Would you get a dog from a dog rescue centre?

gettingready

Responsible rescue will match a dog to a family/family to dog.

I do not think you would be able to just walk in and pick a dog and take one away with you for a walk or to adopt.

It may be an idea to be "approved" by a rescue before visiting them to look at dogs to be honest.

phill99

ariba10 wrote: »

The only problem with that is the majority of dogs in rescue centers have been bought and ruined by owners that have not taken the trouble to look after them and train them.

What absolute rubbish. Absolute rubbish.

codemonkey

Bestthingsinlifearefree wrote: »

The only thing with an older dog say 5 years plus is that I have a 7 years old boy and wanted the dog to be with him through out his childhood so I was thinking a rescue dog maybe 1-3 years old rather than an older dog who could well be calmer / less energetic.

We are all going together as a family to the rescue centre and I have a criteria in mind, child friendly, socilaised dog, not a big breed (rotweiller / alsation) would be a medium or small dog,house trained

This is probably a silly question but what happens when you go to a rescue centre can you walk the dog there? Do you pick the ones you like the look off. Can you visit the dog a few times?I'm a bit worried that we / my son will fall in love with a dog there and we will follow our hearts and not our heads. Any tips re a dog recue visit much appreciated.

I can't speak for all rescue centres. We went to a few, one in which we were just showed the dogs in small kennels, and the big chain one which we got our dog from where they sat us down before we saw any dogs, talked us through what we were looking for and kept our paperwork on file. They talked to us about the dogs in question and in a couple of cases, they discouraged us from taking the dog we were enquiring about. We were allowed to walk the dogs we were interested in (supervised and on their grounds), and we were encouraged to come back the next day. We actually had a reserve on CD because the staff told us that he was coming in, and once we'd met him and decided to bring him home, we were allowed to come back and walk him as much as we wanted.

codemonkey

krlyr wrote: »

Are you sure it is the majority? I don't know the statistics to say it's not, but I've been on enough forums (and volunteered at a rescue) to know that there are plenty of other reasons for dogs to be surrendered. In the recent economic situation, many people have had to give up well-loved, well-behaved dogs simply because they could no longer afford them. Owner's health issues, changes in accomodation, relationship breakdowns, allergies, etc. could all be reasons why a perfectly well-behaved dog may end up requiring a new home.

We were visiting rescues around the time the bedroom tax came into force and a lot of dogs were being given in to them because people were moving into private accommodation. Ours was rehomed because his previous owners didn't have time for him anymore and didn't think it was fair.

phill99

Bestthingsinlifearefree wrote: »

The only thing with an older dog say 5 years plus is that I have a 7 years old boy and wanted the dog to be with him through out his childhood so I was thinking a rescue dog maybe 1-3 years old rather than an older dog who could well be calmer / less energetic.

We are all going together as a family to the rescue centre and I have a criteria in mind, child friendly, socilaised dog, not a big breed (rotweiller / alsation) would be a medium or small dog,house trained

This is probably a silly question but what happens when you go to a rescue centre can you walk the dog there? Do you pick the ones you like the look off. Can you visit the dog a few times?I'm a bit worried that we / my son will fall in love with a dog there and we will follow our hearts and not our heads. Any tips re a dog recue visit much appreciated.

My last dog was a rescue and a most beautiful boy he was.

There are various rescue centres, some national like Dogs Trust or RSCPA, and some more local. All have their own adoption criteria. Typically you can go to the rescue centre and look at the dogs. You will normally be allowed to walk the dog (but often on depositing your car keys). If you like the dog and would like to adopt it, you will have to fill out a form. Many rescue centres will do a home check (ie come and visit your home to check garden etc although in my case, because I already had a dog, they took references from the vet and my fig walker) and then require you to go back to visit the dog at the centre again with ALL members of your family including other dogs if you have one. Then you get to take the dog. Adoption fees are payable. My dog was £100 but he was microchipped, neutered, wormed, vaccinated, had 4 weeks free insurance, had a weeks food and a lead and collar.

Was the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

Bestthingsinlifearefree

gettingready wrote: »

Responsible rescue will match a dog to a family/family to dog.

I do not think you would be able to just walk in and pick a dog and take one away with you for a walk or to adopt.

It may be an idea to be "approved" by a rescue before visiting them to look at dogs to be honest.

The dog rescue lady said they would need to visit our house before we could get a dog and also asked me if any one would be at home all day once we have the dog. Plus the centre has been established for a long time. They ensure the dogs have been sprayed / neutured etc I guess all this has given me a bit of confidence in trusting the dog centre that they are responsible / know what they are doing.

I am slightly concerned that my zero experience with dogs might mean I make inadvertent errors or struggle with a certain type of dog / or a dog who has issues compared to an expereinced dog owner however I am doing my research and am on a fast learning curve.:)

izzzzythedog

im a dog fan and come across alot in my line of work , people always tell me with pride if they have a rescue

most dogs just arnt wanted , there not punch bags or been used for fighting , they simply do not fit in with a lifestyle , simply put they seemed a good idea but in no time its clear they didnt fit in , because of this they tend to be overly loving and demanding for attention which isnt a bad thing as they havnt had much of this in there lives

fostering can work well , i came across 1 dog that had been fostered out 5 times before the 6th lady took the dog on permanently , once again there wasnt anything wrong with the animal it was simply not fitting in and people had a test run , this is an excellent system IMO and well worth it , if nothing else you can work out the general sort of animal that fits in with yourself , big small energetic lazy etc ,,, give them a couple of weeks of affection and see if it works

gettingready

ermmm sprayed? with what

I am sure you mean spayed - neutering a female dog

Be very careful with rescues too - same as with breeders, there will good and bad ones.

Perhaps take someone "neutral" with you, someone who knows a bit about dogs?

hunnie

Hello, I would go for a puppy every time. It's very exciting for a child to get a puppy.
Visit the rescue centre though, then you will see what types of dogs are there. Each time I have looked there has been mostly staffie types and heavy breeds.
On dog walking, a Shetland sheepdog or Cavalier sized breed doesn't need a great long walk, its more for a change of scene and a bit of refreshment.
In fact the '2 hour walk' is a bit of a fallacy. If you teach your dog to expect that amount of walking then he will
The small breeds do tend to need more mental stimulus as they stay 'forever young' and lively, whereas a Labrador can soon age and become lazy.
regards, Hunnie

gettingready

hunnie wrote: »

Hello, I would go for a puppy every time. It's very exciting for a child to get a puppy.

oh dear...