Getting a dog from local dogs home

swingaloo

Does anyone have any experience of getting a dog from a dogs home? Would like advice on what the process is please.

Is it difficult to do or a quite simple thing to do. We have previously had 2 dogs but got them both from family or friends who had puppies.

Our situation is that we have a nice home, no children or other pets and only one of us is in part time work, the other has taken early retirement so we have plenty of time to devote to a dog and also the health to take one out for regular exercise. We would love a dog to care for but what we dont have is hundreds of pounds to pay to get one. We can provide for a dog and would have pet insurance for vets bills etc. The dog would want for nothing in terms of care and time.

It seems that in some peoples minds the ability to shed out a large amount of cash is proof that you are serious about taking on a dog. But we are not in a position to pay out more than around £100 considering we need to budget for all the other necessities we would need to buy at once. Is it likely a dogs home would let us take a dog with that kind of thinking or would we be wasting our time looking. I would hate to go and visit and fall in love with a dog only to be turned down.

Can anyone tell me how they assess your suitability and how long the process takes. What criteria do they look for?

Thank you for reading.

Person_one

I know that at Manchester Dogs Home you used to be able to bowl up and take a dog away within an hour or so. I can't remember what the fee was but it wasn't much.

The downside is that you only meet the dog for a short period, you'd have to have a clear idea of what sort of dog will fit into your home (temperament, grooming and exercise requirements etc.) and then let your head not your heart rule once you got there. You don't have much in the way of backup either, once you take the dog away, that's basically it.

I imagine most of the big council 'pounds' are similar.

paddypaws101

I think your best bet would be to call some local dog rescues and ask what their policies and conditions are. Fees will vary from one centre to another and level of back up too, so the more research you do, the better.
I think most places suggest you apply and have the required home visit before you go to the centre and fall in love with a dog.
Good Luck

teddysmum

If looking for a rescue, I would expect to have home visit (as this shows that they are concerned about where their animals go and are not just handing over to anyone having the money)and would prefer one that used home fostering, as the dog will have been assessed in a home situation, possibly with children and very likely with other animals.


All charge a fee (which is a donation to the cause and not a sale price), but for this you get flea and worm treatment, a health check and spay or castration, if the dog is an adult (you sign that you will have a puppy done by a certain age). The neutering would cost almost the fee, if you had to pay your own vet.


Having, today, had a dental for my small dog , costing over £230 and a friend from the South East having the same costing £700 for a tiny yorkie, I'm somewhat concerned about your affording this kind of bill, if a £100 donation is too much. vet treatment prices have rocketed over the last couple of years.


I have done home visits for a number of rescues and they allhave their own criteria. For example,some have a blanket ban on homes with young children,while others consider each case according to the family's experience and the dog in question.


The rescues I've visited for usually have a form to fill in,then have an informal phone chat, followed by a home visit. They want to know the type of dog you require (many will not let a puppy go to a home where they will be left, due to work etc, for more than a couple of hours) ,your lifestyle (long walks, children in the home or regularly visiting), that you have permission to keep a dog, if in rented accommodation,what experience you have.


On the home visit, the person needs to see that your premises are secure (so the dog can't escape),have no dangers (eg a deep pond , poisonous plants), where the dog will sleep and feel that they could leave their dog with you. They or one of the previous contacts will ask about what your plans for the dog are at holiday time, discuss vet costs and will be willing to answer any questions.


They do not expect your house to be immaculate. In fact that may worry them.


Once the home visit is done (and the rescue has approved; the home visitor is not allowed to decide), you are usually free to collect the dog as soon as you wish. when a rescue rings me, I do a home visit within days, even next day, but your visit does depend on whether the rescue has a home visitor (who is a volunteer) in your area,so there could be a wait.


There are lots of approved rescues on the Dogpages website, giving their contact details (many have websites)together with posts about dogs needing homes.

sheramber

While insurance can cover illness and accidents you will need to budget for routine treatments such as yearly vaccination and any flea or worming treatment.

You will also have an excess to pay towards any claim.

As you have had dogs before you should be aware of these expenses.

dawnie1972

Personally i think you sound perfect for a rescue dog. I have 2 rescue dogs (did have 3 but my boy died). My first dog was a puppy when I rehomed her, i had to fill out a questionnaire, then they arranged a home visit where they discussed the dogs needs, asked what i knew about the breed, checked my garden etc. I was then passed as a good home for the puppy and i collected her when she was 12 weeks old. The 2nd dog i got from a dog rescue site online but had to provide a letter from my vet and my landlord to say i was allowed pets. My 3rd dog the same as dog 2. I used to do homechecks for a dog rescue and as long as your garden is secure and you can show you will love the dog, take it to training classes if needed, understand what a dog needs as far as nutrition etc goes then you'll be fine - remember its not a test, they just want to make sure it is the right home for the dog so that it has the best possible chance of a forever home. Do you mind me asking you whereabouts in teh country you are

prosaver

dawnie1972 wrote: »

Personally i think you sound perfect for a rescue dog. I have 2 rescue dogs (did have 3 but my boy died). My first dog was a puppy when I rehomed her, i had to fill out a questionnaire, then they arranged a home visit where they discussed the dogs needs, asked what i knew about the breed, checked my garden etc. I was then passed as a good home for the puppy and i collected her when she was 12 weeks old. The 2nd dog i got from a dog rescue site online but had to provide a letter from my vet and my landlord to say i was allowed pets. My 3rd dog the same as dog 2. I used to do homechecks for a dog rescue and as long as your garden is secure and you can show you will love the dog, take it to training classes if needed, understand what a dog needs as far as nutrition etc goes then you'll be fine - remember its not a test, they just want to make sure it is the right home for the dog so that it has the best possible chance of a forever home. Do you mind me asking you whereabouts in teh country you are

I am really glad I was brought up in the 70s.. people use to kick them out the front door:rotfl:

Emm-in-a-pickle

Swingaloo, I think you sound perfect for a rescue dog too.
I`ve had dogs all my life, 55 years ago my mum brought a scruffy old mongrel home from Manchester Dog`s Home and it changed my life. My dad said she was crazy, but she`d picked the one that seemed the most `unwantable`, and I`ve inherited that trait from mum.
40 years ago I became a volunteer at a local dog rescue, fundraising/fostering/visiting prospective adopters, and I took on quite a few of the `un-homeable` dogs who were all brilliant once they`d settled in - there was no way I`d give up on them, and I think they sensed that.
As a a visitor I sometimes sensed that in prospective adopters too - as Dawnie said `the best possible chance of a forever home`. That is what they are looking for, and if that is what you are offering there are SO many dogs that need that, besides the basic common sense stuff, so just be yourselves and all will be well!

As the demands of family life and work changed over the years I dropped out of the organised rescue - but I still found myself taking on other folks` canine rejects, 2 were from family, one was word of mouth through neighbours, one was from an ex-fosterchild whose dog had been re-homed twice already! None of these were pups, and they didn`t have a great CV, but they came and they were loved and belonged.

Only ONCE, I approached a local rescue kennels to adopt a dog., it was after a dark period of 4 months after our old boy died, the only time our house was empty (despite 4 young foster children, a teenage son and his GF here most of the time.) My son nagged, time to stop grieving, you need a dog again. OK.
So, I rang up rescue place and had a long chat, explained household circs., and said I thought a small-ish dog, a puppy to grow up with children, a !!!!! this time as we`d had large males up to now but we were a bit of a houseful.... we didn`t get as far as where the ones the kennel man suggested, in the third pen there was a 2 yr old black ally-lab cross, and our eyes met and I stopped. Hubby nodded, son grabbed my arm, and 7yr old fosterson just filled up with tears. it was unanimous! He was a fantastic family dog, and from day one he was soul-mate to a little boy, only ever growled when the lad was being told off.
Please, don`t be put off by checking procedures, and let us know how you get on.

codemonkey

First of all, well done for adopting rather than buying. By doing so, you save 2 dogs - the one that you rescue and the dog that takes that one's place.

I am currently lying here with my rescue dog on me, who has been here for 3 years and everyone is utterly in love with him. He's an amazing dog.

As for advice, shelters all have their own rules. We got our mutt from the big yellow one, who were really good. I think he cost £80 but for that, he was vaccinated, would have been neutered if he wasn't already, a bag of food, a collar and lead and of course, the best dog in the world.

Think about what you're looking for in a dog. Are you active or sedentary? Do you see children regularly? What size of dog would fit into your life? As well as staffies (which I would absolutely consider as they're gorgeous), we found the centres to be full of sled dogs and collies as people don't realise how much exercise and mental stimulation these dogs need.

It took us a couple of months to find the right dog, mostly because we work and that reduced our options. We visited every rescue in the local area that would rehome to working people and had a chat with the staff, usually answering questions about our living situation, contact with children, working, what would we do if we went on holiday, did we have a way to get him to the vet etc. We met the dogs and tried to find the right one. We also contacted some rescues that rehome death row dogs - the ones in kill shelters and have their dogs in foster but they were so disorganised, and after they rehomed 3 dogs they'd offered to us to other people without telling us, we gave up. I don't think there was any reason, they were just really poor at admin. I always think that if I won a significant amount in the lottery I'd pay for a full time admin position and some extra kennel space for them as the work they do is really good.

Eventually the yellow place informed us that they had a dog coming in who was a good fit for us. He came in, 2 days later we visited, when we arrived he was being fed so we were saying hello to his kennel mate. He came running through the pen, head butted her out of the way as if to say 'mine', and looked at us with his big brown eyes and we knew he was the right one. We got a home check which was pretty much the guy checking we lived where we said we did and had a fence without holes, did a rehoming course thingy, and then they let us take him home, where he settled in immediately.

I've noticed that smaller dogs and pure breeds get snapped up faster, so do consider bigger dogs or crossbreeds and middle aged or older dogs, who also have the advantage of being a lot calmer.

happysaz133

Great you are looking at rescuing rather than buying! I've got three rescue dogs - a greyhound from the local RGT rescue, a Lurcher and a Greyhound from my local 'all breeds' type rescue.

Because of my area, distance is a problem so I never had a home check for any of them. My vet and the rescues spoke with each other and I was allowed to go and collect my dogs (2 years between each). Most do homechecks though which seems daunting but its really just to get an idea of what you can offer. They're not there to look at your decor or tidyness

Adoption fees vary. The Retired Greyhound Trust asks for £100 donation, included in that your dog will be spayed/neutered, chipped, flead, wormed, vaccinated and you get a collar and tag. My local rescue just asks for a donation of your choice, I gave £100 for my 'middle child' - they said that was the largest donation they'd ever been given. With my second from them, they'd only had him a day when they sent him to me with someone who was coming in my direction, they didn't want money for him. I donated some dog food though. When the time was right, they paid for half his neutering. I believe some rescue charge different amounts depending on breed/age etc.

TBagpuss

As others have said, difernt organisations will have dierent policies and fees. I know that at least one local to me will not home animals with anyone who is in rented accommodation, as so many of the animals they rescue have ben handed in due to a tenant moving and being unableto have pets in their new accommodation, for instance.

Read their websites and talk to them about their policies, in particular how they asses animals before placing them with adopters, what if any support they can offer if there are probelms after a dog is placed etc.

And make surethat you are saving money for the insurance excess, routine vet appointments etc.

God luck - I hope you find the right dog for you and your family.