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By Brainless ![[gb]](/images/flags/gb.png "United Kingdom")
Date 25.08.10 20:01 UTC
Edited 25.08.10 20:06 UTC
> In a breed where the breed rescue is not totally overwhelmed, I simply don't understand why they won't take a cross.
This can be because their remit is looking after the breed and they rely on breed enthusiast support to fund it (so a smaller proportion of potential donators than a general rescue can count on) , and many may not be so supportive if rescue starts taking crosses as well.
I know my breed rescue has on occasion taken in crosses, I have fostered one myself.
The problem then is though that the cross may be very untypical in behaviour/size and temperament to the 'breed' and of course the rescues potential owners want one of 'the breed', typical of that breed in it's traits, so the dog is probably better off in general rescue where the potential adopters are not as specific in their requirements.
Also some of the crosses may make for dogs of a temperament we would not wish our breed for example associated with.
For example our breed has recently been crossed with GSD, possibly adding a strong guarding instinct and suspicion of strangers to an independent breed, could be a disaster.
Also crossed with Huskies you get a much more primitive hyper animal, possibly not as good with livestock as our breed usually are. Crossed with Akita's could give a very much more dog dominant dog, not typical either fro our breed.
Often our breed adopters are retired persons who have always had the breed but can no longer have a puppy.
All these examples when thought of as being the breed they have been taken in by, because that is what they will tend to be thought of, could easily damage a breeds reputation, especially if it is a numerically strong breed where not enough people are familiar with the pure breed and it's characteristics.
Well, I don't think it's fair to name names, and I should say that own experience is not exhaustive, so I'd be interesting to hear from those here in breed rescue about whether or not they will accept crosses. Re the snotty attitude, I work in rescue myself and it's whinge you hear often about breed rescues (although of course some are fab). That said, certainly in Ireland, the rescues do tend to contact breed rescues to ask for help with particular dogs.
I hear what you're saying about jack of all trades, and think it's a fair point. But I know I could find as good a home for any flatcoat, spaniel, setter or lab as any breed rescue and believe this is true of many general rescues. As I said, I think they come into their own with the less-common, more specialist breeds. But I do think that dogs are much more just dogs than people want to believe. The important things to assess are always the same: temperament/energy level/do they disappear over the horizon if let off-lead/how badly do the pull on-lead/would they be better as an only dog or with others/will they eat children, other dogs or cats etc.
Collaboration is the ideal of course - and certainly some general rescues will accept offers of help from a breed rescue; not in terms of handing over the dog to them (they usually have money invested in the dog - transport/neutering/vaxing - so financially can't do this) but certainly in terms of sending appropriate people their way. Although should say that one RSPCA branch did hand over a flatcoat to me when I was more active with one of the flatcoat breed rescues.
Jemima
Hello again and thank you everyone for your very interesting input into this discussion. It's obvious that there is strong feelings about the relationships between breed and 'general' rescue. I understand that Battersea Dogs and Cast Home do work quite readily and successfully with breed rescue. Does anyone have any personal experience working with them. How does it work?
cant speak for all breed rescues but in my breed we do take in crosses and it matters not if a dog is kc reg /neutered or not most crosses do look a bit the actual breed ,the problem arises when people contact a breed rescue they have done it for just that reason they want a particular breed of dog , and will sometimes take crosses but most want at least a lookalike /temprement of that breed .I had a newfie cross (their vet had told them it was a newfie)brought in last year the person giving it up contacted me , we glady said yes we will take him , he arrived and was not a newfie cross but gsd/dob/rottie , i didnt turn him away but spoke to a gsd (of which he resembled most) rescue and between us we found him a home.
most of breed rescues will help where they can but they is little point in us taking in crosses if there is no hope of rehoming them.
Well I posted on here several months ago explaining that we were unable to obtain a dog from local rescue centres and hit a brick wall. We have now, a 3 year old black labrador from an 'independent' website (not by any means our first choice) where she was being left for up to 18 hours a day. Fortunately her previous owner realised this was not in her interest and we have had her for 4 months. She is hard work but she is getting much better and our older dog Maud is still the boss. I can understand the implications involved in rehoming but we were not considered for home vetting or anything. Anyway, our new addition is called Jade and she is walked twice a day over Battersea Park and has constant attention both in our flat and downstairs in the bar and is very happy. I think vetting should be as stringent as it is now without the prejudice - give us a chance.
By LJS
Date 26.08.10 17:46 UTC
Hi Jemima why not name the breed rescues as if is true in what you say then what is the problem? It will give them a chance to respond :-)
By Freewayz
Date 28.08.10 19:53 UTC
Edited 28.08.10 19:55 UTC
Just adding on to the end here....
Sometimes people seem to be in such a hurry to get a dog and can't wait for the right one. As an example...a lady came in today with two children in tow, one was hers and one was her sisters for whom she was minding the child. She wanted a Jack Russell who was an ex breeding bitch rescued by a lady who runs a very small rescue in the South of Ireland. This JR was 14 months and came in with a pup from her last litter. The JR is friendly but nervous and needed a quiet home where she could take time to come round...so the lady was not allowed to have the dog. At the same time a couple wanted to see her out so we brought her down and they were ideal. No children and she was home much of the day.
The only thing the first lady could see is that we would not give her the dog SHE wanted. We told her to keep coming up and we would find a dog to suit her circumstances etc....she was hearing none of it but went away saying we had been unkind and the child was upset and that we wouldn't allow her the dog because she was a single mother bla bla bla..
So sometimes I find it hard to really believe some stories about rescues not giving certain types of people a chance...I've seen it more times than I want to....but after they start their woe is me you wont give me the dog I want routine....we really do stop listening to them and we DONT then consider that person. We know what type of home our dogs need and by insisting they know better they are proving to us they are selfish and don't really care about the dog. And no harm to anyone on here that has been wrongly denied a dog..( I am sure what I say applies to NO one on here)..but sometimes if you are hearing these stories second hand...you don't know the real story (if that makes sense)..
I really hate to admit it but some folks walking in our doors are pegged from the get go and all our dogs are suddenly booked. They ask stupid questions about dogs you know fine rightly they can't cope with. And we get them to fill in the questionnaires and often you can tell by the way they answer the questions how silly they are.
In my centre we take the homing of our dogs very seriously and because of this our return rate is low....and those who do come back are rarely due to a mismatch of dog and owner but other things such a loss of a job or illness in the family. We also like to work with breed rescues and will let them know what we have....however being in Northern Ireland is a difficult thing as our listings for breed rescues are all in England and we are not likely to get many referrals.
Just a long way to say....
If people are refused a dog(cat or whatever) there is a reason ..either wrong animal,wrong attitude,or lack of experience....not always perhaps but quite often. To us we need the public to come in but we also need to weed out the wasters who couldn't care less about the RIGHT animal...they just want one and they want it NOW. Sometimes we make mistakes....but if we made a mistake in the wrong direction it is the animals who suffer and we would rather be over cautious even if it means the dog/cat has to wait a wee bit longer for a home.
Whew....sorry....got carried away.
At the end of the day we don't owe anyone an animal...we do it for their sakes not yours....if you don't like the attitude of the rescue or centre you visit there are sure to be others who will take the time to listen and consider your circumstances. :-)
Cheers
I appreciate it's incredibly frustrating. I'm sure you had very clear kennel card details : "nervous so needs quiet home, sorry no children" and a sign put up whilst being looked at by a potential owner "I may have found a home! Please wait at reception to see if it works out". Yet still you get the arguments!
By Polly
Date 01.09.10 16:31 UTC
Edited 01.09.10 16:41 UTC
An annual dog licence fee of as little as £21.501 could help reduce the number of strays and help tackle irresponsible dog breeding, according to a new RSPCA report released today (1.9.10).
And would this per dog and renewable every year? Will the price go up annually?
>Owners would face a cost of less than 42p a week per dog - less than the price of an average chocolate bar - in order to provide huge improvements to dog welfare and dog control services. The report - 'Improving dog ownership - The economic case for dog licensing' - reveals a licensing scheme could deliver resources to improve dog welfare worth in excess of £107.4 million1. With an estimated 10 million dogs in Britain2, this works out at £21.50 per dog with a compliance rate of 50 per cent1. A compliance rate of 75 per cent would work out even less at £14.30 per dog1.<Now I wonder who will be willing to run the register? Would I be right in thinking the RSPCA will say not them but surprise they will do it in the end!
T
he new report was written by the RSPCA's director of communications David Bowles and is based on research by Reading University, which was commissioned by the Society.<
>It makes three recommendations in its conclusion:<
>· The government should establish a dog health and welfare strategy underpinned and funded by a dog licence scheme. This would fund resources to tackle the issues, such as strays, injuries caused by dog bites and the prevention of disease, as covered in the report.
· The scheme could be set at £20-£30 per dog annually, with discounts for selected dogs (e.g. assistance dogs, neutered dogs) and people (e.g. pensioners).
· Microchips would be used to identify the dogs, with details entered on a national database, improving dog ownership and reducing numbers of unwanted dogs. <
Welcome the Dog Tax! For responsible owners only!
1) When I fell while out walking I put my hand out to stop my fall, I grabbed the nearest thing which happened to be a bared wire fence and tore open the palm of my hand. At the local A & E I was asked how this happened, because I said I was out walking my dogs I was told that it had to go recorded as a dog bite!
2) £20 to £30 annually per dog.... this year... and next year and the one after that??? This even with reduced costs will stop people offering dogs loving homes and stop people from having the companionship of dogs. Are we to be a nation of hamster owners until the RSPCA think of a way of taxing them too?
3) Why would I want to put my dog under an anesthetic to neuter or spay them when they live here happily and have not produced puppies?
4) Weapon dogs are not owned by responsible owners and the RSPCA knows this.... Maybe they think we are all drug barons??? lol
David said: "Now is the right time to invest in the future health and welfare of Britain's dogs. A dog licence would raise money which could be targeted into improving enforcement of laws at a local level, improve the welfare of dogs and reverse the use of certain breeds of dogs as a status symbol or weapon.
"The dog licence would achieve three important goals. It would raise money for dog welfare, increase the numbers of responsible dog owners by getting people to think before they get a dog and start to reverse the surplus of dogs on the market by providing incentives such as reduced fees for neutering dogs."
If an irresponsible owner has the money they will get a dog no matter how much it costs and they will not bother to find out about health tests dog care or anything else. Having rescued a rough collie from a billionaires house who bought the dog on a whim I know he would never have bothered with doing any research. He wanted a dog and bought it through Harrods pet shop! Spending money on banning puppy farms, dog dealers and dog dealerships like the ones in Manchester and Leeds or indeed Harrods would be a good start, but I don't suppose the RSPCA would be willing to tackle these things first.
He added that the costs are given as an indication of what the licence fee could cover, and a dog licensing scheme could in reality be set at between £20-30 per dog per year - between only three and four per cent of the annual costs of owning a typical breed of dog.
Twenty-three countries in Europe currently have a dog licence or registration scheme3. In some countries, such as Germany, Slovenia and the Netherlands there have been improved dog control provisions and low numbers of strays with compliance rates of more than 50 per cent.
We do not have strays were I live, in fact the local RSPCA imports from other areas to fill the RSPCA kennel here so that dogs can be adopted. My vet has commented on this often when I visit him.
"The RSPCA believes that Britain has slipped behind other countries which have started to tackle and solve the problems of dog over supply and only the introduction of a dog licence could ensure we catch up.
"In countries which have a dog licence it is seen not as a tax, but as an important part of owning a dog. In Britain we know that a dog licence is welcomed by two out of every three dog owners, more than 70 per cent of who are happy to pay more than £30 for the pleasure and responsibility of owning a dog," added David.
A full copy of Improving dog ownership - The economic case for dog licensing is available in PDF format by contacting the RSPCA
References
1. Figures taken from Table 2, p16, Improving dog ownership - The economic case for dog licensing (see below).
2. Murray, J.K., Browne, W.J., Roberts, M.A., Whitmarsh A. And Gruffydd-Jones T.J. (2010) Number and ownership profiles of cats and dogs in the UK. The Veterinary Records 166: 163-168.
3. Tasker, L. (2007) Stray Animal Control Practices (Europe). WSPA and RSPCA.
By MickB
Date 02.09.10 15:58 UTC
I help run the biggest and busiest Siberian Husky Welfare group in the UK. In just over three years we have taken in and rehomed over 400 unwanted Siberians. We actually set up our organisation in direct response to the fact that in December 2006, the breed club welfare scheme stopped taking in unwanted Siberian huskies unless they were KC registered and owned or bred by club members. As a result we do not discriminate between KC registered and non KC registered Siberians and some 80% of the dogs we take in and rehome are unregistered.
However, unless it is a real emergency, we do not take in crossbreeds. Why? Two main reasons. Firstly, our collective expertise on our own breed is considerable and we feel competent to offer advice, information and support on that breed. Crossbreeds are a totally different kettle of canine and may have behaviour traits outside our area of knowledge. Secondly, we are totally overwhelmed by the numbers of Siberians waiting to come into rescue. We currently have about 30 dogs waiting for a foster place. To extend our remit to crossbreeds would be simply unsustainable.
I don't think the RSPCA name should be linked to the words 'dog' and 'rescue' in any way, especially since they have decided to shut their doors to 'hand-ins'. I thought they were pretty b... awful before that, but what they spend their vast millions on is ridiculous, when they cannot or will not address the most obvious cases of cruelty and abuse brought to their attention, oh yes, and there is the bolt gun incident......off soapbox now
I think some breed rescues CAN come over as rather superior, and some have shown little interest when approached by my local centre. Some on the other hand have been very good. BUT I think it cuts both ways, and general rescue centres can dismiss breed rescues too, thinking that they can do just as well and don't need 'outside' help. IMO any rescue centre that really wants to rehome dogs needs all the help it can get, and I believe in some cases, there needs to be a relaxation of the rehoming policy, and some very silly rules that some still apply.
One for instance is that I saw a really old mongrel 15yrs old, for rehoming. He was their dog of the month, desperately needing a home. The website did not say what area he was in as they had most dogs in foster. I emailed to enquire as to what county or region he was in. They replied that it was against their policy to give that information unless a full adoption questionnaire was submitted first. In the time they took to reply to my email they could have just said 'scotland' or wherever. Then I would have know if he was a likely prospect for me. I was particularly looking for an oldie, and none of their other dogs would have been what I was looking for. Ridiculous.
There is no doubt about it, they have to adapt to maintain the levels of adoption needed.
Thank you everyone for your input on this topic. I'm going to start a new one in regard to animal rescue rehoming policies if you are interested in contributing!?!
By G.Rets
Date 17.09.10 22:12 UTC
The BMDC of GB does willingly "rescue" Bernese, with or without papers. Most owners have not a clue where they bought the dog anyway and we are just glad that they contacted us and not an unregistered rescue or the RSPCA who may well decide to pts a dog because of age or size . We were instrumental (with Newfoundland Welfare) in rehoming a pair together (one BMD + Newfoundland.) They are still alive and happy. Woodgreen kindly passed a Bernese on to us this year. Battersea Dogs Home were good enough to contact us before last Xmas as they had a 5 week puppy whom they believed to be a Bernese. We took him, put him into foster where he turned out to be a collie type! We rehomed him and sent the donation to BDH. I heard of a Bernese and a Yorkie who had arrived together at the RSPCA on the Isle of Wight. It was not an easy task but I found a home to take the 2 together. Guess what, the RSPCA would not let them go as it was off the Island! Our local to me RSPCA had 2 Bernese crosses in their care & kennels for over a year and would not even admit to me that they were there, let alone let me help them.
If we are asked to help with a cross breed which is a BMD look-a-like I go through our lists to see if we have homes waiting who may take such a dog and I put them in touch. We do not actually spend our members' donations on non-Bernese but we help as much as we can................. after all, a dog in need is a dog in need, whatever his breed. If a Bernese who needs rehoming has a "friend" we try to keep them together. (I even tried to persuade somone to take the cat as it was the dog's best friend!) Some rescue centres are good enough to contact us but not as many as we could help if we were asked.
We are here to help any Bernese whose owners are struggling and we are not judgemental.
The Australian Shepherd Club of the UK will take any purebred Aussies through rescue, papers or not. I do spay and neuter before rehoming and if papers come they are held by me and I inform the KC that the dog has been rehomes through breed rescue and is not eligible for re-registration.
We have never had an Aussie passed to us by a rescue centre... I think £££ signs are more important to them.... The breed is a victim of its' own success with lots of people thinking you can just put dog to bitch and then sell the puppies for massive amounts...
Aussies are not an easy breed to home and a lot of the dogs that come through rescue are bored, highly strung and have been allowed to please themselves... the hard work then starts prior to rehoming...
A lot of people are deliberately crossing them now with border collies making sometimes an even worse and wound up temperament... I won't rehome these, but I will point in the direction of working forums as this is the type of homes these dogs need... We fund raise all year round for our rescue Aussies and work hard to keep money in the bank for when it is needed... We are the biggest Aussie club but a small club compared to other breeds so every penny raised for rescue matters.
I don't judge and quite often bite my tongue at what 'breeders' have told people.... but at the end of the day the dog comes first and these breeders will come unstuck one day...
By pat
Date 18.09.10 08:34 UTC
Hi Miranda, I think it is interesting that you are collating information regarding peoples experience from rescue but I wonder where you are seeking your information from other than this site which tends to be geared and supported by many dog breeders or linked maybe in showing to.
Have you not thought about joining Dog Pages which is for dog rescue and asking the same questions? Yes, there will be many that run rescues and assist in various other ways including many that have rehommed a dog from a rescue and support rescue in general others may have had a poor experience or do not agree with the policies of some rescues and can make worthy suggestions.
Another point I would like to make and that is that by looking at the end product for example the rescue policies is rather like 'closing the gate after the horse has bolted' would it not be advisable and I appologise in advance if you are already looking at this but do you not need to get to the grass roots of the problem and ask 'why does the UK have such a problem that dogs, many young dogs and puppies needing to be rehomed and going into rescue in the first place? Secondly, what can we in the UK do about stemming the flow of unwanted dogs and puppies?
I know my thoughts on this and if you wish I would like to email you with something I wrote that I feel would go a long way towards controlling over breeding and over supply of puppies which has much to do with why so many dogs end up in rescue.
By mattie
Date 18.09.10 09:25 UTC
Edited 18.09.10 09:28 UTC
I can speak for my rescue labrador rescue north west ( although we home and take dogs in other areas) and say that we dont only take pedigree labradors if we have space we will take good natured crosses but the many Labradors we do get which is over 400 a year at our small place six kennels we are almost always full.We do not give out pedigree papers they are filed and if a breeder is known to us we will always contact them out of courtesy .
Our homes are vetted and we do have a strict criteria regarding homing.
Labradors are the highest number bred in this country people buy them without any idea of what they will grow to and how fast I have lost count now of how many we have homed over 18 years of my involvement.
Not all breed rescues work how we do as we are very hands on , the dogs come in here in most cases and rehoused and we have them back if it doesnt work out but as some of our dogs have changed hands often twice before we get them we make sure it is right when they go from us we owe it to the dogs.
Our Vet bills are in the many thousand every year we work on a non profit scheme a voluntary organisation
www.homealabrador.net
I find the comments made about breed rescue assuming a superior knowledge quite unnecessary. I've helped raise funds for a breed rescue, and I've found them to be incredibly knowledgeable, usually overrun with dogs handed in (and not, as already pointed out, all necessarily unwanted pedigrees, but dogs that look to be a mix of the particular breed as well), waiting to be handed in, usually foor no real reason, eg people who've bought a pup and didn't think it would be such hard work. I remember one young pup who had it's owners cornered on the sofa because of it's aggression, when in fact it was normal puppy behaviour. These type of pups and young dogs should be rehomed via the breeder, but then the breeders who would sell a pup to a family who didn't know what to expect, is hardly likely to be responsible or ethical enough to help out in this situation. Fortunately for the breed rescue concerned they always have homes waiting for pups and youngsters, it's the oldies that struggle, which is why I've rescued oldies in the past myself, and will do again once I get the opportunity.
The only experiences I've had with the RSPCA have been quite 'disturbing', rehoming dogs that have dog aggression problems to young families, who really don't have the right knowledge or skills to own such a dog. Insisting on spaying mid-season, that was my brother who took a little staffy bitch on, fortunately I managed to intervene, and he had her spayed mid-season. Why on earth they hadn't insisted on having her spayed before he could take her I don't know?? I took an old staffy bitch in to the RSPCA that I'd found straying in a car park, and they were quite rude at the time, asked me why I hadn't left her where she was??
As for the neutering policy, I've seen it discussed before, and I think it is up to the rescue organisation, some are willing to be flexible, others aren't. I know one lady who always has a rehome or two living with her, usually staffy's or staffy crosses, and she has one neutered male and one entire male living with her of a different breed, and is involved in shooting and working dogs. Having got involved recently in trying to track down a rescue that rehomed an entire bitch (again, why??) to a family who have since decided to breed a litter of fashionable well known cross breeds to pay for a spray job for their car along with some mods, you can kind of understand why they prefer that dogs not used in breeding programmes are spayed/neutered. It may seem a little extreme, but you only have to look on some of the free ad sites, to see how Joe Public treat some of their pets like piggy banks. :(
Hi Pat.
Thank you for your comments. I am posting on all sorts of forums (all species) to get a broad picture of experiences/opinions in regard to 'rescue'. It has been very interesting and has highlighted a number of areas that people are very concerned about.
I appreciate your points about the importance of resolving the root cause of unwanted dogs & puppies (and actually cats and rabbits are in a worse position). There are a number of theories but as 'rescues' and the breeding of animals is un-regulated, it is very difficult to get real facts and a true picture of what is going on. I'm hoping my project will help in some small way.
I'm interested in any thoughts so please feel free to email me.
My experiences have included being unable to even get to meet in person GSD rescuers...I lost a shep and was forced to buy a pup even though I would have taken a rescue, but they just didn't want to know! I have a Valgray collie - they home into agility and never mind what else you've got :-) I have also had a Dog's Trust X who was fab - from Evesham - but then I knew 'staff'. I think it's very much a case of how good the manager is. I doubt I would manage to get a rescue dog these days (apart from Valgray or somewhere where I knew 'staff' or through individual rescues) as I have entire dogs, I breed and I have more than a couple of dogs. How bizarre that if you have an entire dog that you can't take a neutered one...I have entire and neutered dogs so can't get my head around it. Most rescue organisations treat breeders as pariahs..yet well bred healthy dogs are needed...if they had their way imo you'd end up with just puppy farmed and back yard bred dogs...
My experience has been a disater from start to finish so now I have bought a lovely yellow lab puppy. Never again I tried all sorts of rescues mostly the dogs I would have had happily in my home which did not include terriers or hounds of any sort I personally dont like them. No point in having a dog if you dont like it however I am home almost 24/7 when not at home I am out with our ponies so lots of opportunity for free running. We have a small house but it has a six foot fence round the garden. I live on a famous footpath and bridleway I am over 50 but feel I should outlive my new pup. Ideal home I would have thought but the silly rules and regulations got me down in the end we have cream carpet so we must be houseproud errrr no I had a cream dog until she died 18 months ago so it is less obvious that she was moulting. We have a cat and grandchildren so needed a cat friendly child friendly pet We didnt have a dog one rescue would only rehome if you already have a dog so gave up and bought my pup. She is a wonderful noisy cheeky monkey driving me potty with night crying but she ha only been here a few days 90% watertight abd completely clean luckily I am an experienced dog owner and will go dog training once she is able and has had the last of her vaccinations I love her already inspite of being sleep deprived however we will get there
We have a charity center here, who do a good job sometimes. Although I do not agree with their policy on re-homing dog aggressive dogs. Lack of information and support is often putting these dogs into homes with completely the wrong people. I have known of two different re-home situations where the dog has ended up seriously attacking another dog. And ending up back in there care.
I'm sure the majority of rescue organisations do their best BUT when looking to rehome a retired greyhound I had a very disheartening experience at a rescue centre. I'm not sure I should say which one it was but it was a large centre with about 20 greyhounds. Their kennels were in good condition, it was all very clean but the attitude of the people running it was awful. They didn't seem the slightest bit interested in rehoming the dogs there. They were very rude and unfriendly, pretty much ignored us, and just sat there drinking tea and eating biscuits. We had prearranged the visit and surely they should have given us some information about the different dogs? We were left to wander around by ourselves, there wasn't information on the kennel doors about the individual dogs and when we asked for information or advice they didn't really give us any. Just told us to go look at the dogs.
I ended up getting my dog from a branch of the retired greyhound trust. The woman who ran it was very friendly, gave us lots of information, walked round with us and told us about the dogs. We walked him, had a home visit etc. Is that really asking too much?
I completely agree with you, I know this is about rescue centres but a member of my family got a cocker spaniel from a breeder. No one is at home during the day as they work full time, they barely walk it and don't get up early in the morning to give it a morning walk or walk it in the evening. They do have a dog walker but why have a dog if you are not prepared to walk it? He is very intelligent, easy to train and clearly very bored because he spends most of his time at home alone. I wish some breeders would be more careful about who they sell their dogs to.
Another sad story, the lady who ran the greyhound rescue centre where I got my dog from told me that one couple had taken a greyhound and given it a new home. Then six months later they returned it because they didn't like the colour of it and wanted a different coloured dog. This is just proof that vetting doesn't always work or isn't stringent enough and some people really shouldn't be allowed to own dogs.
> I wish some breeders would be more careful about who they sell their dogs to.
>
Good breeders try, but sometimes lies are told.
> This is just proof that vetting doesn't always work
exactly, every good breeders and rescuers worst nightmare..
By MickB
Date 07.10.10 08:50 UTC
" I wish some breeders would be more careful about who they sell their dogs to."
That is the very essence of the rescue problem in the UK. Too many unethical breeders selling poorly bred, poor quality dogs to totally unprepared new owners. Since we started in February 2007, our Siberian Husky Welfare Association has taken in and rehomed some 420 unwanted Siberians - some as young as 7 weeks of age. Less than 1% of these were bred by breeders whom we would consider ethical (we have a strict code of ethics for our members who are also breeders) and those few dogs were taken back by the breeders immediately once they knew we had them. The rest were bred by the usual procession of puppy farmers, backyard breeders and naive/greedy "pet" breeders - no health tests, no knowledge (or care) about the quality of their breeding dogs, no KC registration, and quick sales to people who hadn't the first clue about the breed.
I am sure that this scenario is repeated in breed after breed and is the root cause of the current welfare crisis in UK dogs.
Amen, if all breeders were of the ethical responsible type there would virtually be no recuse as such just re-homing's arranged by the breeder, or the few where a breeder was themselves in unexpected dire straits or deceased/emigrated.
I would like to see both the relinquishing owner and breeder of any dog going into rescue should pay a contribution for the dogs keep (means tested perhaps).
By pat
Date 13.10.10 18:54 UTC
During the past ten days a new rescue opened up near the village that I live, they announced their arrival by placing a notice over the name of the premises stating under new ownership, days later to be followed by a name and then 'dogs and puppies wanted'.
The premises who operated as a boarding kennels and local pound were two years ago closed by the Council and RSPCA. For the last two years they have been unoccupied and were left in disrepair.
On enquiring with the new owners of their rehoming policy I learnt that they do not spey and neuter, they do not vaccinate and do not home check and they charge £150.00 per dog. They had only bull breds just three and a x breed puppy 13 weeks old not vaccinated for £200.
This is not rescue surely - this is trading in dogs. The owner said she only cares about the dogs! Could this be true?
By suejaw
Date 13.10.10 19:55 UTC
Are they licensed at all? I'm sure they must be if they have a premises in which people come and go and dogs exchange hands, in which the council should have agreed it. Worth looking in on that and find out what the policy is.
By MickB
Date 14.10.10 15:17 UTC
" they do not spey and neuter, they do not vaccinate and do not home check and they charge £150.00 per dog."
That's not a rescue, that's a dog trader! No genuine rescue has to advertise for dogs, most are overwhelmed.
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