On Sunday I attended the Richmond dog show, I am thinking about getting a second dog and am trying to decide which breed. So the trip was to see a couple of breeds I am considering and get some shopping in at the same time. It was a lovely day and all the dogs were absolutely gorgeous.

On the way back home I decided to stop in to Battersea at Windsor, I had never been before and in the back of my mind I am wondering if my second dog should be a rescue.

The change from pampered, to-the-standard bred dogs at the show and the dogs in the shelter was too much. By the time I passed the first few kennels I was choking back the tears. I do not know how many dogs there were, but there were a lot, perhaps 50-60. I read all the information cards outside the kennels and was happy to see a few had been reserved for new owners.

The most wrenching case for me was a large 10-year old mongrel who had the saddest eyes and most plaintive cry. You could just look through and see in her heart that she did not know why she was there and was sad beyond measure.

When I finally got home, after a good cry, I started to get real angry. The kennel were full of SBT, SBT crosses, Jack Russels, Jack Russel crosses, a Yorkie so hyper he made the JRTs look laid back, many lurchers, a 2 year old Dalmation, a 5 year old Boxer, a number of Mastif crosses and of course others. Nearly every card said, "not neutered, not good with children, not trained, not for the first time dog owner, needs someone familiar with the breed, etc. -- all this for nearly every dog in the shelter." 95 percent of the information cards also said, "gift to the shelter", meaning whoever owned the dog decided to get rid of their problem at Battersea. Most of these dogs had clearly been bred on purpose and probably sold to anyone with the cash required. There was only one young puppy, an 8-week old SBT bitch with a face that could melt the coldest heart - but I guess whoever bred the litter could not find a buyer.

I still do not know what I am going to do with regard to a second dog. However, I now where all unwanted food, treats, toys and so on I buy for my dog is going to go from now on.

Stacey

I know where you are coming from, Stacey.

A couple of years ago, i knew i wanted a very small pup to love and to train - i mean an 8 week old, as my previous BSDs had all been 15 weeks when I got them. Our other (family) dog was an adult "rescue" from a friend, a Lab/whippet cross.

A few weeks before i got my reserved pup, i went to a seminar which in itself was extremely upsetting, some so called expert from the States who was supposed to understand rescue dogs and body language.

Anyway, the dogs at the seminar were from Battersea Old Windsor, and one was a beautiful GSD cross called Jess. According to the "expert" she had a hard eye and was "dominant" and guarded her food. Absolute (bleep bleep bleep) rubbish

She was so like one of my old dogs and i so nearly offered her a home. She was super. I often think of her and wonder and hope she got a good home. I dont think i shall ever forget her, and for ages i felt guilty about getting my pup.

I hope in the future i will be able to take on a dog from rescue, even if it is breed rescue.

And isn't it sad that there are so many predictable breeds at the rescue kennels - I wish i knew the answer.......

Lindsay

Oh I remember that one Lyndsey - remember the BC who went all excited when he saw the child doll? But the lecturer said he shouldn't be homed with children??? :( I'm still hoping to find that my first thoughts on her methods were wrong - but I don't hold out much hope :(

That's right, that's where we met! :)

I try hard to keep an open mind but i swear she disgusted me the way she fabricated the situation and was happy to give a dog a bad name just to show her ideas. My blood pressure is rising at the very thought

Thats where i gained a huge respect for Peter Neville, speaking out :) It didn't make him popular but he gave me a huge amount of confidence back just when i thought i was going mad, i shall always be grateful.

Whoops sorry we're sliding off topic a bit.....

Lindsay

These people that breed for money and then have the cheek to call responsible breeders snobby when they try to dissuade them make my blood boil
Also the idiotic owners who take on a dog , have no time to spend with it and who expect the dog to train itself and then rehome it because its not perfect also make me FUMMMME!!
Thats why we have rescues!!!!!!

yea i know its sad isent it, i went to the rspca when my last dog died there were so many lovely dogs,
a rodegen ridgback that had been so badly treated he sat in his bed shivering with loads of burns:( , there was a sweet staffy there called sally she was so affectionate and would give the sweetest howl when we left her.
with two adult cats we wanted to get a puppy i dont think they would like a fully grown dog jumping on them .and they dident have any . but i did feel sorry for the old ones no one will want so many black labs. breeders shouldent think of the money they should breed because they love the dogs , im breeding because i think its nice for a bitch to be a mother once in its life and i want a home bred pup too. but if i couldent sell my pups id probably end up keeping them all. it would break my heart to see them fall into the wrong hands!!

Hi Lindsay,

Yup, I wondered how the assessments were done of each dog because each and every one seemed to be a harbouring a behaviour problem of some kind. It seemed very odd to me they 90% of the dogs were given such a negative write up by Battersea.

Stacey

Hi Stacey

I also know where you're coming from. I have three dogs at present - have had 8 dogs in 30 years and all but the very first have come from shelters or been throught the 'pass the parcel' routine.

I have to say it is often easier to handle and raise a dog which has come straight from breeder to your home but not always as rewarding!

My wolfhound/beardie x I have had for 8 years (from a city dogs home) and, apart from a recent education program to get him used to horses, has never been a moments trouble for me. Our retriever/collie x came to us aged 6 years because her master had died and she was going to be destroyed. She was in toal abject misery when we got her - very depressed and withdrawn, and our latest is a 20 month old beardie collie who we have had for 8 months. We are his fifth owner and he was totally wild when we got him. he had never been on a lead (had wasted back leg muscles) was afraid of traffic, cows/sheep/horses, anything that moved, including his own shadow, and other dogs. Now we only have to get over the other dogs difficulty and he'll be fine (he's great with our own!).

I have to admit that every time we have decided to have another dog I have gone to dogs homes and shelters first and it's heartbreaking. My very first dog was a pedigree show dog but I would never,ever go there again. Nothing against him but seeing a damaged dog come good beats a show specimen every time.

I've had a rescued Greyhound, a 3 week-old dumped in a box terrier puppy, and an 7 week old from a dumped mother and never had a problem with any of them.

Whatever you decide, don't be put off by a rescue - they may be hard work but it is rewarding.

The appalling fact is that Battersea do not have a full neutering policy. As they are members of the Association of Cats and Dogs Homes along with NCDL who promote neutering and speying , why is the owner always blamed for this omission when the three largest dogs homes do not set an example. Battersea's euthanasa figures are equally unimpressive, of the 8,817 dogs cared for in 2002, 2,399 were put to sleep. We reckon that ten per cent of the intake figure is acceptable, but twenty five per cent is not.

I can totally see the point being made here, but I do disagree on one aspect - I dont call all show dogs pampered. Whilst I totally agree with what has been said about the dogs in shelters, we must remember that a number of them will come from breeders who show their dogs. Not all show folk are as caring as we may like to think - I can certainly think of a few who make a living from breeding dogs, are not quite as fastidious as we may be when selling puppies, and handle their dogs in a way that I find rather hard to take, whilst not quite reaching what I could call cruel. Reaching the top regularly at shows usually means that a large number of litters have been bred and those puppies not considered af a high enough standard are sold. We all know how long it takes to vet prospective owners when we have one litter - imagine trying to do it properly with umpteen litters a year - the standards slip, and puppies are sold to the wrong people.

The dogs at the show were definitely pampered in contrast to the dogs at Battersea. I do agree with you, however, that some breeders and show-dog owners treat the dogs very much as objects.

I don't show any longer, but I used to show dogs in the U.S. and I expect there is not too much different between countries in terms of show people. Most are decent people who love a breed. They breed for the betterment of the breed and show for an objective (mostly!) view of how well they have done. There are a small minority to be sure who show purely for their own egos and the welfare of the dogs themselves is way down their list of priorities.

Stacey

The are certainly a good few of the egoists around in the UK dog scene

My dogs may be pampered show dogs but they are my pets 1st. The ones I show have just been gardening & could win prizes in a grubby dog class at prerent:) but nothig a quick wash can't put right lol

Up here the cat rescues campaign for neutering seems to be working as very few kittens are looking for homes. Wish the same was true for dogs. I know its a very personal issue but I do admire the shelters who neuter and include their costs in the price of the dogs as few people seem to take advantage of discounts offered towards the cost after the dog is re-homed. This week everywhere I go there are bitches in season, people saying they'll breed bitches with exclusions on and desperate owners of males driven nuts ( pardon the Freudian slip!) by frustration. All those poor dogs needing homes too.........

It still surprises me, the number of people who have a bitch and think it is "good for her" to have a litter. Personally (touch wood) I have not had a problem with the people who have had bitches from me in them agreeing to spay. I always make it very clear, especially if they have children, of the problems encountered when a bitch is in season, and as I also ask that the bitch is allowed to have her first season, they soon see for themselves, especially if the children go round to pals houses smelling of in season bitch where there is a dog! This is the thing I particularly stress, and I think that most parents take it on board, much more than "the escaping bitch" stories.

I was curious about the neutering policy at Battersea. A number of the kennels had signs up that said "do not mix with other dogs for 10 days - operation". I assumed this was for neutering, I guess I assumed incorrectly.

Stacey

After recently getting married, having no plans for children and being a long time dog lover we decided we wanted a new addition. As a first-time dog owner we spent a lot of time and effort looking into various breeds etc before making our choice. For a long time we were very drawn of whether we wanted a rescue dog or pedigree. Just looking at the Battersea web-site broke my heart.

We decided we wanted to help give a rescue dog a second chance and made enquiries (without visiting). Now we both work but my hours are not long and whilst I'm out my husband always spends at least an hour at home during the day. But we were told in no uncertain terms that we wouldn't even be considered as prespective adopters as we 'couldn't give the dog the attention it would require'. I was furious - we are not out for long periods. The letter was worded in a very abrupt manner and I thought it down-right rude. I was really upset by it and read it as a personal attack.

A few months later we bought a westie pup off a local breeder and haven't regretted a moment. We still have to leave her for short periods but the love and attention she gets the rest of the time more than makes up for it. She is our 'baby' and goes everywhere with us and is the focus of our attention 100% of the time. She goes to classes, is walked twice a day and we spend a good amount of time on training. She's only 16 weeks but already knows sit, stay, drop and leave which I think is pretty good for a family that 'can't give enough attention'!

It makes my blood boil that genuine dog lovers are rejected so quickly by these rescue centres, I know they have to be careful but there's only so much you can do. I also realise that a mistreated animal requires a major amount of attention but so do all dogs. Anybody who takes a dog on and isn't prepared to give it the time it needs shouldn't have any dog not just a rescue.

Its ridiculous to turn down good homes for such a silly reason - no-one is home 24/7. Yet no doubt some of those dogs will have been previously re-homed by a centre following hard and fast rules instead of gut instinct about a family.

Hi Claire,

I am getting the same attitude when I go to rescue homes for dogs. I work full time and live on my own but would get up and walk the dog before I go to work. I am thinking of hiring a professional dog walker for when I'm not there during the day, to feed and take it for a walk and when I come home in the evening the dog would have another walk and play time. I like you have had family pets before when living at home so I know the amount of dedication and time it takes to raise a dog and the amount of commitment needed. However, I felt that I shouldn't even consider having a pet if I worked full time. I would give the dog a loving secure home and would cherish it. It would be my companion and I would love it dearly. I thought about going to rescue homes hoping to give an older dog the hope of a lovely home. It seems that I; don't fit into the 'perfect' category. I know that these places have to be careful but surely a good loving home with attention and a secure home life is better for a dog than staying in a rescue center wher they may end up being put to sleep. It breaks my heart, I have been thinking of buying a dog for a long time now, at least 8 months so is something I have considered greatly. And I'm sure that there are people out there who have dogs and don't think about getting someone to walk them whilst at work. Now I'm not sure what to do, I would still love a westie but now feel awful for having to work for a living. Can you tell me where you bought your westie from, maybe I could have a chat with the breeder and meet them to see what their opinion would be. Any help or words of encouragement would be grateful.

karena

karena

KarenaD,

Do you have anyone who lives close to you like a relative or good reliable freind?

I am not saying buy 2 puppies but have you thoguht about 2 dogs together?

Pam

That was exactly the attitude I got from dogs homes when I went for a rescue. And to add insult to injury, the Windsor Battersea said that Slough was too far away to do a home visit (I lived just outside Slough at the time, no more than 10 miles).

There was a beautiful trained black lab called Marmite, there because his owner was too ill, who I wanted to home and they couldn't be bothered.

I had excercise & company arranged & ws not more than 5 mins from good walking land.

where i live (in perth w.a) there's 3 dog shelters nearby. (rspca, swan animal haven, dogs refuge home) when i visited the rspca shelter i was very disappointed considering they're the only shelter out of the 3 that gets government funding, the kennels were s#it (small dark and dirty (obviously not regularly cleaned)) and their "exercise" area was far from impressive. i was very shocked. the dogs looked absolutely miserable. it was heart breaking! their was no information cards. it was as if the staff spent no time with the dogs whatsoever! i then went to the swan animal haven and was just as disgusted, there was plenty of room for the dogs to exercise (they were in large pens) but the owner was an elderly lady, when questioned she admitted that the only time the dogs spent time with humans was when their food was being delivered!!! they had basically no human contact! they were'nt personailty assessed, the owner didnt have a clue about the dogs!! i was so angry!!!!! but finally i visited the dogs refuge home and was very impressed! the dogs are walked frequently (1 at a time) in a large fenced field full of things to investigate , the kennels were large and not one was dirty once ( i vistied several times)!!! they all had toys (unlike rspca and swan animal haven) all of the dogs had information cards, were personailty assessed, microchipped, wormed, vaccinated, flea treated & desexed ( if it was a puppy then you have to sign a contract and then come back when the pup is old enough to be desexed and the local vet desexes the pup and the shelter pays for it all!!) they have an enormous amount of volunteers, if you go to ask to walk one of the dogs (and possibly buy) they get you to fill out a questionnaire and if you're not suited to that dog then they wont allow you to take the dog, they also have a non-euthanasia policy. the dogs are so well looked after, i was very impressed, these people genuinely cared for the dogs, and received no government funding.. which is so wrong!.and thats where i got my Satine from...its so sad and unfair how many dogs enter these shelters, i really recommend at least looking in a shelter before purchasing a dog/puppy. sorry about the babbling everyone!
Elise + Moogi & Satine

Just to keep you right, the RSPCA and the SPPCA (Scotland, and completely seperate from RSPCA) receive no government funding at all. In fact the SSPCA is in severe financial difficulties and might have to close some of its centres, I am an education volunteer with the SSPCA and it looks like the education dept will close. I agree with what you are all saying about these shelters breaking your heart, last week when I was taking a class round there was a litttle Yorkie, it was old and shivering in a cage. I am owned by three spaniels and am not a big toy fan,but this one broke my heart because she was being put to sleep without them even trying to find it a home. They claimed it was elderly but so are alot of people who would love to have a dog. Yorkies can out live alot of breeds so considering they did not know its age, for all they knew it could have lived 4/5 happy years being spoilt rotten and loved. Makes me mad the number of elderly dogs people dump just because they are a burden, my 13 year old springer is driving me nuts waking me in the night, getting lost on her walks and generally pretending she is deaf and blind until she hears a biscuit being lifted out of a tin 3 rooms away, but I would not dream of getting rid of her.

Er the poster is in Perth Western Australian not Scotland lol I had to read the post twice

hehe, thanks moonmaiden you are correct..i live in perth western australia (not scotland) :)

It was the Swans that gave it away don't think the swan sanctuaries here have dogs as well:)too dangerous for the dogs lol.

I know what you mean the quality of rescue kennels. Our local RSPCA do not home check & advert the rates they sell the dogs for(unneutered)from £70 for an adult X more for puppies & lots more for pedigrees. They had some of the Herds shelties there & never even bothered to give one dog his medication while he was there. They rehomed all the dogs from the court case, but sold the puppies at the going commerical rate :rolleyes:& the nicest younger dogs all went to RSPCA management !

Meanwhile they also get sponsored by a dog food company & forever plead poverty

What I do not understand is the rescues that raise ALL the puppies they breed who complain older dogs are harder to rehome I know it sounds bad but if they culled their litters the older dogs would stand a chance & the poor bitches woudn't have to raise the litter

Our breed rescue once took in a nine month old bitch in whelp ! She was spayed & the puppies removed before they were born, just as well as she would have had 11 & had odema & was badly malnourished-the vet said going full term would have killed her & guess what she had been "rehomed"by the RSPCA in the area to a family with an entire adult male GSD, who when they found asked for the bitch & puppies & they were horrified to find the bitch had had technically an abortion. How did the RSPCA find out ? the family went back for another puppy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems to depend on who you see. We got the 3rd degree from one kennelmaid on one visit and a much more helpful practical response next time while a friend who got her dog form the same place was concerned at how easy it was to get her dog - both of us are delighted with our dogs by the way. I didnt mind getting lots of questions asked but then I wasn't rejected out of hand for working