work out for you and you do really want a rescue, keep going. You might have to wait, there will be hoops to jump through (blame the idiots who lie, promise the earth and then start shouting the odds all over the internet for that) but it's doable for anybody who's prepared to compromise a little bit.

The thing is a lot of the people on here are perhaps your target market, and if they are having trouble rehoming a dog something is wrong, either the criteria is wrong or the way its interpreted is wrong. I worked for the NHS for over forty years, so I know all about compliance, risk assesment and the importance of documentation, if its not written down it never happened, and also reviewing outcomes, even if something is deemed a success you review it, where could we improve?
Nobody gets it right all the time, but creating a market by restricting rehoming, because that is what drives breeding, is counter productive in the long run. You are not stopping people from acquiring unsuitable dogs, that is not really your purpose, but you are creating a situation where they are more likely buy one, or import one from abroad. There is also the question if there is a problem finding the right home, should it be rehomed?
Its tough when things go wrong, and people have a rosy ideal from the internet what owning a dog is like, and the majority of people I see struggling with dogs are normal people but they have fallen in to the, its a child trap, so if its warm, cosy and well fed it will behave, and it is company/ playmate for their child. I always say havin a dog is like having a baby, you need that amount of commitment, but usually you do not give away your baby, even if you would like to sometimes.

But you complain that they rehomed a dog with you without checks and ill despite you having children?

I was pointing out the unsuitableness of their critera questions and lack of support offered, big charity lots of volunters, all very glossy and smart, and they did do a home check. I was well aware of the risks, but I was amazed that they did not point them out.

If we were a business, we'd have gone bust years ago!

You do not have to be a business to be business like, in fact most charities are limited companies for legal reasons, my husband is a Treasurer of a small charity so his job is to balance the books, and make sure they get gift aid, which in the first year raised £10k. I would look at your unpaid helpers 'donations'.

It's nice to do good things but sometimes you have to review what your objectives are, I voluntered for a large charity for a while and objectively at the time just thought what a waste of effort, the labour was free so there was no thought how it was used, high wastage of resources, and it was a H&S nightmare.

You appear determined to be anti all rescues which of course is your prerogative

I am not anti rehoming, I hate the word rescue because some of the 'rescue' places I have visted have been the pits, they needed rescueing from the rescue, they are just a form of hoarding, that they their 'home' is better than anyone else can provide, and I hate to say this, they have been some of the smaller ones . The large charities have an image to keep up, so they are at least clean. I once went it a animal sanctuary building where the sheep's heads were touching the roof, they were stood on so much muck.
I am sure you are trying your best and it is often difficult to judge some situations, but like I said even if you think you are doing a good job I think its always useful to review if it can be done better, a regular 'wash up', which should not be critisim but a discussion.
I am not the only person who has had a poor experience of trying to rehome, before I bought my last dog I looked for six months, because I really didn't want to buy one I usuallly rehome, but actually its the best thing I have done in a long time, he is an absolute joy.

 

[setterlover]

The problem I see is that one size fits all Rescues seem to have a view that everyone with young children is unsuitable for some dogs everyone who works isn't suitable yet everyone who is of a certain age and retired can't handle a big dog regardless of the individual.
You have said my husband and I as retirees couldn't have a young larger dog (30 kilos)because of our age regardless of the fact we have large horses weighing 500 kilos or more 10 times the size of a large dog plus how can your age dictate your ability to handle a certain size of animal .
I know people who are middle aged who are much less fit and healthy than we are.
You state that rescues don't know you but they don't want to know you never took up references I offered several never did a home visit or even wanted me to make a video of the home and grounds which I offered to do.
I gave up on trying to 'rescue' went to an ethical breeder that I have used before and was welcomed with open arms .
We now have 2 beautiful dogs aged 2 and a half and 9 months who are a joy to be around.
I am not surprised rescues are full.

 

[gallopingby]

The problem I see is that one size fits all Rescues seem to have a view that everyone with young children is unsuitable for some dogs everyone who works isn't suitable yet everyone who is of a certain age and retired can't handle a big dog regardless of the individual.
You have said my husband and I as retirees couldn't have a young larger dog (30 kilos)because of our age regardless of the fact we have large horses weighing 500 kilos or more 10 times the size of a large dog plus how can your age dictate your ability to handle a certain size of animal .
I know people who are middle aged who are much less fit and healthy than we are.
You state that rescues don't know you but they don't want to know you never took up references I offered several never did a home visit or even wanted me to make a video of the home and grounds which I offered to do.
I gave up on trying to 'rescue' went to an ethical breeder that I have used before and was welcomed with open arms .
We now have 2 beautiful dogs aged 2 and a half and 9 months who are a joy to be around.
I am not surprised rescues are full.

This seems to be going round in circles! There are lots of rescues - breed specific ones are usually run by volunteers giving up their time often at very strange times of the day/night to look after whatever comes in. They often have waiting lists of people wanting to ‘rescue’ a fully house trained bitch, between 2 and 4 years old and must be pink with yellow spots. No flexibility and they want it today because they’ve already waited 2 weeks. So if the rescue you contact doesn’t have what you want then try somewhere else. However… dogs whether breed specific or not come to be rehomed / rescued for a number of reasons including that family or friends can’t or won’t help. We have some lovely dogs that come for sad and sensible reasons. The trick is to place a dog in the best home and depending on the dog we can have upwards of 40 people all thinking it’s going to be ‘their’dog. That means 39 are going to be disappointed especially as pink and yellow ones are rarely if ever available, Instead of knocking the rescues maybe give some time to helping them, find out how they really work, like everything else these days it seems to be the same busy people who volunteer whilst everyone else thinks it shouldn’t be them. My last two dogs have been ‘rescues’ the next will be from the responsible breeder a previous dog came from and yes l’ve been on the list for over a year. Just have to wait until some come along they’re not in a hurry and the stars have to line up before there’s a planned match.

 

[Janique]

Before i took my Basset hound Nouille from a breeder as an ex breeding bitch to be retired, i tried to contact a Basset rescue in France.

I must said that they refused point blank to give me a dog, they are terribly demanding...

To adopt from them you need:

Another dog, not too young or too old, preferably another Basset,
A house with a big fenced garden
Be at home all day
Experience with Bassets
No apparement, no stairs even a few.
No young children, no other animals.

I really think Nouille is happy with me as a good life. She is with me all the time and as a lot of contact with other dogs.
I can leave her for a few hours without problems, she doesn't bark and destroy.

Sometimes, they don't give people a chance.

 

[Sandstone1]

My daughter found a kitten on the road yesterday, covered in maggots and very weak. Took it to the vet, fortuately the maggots were just of the top of the fur, and it appears to have no injury. Its about ten weeks old, and skin and bone, when it finally did a poo I think its been living on insects.
What I am trying to understand is that it was on a rural road, with no houses close by, its doesn't seem feral, not frightened of humans, but probably had little to eat since it was weaned. It just sleeps, eats and poos, and has a cuddle, which it loves. Not interested in playing but starting to look brighter.
The vet said it would cost £350 to treat it, not sure for what, or sign it over, so it's in my bedroom as my daughter who is a nurse like me thought it didn't need any complicated treatment. They did sell her some Hill's Science 'special' cat food for £7, which no one will eat. I have decided cheap cat food is like McD's not really good to eat every day, but most cats will eat it, its a bit like Dreamies, addictive.

I know vets have to make a living, and that people get animals that they do not have the knowledge to care for, or budget for emergencies, but there must be some there must be some middle way where people can get practicle advice without judgement, so small problems get sorted early. You can get a lot of over the counter treatments for humans with free advice from a pharmacist, even before the new changes, as humans we are encouraged to take responsibility for our health and simple treatments but domestic pets have to be treated by an expert with the associated costs, and there are less of these vets available.

I agree that very high vets fees are putting people off from both owning pets and from taking them to vets early enough to help prevent things getting out of hand. I know all the reasons ie overheads, big chains taking over most practices etc etc but the way things are going normal pet ownership will be a thing of the past as people simply will not be able to afford a pet.
vet practices really need to think long term here. If people can not afford pets where will that leave them?
Some rescues seem to think being stuck in a kennel all day is better than being in a home with a garden but being left alone for a few hours.

 

[I'm Dun]

Rescues need a major overhaul. PTS the poor dog with severe SA. I've dealt with it, twice. I'm obsessed with my dogs and made it my focus 24/7, sought help from a behaviourist, vet and added in medication. Either the rescue needs a fosterer to do that, or PTS. A life in kennels makes these dogs worse. PTS the ones with medical issues, the ones with dodgy temperaments. Then the pool of dogs you have left have a fighting chance of fitting into normal life. You can then invest time into them to get them to a good place and pick good owners without having to be so strict as you know the dogs, and know they will fit into most homes with a little bit of work.

The only rescue I would even consider does similar. She has a huge waiting list and as soon as dogs come in, people are clamouring for them. I've seen her have to take a dog back once, out of hundreds. She works with them, gets the ones with resolvable health issues sorted etc and rehomes quickly as she can. If anything happens to me, my dogs and my estate go to her. I suspect mine would be rehomed within seconds as she already knows them, and they are the sort everyone wants.

Most rescues wouldnt rehome to me, living on a tiny boat, no garden, no fixed address, and existing entire dogs. I would defy anyone to say my dogs don't have the most amazing life. I run my life around them and keeping them happy. We travel round, they see new places, they get walked miles every day, and I don't leave them more than 4 hours ever, and even then that's three times a week for 20 weeks a year. Having no garden means they are always out and about, I cant just turf them out into the garden. Both dogs will lay outside in their baskets and sleep a lot of the time in the summer, if I'm out there, so they get more outside time than most dogs anyway. But rescues would rather leave dogs languishing in kennels getting worse and worse behaviour wise, than rehome them to somewhere that doesn't meet their criteria, while taking on more and more and more dogs. Its madness.

 

[DabDab]

I don't think it's going round in circles, it's just a case that you regularly get messaging put out by rescue charities that they are full and to please consider rehoming a dog rather than buying a puppy, so a bunch load of capable dog owners rock up offering to rehome a dog only to be met with 'no not you, we didn't mean people like you'.

So the rescues stay full - you are probably already rehoming to most of the pool of people available that you want to be rehoming to.

 

[skinnydipper]

So those of you who have had a dog you didn't want, whether you found a home for them privately or handed over to a rescue organisation, what was the reason for not wanting to keep the dog?

 

[moosea]

Ok, I'll bite There's not much on telly tonight.

You appear determined to be anti all rescues which of course is your prerogative.

I'm looking for the best home for that particular dog - not perfect, not no risk as that is unachievable but I make no apology for aiming to minimise risk. To do otherwise would be grossly irresponsible. Kennels are not perfect but the ones that I actually know well have really good biosecurity including isolating any dogs that are unvaccinated until they have completed the full course of jabs or showing any signs of illness and to be fair, any of our dogs could be infected with all sorts in public as so many people do not vaccinate/get kennel cough jabs and so on. Any really ill ones go straight to the vets on arrival. The stress? Well yes though that is minimised as much as possible but bouncing from home to home via rescue/social media/sales sites is also stressful. We all saw a lot of that during the pandemic and more recently with the XLBs. We all decry that irresponsibility but then slate rescues who try and avoid doing exactly that?

The young dog with separation anxiety? You as an experienced owner, presumably with no near neighbours struggled on for 4 months to sort it - sincerely, that must have hellish - but imagine how it would have gone for the dog if it had gone to the standard 'semi in suburbia' family home? With neighbours and family life, kids to get to school, the regular times that the dog needed to stay home, the noise and damage that would be done and a very distressed dog etc. Even if the family were prepared to persevere unlikely as that is, their neighbours wouldn't be and there would be noise complaints to the council so the dog would be returned with even worse SA then it went with. How is that sensible?

Yes it's easy to buy a pup and perfectly understandable to want to but it's not so easy to buy a responsibly bred pup especially if you don't have the breed knowledge/contacts and pups are not suitable or even wanted by everyone. My next dog will be a terrier bitch pup if all goes to plan so I'm not rescue at all costs but a pup was not an option for me for the 15 years prior to the pandemic as I wasn't home enough. Now I WFH except for half a day every 6 -12 weeks ( the last time I went into the office was Oct 23 ) so a pup is possible now. Despite that, I've had multiple rescues, fostered dogs, had private rehomes and 2 pups over the past 30 years despite working full time with a commute and living alone for much of those years. The big rescues turned me down flat obviously and yes, I'm still bitter Did I have a huge choice of dogs each time I was looking for one? No. Did I have to compromise regarding what I actually wanted against what was available AND would work in my circumstances? You'd better believe it, it often meant that I'd take a dog with issues usually behavioural, sometimes medical but vet care was much more affordable then and I was less skint so that was ok. I had no kids, a yard where the dogs could be exercised on private land and a house that was set up to separate dogs from each other/visitors if required. I went with those dogs as the alternative was no dogs and TBH, my life would have been much poorer without them. I also found that I got a great sense of satisfaction and really enjoyed working with those dogs so no saviour complex here...
I can't comment on the big charities being run as businesses as I've no involvement with them. If they are, just like any business we can choose whether to interact/support them or not. But you complain that they rehomed a dog with you without checks and ill despite you having children? But you also complain that rescues have checks and are picky about who they rehome to?
I can only speak about the rescue I know. If we were a business, we'd have gone bust years ago! The kennels we use charge such a low fee it barely covers food. Volunteers do most of the work except the kennel jobs - walking/training/sorting applications/fundraising/home checks/meets/transporting dogs/fostering. The rehoming fees barely cover keep and routine vet care but we are very lucky to have a (very small) trust fund left by the late founder of the rescue. Without that I doubt we would have survived the pandemic.
As for having to be an independently wealthy 50 something to rehome, the last few dogs that went out were;
A 4 yo male stray so no history to a couple, he's home most of the time as late 60s and retired, she's younger and works.
A 3yo dog to a middle aged couple - came in because he didn't fought with a smaller dog in previous home but apart from that really easy.
A 2 yo dog pulled from a pound just before he was PTS - went with one of the kennel staff to live on a stable yard. Is kennelled at night as there are no soft furnishings he will not shred.
Another poundie, approx 2 yo, no chip of course to a single man in his 30s, he's a tradesman and the dog travels with him.
2 yo dog, poundie, very nervous to a lady in her 60s - she fostered him and kept him and 6 months on, he's finally settled.
1 yo bitch to a couple in their 30s who live in a very posh apartment, the concierge keeps dog biscuits on his desk for her apparently.
5 yo bitch to a bloke 40ishwho lives on a moored narrowboat.
A 9 month old bitch to a family with 2 older children - secondary age but they waited nearly a year for a suitable dog
A 6 yo bitch, imported previously from Romania, been through 3 owners in 4 years - so we were told - absolutely perfect dog unless you're a small fluffy, very high prey drive! - to a couple in their 70s
A 6 yo bitch to a single lady in her 40s to live with her 3 yo dog. This lady has also waited a while but that was more for her dog to grow up and calm down as he was too full on for most of the bitches he met.
A 4 yo bitch as a handled security dog - to an ex copper who now does security. She was one of our long termers.
A 8 month old male also to a working home - this was a PTS discussion as he was so drivey and the mouthing was off the scale but we were contacted by someone we knew who needed a security dog so he went on a months trial and stayed.
A 2 yo bitch to a young couple, a spaniel and 3 cats.
Her 6 pups (she arrived a week before she had the pups after being abandoned in a park, very skinny) Obviously knew what mum was but dad must have very big - the guess is mastiff. One of the pups is over 40kgs at 6 months old. They all but one went to homes with dogs. One went to a first time owner. 2 went to homes with older kids - 8+ . All are doing really well. There were over 150 applications for the pups unsurprisingly but less than 20 of them were even worth talking to and of course, out of the 20, there are disappointed people who could have given a really good home to them but there were only 6 pups...
There were also 4 failed rehomings where the dog was returned within the week, one because a former yard dog cocked his leg indoors, one because the children refused to bring the grandchildren round if they had 'that type of dog', one because the dog chased next doors cat (yes really, next door threatened to sue) and the other because she snapped at them. One dog returned after nearly a year - no reason given but they did ask if they could swop them. I wanted to offer a stuffed toy.
That's just this year so far. As you can see, no dogs went to homes with very young children but most of the rest of society is included. All we ask of those who work out of the home is that the dog is not left for much longer than 4 hours without a visit so they can be let out for the loo and that, with a few exceptions that they are indoor rather than outside dogs for most of the time. If for whatever reason they can't keep them, we'll always take them back but are also open to them rehoming if they have a suitable home lined up.

I don't think anyone on here is 'anti rescue'. In fact the majority of posters on this thread have actively sought out rescues to remove from. I think that rescues are anti rehoming!

I think they need to review their procedures for rehoming.

Not leaving an adult dog for more than 4 hours is unrealistic, after all the same dog is expected to be 'alone' for 8 hours over night.
The rescues should perhaps deploy their volunteers to working through those dogs with issues and new intakes to identify issues.

Changes in housing does mean that there are more open plan type homes, but I don't feel that dogs should be segregated from family life, in crates or shut away, except in special circumstances such as young children visiting or periods when the front door is open by trades pople for example. Owners need the support to train dogs to adjust to family life.

Overall the feeling I have got from rescues is that if you don't work in rescue you haven't got a clue. Well I did work in rescue, I do have a clue, and no I don't want to adopt an elderly pomeranian with multiple health issues. However I did adopt an older gsd, with some health issues and some behavioural problems, some of which the rescue did mot inform me of prior to adopting, and he gave me years of companionship and I in return gave him a life of comfort and care and love.

 

[moosea]

This seems to be going round in circles! There are lots of rescues - breed specific ones are usually run by volunteers giving up their time often at very strange times of the day/night to look after whatever comes in. They often have waiting lists of people wanting to ‘rescue’ a fully house trained bitch, between 2 and 4 years old and must be pink with yellow spots. No flexibility and they want it today because they’ve already waited 2 weeks. So if the rescue you contact doesn’t have what you want then try somewhere else. However… dogs whether breed specific or not come to be rehomed / rescued for a number of reasons including that family or friends can’t or won’t help. We have some lovely dogs that come for sad and sensible reasons. The trick is to place a dog in the best home and depending on the dog we can have upwards of 40 people all thinking it’s going to be ‘their’dog. That means 39 are going to be disappointed especially as pink and yellow ones are rarely if ever available, Instead of knocking the rescues maybe give some time to helping them, find out how they really work, like everything else these days it seems to be the same busy people who volunteer whilst everyone else thinks it shouldn’t be them. My last two dogs have been ‘rescues’ the next will be from the responsible breeder a previous dog came from and yes l’ve been on the list for over a year. Just have to wait until some come along they’re not in a hurry and the stars have to line up before there’s a planned match.

If the rescues are full of dogs that are not house trained then perhaps they should work on preparing those dogs for a home environment and ultimately making those dogs more adoptable?

I think it's ridiculous that rescues will choose a dog for people, people they don't know.
If I went to buy a horse and I wanted a cob I would not be happy to be told I could only have a TB
Sometimes the dog I like is not a match on paper, but meet me, talk to me, accept my references.

I have worked in rescue, but I am not prepared to be looked down on as a potential owner because I do not currently work in rescue.
I should not have to volunteer to be able to view a suitable dog.

I agree that rescues being so difficult to rehome from, as you can see from this thread, is driving backyard breeders.

 

[moosea]

So those of you who have had a dog you didn't want, whether you found a home for them privately or handed over to a rescue organisation, what was the reason for not wanting to keep the dog?

I've only ever had one I couldn't keep.
An old German shepherd, came in as a rescue, background unknown flipped one evening and went into a full attack. Would have seriously injured me if I had not used a chair to force him out of the room .
Gave him a very cautious few days of eating roast chicken. Sat and cried with him as he slipped away at the vets. Cried because of what people had done to him.
Had 20 more as fosters, kept one for his lifetime.

 

[Leah3horses]

I'm a very qualified including in animal behaviour, very experienced vet professional, live alone in peaceful countryside,large garden, outdoor lifestyle with dog savvy horses, no kids, none will ever visit or even be around my dogs. Have had livestock guardian dogs who were definitely not suitable as pets for average dog owners, great Danes, all kinds of rescue dogs for their lifetimes, many of whom who deemed " too dangerous to be rehomed " and I've taken them from the actual rescue at PTS stage, because they couldn't cope. Have devoted my life to animals for 40 years, volunteered to sit and love many unfortunate dogs awaiting PTS and sadly had to help with more of those PTS procedures than anyone should have to. I'm a fit,strong healthy 54 year old. My last 2 rescues lived to 20 and 19.

Have references as long as any rescuers arm, actually give reference for clients looking to re-home rescue dogs.
Yet was turned down by a well known national rescue for a specific dog of a difficult giant breeds I'd had years of experience with. I knew I could give the right home to. That dog was euthanised by the rescue instead. On the say so if their "behaviourist" who had 5 years experience, at a much less qualified level than myself. Of course, they didn't even stay with him at the end.
So I was forced to rescue from abroad instead. This year old livestock guardian dog from Bosnia was much, much more traumatised , abused and supposedly " dangerous" than the unfortunate UK dog. It took 6 weeks of very careful behavioural counter conditioning and associated trauma informed behavioural care for her to invite her first ever affection from a human. Probably the most desperate case I've ever seen in 36 years in practice. 2 years on, she's absolutely thriving, we are a family, she is pretty much like a "normal" dog with me. She'll never be exposed to "normal" ,busy, hectic, unmanaged modern life, she'd never be able to cope. So yep, absolutely, there is a massive problem in this country with dog breeding, keeping and rehoming, in my professional opinion we urgently need to do what Sweden did back in the lates 80s when I lived there. Completely ban all breeding. Dogs, cats, horses , and some exotic species too. For a minimum of 2 years. The genuine enthusiasts can wait 2 years. It will drive all the shameful backyard breeding out, pretty much empty the rescues and improve the physical and mental health of animals here, which are so far behind more progressive European countries. The fickle general public will go onto a less harmful to animals craze/ fad. Then only reintroduce minimal breeding on a tightly regulated, genetic health checked , properly licensed basis by genuine enthusiasts.
Anyone who has issues with this overdue change, must help with the hundreds a week of PTS of innocents. They'll soon change their mind.

 

[Goldenstar]

I think we have one more puppy in us however increasingly I feel I would like to consider a Labrador from a breed specific rescue for out next dog .
But I read these stories and think I just can’t be bothered with the hassle .
I am tainted with my SIL’s experience of being turned down because she worked one hour a day at the school at the end of her road and a ridiculous performance I had to go through to get a cat from a well known organisation.

 

[Pegasus5531]

Rescues seem to find any excuse not to remove their dogs.
Last time I adopted a rescue, several yeas ago, I just lied because their criteria was ridiculous.

I told them my partner did not work, when in fact he worked nights. So I would be home at night and he during the day.
The rescues expectation was that an adult dog should not be alone for more than 2 hours. Ever.

I was looking at an older dog who had some agreession. In fact the rescue staff were terrified of him and it took two of them to get him out of his kennel.

He was a fab dog and we had him 6 years. We death with his aggression, left him for longer than 2 hours on a regular basis, and he had a great life.

Rescues are only looking for middle aged couples who don't work but own their own property, don't ever go out for more than 2 hours, have 6ft fencing, and are prepared to jump through a hundred hoops to adopt a dog.
They would rather a dog be in a kennel for 23 hours a day than snoozing on the sofa for 4 hours alone.

It's no wonder why there are so many dogs in kennels.

I have dog walked and fostered for the RSPCA and in late teens I worked full time at a sighthound rescue. I was honestly astounded at some of the homes that were rejected by the RSPCA. We had a young terrier puppy on foster and a work colleague wanted to rehome him, she had an elderly terrier already who she adored. She worked full time but every day dropped her dog off at her retired Dad's house who spent the day walking! A perfect home for our fostered dog but she was rejected by the RSPCA as she worked full time. The sighthound rescue I worked at was a small independent one and were much more realistic about rehoming as they had a constant influx of Ex Racing Greyhounds desperate for homes, they would allow people to take dogs sometimes without even a home check if they were recommended by vets, volunteers etc. As the lady who ran the rescue used to say people can lie about their circumstances and you can't judge the life a dog will have purely on a home check. Someone living in a flat could give a dog an amazing life and dote on them, having a garden with a 6ft fence and not working does not necessarily make for a good home.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I think a huge part of the problem is that people don't see/understand/process the small things that go into making good pets so they are seemingly shocked when benign apathy towards behaviour or babying doesn't result in what they see other people have with their animals.

I cannot count the amount of times that people (incl very experienced horse people) have said 'oh you're so lucky that Dex is so good' and I think, no I'm not lucky, I have put over a years' worth of solid work into his manners and groundwork and creating/ensuring good experiences to make him confident and not flighty and to show him how to process any anxiety and de-escalate - had I not have done this I would still have the bitey 3yo who spent a lot of time on his back legs, pulled away from me constantly, was bad with his legs being touched and would walk straight through you.. And I continue to reinforce those principles daily, with every interaction. Yes he has a good brain which is always helpful, but the animal is a product of what you create to an extent, it's not just hope for the best.

 

[cbmcts]

Do I think that rescues get it right all the time? Of course not!
Are there dogs rehomed that shouldn't be? And conversely, are there dogs not rehomed when they could be? Yes to both.

But remember that if all dog owners were as good as the ones here there would be no dogs in rescue. Nobody would have got a pup without doing their research and would invest in training and be prepared to learn as they go along, they would have plans in place for housing, ill health and the inevitability of death. There also wouldn't be the attitude that an animal is a disposable accessory rather than a sentient being. However, in the real world that is rarely the case and as a result rescues are full. However they are not full of 'desirable' easy animals that can slot into a new home seamlessly like a new pup can. Because they've already been let down by people, they will have issues that most rescues - with their limited resources and facilities - will work with. In that fabulous ideal world, every dog would go to an experienced foster home for evaluation and to work out their issues before rehoming. I used to foster the young males to evaluate, house train and put the basics of civilisation into but no longer do because I don't have the private land to exercise and train on any more, I own dogs rather than very stable bitches and quite frankly, I am not as young and fit as I was 20+ years ago and cannot cope with an extra large, untrained dog in the busy areas available to exercise near me now. Then, I knew the dogs that I fostered inside out. Much more of breed rehoming was done through word of mouth as the internet wasn't such a thing and as quite a close knit breed community, there was a lot of support (along with cliques to be fair) available. It feels like breeders were much more involved in rescue too, the difficult, not suitable for a pet home dogs were often rehomed with them even if they hadn't bred them. There were also a lot less dogs! Things have really changed in the last 20 years certainly but at a rate of knots since the pandemic. Having the dog you want at all costs, often based on appearance with no regard to breed traits and what you, as an individual can cope with is rife. Let alone the genetic and medical timebombs that were/are being bred by bad breeders, reared badly and clogging up rescues because rescues now rarely accept a dog with a bite history - too big a liability, has to be disclosed on rehoming, it's really hard to find a home that will stick to what they said they would during rehoming to keep everyone including themselves and the dog safe - so they lie. You get the sob stories about losing houses, allergic children, change of job, relationship break ups, can't afford the vet bills ( but a small rescue can?) and cynically I'd say that the reasons given for giving up the dog are true less than 50% of the time. Rescues then find out the hard way that a dog is a biter/resource guarder, reactive to certain other dogs, needs expensive medical treatment, has SA (which rarely shows in kennels by the way as they are busy with people around all day and often into the evening/night if there are poorly dogs or pups in and of course many other dogs 24/7) When you refuse a dog either through lack of space or because of a bite history, we're talking bad enough for hospital treatment rather than a snap by the way, you will get verbal and threats of physical abuse more often than not and also guarantee that the rescue's name will be slagged off all over social media.

When someone contacts a rescue to enquire about a dog all the above is in their mind and sadly, good responsible sensible owners are tarred by the experiences of the people you are talking too. We ask that you fill in an application form before you contact us, just so we only spend a couple rather than multiple hours a day on the phone talking to people about potential homes. It's self preservation, nothing else, not personal - you may only have a couple of questions but so do many others. A couple of paragraphs write up about a dog can only cover so much. The dog you applied for may no longer be available or there could be details that weren't in the write up that mean that your really great home offer wouldn't suit that dog in my opinion (FWIW) but another dog would be suitable. You can say no at that point! Some dogs have no history so while they might be ok with kids, cats, your hamsters, be house trained and could cope with a cross country train journey through London's Paddington, we don't know that. We only have one kennels, it's where it is, we cannot transport dogs to another kennels at the other of the country for a meet nor will we deliver them without you meeting the dog first and us meeting you. We're not bloody Amazon If you've filled the application form, you'll know all that before we talk.

Some rescues have policies and procedures you don't like or manage their animals in ways that you disapprove of. That's fine too, just move on. If it's really bad, report them to the relevant authorities.
You may think they should do things, especially rehoming differently. I can't disagree with that in some cases. There are rescues, mainly the national ones that won't rehome to me for what I consider stupid reasons. But remember all the crap that they are dealing with, it will influence their actions rightly or wrongly.

Rescues are not always right, in fact they often get it wrong. But what are the options? Shall we just allow dogs or any animal to be passed on to whoever wants them with no consideration for those who might come into contact with them or the dogs themselves? It's all very well not wanting to fill in forms, to get to know a rescue by volunteering - just go and buy a pup but that might not be easier. I'm talking to breeders now and I'm quite amused by how much info they want from me and references etc before they will consider me for one of their pups. Don't have a problem with it but it makes me smile and all wasted if they don't have a bitch pup available in their next litter which could be 6 - 8 months time.

 

[I'm Dun]

Do I think that rescues get it right all the time? Of course not!
Are there dogs rehomed that shouldn't be? And conversely, are there dogs not rehomed when they could be? Yes to both.

But remember that if all dog owners were as good as the ones here there would be no dogs in rescue. Nobody would have got a pup without doing their research and would invest in training and be prepared to learn as they go along, they would have plans in place for housing, ill health and the inevitability of death. There also wouldn't be the attitude that an animal is a disposable accessory rather than a sentient being. However, in the real world that is rarely the case and as a result rescues are full. However they are not full of 'desirable' easy animals that can slot into a new home seamlessly like a new pup can. Because they've already been let down by people, they will have issues that most rescues - with their limited resources and facilities - will work with. In that fabulous ideal world, every dog would go to an experienced foster home for evaluation and to work out their issues before rehoming. I used to foster the young males to evaluate, house train and put the basics of civilisation into but no longer do because I don't have the private land to exercise and train on any more, I own dogs rather than very stable bitches and quite frankly, I am not as young and fit as I was 20+ years ago and cannot cope with an extra large, untrained dog in the busy areas available to exercise near me now. Then, I knew the dogs that I fostered inside out. Much more of breed rehoming was done through word of mouth as the internet wasn't such a thing and as quite a close knit breed community, there was a lot of support (along with cliques to be fair) available. It feels like breeders were much more involved in rescue too, the difficult, not suitable for a pet home dogs were often rehomed with them even if they hadn't bred them. There were also a lot less dogs! Things have really changed in the last 20 years certainly but at a rate of knots since the pandemic. Having the dog you want at all costs, often based on appearance with no regard to breed traits and what you, as an individual can cope with is rife. Let alone the genetic and medical timebombs that were/are being bred by bad breeders, reared badly and clogging up rescues because rescues now rarely accept a dog with a bite history - too big a liability, has to be disclosed on rehoming, it's really hard to find a home that will stick to what they said they would during rehoming to keep everyone including themselves and the dog safe - so they lie. You get the sob stories about losing houses, allergic children, change of job, relationship break ups, can't afford the vet bills ( but a small rescue can?) and cynically I'd say that the reasons given for giving up the dog are true less than 50% of the time. Rescues then find out the hard way that a dog is a biter/resource guarder, reactive to certain other dogs, needs expensive medical treatment, has SA (which rarely shows in kennels by the way as they are busy with people around all day and often into the evening/night if there are poorly dogs or pups in and of course many other dogs 24/7) When you refuse a dog either through lack of space or because of a bite history, we're talking bad enough for hospital treatment rather than a snap by the way, you will get verbal and threats of physical abuse more often than not and also guarantee that the rescue's name will be slagged off all over social media.

When someone contacts a rescue to enquire about a dog all the above is in their mind and sadly, good responsible sensible owners are tarred by the experiences of the people you are talking too. We ask that you fill in an application form before you contact us, just so we only spend a couple rather than multiple hours a day on the phone talking to people about potential homes. It's self preservation, nothing else, not personal - you may only have a couple of questions but so do many others. A couple of paragraphs write up about a dog can only cover so much. The dog you applied for may no longer be available or there could be details that weren't in the write up that mean that your really great home offer wouldn't suit that dog in my opinion (FWIW) but another dog would be suitable. You can say no at that point! Some dogs have no history so while they might be ok with kids, cats, your hamsters, be house trained and could cope with a cross country train journey through London's Paddington, we don't know that. We only have one kennels, it's where it is, we cannot transport dogs to another kennels at the other of the country for a meet nor will we deliver them without you meeting the dog first and us meeting you. We're not bloody Amazon If you've filled the application form, you'll know all that before we talk.

Some rescues have policies and procedures you don't like or manage their animals in ways that you disapprove of. That's fine too, just move on. If it's really bad, report them to the relevant authorities.
You may think they should do things, especially rehoming differently. I can't disagree with that in some cases. There are rescues, mainly the national ones that won't rehome to me for what I consider stupid reasons. But remember all the crap that they are dealing with, it will influence their actions rightly or wrongly.

Rescues are not always right, in fact they often get it wrong. But what are the options? Shall we just allow dogs or any animal to be passed on to whoever wants them with no consideration for those who might come into contact with them or the dogs themselves? It's all very well not wanting to fill in forms, to get to know a rescue by volunteering - just go and buy a pup but that might not be easier. I'm talking to breeders now and I'm quite amused by how much info they want from me and references etc before they will consider me for one of their pups. Don't have a problem with it but it makes me smile and all wasted if they don't have a bitch pup available in their next litter which could be 6 - 8 months time.

If all this is true and rescues are doing such a brilliant job, why do some rescues have kennels full of dogs and very little movement, and/or tons of returned dogs, and some have waiting lists and dogs rehomed quickly into suitable homes? And why are all the people above, offering excellent homes, being turned down?

Because they are getting it really wrong.

Rehoming these problem dogs that bite, or cant be left etc, etc, etc, just means less time is available for the dogs that could be rehomed easily. There are much worse things than PTS and a long time in kennels is one of those things. With less dogs you can get to know them, resolve issues, with less time spent trying to rehome problems then there is time to assess people properly.

Someone with far more knowledge and experience than me did a post, about the lunacy of investing hundreds of hours of time trying to rehome a dog with a bite history when there are 5 nice dogs without that being sidelined. I cant find it now, but he was absolutely right.

 

[cbmcts]

If the rescues are full of dogs that are not house trained then perhaps they should work on preparing those dogs for a home environment and ultimately making those dogs more adoptable?

I think it's ridiculous that rescues will choose a dog for people, people they don't know.
If I went to buy a horse and I wanted a cob I would not be happy to be told I could only have a TB
Sometimes the dog I like is not a match on paper, but meet me, talk to me, accept my references.

I have worked in rescue, but I am not prepared to be looked down on as a potential owner because I do not currently work in rescue.
I should not have to volunteer to be able to view a suitable dog.

I agree that rescues being so difficult to rehome from, as you can see from this thread, is driving backyard breeders.

Lovely, can you take a foster dog to house train it? It's really difficult to do in kennels you see...

Rescues offer a dog - you can always refuse it. They are talking to you, are prepared to meet you if they are offering a you a dog. That is the time to open a dialogue about what you want and if (big if) they have anything that matches your wants.

Volunteering is something I suggest if someone doesn't have the ideal home on paper - lives in a flat, first dog, maybe of a breed that isn't generally suitable for first time owners, work full time out of the house, have kids etc. It's also a really good way of seeing what goes on behind the scenes and if it's a rescue you are happy to work with but it's not an obligation. Our volunteers, nearly but not all have a rescue. One has a dog from another rescue, one has a dog that they bought as a pup. None of the dogs rehomed this year or last went to volunteers but some of those rehomers now do home checks for us and other rescues in their area.

No, nope, no way. There is no excuse for knowingly buying from back yard breeders aka puppy farmers no matter what barriers are put in your way. None of us have a human right to have a dog especially when you consider the suffering that those dogs endure to produce 'your' pup. Just no.

 

[cbmcts]

If all this is true and rescues are doing such a brilliant job, why do some rescues have kennels full of dogs and very little movement, and/or tons of returned dogs, and some have waiting lists and dogs rehomed quickly into suitable homes? And why are all the people above, offering excellent homes, being turned down?

Because they are getting it really wrong.

Rehoming these problem dogs that bite, or cant be left etc, etc, etc, just means less time is available for the dogs that could be rehomed easily. There are much worse things than PTS and a long time in kennels is one of those things. With less dogs you can get to know them, resolve issues, with less time spent trying to rehome problems then there is time to assess people properly.

Someone with far more knowledge and experience than me did a post, about the lunacy of investing hundreds of hours of time trying to rehome a dog with a bite history when there are 5 nice dogs without that being sidelined. I cant find it now, but he was absolutely right.

Not all rescues are equal - there are no official standards in what they take and what criteria they apply for rehoming so there are huge variations between rescues. There are also big differences in resources and time to spend with dogs and publicising them if that makes sense. Plus what you are happy to have forever online about your dogs and how you operate.

More often than not, unless you have the holy grail of an experienced foster home for every dog, a lot of dogs do not display bad or difficult behaviour in kennels when they are being handled by experienced people. I can't remember when I last got bitten by a rescue. Not because I'm an uber dog handler - I'm really not - but it's absolutely ingrained in me after a lifetime of dogs and horses not to stick my face in a dogs face, to let them come to me, remove the dog from something they're guarding instead of sticking my hand in their mouth, not grab the collar of a dog I don't know routinely, to use body language/blocking rather than flap hands at a stressed dog. In a new home and with people who are strange to the dog at that point is when bad behaviours can be shown. Some are temporary because of insecurity, being unsettled, some are more established and may be a permanent feature of this dog. I strongly feel, that as a breed rescue there is a huge issue with people forgetting that each dog is different even if they look the same. Your new younger dog, with a different, probably less than ideal background will behave very unlike your old faithful that you had for 10 years plus from a pup, trusted and knew each other inside out. But it's very easy to forget that and go to remove the teatowel from a dogs mouth without thinking, go to step over them while they are eating and give yourself a fright when they react. My dog lost his mind and went berserk the first time he saw a bin man - young, tall, head to toe high viz with a bushy beard - luckily I had him on head collar as well as a collar and was able to shout to ask the bloke to stand still for a moment while I hauled the dog away but I still remember the shock as he had been absolutely fine with everyone until then. 4 years on he is still wary of young men, high viz etc but is trained and trusts me enough to ignore them on command.
Rehoming any dog is not easy. There will always be the WTF moments from you and the dog which can go south and result in a dog being returned. I know I have been guilty of blaming the home when actually it's the dog, they have an issue that didn't show in kennels. Other times, it is the home, they weren't honest, often through ignorance, you don't know what you don't know after all, sometimes they lied or despite saying all the right things, found the reality was too much.

We don't take dogs with known bite histories or serious behavioural issues any more as we don't have homes for them. But we do get lied to by previous homes and some dogs were strays/abandoned/seized by police (not because the dog did anything wrong) so have no history. A lot are adolescents who will push boundaries if allowed but are actually nice dogs underneath. As a breed, they are strong willed, intelligent, independent minded dogs with a long memory and left to their own devices, without guidance and clear, fair handling will make bad choices.

We do as much as possible with them while we have them but we cannot replicate every possible situation and every type of handling that they will have in a new home.

Assessing people - well, that relies on them being honest and realistic to themselves as well as us as to what they can and want to deal with. There is no shame in saying 'that's too much for me' but really that should be before you take the dog home. You know, plan for the worst, hope for the best. Accept that sometimes this breed, or in some cases any breed is not right at this time for your circumstances. Maybe a pup would fit better into your household now with multiple other pets, small kids, lots of visitors, a ROW across your garden (!) even if waiting for a well bred one would take longer, cost more, be harder work in the short term and you really, really wanted to rescue. Sometimes people will have to wait longer, accept that while they may be a great home that the dog they saw went to another great home that wasn't them. There was only one of that dog, but believe me, there will be more and with patience and understanding on both sides, you will probably end up being offered a dog. I know that we often will accept a dog with someone in mind to rehome them. We still need to have a kennel free to take them in and assess them before we contact that person and as always, there are no guarantee that the dog will be as expected or the home is still available but the people waiting are always kept in mind. Other rescues may operate differently of course.

Other times a rescue may not want to rehome to you. They have their own criteria and for whatever reason, good or bad, that is their prerogative. They may want you to jump through more hoops than you feel is reasonable but again, their prerogative. It's annoying and disappointing but walk away, get a dog somewhere else be it rescue or responsible breeder.

But please do not blame a single rescue for your decision to buy a back yard bred/ farmed puppy or import from abroad without doing your due diligence.

 

[Caol Ila]

Dunno....I don't have a dog, but I have a few friends who got rescues from abroad, who all provided great homes to their dogs. The dogs settled without too much bother.

All my friends wanted an adult, not a puppy, and they were turned down by UK rescues. It wasn't like they woke up one day and said, "I know, I want to get a dog from Romania instead of the UK!" They didn't. But when they went to UK rescues, they were rejected because they worked full time, or were vet students, or didn't have a garden with six foot fences, etc.

That all said, when you scroll through the Dog's Trust page or whatever and read descriptions, a lot of them have behaviour problems many people won't want to or be equipped to deal with. So in that sense, I understand why they have to be fussy. They are not nice, well-adjusted dogs. If it has separation anxiety, it probably can't

 

[SilverLinings]

Thank you @cbmcts for explaining what happens at the rescue you volunteer for, it's really interesting. From reading this thread and others on HHO about rescues they clearly aren't all the same, and it sounds like on the whole the smaller ones are more realistic when looking to rehome dogs.

I can completely believe that a large proportion of people who give their dogs up lie in the hopes that the rescue will take their dog, and that a large number of potential adoptees lie in the hopes they will get the dog they want. It must be impossible to tell the liars from the honest people when dealing with complete strangers, and I can see how in today's litigious society the rescues can't afford to take the risk.

I think some of the larger charities can come across as just professionalised animal hording, as they seem so reluctant to rehome. For example, a 6' fence may be required for a medium to large dog, but why is a smaller fence not acceptable for someone who wants to rehome an elderly terrier/pomeranian/chihuahua/etc? And if you are at work all day then alternative provision (like the lady mentioned in a previous post who's father took her dogs all day whilst she was at work) should be considered. All dogs are different but with some charities it sounds like they want loads of identical homes (no kids, no pets, not working, large garden, high fence, no stairs etc).

With regards to people who are turned down by rescues then feeding the backyard breeding/puppy farming industry, this is technically true, although not the responsibility of the rescues. I expect that a large number (potentially most) of people who are turned down by a rescue go and buy a puppy, and some of these will buy their puppy from somewhere unsuitable. Whilst this is not the direct responsibility of rescues, I think they (particularly the larger, national ones) do need to bear in mind that they do have an effect on this chain of events.

I feel sorry for rescues taking on the results of the idiocy of the pandemic puppy-buying spree, particularly the large number of dogs with behavioural problems, and it would be good if that could be prevented in the future. Unfortunately too many people seem to think dogs are easy, cheap 'toys' they can buy with ease and give up equally easy. Maybe it would help if people wanting to give up their dog had to pay the rescue to take it (unless it was for significant medical or financial reasons which a medical letter or bank statement could prove), if the amount was the same as PTS then maybe those who lie about their dog having a bite history would do the right thing instead of giving the dog to a charity. Not sure how this would ever be workable though.

One of my biggest worries at the moment is the number of owners who say they can't afford vet treatment. I think that unfortunately rather than pricing people out of the dog-owning market it is actually going to result in a lot more owners just not taking their pet to the vet until it is actually dying, or they will seek to give their dog to a rescue at the point costly treatment is needed (and then go and buy themselves another puppy). I have met far more people over the last couple of years who happily say their dog isn't vaccinated and/or registered with a vet, and they don't see this as a problem

 

[Clodagh]

So those of you who have had a dog you didn't want, whether you found a home for them privately or handed over to a rescue organisation, what was the reason for not wanting to keep the dog?

First one my OH bought it, dumped it on me to train, we thoroughly disliked each other (me and the dog) and I sold her at a year old, for what he’d paid as a pup. A well vetted home I still get regular photos from.
Second was only to get it out of a dreadful situation, made her well and part trained and she’s now got her dream home.

 

[SilverLinings]

First one my OH bought it, dumped it on me to train, we thoroughly disliked each other (me and the dog) and I sold her at a year old, for what he’d paid as a pup. A well vetted home I still get regular photos from.
Second was only to get it out of a dreadful situation, made her well and part trained and she’s now got her dream home.

It would be nice if more people were responsible like this, rather than dumping the dog they are bored with/didn't train/don't like walking* on the nearest charity and making it their responsibility to find it a home.

* @Clodagh I know these weren't your reasons for rehoming!

 

[Clodagh]

It would be nice if more people were responsible like this, rather than dumping the dog they are bored with/didn't train/don't like walking* on the nearest charity and making it their responsibility to find it a home.

* @Clodagh I know these weren't your reasons for rehoming!

I’m probably atypical in that although my dogs are much loved pets, they also work. So I wouldn’t keep one I couldn’t work. It would always be my responsibility though and either one I rehomed I would take back at any time.
Anything alive you have ever bred or owned is your responsibility forever.