Rescue Dogs

Breeders are not so fussy as long as you can afford to pay £2000 and that's just the start.

I do think some dogs are really hard to rehome.

My son in America has one of these. He was very badly treated including being chained to a lorry tyre for hours on end in hot sun and being kicked and beaten. He is a pit bull cross and has had to have lots of love and lots of training. The rescue centre staff actually wept when he was finally rehomed as they thought they would have him for life.
It was really hard work all the same.

For a long time my son was the only male he allowed near him and he was unbelievably protective of my son's lovely partner to the extent that they had to "train" him that if they were cuddling or larking about, his girlfriend was safe and happy.

I can't now remember the reseach behind it but there's some evidence that these hyper alert dogs with aggressive tendencies can benefit from a non-threatening dog companion and the centre (still involved with the ongoing training at this point) introduced him to a female puppy who he absolutely adores. She's an adult now but as a tiny one was immediately allowed to bite his nose, climb on him and chew his feet and tail. It was incredible to watch as he was just so tolerant with her. Her joyful relaxed attitude to life has taught him to "chill out" and I do wonder how successful his rehabilitation would have been without her. They are great mates now and have together even welcomed a neighbour's unwanted kitten into their odd little gang.

Needless to say, he has a good life now is very loving and welcomes hugs, stroking, playing and cuddles - but he still wearss a muzzle when out in public in case his protective old self should bubble up when out for walks. It really is hard to believe he is the same dog - but it has been a very long (and very expensive) journey and all the effort involved is not for everyone.

It was a whole year before the rescue centre "signed him over" to my son and partner. Adoption was a long process for this beatiful but deeply damaged dog. As with some children who have had a terrible start in life, it is possible to make things work eventually but it does involve dedication and fortitude- and hundreds of hours of your loving time.

We rehomed a beagle and he was the naughtiest dog we have ever had. Very charming but totally unmanageable and eventually we rehomed him to a farm where he had a little friend. He would escape all the time, steal all the neighbours’ milk which he stashed in the reserve near us. He came home with a shoe once, never found out who’s it was. He bit through all our watering system, crapped in the house , bit all the furniture BUT he was good with little kids and so we kept him for quite some time. When he left us he ran off with his new friend with never a backward glance. Haven’t had a dog since, he ‘cured’us.

That’s a great post NotSpaghetti. What patience and courage your son and his partner showed. I agree with you in seeing the similarities between dogs and children

A friend rescued an American bull dog cross from our local shelter. The dogs history was equally heartbreaking. Two years on, she’s a beautiful, obedient dog, friendly and at ease with people and dogs she trusts. She needs ongoing training support, her willingness to guard her female owner is strong.
One of my rescues arrived with every rib visible, despite six weeks in the dog shelter. He stole and guarded food, was fearful of men etc. He became one of the best dog companions ever. There is something very special about rescues

We lost our beloved Lab back in June and this is the longest we've ever been without a dog. I've looked at numerous rescue centres - including many from overseas - but unfortunately, because our three-year-old grandson lives with us, most won't consider us as potential adopters. I totally understand the reasons behind this - it's always a risk when you don't know the dog's previous history - but we've now gone down the route of getting another puppy instead, and he will be joining the family in April. I understand why rescue centres have to be so cautious, but it is a shame that so many dogs are left in rescue centres when there are loving homes out here.

Grammaretto

Breeders are not so fussy as long as you can afford to pay £2000 and that's just the start.

Actually, many responsible breeders are very fussy about who their puppies go to. We were very thoroughly vetted by the breeder of our Lab pup.

Blondiescot that is very good to know.

Many moons ago I bred dogs. I showed them and for that purpose mainly, bred from lines I respected.

Pups I did not keep were offered for sale. Prospective buyers came to visit and were grilled for want of a better word. We did home visits too.

Once someone bought a puppy they signed a contract that if they EVER couldn’t keep the pup it could be returned to us, no questions asked for a full refund. No matter the age.

I think we only had one returned by a couple that under estimated the work involved with a giant breed male pup .

When our current dog isn’t with us anymore we’d happily have a rescue but won’t even be considered because we do do have young children in and out of the house. It’s a bit of a shame really as we could offer a loving and experienced home.

I think the media has a big role to play in this. They have contributed to the demonization of dogs through the years.
Think about it, people are killed more often in car crashes than they are by dog bites and yet if a dog bites its front page news if a car crashes its only news if someone famous ( or Royal ) is driving.

Of course very often human error is to blame. Leaving a small child alone with serveral large dogs, or grandparents who adopted an large dog and two days later allowed their grandchild to be alone with the dog.. The child dies and the first thing that happens is that the parents or grandparents have the dog killed, the dog is the monster the dog is to blame.. Not the parents or grandparents who put both the dogs and the child in danger, Not the adults who should have known better, not the adults who were neglegent in prtecting both dog and child.. No... lets scream demon dog have them banned, muzzled, labeled unsafe..

This is whats led to rescues covering their own backsides and saying no re-homing if small children are around .
Its not that they dont trust the dogs its that they cant trust the adults.

Then there’s this...

Our local rescue centre always has a good supply of retired Greyhounds, nearly all of them are 5 years old, fairly well behaved, but cannot be rehoused in homes with other small furry animals or Children, and need a very secure garden, and exercise area. They are not suitable for being let off lead in Public places, due to them having the ability to run at speeds of up to 40mph! They make faithful compainions, curl up surprisingly small, and are nearly all males!
I have adopted from this rescue before, a 18month old Staffy cross Labrador Bitch, she had been found tied up and abandoned in a Pub carpark, and went on to be the best most faithful dog I ever owned, she lived for 12 years with us, loved sailing on the Norfolk Broads, and travelling in my husband's workvan! I would have another Zoe in a heartbeat, but feel that it would be unfair now as the chances are that the Dog could more than lightly outlive us, and he back in the rescue through no fault of its own.