Trying to adopt a dog - any advice?

sheramber

Are you applying for the popular, cute dogs which are very popular? For ones that are advertised  who will probably get many applications?
if you give an idea of where you are, are you willing to travel for a dog?, what type of dog you would like someone may be able to suggest a rescue.
 
The rescue I got my dogs from are a breed rescue who take in  homeless dogs, mostly strays. . They have no shortage of dogs coming in but do have a waiting list. They do not have a first come, first served policy.
All the dogs are placed   in a foster home to be assessed and are then are placed in the most suitable home.

Many rescues are manned by volunteers who have jobs and families so their time is limited. Replying to everybody may not be possible if there are  lots of applications for a dog.

Pollycat

elsien said:

This ^^^ Or the slightly more “difficult” ones if you’re willing and able to put in the work.  What age/type of dog are you applying for? 

I was after a calm (for the breed) comparatively well trained pure bred bull terrier. What I got (and I knew what I was getting -ish) was a completely mental untrained BT cross that no one else wanted. Best decision I ever made.

What is git-dog crossed with? (I'm sure you'll say 'the devil' LOL).

He looks 100% BT.

Sorry for off-topic question.

elsien

Not 100% sure because he was dumped, so no history, but best guess is staffie. 

Pollycat

Ah. Double dose of bonkers, then.

Hope you are both keeping well. It's been quiet on the Git-dog adventures front.

OP - hope you manage to find your dog, it sounds like he/she will have a great home.

I have to say I was really surprised to hear that there was such a demand for rescue dogs.

mrkds

Thanks everyone for the advice!

@Titfield , @Artytarty I will take the tips for juicing up the application on board. Thanks!

@KxMx , @greensalad will definitely expanding our search beyond our home town (bit difficult right now as we in the middle of the Welsh lockdown).

@Fosterdog , Never considered fostering! May be our best option for now, as it will give us more recent experience, as well as bringing to light any potential issues we had not considered -  I worry however about getting too attached when it comes to returning them!

@sheramber , @Aranyani We havn't been too fussy about breed or age, although we don't want to go too big though or  go for dogs that require special needs (the dog home says they prefer experienced dog owners for those anyway). A puppy would be wonderful but we are keeping our expectations realistic.  Most of the dogs we have applied for have been mid-age Staffies / Staffie-mix - don't know why they get rejected so much - they are beautiful dogs!

As others have pointed out, the main issue, we hadn't considered, is how in demand dogs are in the current covid19 climate and we are competing against so many other applicants. If we still struggling, maybe give up and try again in a few months.

Thanks again for all your helpful replies!

Katiehound

Yes, I know you want a cute cuddly puppy (but I can assure you they need a lot of work)
Currently with lockdown everyone has decided they need a dog which is why puppy prices are ridiculous and dogs are being stolen.

I  had a look here and ticked the active oldies link on the L., there were some dogs I would have liked. These dogs are all over the country.....
 This might be worth a look:
https://www.oldies.org.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIya7c3_fc7AIVCbLtCh06Fw7bEAAYASAAEgIbQ_D_BwE

ladyholly

We have adopted several dogs over the years and we live in Somerset. One was from Poole in Dorset, one from Battersea and one was was in a small rescue in Staffordshire. Others have been adopted locally. You sometimes have to travel quite a long way to find the dog that suits you and I would suggest as others have said you consider an older dog or a staffie or even a black dog as they are all harder to place. Have you also thought about offering to foster. Most resues are desperate for good fosterers although you do have to remember they will go to a forever home but you will get a lot of satisfaction from helping a dog in its journey to a forever home and he or she could end up as a failed foster and stay with you if thats right for the dog.

My other thought is that many rescues are expecting an influx when covid calms down and people get back to normal and discover working long hours and and a dog is not a good mix, not to mention the puppies that have reached teenage stage and are as bolshie as any human teenager so have behavioural problems which will need time and patience to sort out. Patience until then might give you a better chance. Whatever you do good luck and having found the right dog (by the way we have always found the dog chooses you not the other way round) you will have a wonderful friend for many years.

sheramber

Many rescues will stop rehoming in December as they don't want a dog to be introduced to new home during Christmas festivities.
From January onwards they will get the Christmas pups that are not wanted  any more. There is always an influx of dogs then.
As you are  in Wales have  you looked at  Many Tars Rescue?

Spendless

In Jan last year we started trying to adopt a dog. We had the same experience you're describing. Not matched to dogs, didn't hear back. Dogs available we didn't meet the criteria for. Re-homing centres said they didn't ring anyone up if any new dogs came in. I once saw 3 suitable new dogs go on-line at one of the centres. By the time I'd driven  there, they'd all been reserved. We ended up  with a puppy, that definately had not been my intention. I've felt guilty at times that we didn't adopt. Recently I had lunch with a friend of mine. She's a vet. Her dogs both died earlier this year. She too had tried to adopt and told me the same thing had happened to her.   Until then I was convinced there must have been something I'd not done when looking..

Aranyani

sheramber said:

Many rescues will stop rehoming in December as they don't want a dog to be introduced to new home during Christmas festivities.

Maybe not this year as there probably won't be much in the way of festivities.