New Dog.

Thank you CanadianGran.

People adopt from abroad because UK rescue centres have strict (almost impossible) criteria these days. As an animal lover I think it's wonderful to give any animal a loving home whether they're from Romania, Spain or the UK.

This morning I gave him a bath. Her at the rescue had given him a bath just before she sent him on to me, but the smell of his misfortunes in Romania still clung slightly to his thick white coat. He is not albino white---- has dark brown eyes. I have a downstairs wet room which besides useful for me as I don't climb stairs with my heart, it is useful for bathing dogs . I had the shower fixed low down on the wall and keep the shower head permanently off the hook, so I can tie the dog to the handrail and sit down to bath him, no back strain. He was docile enough , and accepted the warm water without a fuss. I get pretty wet myself of course and the clothes and slippers I wore for comfort had to be stripped off then I had my own shower while he was having a good shake and runaround in the back garden. I always leave the dog's head to the last as it's the ears they hate getting wet.
He had a second breakfast/early lunch and will be nice and dry by the time my son comes and takes him for a walk.

I can't believe how much better I am sleeping since he came to stay with me!

Im so glad your new rescue dog is happy and settling in UK....but please be careful of him her running off suddenly without warning in open spaces and parks and all dogs are meant to be on leads now there anyway.

That is lovely to hear 😊

Maya and Patsy, thanks for the sweet photos. Toby actually looks like my boy. It seems like the larger Romanian mongrels have a bit of shepherd in their mix.

Caleo so lovely to hear about your lovely boy. Wish you many happy years together. I could not have another dog after losing my last boy as it was too painful. He had been a Rescue as all mine have been & really the best!

We rescued a dog from Romania 6 years ago now,she's such a good dog always has been.
Unfortunately she doesn't play though I'd love to see her running around with other dogs.
I hope you have many happy years with your new furbaby.

My next door neighbours have 2 Romanian rescue dogs. First one was easy no problems. Second one only walked to our house on the lead then lay down on the path. Saw it from my window as I was ironing upstairs at the time. Ran down to offer help but it was just terrified of walking outdoors. They carried it back inside. Slowly improved over several months as they took the other dog with them. Now it runs along quite happily no problems. These dogs sometimes have serious problems. You are very lucky OP

Not all UK rescue charities have very strict criteria but they do have criteria that protect the animal. I can't quite get my head around bringing a dog into the country when there are so many in this country absolutely desperate for homes.

I should have added that I do hope you and your Romanian dog have a wonderful life together.

Hi Caleo , have you thought about a waist dog lead for your son to use when running with your Rommie ?
They are very popular and can be bought online or from pet supplies.
As it’s now illegal to have a dog off lead (March to September) in open spaces it might be a idea to have one.,

I saw someone running with a dog the other day and it did worry me because the dog has no choice but to run and, to really enjoy themselves on a walk they need to be able to sniff things. One of my favourite dogs is a Romanian rescue. I don’t see him for months on end but when I do he’ll see me before I see him and bounds up to me. He’s one of the most intelligent dogs I’ve ever known. His owner does have a tracker on him though, as a lot of Romanian rescues have shepherding or hunting instincts and there are lots of sheep, deer and rabbits around. My vet said that he was concerned that rescue dogs from other countries are introducing new dog diseases, but I think that good rescue organisations are very informed about that. I support a Podenco/Galgo rescue organisation and a lot of dogs in Spain suffer from tick borne diseases that have to be treated before they can be rehomed. It’s awful the way the Spanish treat their hunting dogs, and they are the sweetest creatures.

Icanhandthemback
I absolutely agree with you about not importing dogs when we have so many already here.
However, the reality is very different. It took me a full 12 months of making applications, calling rescue centres and being on waiting lists before I was able to adopt .
I am an experienced dog owner, always had a family dog and home most of the day. When my beloved Labrador passed away, I started trying to get another dog. It would have been easy to buy a puppy on private internet sites but I was looking to rehome a rescue dog.
Registered with Battersea Cats & Dogs for six months. In that time the only dogs available were large breeds often with behavioural problems . Smaller dogs had dozens of applications each apparently, so no luck there.
Registered with Dogs trust who said every dog they have has approximately 60 applications .
Registered with three separate Dog charities on facebook. Once again, any dog advertised had many applications and I was not lucky.
I think the programmes on tv show regarding re-homing give an unrealistic view of the process when in reality home grown dogs are very much in demand.
I have several dog owning friends who couldn’t believe how difficult the adoption process could be until they tried it themselves.
Eventually, after being on the books of a local charity for a while, we were very lucky to be offered a super dog who had been a cruelty case. He has a thick coat that needs regular grooming but had been neglected and his coat was heavily matted.
He is an absolute joy now.

My DD and her partner have a rescue Lurchet, she’s not from Romania, but was bought from the family who were mistreating her. She was left tied up outside the house from a very young age and was attacked on several occasions by foxes. She’s still a bit nervous around other dogs, but is no bother to look after. We have her when DD and partner go away. She sometimes refuses to go a walk, but is quite happy to run around our large back garden. The good thing is she does bark when someone knocks the front door, which is really what you want a dog to do. The person outside can’t see her, so they don’t know the size she is, which is enough to put anyone off attempting anything.

I do miss her when she goes home, but it’s not possible to have a dog full time, as my husband can get called away at anytime and I’m not able to walk very far.

There are a number of ‘rescue importers’ who are in it just to make money…it’s big business . They do not test for diseases such as Leishmaniasis,Babesiosis,Brucellosis,Heartworm etc. please make sure that the Rescue Importers test for all of these before you get one.

Dog trainers see many rescues with major behavioural problems,mostly imported dogs. These dogs have usually had a life of total freedom,having to fight other dogs over food,and don’t like living indoors. It will not be plain sailing.

Having said all that, if you find a reputable one ( via your vet or Behaviourist) , then it is well worth doing.

Just as a point of information, some councils require dogs to be on leads in certain parks etc. It is not a UK wide blanket rule.

icanhandthemback

Not all UK rescue charities have very strict criteria but they do have criteria that protect the animal. I can't quite get my head around bringing a dog into the country when there are so many in this country absolutely desperate for homes.

I understand that, but you could apply the same to the adoption of children. At the end of the day, at least it is a dog which is being saved. "Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.”

Me and Odi

Caleo

My new dog arrived yesterday. He is a Romanian rescue. He is surprisingly relaxed and confident. He is what people sometimes call a Velcro dog who follows me all around wherever I go. So quiet, I was glad he actually barked once this afternoon, My son had him off the lead in the local park, and he got on splendidly with other dogs and their owners, all playing nicely together. No sign of running off and responds well to re call. I can't believe how well this dog is responding! I must say the rescue woman gave a lot of thought as to what sort of dog would suit me, and me suit the dog.
I should say I am lucky, as many of these Romanians have endured terrible hardships that make them difficult to train.

Hi Caleo,
Well done for getting a rescue.
(National borders are human, not dog made!)
I do a lot with rescues and, although your boy sounds lovely, this is always good advice for rescues:

" The "3-3-3 rule" for adopting a rescue dog suggests a phased adjustment period: the first 3 days for decompression, the next 3 weeks for settling in and learning routines, and the first 3 months for building trust and starting training."

If you don't mind me also saying, take care letting him off the lead because you never know yet what could spook him.
But, well done.
What a precious 4 legged friend you have made.

Oh Caleo, he's absolutely gorgeous!! What a lovely picture of you both!

Vice Versa, the charities that rehome dogs from the UK can rehome smaller breeds with no problem---even aged dogs. It's the larger dogs especially the ones with socialisation problems that they can't easily, or ever, rehome.

I got a GSD+ collie from RSPA some time ago, and he had the nicest nature possible, however he had been a stray and so had learned to be independent and I never managed to train him to recall when he was outside his own house and garden. This dog was not a danger in any way, so they could rehome him.

Caleo

Vice Versa, the charities that rehome dogs from the UK can rehome smaller breeds with no problem---even aged dogs. It's the larger dogs especially the ones with socialisation problems that they can't easily, or ever, rehome.

I got a GSD+ collie from RSPA some time ago, and he had the nicest nature possible, however he had been a stray and so had learned to be independent and I never managed to train him to recall when he was outside his own house and garden. This dog was not a danger in any way, so they could rehome him.

Yes, I know that. My daughter and son-in-law have rehomed a Cane Corso from the SSPCA here in Scotland. Poor boy was found as a stray with a very severe ear infection and had been in so much pain.

Whilst it is admirable to adopt dogs I'm alwayswondering why anybody would adopt a dog from abroad when our own rescue centres are overflowing. Of course we all feel sorry for any animals that are in the position of needing rescue but personally I'd go for one nearer to home first. I am pleased for you that you have got what appears to be a perfect animal, you are very lucky.

Love this post. So uplifting. Enjoy many happy years with your beautiful dog.