Rescue dog! Big let down!

UKTigerlily

I can understand why you're so upset & angry, OP & you have every right to be, the attitude of the rescue staff when you told them what happened & that you wanted the dog to go back is disgusting & voluntary worker or not that spoke to you in that way, it isn't good enough. It could have been a volunteer that spoke to you, maybe the Owner/s aren't aware of their attitude, although I think you say it was someone else too?

I am wondering a couple of things, did the dog definitely get rehomed or could it have gone to a foster family for further socialisation & assessment? Did the new owner (If it was rehomed & not with a fosterer) definitely pay £175? Maybe they got it cheaper? I do understand that though as you don't pay for the dog but a donation which most rescues seem to have a fixed amount, I guess to stop people offering £5!

The dog you got may not have cost them much, but others may cost thousands & it all goes to them & so I can see the rescue charging twice & think that's understandable, my own contract with the rescue I got my dog from says donations aren't refundable, so I knew that when I got her. It'd be nice if they had offered some back, but from their point of view, maybe if they do that they'd have to do it for everybody & nobody can say any dog is 100%.

If you'd got a pup that may have grown up to hate kids, or other dogs, even with socialisation & training. If the dog was ok for 4 days then to me, it doesn't sound like a dog aggressive dog, I realise it *was* aggressive & badly so, but mine wouldn't have even let another near her. Did the rescue have a history on the dog or had it been a stray? Maybe it'd lived with other dogs all of it's life & the old owners said it was fine & it may not have shown aggression in rescue (Dogs can act very differently in rescue to a home environment)

Also remember you had it for 4 days & I assume it was with the resident dog for 4 days, no rescue (Unless using fosters) could assess a dog for all those hours, maybe they never saw any aggression? (I'm not saying this is true but it's a possibility), it wouldn't be good for them to say it's fine if they knew it may not be as it'd likely end up back with them anyway!

Some dogs just aren't a good match & yet may get on great with all other dogs, some may fight after years together. I can imagine how it felt, when I got my rescue she chased the cat 2/3x (Always stopping dead when called) but my heart was in my mouth with fear each time & I thought about returning her & that I couldn't do it, so if either had actually been hurt & shown real aggression must've been terrifying & I can understand wanting to take it back, I myself told the rescue my cat comes first & if I ever feel she's in real danger the dog would come back.

Not sure about them homing a male to a resident males home, i've lived with groups of dogs with more than 1 male (Not castrated though) & all were fine, so it *can* work, I also know many people with two males including my Aunt, but I do think they should've explained a male/female combination would be a safer bet & guided you into that mix & if you'd insisted on a male maybe fully explain the risks.

Sorry this is so long, i'm thinking out loud & none of this is helpful I know, I do feel for you though & think maybe if the rescue had offered help from their behaviourist (If they have one?) or advice/suggestions for reintroducing them & managing it or came out to have a chat & see the dogs it may have made you feel better, to be spoken to like they did can only make it worse. They could've maybe done a goodwill partial refund of £75 or something so neutering was still paid for.

I'll shut up now as this isn't helpful, just want to say I do understand & feel they've behaved terribly, though not necessarily in regards to the dog they placed with you as loads of assessing may not have uncovered any aggression at all iyswim, it might be worth asking who their behaviourist/assessor is & to speak to them? (Even if to find out if they have somebody who does that!)

mpg

Mistymaid wrote: »

So what you are actually saying is that the professional organisation were right in putting two males together, or have you made a professional assessment as to how dominant the humans in the household are comparative to the male dogs?

I'm saying mistakes have been made on both sides. The OP has paid their vet bills
and wants a refund from the people who placed the dog.

As for your other point that really should also be assessed during a home vist.

Not just whether the house is suitable for the dog but whether it is a suitible home for the dog.

Obviously there were failings.

The OP has tried to do the right thing in re-homeing a rescue dog and it didnt work and should be refunded.

Mistymaid

I've never argued that the OP shouldn't be refunded, I think she should have been or offered an alternative dog. I also think the rescue have behaved appallingly and in the other thread gave my reasons for thinking this way.

Thing is, now you have a situation whereby the OP is saying she is an experienced dog owner and you saying you can put two males together (yes, we know you can but it always carries a higher risk) and also mentioning about the dominant human factor.

Lovely case of defence for the rescue then. All they need to say is, look at that forum, the owner is saying the dog did nothing wrong for 4 days, she's experienced anyway and when we did our assessment we found the owner to be of dominant character so there was no reason to think there would be a problem putting two dogs together.
No refund necessary.

When in actual fact the real situation is the owner didn't have enough experience to personally judge the situation, two males together always carry a higher risk of fighting, and basically it was the wrong dog in the wrong household. End of story.

If the charity are meeting all the charities Board requirements ie home checks, assessments etc, which I'm presuming are part of their criteria for getting charitable status - then, according to both you and the OP, they are meeting them.

mpg

I understand your point of view but I cant say I'm an experienced dentist because Ive cleaned my teeth for 36 years.

The OP has another dog thats 6 years old so obviously has 6 years experience its down to the Profesionals to make a educated assessment, After all they are the Profesionals.

Whats happened with the dog/dogs is a training issue.
Training of the dog or the owner I cant comment on.

I have just spoken to a friend who now trains security dogs after leaving the army where he used to train security and drug dogs.

He says there shouldnt be an issue with two males dogs providing the owners are the pack leaders. But was also amazed to be told they were lab's who are normally friendly if not a little crackers.

UKTigerlily

mpg wrote: »

I understand your point of view but I cant say I'm an experienced dentist because Ive cleaned my teeth for 36 years.

The OP has another dog thats 6 years old so obviously has 6 years experience its down to the Profesionals to make a educated assessment, After all they are the Profesionals.

Whats happened with the dog/dogs is a training issue.
Training of the dog or the owner I cant comment on.

I have just spoken to a friend who now trains security dogs after leaving the army where he used to train security and drug dogs.

He says there shouldnt be an issue with two males dogs providing the owners are the pack leaders. But was also amazed to be told they were lab's who are normally friendly if not a little crackers.

I don't know why but this made me think of two Labs we used to get boarding in the kennels I worked at, Mig & Bracken, both males. They were devoted to each other & although they'd 'hump' each other, it always looked like they had a smile on their faces & they'd follow each other everywhere! They were a comical pair

Ruby_Moon

KatP wrote: »

Well there are no guarentees with animals, no dog can be said to be good with other dogs. It is a massive risk to introduce one to another and to try to get them to live together as adults when they don't already know each other. The risk is even greater when one of those animals is a rescue dog with an uncertain and possibly difficult past.

The centre will have done their best to find you a suitable dog, if that didn't work out they will be as gutted as you because they want their dogs to have a settled home life.

You do not have the protection of the sale of goods act as you did not buy this dog. You were given a dog and you made a donation to the rescue centre to offset some of their expenses. In all probability all your donation paid for was the vet costs of having the animal vaccinated and neutered.

This is a charity, they took the dog back at no expense and rehomed it. How tight are you to seek to get your donation back! Would you ask for a refund on your red nose at comic relief if it broke???????

If you'd bought a puppy from a breeder you would have paid a lot more and had no come back if you didn't like the dog after a couple of weeks.

The rescue centre should have been very happy to take the dog back within a week if the rehoming wasn't suitable. If they were a respectable concern they would want the best for the dog and if that means taking it back, then thats what they would do.
Its also not unreasonable to refund the 'donation' as the pairing was not so good afterall.
It is unnecessary of you to say the OP is tight just because she would like her money back. If thats the way the charity practices, they could be homing unsuitable dogs all the time just to get more money.
There needs to be an element of trust involved so that people have the confidence that the rescue centres will do a good job.

By the way, yes, I would want a refund if my nose broke. If you bought a beautiful ming vase from the charity shop for £175 wouldn't you want your money back if you found it was fake?
Of course you would.

Ruby_Moon

Mistymaid wrote: »

Jimmysgin, you posted this in the consumer forum at 2.30 today and have had loads of responses - can I ask why you're re-posting at 4pm in another thread ????

Maybe someone said "Try the pet forum too as they have people posting who might work for charities there" and so the OP did.
Maybe the board moderator said, "I know a few people in the pets board who would be interested in this topic. Will you repost it there please?"
Or maybe someone said, "You won't get many answers here because its in the wrong place. Try the pets forum."

Either way, what difference does it make to you?

Debt_Free_Chick

jimmyjimsgin wrote: »

4 days later he savagely attacked our lab (totally unprovoked

I've only skimmed this thread but, to be honest, to put a rescue dog in to an existing "home", with another dog and then be surprised at territorial issues after only 4 days is a little ... naive ????

Sorry, but this issue should have been anticipated - even more so by an "experienced dog owner". An "average rescue" will need much more than 4 days to readjust to its new surroundings.

I think you may have asked too much from the rescue to expect it to behave perfectly in unfamiliar surroundings whilst also contending with another dog. The poor thing has been abandoned once already in its short life. Of course it's going to be nervous and overreact. As an "experienced dog owner" surely you anticipated that ....?????

foreign_correspondent

It is the risk you take, to an extent, when you have more than one dog together, especially to start off with.

No one can predict a dogs behaviour any more than they can a humans, they can just look for personality traits, and whilst someone may generally be a lovely calm person, if they got into a fight once, this would not necessarily mean the assessment of them (as generally lovely and calm, or lovely and calm until that incident) is wrong!

It is worth remembering that it certainly is not exclusive to rescue dogs, sometimes littermates, or parents and their offspring, who have been together all their lives, can fight to the extent they have to be homed seperately.

pink_piggy17

Could you possible PM me the name of this rescue, also, do you know how the dog got over there, where did he come from in Ireland? another rescue? Thanks.

Also, male dogs can get along fine, I know of several people who have male dogs living together, of varying ages, all neutered of course.