All Fingers and Paws Crossed for HIM and Me.

foreign_correspondent

I would head down as planned - like bitterandtwisted, I bet he is a nice steady lad who is feeling very lost and confused -take the crate, go prepared, you can always say no if he is not the lad for you - but I would go and find out.

You wont be the first to have a few doubts about taking on a new dog - i remember wondering if I was doing the right thing when I was waiting for the homecheck etc for Badger - and when my 67 y/o mum went looking for a small, steady dog, and fell in love with a ten month old collie lurcher I had sleepless nights wondering if I should try and persuade her against it... even after the dog came home I thought it may be a mistake - however, almost two years on, they are a very good match indeed!!

lowis

Hey Mutter - it is natural to be full of apprehension and doubt...I was with Timmy. His owner had died, the owner's estranged brother took him to Siamese Rescue so there was very little known about him. No vet records, no idea if he was indoor/outdoor, only cat or had been used to a sibling at some point. I insisted that Timmy have a vet check and be tested for FiV before I adopted him. I also went and spent 2 hours with him in his cattery pen...where he bit my partner at the time! But, we had been fussing him for almost 2 hours and I guess he was stressed at his situation so I gave him the benefit of the doubt...and I went for it and adopted him. I know it's not greatly practical in your situation and moody dogs are harder to deal with than moody cats, but you can always take him back.

I would definitely ask the rescue about vet checks, vaccs etc though - it is important you try and put as much to rest in your mind as possible...but keep it in mind that there will always be unknowns with rescue animals.

good luck
xxx

paddypaws101

Another vote for going to meet Paddy! Well I am biased with that name after all ( Paddy cat is pawing at my leg as I write )
Of course there are so many questions to be asked and answered, but you will know the answer in your heart when you meet him. If you feel a connection when you meet then you wont care if he has quirks, it sounds like you have enough experience and enough LOVE to sort out any issues.
I know it is a 3 hour drive, but just take it as a day out...you don't have to commit till you have met him.....

elsien

I had as little info as you when I got mutt. She was picked up off the streets, taken to Battersea (I presume, as her vaccination certificate has Battersea on the front) then passed onto an EBT breeder who dealt with rehoming EBT's on the side.
I have to say the process was very sketchy and not all what I was expecting. I drove from the Midlands to Basingstoke to see her and the meet and greet was a 5 minute walk down the lane, after which I went away to make my mind up, and phoned them with my decision after a couple of days. The only info I had was that she was "a sweetheart" and chased brushes.

I later found out (after the car fiasco) that the walk I took her on was the first time she'd been out of the kennel for a walk, so she was really quiet and subdued, not the whirling dervish she generally is! And she hadn't been spayed (it hadn't occurred to anyone to check till I asked) or microchipped, and no-one did a home check.
The reason I'm telling you this is not to put you off ( mutt has issues, but she'll let me do anything to her, and I wouldn't be without her), but to say that smaller places / one person bands just don't always have the same procedures in place as the larger places like the dogs trust, and can come across as a lot more amateurish.
But you're right to say that a quick walk down the lane isn't enough to judge a dog on - you do need to ask them to find somewhere that you can spend more time getting know each other.
I paid £50 for mutt (edit - that was 10 years ago) - should have been £100 (they charged more for younger dogs) but they knocked half off due to me having to get her spayed when I got her home - I can't believe they actually let me have her without this being done first. And I had to sign a contract saying that if I needed to rehome her for any reason, I had to go back to them.

Being nervous as hell is a perfectly normal reaction - I was in pieces wondering if I was doing the right thing. Just ask all the questions you feel you need to ask and give yourself time. I'd second the bit about the vet checks as well - you don't want to be landed with various unplanned expenses if the vaccs etc aren't in place.

And I'd fail your home check - I'm not sharing my bed with any dog, however well acquainted.:rotfl:

beard0609

The only advice I can give is use your instinct...

15 months ago we adopted a dog from a breeder who no longer wnated her.. ( we had been previously home cheeked by BDH) we went one evening met the dog and took her home as there was no way I was leaving without her... 6 months later had a call..dog on death row would we foster for 1 month ( same breed as our dog) so we agree if he got on with her.. He did 3 weeks later due to take photos of him for adoption cue tears from kids please don't let him go mummy.. I now have two dogs!!!!

We don't really know their history more know about her than him but it "felt" right IYKWIM

jeannieblue

I've been hooked on this thread - any news?

I'm hoping Paddy has a new home

trudij

Me too - come on Mutter - do we have a new member???

claireac

Dying to know what's happened??

Paddy looks a lovely lad, although I'd say not a blue roan. Definitely a cocker, maybe a larger one. He's probably confused and unhappy.

I have to say, I'd be there like a shot!! Hope it's all going well.

Mutter_2

We're home!!!!

billy858

Good luck to you both, he looks gorgeous. Do let us know how things go tonight.