Rescue Dogs

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.

Then there’s this...

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.

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.

Blondiescot that is very good to know.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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

I would love a dog again. My profile is impeccable to take on a dog but the rescue sites are very tight on who & what they will accept. I regularly trawl all the sites and being an experienced dog owner could accept many of them but the kennels are very rigid. It makes me sad but I'm hoping when lock down eases I will find a little four legged companion.

When I was looking or a new dog, the notes varied for each dog. Some not if young children, some with other dogs but sex specified. Ronnie was no children (because blind) and shouldn't be with another male. My other dog is female and they get on fine together. I think that she is top dog and has demonstrated it a couple of times.

The first dog I had as an adult was my mother's Westie, after mum went into a home. Hattie wasn't used to children and, whenever friends came with small children I kept her under strict control because she would growl at them. We had one family with a small boy who used to stay over night when they visited. He would not leave her alone. In the end I resorted to putting his hand in my mouth and pressing gently with my teeth to show him what she could do, except that she would hurt him. Small children are often incapable of approaching or touching a dog in a calm fashion.

I remember seeing a tv series in which families were choosing a pet. Those with small children wanted a dog that the children could play with and the children wanted a pet they could cuddle. Some of the children just would not leave their puppy alone. They didn't realise that puppies sleep a lot. When we brought Ruby home, we also had her brother for a few days until his new owners came to collect him. Those few days were filled with 10 to 15 minutes, every now and then, charging about the room, followed by a quick play fight and then a long sleep. Then the cycle started again.

The specific breed charity I volunteer for is very careful about placing with children under 5 for good reasons. It does place with older and retired, people who work, providing proper arrangements can be made so the dog isn’t left over four hours without human contact.

I have had two rescue Great Danes, who were both perfect, the first one had been brought up with children, so was fantastic when my grandchildren were born. The second one didn't have any history when we got her, she had been dumped in Aberdeen, we assumed over Hogmanay as she was terrified by fireworks. When DHs grandchildren came along she was as good as the previous dog with the children. I agree, there will be lots of dogs for rescue when life is more normal, a lot of dogs will have separation anxiety.

Dinahmo I am glad for those of you with happy outcomes. Years ago we were looking for a rescue dog and visited several kennels to no avail. The dogs all seemed to have problems and one we took for a walk had been rehomed 9 times. I asked why and was told she didn't like children or other dogs!
At another place we were told they only allow you to have 2 dogs as they need company. Whatever happened to Man's best friend?
In the end we didn't get one and much later, bought a puppy.
DD is looking for a new dog at the moment because hers died in the Summer. She would like to take a rescue dog but has heard many bad stories and she has 2 young children.

sf101

Can I give a shout out for the Greyhound Trust, they have centres all over the country.
Last year I too tried lots of rescue places and was looking for a smaller dog, I've only had shih tzu. Then I started looking into greyhounds, please read up about them and what wonderful pets they make.
I got Cassie last August at 4 years old, she is the sweetest gentlest dog it was months before I even heard her bark. To begin with she was unsure about other breeds but now is fine and totally ignores any growling yappy dogs. Totally clean and polite in the house and great with children who call her the tiger dog because she is a blue brindle.
I highly recommend them.

Absolutly, greyhounds are great dogs and they are real couch potatos so ideal for people who might not want to trudge for miles across the country.

Can I give a shout out for the Greyhound Trust, they have centres all over the country.
Last year I too tried lots of rescue places and was looking for a smaller dog, I've only had shih tzu. Then I started looking into greyhounds, please read up about them and what wonderful pets they make.
I got Cassie last August at 4 years old, she is the sweetest gentlest dog it was months before I even heard her bark. To begin with she was unsure about other breeds but now is fine and totally ignores any growling yappy dogs. Totally clean and polite in the house and great with children who call her the tiger dog because she is a blue brindle.
I highly recommend them.

Galmmanana, your grandchildren may be sensible but many children regard dogs and puppies as if they were toys.

My rescues have all had beautiful natures. Some if not many rescue dogs have been strays. This means that if they have survived they have become accustomed to making their own decisions and can be hard to teach recall to.

My DD1 took in a rescue dog who was very lively - a Capheaton Terrier, about 12 years ago. When she had her first baby she decided it wasn't fair on the dog so handed her over to us where she is the ideal companion for my DH. She does bark a lot - when she feels threatened, either by people passing the house. She is terrified of people with walking sticks, so think she was beaten with one as a youngster. Apart from the barking she is the perfect companion. My DH loves her to bits and if we go away, she goes back to DDs where she is happy.

I do think that when the Country opens up again and gets back to some kind of normality we will find Charities over run with unwanted dogs and cats,when people return to work full time and find that they can't cope anymore.
We have always adopted from a rescue close to our hearts and we have had two rescues over the past 14yrs and supported all their funding appeals when ever we can.
Three weeks ago I had to have my loving Lhasa PTS and it broke my heart so within 12mths I lost my darling husband and then my lovely little pal Poppy.
I cannot get any positive answers to my requests for adopting another little dog as the Charities say visiting DGCs may cause stress to a rehomed small dog,all my AC & DGC have been brought up with dogs & cats do they think I am that irresponsible that I would allow my DGCs to cause stress to a little dog ?

We are home all day, are fit and enjoy walking, with a large garden and country side on the doorstep for walks, and no children, I don’t know what else they ate looking for.
We thought they would be pleased to have more prospective adopters . We just want to give a dog a home!

I looked at rescues before I got my recent puppy but, because I have a visiting grandchild it was impossible. I have a friend looking at the moment. She is a single, retired lady with a large garden and no visiting children and she can't find anything either. She was turned down recently because her house is not detached. Meanwhile the dog she was interested in is still languishing in kennels. I appreciate rescue centres have to be very careful but it seems mad to me.

Ellianne

Oops, sorry, I meant British people ..... expats.

We are a university town and we get a load of adverts on social media each summer from students who are looking to re-home a cat they adopted while they were here studying but cant take back home..

The students are bad enough but the people who allow the breeding and give away or sell these kittens are worse.