Trying to adopt a rescue dog!

Person_one

gettingready wrote: »

Battersea kills so many healthy dogs that it is unbelievable. 2 of my friends worked there and left because of that.

I can understand finding it difficult to do that kind of work, but what do you think they should/can do with them?

teddysmum

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Whilst your first point is obviously correct, it's also true to say that some rescues make it so difficult for genuine adopters to take on an animal that it can drive some people into the arms of backstreet breeders and those whose pets continually have "accidents".

Some dogs have been through terrible situations (Some still come out trusting(eventually) and loving, while other, sadly, ate permanently damaged), so rescues want to be sure that they don't put the dog back into circumstances that are not the best they can find.


Yes some people work and leave their dog alone all day, but a dog would prefer a companion, so a home with another dog is usually preferred by a rescue.


Some argue that any home is better than none, but the rescues that I work with use foster homes, so the dog already has companions and being left alone would be a step backwards.


People want puppies, but a puppy cannot be properly toilet trained unless there is someone at hand and he is not left for long. A puppy not trained correctly could then be rejected and land back in rescue, making that rescue aware that it has failed him/her.

teddysmum

Marktheshark wrote: »

Many of these places are businesses that make money disguised as not for profit.
Many of the dogs are dog napped dogs that were lost and grabbed by kennel-nappers that stalk lost dog groups on face book and other sites.

They work hand in hand with rehoming centers and everyone gets paid.
Hence why most dogs are ok to be re-homed as they had perfectly good homes before they were held for ransom by the kennel nappers.

That is the cold hard truth behind this flowery rose tinted doing it for the dogs charade.

Many ?Really ? Proof ?


Yes there are some bad rescues, but lots of good to excellent ones (many of whom help each other via such as the above mentioned Dogpages site). The dog rescue fraternity is all for helping one another and are quick to act if it finds a bad apple (eg a few years ago, after exposing someone using a 'rescue' as a breeding farm and financial backing for their own failing businesses.)


I help/have contact with a number of rescues, where the founders are selfless people who give up hours of their time (eg going out for a week, on freezing cold nights to catch a terrified abandoned dog running wild) as well as their money. They are aided by volunteers who give much but ask only the satisfaction of helping, as a reward.


It is sad, that the big name rescues are now businesses with fat cats on large salaries, but it's easy to find smaller institutions, officially registered, who use all your donations for the animals and work hard to help them find kind settled homes.


Yes they 'charge' for the animals, but they are not actually selling. The money is a donation towards kennelling cost (huge f boarding kennels are used), neutering (essential to stop the rising number of unwanted litters) and the biggest of all vet costs, which for some unfortunates can run into £1000s for just one dog. Good rescues don't turn an animal away just because it is going to cost money and will, if necessary , make an effort to specially fundraise for a specific needy animal.

Better_Days

I'd also suggest considering a small local rescue.

We lost both our dogs within a year of each other this June and the house was dreadfully empty without them :(:(:(:(

My health isn't that good, so I'm home all day virtually every day, so the dog would always have company. I'm well enough let the dog out if it needs to go into the garden. My husband is fit and well, and can provide a good long walk every day in the fields surrounding our house.

I contacted some of the larger rescue's on a number of occasions - RSPCA (various branches), Blue Cross etc but no luck, despite them seeming to be overflowing with dogs needing homes. I bookmarked all the local rescues and checked the websites nearly every day.

Then I found a dog on a small local rescue website. She had been found dreadfully thin, terrified and straying on the streets in Bosnia. She was rehabilitated over a number of months, vaccinated and spayed and driven to the UK. This is done as it is incredibly difficult to rehome dogs in Bosnia and the like. I have a great deal of respect for the rescues who rehome these dogs.

I didn't know her story when I rang up about her. She had been in a foster home, so they knew how she was with other dogs, cats, children (we have nephews who visit) and chickens. The rescue bought her with them when they did the home check, and when it was clear it was a happy match they left her with us. She has settled in so well, and I can't imagine life without her.

Do persevere with the rescues OP, it is incredibly rewarding to give a dog a forever home.

missbiggles1

Person_one wrote: »

Its really really not difficult to get a rescue dog if you really want one. As I said earlier, you can walk into somewhere like Manchester Dogs Home and walk out with a dog.

Should it be that easy? Probably not, it should be much harder to get hold of an 8 week old puppy too!

I think the big city rescues are different from the smaller, local places. I've adopted both cats and dogs from Battersea and it's as you say, it's the smaller places who seem to think they know best.

Pollycat

teddysmum wrote: »

Yes they 'charge' for the animals, but they are not actually selling. The money is a donation towards kennelling cost (huge f boarding kennels are used), neutering (essential to stop the rising number of unwanted litters) and the biggest of all vet costs, which for some unfortunates can run into £1000s for just one dog. Good rescues don't turn an animal away just because it is going to cost money and will, if necessary , make an effort to specially fundraise for a specific needy animal.

I'm not a dog person but I'd be more than happy to pay a contribution towards a cat.
I've posted earlier on this thread about the farm kitten we took on, I had some photos of our last cat to show we were good 'parents' but the woman was only interested in getting rid of the kittens.
We took the alpha male & are sure - because of how poorly he was - that all the remainder of the litter plus the 2 week younger litter died.

Better Days
Dotti looks so happy. She's a lucky girl.

Person_one

missbiggles1 wrote: »

I think the big city rescues are different from the smaller, local places. I've adopted both cats and dogs from Battersea and it's as you say, it's the smaller places who seem to think they know best.

I think its down to individual rescues and even individuals working/volunteering for them. My current dogs came from a tiny rescue in the middle of nowhere but the people running it were great, friendly, communicative, open minded about what a good home might look like.

room512

We got 2 kittens from the RSPCA. We had to have a home visit before we could be considered and had to pay £60 per kitten. This included their vaccinations, microchipping and spaying. We didn't get them from our local branch but from a nearby district. It took a few weeks but it was worth the wait. They are 6 months old tomorrow and are part of the family. I was surprised at all of the checks that we had (home visit form filling contract signing) but was pleased as it showed they matched animals to the correct household. For example, as we were at work all day we had to have two so that they would have company and not be lonely. In the end OH lost his job due to ill health and so they haven't been left on their own for long.

Ian011

mikegrath wrote: »

you can use this phone number 0844 453 **** to get in touch with RSPCA Head Office to help you get the advice on all your queries. it really works.

The quoted 0844 number is a "call connection service". This is operated by a third-party and simply forwards calls and charges the caller a premium rate (up to 62p per minute) to do so.

Get the correct telephone number for RSPCA from their official website and avoid the premium rate call charges.

To be clear, the 0844 number is a scam.

adandem

supersaver2 wrote: »

I must have the same way of thinking as you. The breed rescue I tried first I spent a long time filling the application out and it asked you to name a dog if you were interested which I did. A boy who had 'Urgent Appeal' next to him as he has a life limiting illness and has spent 18 months in foster care/kennels. He looked ideal for us, good with children and very friendly, he's only expected to live until he's 4/5 years and he's still on the website from September as an urgent appeal! Yet I've filled 2 applications out naming him! Maybe I should be emailing daily like some on here suggest (no number provided so can't ring them). The applications are very detailed though and they can see my history with the breed so surely that should give them some indication as to how interested/suitable you are. Emailing them the same application countless times is time wasting for me and them.

Yep, same happened to me. I spent ages filling in forms and had no acknowledgement at all. I know that the rescues are run by volunteers but it really is disheartening when applications are ignored. I personally wouldn't see it as a test to see how many times I'm willing to pester.