Why do rescues make it harder than it should be?

Although yes many charities criteria can be extreme, don't give up!
We lost our rescue Gsd in January and our house was so empty, but with.a baby we worried. I rescue would have us. But within a month we have a 2 yo collie and we're approved by 2 other charities (decided to contact 3 about looking rather than a certain dog)
 
I also don't understand why they don't just do the boy before your boyfriend gets him? It isn't a quick procedure and then the adoption fee covers the cost.

You are educated and have made clear your reasons for not yet doing your girl
 
If your boyfriend is very keen on this particular dog, could he offer to pay the neutering fee, or offer to have him neutered once he has settled in and get a vet note to prove it has been done?

I have volunteered for three nationwide breed rescues at various times and all had criteria that I thought a little OTT, especially when there were dogs stuck in kennels for months on end while decent homes were turned down for reasons such as work hours, fence not tall enough, a cat or too many other dogs in the household etc. One of the rescues would not rehome an entire dog to a household with an entire bitch or vice versa (although I appreciate this isn't the case here) and being a small charity would not routinely neuter or spay themselves but would have the adopter sign a form to say they would have the dog neutered once they were of age/had settled in to their new home.
 
Probably a long shot but if anyone knows of a rural, GSD experienced active home for a 5 year old entire working line male who is great with people but can be reactive to strange dogs please PM me. A friend has had to make the heartbreaking decision to rehome her dog for health reasons. He has his BH and is very well trained. If I didn't already have two GSDs with a puppy booked for later this year then I would snap her hand off. I can provide more info/photos etc by PM.

For those that are not familiar with a BH test ...

http://www.schutzhund-training.net/bh.html
 
Horses rather than dogs but I had a conversation a while back with someone who rehomed a pony from one of the large charities. She wanted to get an additional pony so contacted the charity to see what may be available. Bearing in mind she'd had the original pony for years (10+ if I remember correctly) with no issues and the charity doing home check-ups, the charity wanted her to go through the whole lengthy process as if she was a brand new unknown prospective home.

As others above have done, she bought one instead.
 
I work with on of the rescues, and there are a number of reasons why we turn people down. People apply for a particular dog, if it is one of our popular dogs we can afford to be picky, and why would we rehome a dog to someone who is going to leave the dog alone for hours compared to someone who is at home for the dog mist of the time - all other things being equal.

People normally don't get one of our rescues because of the way they have answered our questionnaire. Some of our dogs are needing to be an only dog, so when someone applies saying they have a dog who needs a companion we aren't going to consider them for the dog they have applied for. Our job is to match the dog with the best possible home - it doesn't come down to if you are / are not working, but what suits each dog,
 
Thanks for all the replies guys!

I have an update for you, I spoke to a lady at the yard, who I know rescued even though she doesn't have a garden, was 75 at the time of rehoming and would be taking the dog to the yard to be with 4+ entire bitches. I asked her where she got the dog and turns out it's the same place we're looking at!!
She told me it's not a charity, it's a rescue/boarding kennels. Some dogs are only given a week. That instantly made me feel sick! The boy we're looking at is a real sweetheart! Some of them, yes, I understand. Aggression, extreme behaviours, you don't want to pass that on!
Not being a charity, they don't actually neuter.
So, BF called up today and said if he neutered and did a complete vet check as the first port of call, would we be considered? Yes!
We're going to see him again tomorrow lunch time :)

I took BF to a talk with my trainer this evening. It was about how dogs learn and he said he learnt a vast amount and would take the dog to training with her :D
I'm glad I'm steering him in the right direction, his friends wanted him to just go out and get a dog, but I'm trying to do everything right, for his sake and the dogs!
 
Boarding kennels sometimes get contracts from councils to keep dogs on their behalf. Councils, not rescues, or boarding kennels, routinely give dogs a week to be reclaimed, removed or PTS.

Councils do *not* routinely use ratepayers money to spay or neuter dogs and neither one dog Warden covering a huge area nor boarding kennels as a private enterprise have the time or resources to individually assess or work with every stray or unwanted dog.

I feel there is a lot of confusion here and elsewhere about what a rescue actually is. A council pound or contracted holding kennels is not a rescue.
And I also feel more ire should be directed towards those who abandon or dump their dogs, those who pick the wrong dog for their situation, or who breed from their pet to make cash.
Which is why there is a problem in the first place.
 
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CorvusCorax said:
Boarding kennels sometimes get contracts from councils to keep dogs on their behalf. Councils, not rescues, or boarding kennels, routinely give dogs a week to be reclaimed, removed or PTS.

Councils do *not* routinely use ratepayers money to spay or neuter dogs and neither one dog Warden covering a huge area nor boarding kennels as a private enterprise have the time or resources to individually assess or work with every stray or unwanted dog.

I feel there is a lot of confusion here and elsewhere about what a rescue actually is. A council pound or contracted holding kennels is not a rescue.
And I also feel more ire should be directed towards those who abandon or dump their dogs, those who pick the wrong dog for their situation, or who breed from their pet to make cash.
Which is why there is a problem in the first place.
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I wholeheartedly agree.
The breeder I got Tam from has a contract that states all dogs must go back to her if there's a problem, they must never end up in a rescue. But, some people, including one very recently, have broken that! I don't understand why.
Being on pet groups just after Xmas was so depressing. So many young pups and kittens and so many older dogs and cats who didn't get along with new pup or kitten.
I don't know how people do it! Tamriel is not an easy dog and I've had to learn so much in a short space of time. It'd be the easy option to dump her back at the breeders or at a pound, but that's not how I do things. Same with Ned! Easy option would have been to turn him down when I was offered him, or even shoot him. I just can't do it! I don't want to, I'd rather work with them to make their lives better and see a happy animal at the end of it all.
My first dog Annie was given to me as well, they said she was naughty and stole from the rubbish and pooed all over the house. When we got her, the destruction didn't stop - it was their other dog!!! I had a dog of a lifetime for 15 years thanks to their stupidity. Haha!

I was very confused about this "rescue" as it has the word in the title! They don't make it obvious what they are at all!
Now I know a bit more about it, I'm still happy for BF to proceed with trying to adopt the dog, as I do believe he's a great fit and problems (such as recall, I believe) can be worked on with myself and my trainer.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Boarding kennels sometimes get contracts from councils to keep dogs on their behalf. Councils, not rescues, or boarding kennels, routinely give dogs a week to be reclaimed, removed or PTS.

Councils do *not* routinely use ratepayers money to spay or neuter dogs and neither one dog Warden covering a huge area nor boarding kennels as a private enterprise have the time or resources to individually assess or work with every stray or unwanted dog.

I feel there is a lot of confusion here and elsewhere about what a rescue actually is. A council pound or contracted holding kennels is not a rescue.
And I also feel more ire should be directed towards those who abandon or dump their dogs, those who pick the wrong dog for their situation, or who breed from their pet to make cash.
Which is why there is a problem in the first place.
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My dog came via a council dog warden I knew, from the council kennel, he had 11 days and because of his type (staffy x lab) was due to be PTS he was about 5.5 months old and entire. I fostered him purely to save his life with a view to re homing him . We think he was a "status" dog as he looked the part, like a drugs dealer's dog but is the softest dog you could imagine.10 years later he's still with us!
 
WGSD, the reactivity can't be too bad if he has passed a BH? He can lie down for ten minutes while another dog works close by and be tied out with the owner out of sight with another dog walking past...hope he gets sorted :)
 
CorvusCorax said:
WGSD, the reactivity can't be too bad if he has passed a BH? He can lie down for ten minutes while another dog works close by and be tied out with the owner out of sight with another dog walking past...hope he gets sorted :)
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Thanks. He is a great dog. He is fine with dogs he knows but would make a beeline for a strange dog in, say, a park situation. I believe he isn't reactive on lead. Apparently the lines he is from often do produce dog aggression in their male line, but usually not an issue as most of the dogs are working or sport dogs, so it isn't the same issue as it is for a pet home.
 
I hope all turns out for your bf it sounds like he will make a good dog person

Rehoming centre's are having problems with returns
http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/...-that-dont-fit-say-shropshire-kennels-worker/

One of my neighbours done exactly the same, rehomed a dog, within 2 days it had chewed her seatbelt so it was returned as unsuitable

I wish someone would steal/rehome or do something about this one in Eastbourne
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1207053609414349&set=o.116997308330416&type=3
 
people just want a magic toy dog! even basic issues, ones that need minimal time or training, can be too much. But puppies are babies that need to be taught everything, and rescues have been so unsettled, even if they have not been abused.

when we got our last dog within a week it was clear he was reactive towards a lot of other dogs, possibly due to bullying and also lack of socialization with other friendly dogs (the people we got him from of course said he was fine with all dogs. he did live with a small poodle and before that in a barn with a few other GSDs). we didn't have a rescue to return him to, just a completely unsuitable home that we had got him from, But we took him as he was. For 3 years he was the greatest dog in the world. Yes, we tried hard to socialise him, but he never got fully over his issues, and just had a few dog friends. He therefore needed constant management when out- always watching for other dogs and handling him appropriately. But he had so many other amazing traits. I dread to think where he would of ended up on free-ads if we had not got him.

new dog- again from an unsuitable home, but via a small rescue group, was apparently left for hours with no problems... well the first night we just went upstairs and she howled and messed. this has improved massively just with time to settle- she sleeps downstairs now and can be left for a few hours- but is a little stressed when we return. I admit I did feel stressed in the first couple of days when her issues came to light, but I had already fallen in love with her friendly personality.

We are getting a bigger house soon hopefully.... then I am allowed at least one more dog!
 
Peter7917 said:
I know I will get shot down for this but you could consider a foreign rescue. They don't have all the same red tape that UK based rescues have. UK rescues turned us down for various reasons (I already have 5 dogs, one of my dogs is a little unstable with strangers, I work full time even though mum is home with dogs while I'm working sleeping on sofa after her night shift, we have cats etc)

We have a Cyprus rescue coming to to us in a few weeks. We wanted a rescue and this is the only way we will get one. We didn't want another puppy.
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I agree with the above .... i've rescued from both UK & abroad, & find that sadly the ones abroad are more desperate (probably due to the conditions the dogs are in, & the risk they are at) so therefore criteria is not so strict. The risk to the adopter is that the dogs may be more of an unknown quantity in terms of behavior, so ideally for the more experienced adopter who is willing to work through any issues the dog may have.

I volunteer for a rescue charity & if we send out a dog which is not speyed/neutered (eg. due to age), we ask for agreement to have it done when appropriate, & follow up by asking to see proof of such (& costs of which we will also reimburse for). I do homechecks & although there may be a rough criteria, i take each one on it's own merit, & have successfully placed dogs in excellent homes which on paper may not seem ideal but in reality are absolutely fine. eg. owner lives in an apartment without a garden. I think it's sad that dogs may miss out because some may be too stringent.
 
MotherOfChickens said:
as long as people are clear that if they are getting one from certain parts of Europe they could be Leishmaniasis positive which may require uninsurable healthcare, other health complications and a shortened life span.
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The one i dealt with test them before flying them out, & advise if they are positive (& i think i've seen them offer to pay for future treatment before as well).
 
eatmyshorts said:
The one i dealt with test them before flying them out, & advise if they are positive (& i think i've seen them offer to pay for future treatment before as well).
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thats good, as long as people realise that a negative test just before importing the dog, doesn't mean the dog will remain negative and as long as they are fully informed what the disease means. I spent months on different social media sites/pages last year looking at this issue and too many either werent aware when they adopted or had been assured that leish is perfectly fine to live with (which is can be but often isnt). There are also issues with getting the drugs of choice in the UK, with UK vets not being fully aware of treatment options and the expense of related conditions as well as insurance.
 
I know a few people with lovely foreign rescues. But I have also seen many UK rescues that have had to take on foreign dogs from their new homes within months, often as they have not adapted quickly enough to a family home and have deep issues from their previous neglect.
 
Chan said:
I was very confused about this "rescue" as it has the word in the title! They don't make it obvious what they are at all!
Now I know a bit more about it, I'm still happy for BF to proceed with trying to adopt the dog, as I do believe he's a great fit and problems (such as recall, I believe) can be worked on with myself and my trainer.
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Its not FL near Salcey is it?
 
It boggles my mind that people think a street dog who has never been on a lead or in a house or car will fit seamlessly into a busy family home after the additional stress of a journey by van/ferry. How many of these dogs do you see listed as missing because they bolted through fear soon after arriving at their new homes. I am sure there are lots of exceptions but it is not something that will ever sit comfortably with me.
 
WorkingGSD said:
With rescues from abroad on the increase (and I can certainly see the reason for people wishing to save dogs from often horrendous conditions), is there also an increased chance of bringing in health risks not before associated with the UK canine population?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/hea...-risks-to-pets-of-disease-carrying-ticks.html
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yes, there are. for example (I'm sticking with leish for now), although dog-dog transmission of leish hasn't been observed in the UK yet (it need the sandfly) some strains have spread dog-dog in the US (mainly in foxhounds) and babesia is arguably a more likely threat.
 
Yes the one we are getting our dog from does have one available atm who has leishmania. They cover the cost of the tablets for the duration of the dogs life. All dogs are blood tested before flying both f9r leishmania and something else that i don't recall the name of. Also will be neutered, relevant vaccinations, flead, wormed, microchipped etc.
 
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How strange. they are definitely not a rescue! I know loads of people who have had dogs off them with no home check and no stipulations. hope you can get it sorted!
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MotherOfChickens said:
thats good, as long as people realise that a negative test just before importing the dog, doesn't mean the dog will remain negative and as long as they are fully informed what the disease means. I spent months on different social media sites/pages last year looking at this issue and too many either werent aware when they adopted or had been assured that leish is perfectly fine to live with (which is can be but often isnt). There are also issues with getting the drugs of choice in the UK, with UK vets not being fully aware of treatment options and the expense of related conditions as well as insurance.
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As above......also, I would ask to see the test results and NOT rely on word of mouth. Someone I know was going down the road of adopting a foreign dog but when they started asking questions about health status and asking to see the results of all the tests it had allegedly had, things went very quiet. Some of these facebook groups appear to disappear and then crop up again under a slightly different name; also, you see the same names again and again across a multitude of pages. Buyer/adopter beware!
 
gunnergundog said:
As above......also, I would ask to see the test results and NOT rely on word of mouth. Someone I know was going down the road of adopting a foreign dog but when they started asking questions about health status and asking to see the results of all the tests it had allegedly had, things went very quiet. Some of these facebook groups appear to disappear and then crop up again under a slightly different name; also, you see the same names again and again across a multitude of pages. Buyer/adopter beware!
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the problem with leish is that testing is not 100% reliable due to the nature of the disease. So a dog can test negative and then positive a year later. any dog in the Med region of Europe that hasnt worn a anti-sandfly collar since a pup should be considered as very likely to have it.
 
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