I want a dog

hardpressed

A bit of background, I've always had a dog, my last one, a rescue died a while ago and now I feel the time is right to get another. Last three dogs have been rescue. I've contacted two local rescues, left phone messages to ask if they have anything suitable, this was over 2 weeks ago and I've heard nothing. I know these people are busy but I would have hoped that they could have returned my call. I've applied to another national rescue, filled in a re-homing form but the only response was when I e-mailed again to ask if they'd got my mail. They will let me know when they have considered if my situation and the dog are compatible. Again this is a couple of weeks ago. Am I expecting too much? I realise they have got to be choosy but I could go out and buy a pup tomorrow no questions asked, not that I would, for no more than some of the rescues ask in a compulsory 'donation'. All I want to do is give a dog a good home, in the country with a large garden. Is it too much to ask?

Penny_Watcher

I know the rescue centres are sadly very, VERY busy but it does seem a bit much that you haven't had a reply yet.

Can you pay a visit to any of the rescue centres? We have a Dogs Trust and Blue Cross locally plus some other smaller rescue centres. Whenever I've visited either DT or BC they've always been full so it does seem odd that they haven't been back to you.

We got our first rescue from DT. I filled in a form a few weeks before we visited to choose our dog. Three days after [strike]we chose our dog[/strike] our dog chose us (after a home suitability visit) we picked her up.

Well done you for choosing another rescue :T. Stick at it and I'm sure there is a very lucky dog out there just waiting for you.

Purple_Sparkles

I can sympathise as it can be frustrating when you want to give a rescue animal a home but simply can't get through and it seems to take an age but bear with it as these animals do need your help. I have many many rescue animals and of the two dogs I have both of which are rescue my greyhound is my favourite, the laziest dog in the world, 20 minute walk and he's done for the day!

You may not have considered one but really they are so well behaved and they are frequently forgotten that they too need homes after retirement from racing and they honestly do make the best pets. You can even have them on trial so if they don't suit the kennels will take them back no problem. Have a look at retired greyhound trust website or pay your local place a visit. I know when I rehomed George he was settled in at my home within a week and they really are loveable :-)

OK I admit it I love greyhounds but I don't work for the trust I just think they are frequently overlooked. I'd have more if I had room but I have too many animals at the moment.

Slimcilla

Ooohhh Yes! Get a Greyhound.. I have one called Speedy and he is the love of my life. Everyone talks to us on the beach and he is totally laid back and a joy to live with as he doesn't moult much and never smells of "dog." Also my Mother, who is allergic to dogs and horses, isn't allergic to him at all. He also doesn't bark much and curls up with my 2 cats on my bed when he thinks I won't notice - like I don't realise a large dog is taking up half my bed! He does need a coat in the winter as he has thin skin and only one layer of fur which is why so many greyhounds have fab looking coats.

It's estimated that 10,000 retire from racing each year and only around half of those are re-homed and that doesn't include the ones that never raced so there is a desperate need for good homes for Greys. They do need to be taught to do stairs and be socialised but then so most rescue dogs and dog training classes are a good option in my opinion. They don't have any hereditary diseases and are very clean dogs as they tend to groom themselves a bit like cats. They are obviously very fast and a joy to see when theres space for them to run at speeds of up to 50mph but they are also terribly lazy and as Purple_Sparkles says they need very little exercise. Speedy came from the RGT but there are masses of other greyhound charities out there too..

Warning - they are utterly addictive and you start writing to complete strangers on forums about how wonderful your Grey is and buying them posh collars and coats - not very MSE but they don't eat much so maybe thats a saving..

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

pink_piggy17

A lot of the rescues are busy and sometimes they also get a lot of idiots enquiring (e.g. I work 10 hours a day and am looking for a purebred rhodesian puppy who must not bark/pee etc! a bit extreme but you get my point lol)
try calling in if possible to let them know you are 100% serious. Also, I agree that greyhounds make excellent pets, they are very friendly, gentle dogs and only need the same exersize as a "normal" dog sometimes they are happy with less! (about 45 mins to an hour a day)

Errata

My friend has an ex racing greyhound which now works as a Pets as Therapy dog and visits the local district general hospital. Perfect gent !

mirrorimage0

where abouts are you maybe someone can point you in the right directrion of a rescue, or have you tried https://www.dogpages.co.uk there is some fantatsic rescues on there. x

hardpressed

I've just looked at the local greyhound re homing site, the one thing that puts me off is that they say your garden needs 5' fencing, there's no way i could do that as I have a big garden. but thanks for the suggestion anyway. I'll just have to be patient.

pboae

All the decent rescues have fencing requirements, 4ft is the lowest I've seen, but 5ft or 6ft is more common. Less than 4ft would be inadequate to keep virtually any determined dog secure.

elsien

Can you not just call into the rescue centre for a chat - that's what I did, and filled in the forms and looked at some dogs while I was there? They still have to do the home check etc, but they can't ignore you if you're in their reception area.

pink_piggy17

you don't have to fence the whole garden, just as much as you can. Most dogs will need at least a 4' fence anyway.