Help to rehome please

Mrs_pbradley936

I need the advice of somebody with experience of Staffordshire Bull Terriers. My friend's daughter has a mother and 4 month old daughter neither of which have been neutered and I said see must be careful that they do not fall into the hands of someone who would take them for breeding.

Basically she took on the mother as a rescue before she knew it was pregnant - she had 5 puppies and found homes for all but one. Unfortunately the novelty of pet ownership has worn off, the reality of vet and food bills has kicked in and she wants to find new homes. Where should she start?

paulwf

If she got them neutered (the daughter when she is old enough) then she wouldn't have to worry about them going to someone that breeds them.

Phoning the Dogs Trust or local dog sanctuaries might be a good place to start to get advice as they will be used to the procedures for rehoming dogs.

Could she look at getting pet insurance and bulk buy dog food online, that way she might be able to halve her bills?

Bubby

If your friend got her staffie from a rescue then she must contact them first as she may have to hand the dog back to them. I feel very sorry for the mother in particular as she has had a new home, puppies and now is facing a new home again:(

If she did not get the mother from a rescue then I would encourage her to contact staffie rescue. The daughter may be easier to home because of her age as she will still be seen as a puppy by most people. The biggest problem she will find is that most rescues are bursting at the seams with staffies and many are reluctant to take in more:(:(. As they are not spayed if she re-homes them on free ads etc it is likely that they will end up as breeding machines so if she really wants to do the right thing (which she should if she has a heart) then if she cannot find them a rescue space is get them both spayed (the puppy may have to wait a while) before re-homing them.


I have to add that it is because of people like this that rescues are very much needed in this country:mad::mad::mad::mad:

crackerberry

I'd say contact the original animal rescue first or a Staffie rescue.

Advertise them and you'll have every thug for miles around ringing non stop for days so not a good idea.

Shame.

getcarter

What about posting on a staffy forum like

http://www.staffyclub.com/discussion/

They tend to be anti breeding over there. Most important thing is to find out about neutering though, how old is the mother? what are they like with children and other dogs?

hethmar

What part of the country are we talking about?

Mrs_pbradley936

Thanks for the response. The mother dog is very good natured with people and children, there is a 3 year old boy and a 1 year old girl in the house. I really do not know how she is with dogs. The mother dog did not come from a centre, a friend of a friend had her and wanted rid. My friend's daughter said she would take her. They live in Essex.

foreign_correspondent

is the friend really certain she wants to get rid? So many poor staffies do the rounds of so many homes in their lifetimes.

If she is certain, she needs to be aware that she may well struggle to get a rescue that has places for staffies, especially the mum who may not be easy to home. Would she get them neutered before letting them go, to at least save them from the hands of unscrupulous back yard breeders? Even if she finds a nice new home for them, sadly, as we can see from the experiences of these dogs so far, it may well not be the home they stay in for the remainder of their lives.

hethmar

Well, have a good google for staffie rescue websites AND general rescues in essex. Are you near London?

This one is good

http://www.staffierescue.co.uk/

But please get your friend to neuter both the dogs asap.

These people are in essex:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]South Eastern Counties Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rescue
Fred & Beryl Walker, Essex. Tel: 01268 523537

and

http://www.wagtails-rescue.co.uk/
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Kavanne

I wish I could say 'No worries, I'll have her' I love staffies. My bf grew up with an adorable staffie cross and my manager has the most beautiful blue one I've ever seen. She takes her surfing!!

I wish I didn't work full time!

liz545

I'd suggest she gets the dogs neutered before she rehomes them - the Mayhew in NW London will neuter staffies for free for people on low incomes, see here: http://www.mayhewanimalhome.org/dogs/ourservices/index.php.