I am planning on getting a second dog and decided to visit two rescues this weekend.  Battersea at Old Windsor and the RSPCA Millbrook Centre in Chobham.   The RSPCA centre is small and most of the dogs there were already reserved, which was good to see.

This was my second visit to Battersea and as for my first visit I left very frustrated.   I have a Cairn and I'm looking for a young, small dog as a companion as she adores other dogs.  Once again, the shelter was mostly full of Lurchers/Greyhounds, hyper Jack Russell terriers and SBTs (who little resemble SBTs I see at dog shows) and SBT crosses.   I am convinced that the majority of these dogs are dumped by travellers.   These breeds are not the typical breeds one sees when walking the fine streets and country lanes of Surrey/Runneymeade.  So where exactly do they come?

Anyway, it is just about impossible to find a dog in the Battersea shelter (or RSPCA) shelter that does not say, "not good with small children, must be only dog, or must have experience with the breed."  There was an Akita and in that case I understand where he must go to owners who understand the breed.  But it seemed as if anytime there was what looked to be a purebred the "must understand the breed" was used. The restrictions ruled out just about anyone but dogless people with children over the age of sixteen from even considering asking about one of the dogs.

How does anyone qualify to adopt a dog from one of these shelters?  And how do the shelters test the temperament of the dogs that end up there for adoptions?  I do not believe that the majority of the dogs there would be - with good training and socialization - as badly behaved as they are advertised to be by the shelter.

I do not want a young puppy, so now I guess my only option is to go through the breed club rescues or to call breeders and look for a dog they've been holding back for show which has not turned out as well as hoped.

Stacey

Stacey sometimes Breeders will rehome lovely natured older bitches that have possibly been shown and had a litter etc also.

Just a thought.

Hi Blue,

Thanks, yes I'd thought of that, but I have a young and very lively dog and I'm looking for a companion that would not find terrier antics a burden.  :-)

Stacey

Do you have an NCDL /Dogs Trust near you? They give you a rehoming questionnaire about what you are looking for and they can then match you to a suitable dog

Stacey ...try some of the smaller independent Rescues. I could give you some in your area .
Have you looked on http://www.dogpages.org.uk/forums/ too?
I work with Dasha Dog Rescue ...we rehome to most parts of the country all our dogs live in foster homes so are assessed in a family environment which is easier for us as we get a truer idea of a dogs character than you would in kennels.
I myself have 3 children so any dog said by us to be child friendly most definitely is :D
The problems with larger organisations is they have to be careful and because they dont have the facilities to child test they tend to have to generalise.
Anyway if you need some help PM or email me :)
Donna x

I suppose the centres are over cautious to try and ensure that dogs are homed without being returned by people who havent done their homework.
If the dog hasnt been cat/child/dog tested then there would be a need to rehome into a childless/catless/one dog environment to avoid any potential problems.
If the dog has come from a home with children/cats/rabbits whatever and is being homed due to a change in circumstances for example then the rescue centre would at least have some background history for that particular animal. The difficulty comes when the dog is a stray or abandoned. There is no one therefore to vouch for the dogs temperament and how he/she would react in a home with other animals or children. And Im sure none of us would thank a Centre that rehomed a dog to us who then attacked our cat or our children.
I imagine its quite a frustrating task for the rehomers and of course genuine people like yourself.
Each Centre does of course have differing rehoming policies. Some use fosterers who can then get to know if the dog is suitable to live with cats/children/other dogs . Some dont have fosterers and therefore the dogs  can miss out because they may be perfectly ok in this type of home but the Centre cant take the chance.

And as for the breeds that little resemble the standard , well I dont think they can all be due to travellers. Try irresponsible Joe Public too :rolleyes:

Good luck on your search :)

The advantage with getting a dog from Breed Rescue is that the dogs will have been assessed by those experienced with the breed and are knowledgeable about what is and is not important in rehoming which is not ALWAYS the case with some of the larger non specific organisations.  I believe the Blue Cross have a programme of assessment in place at some if not all centres.

Hi Tohme,

I am definitely going to try the breed rescues.

Stacey

Hi Lel,

Yup, I'm sure Joe Public has a lot to answer to as well.  I really do find it very strange, however, that some breeds are so over represented in the big rescues in my area.

Stacey

<<So where exactly do they come?>>

I seem to remember hearing that if a dog doesn't find a home from one rehoming kennels it will often be moved to one in another area of the country to give it a better chance. Lurchers are very much a fashionable 'must-have' nowadays - perhaps they thought a perhaps more well-off area would be luckier for them?

Battesea tend to move dogs between the centres, the larger ones usually ending up in Windsor.  My mums lurcher pup came from Battersea @ Old Windsor, because she is deaf it said that she could only be re-homed with a family who had experience of deaf dogs or with a family who already had a dog.  We had no experience of deaf dogs and we did not have a dog but tried our luck anyway and got her, the reason being because we had sight hounds before and therefore we experienced with the temperament, so if you see a dog that you want it is worth finding out more because you may have the right experience to have that dog :)

I didn't know lurchers were the newest fashion accessory.  It always spells trouble for a breed or a mix when that happens :-(    Unfortunately, from reading the cards on each kennel lurchers also appeared to be the type of dog that were in the kennels for the longest period of time already.

Stacey

Do you mind me asking why you werent charmed by the less "show quality" dogs and crossbreeds? I understand all of your points about rehoming with kids etc, but I dont understand your points on how a dog looks? I have two pedigree rescues. One was from an Irish pound, and she is hardly BOB quality in looks, but worth a million times more for her love and devotion. She's beautiful, loving, and well worthy of a home, even if she isnt "Like the dogs you see at shows". Then I have Dharma the Bullmastiff who came from breed rescue. However, in my time we've had a mix of all sorts of dogs - mainly crossbreeds (a greyhound x collie, a corgi x GSD x summat else, for example). We've never used looks as a reason for or against rescuing, and we will never resort to buying from a breeder as we want all of ours to be rescues (not knocking those who choose otherwise, but I cant live with the idea of bringing more pups into this world).

Good luck in your search for your perfect rescue companion :D

Kathy
xxx

Lily was the ugliest pup @ battersea, even the vet nurse said so when she had her final health check before we took her home :D :D :D

When we adopted our older dog from Battersea 4 years ago, we were excluded from adopting some of the dogs because our daughter was under 16 and we weren't experienced enough for some of the dogs. However, as we were flexible in what we wanted - hubby had wanted something biggish, at least lab sized - we found a dog for us. He is very much a mongrel and only 18kg, but he is a super dog and we wouldn't change him for a dog with the finest pedigree :) :)

Daisy

I got my first rescue dog back in August 02. He was a stray. He had been picked up in Manchester back in March 02. He was 18mths when we chose him and had been moved to NCDL Snetterton. We had to fill in a questionaire and undergo a home visit as well to check that we were genuine and that we had suitable accomodation for him, garden enclosed, etc. We had to visit with all our family members 4 times and also go into their meet and greet room so the staff could see how he would react to the children, then 5, 10 & 12yrs. Thankfully he was absolutly brilliant and we passed the checks and we were allowed to adopt him. He is a gsd, boxer, lurcher x thing.
9mths later we decided we would like to get another dog for us, but also for "Tigger". We went back to Snetterton and again were very lucky to find a really cute little rascal, a staffie, geryhound x thing. Again he was a stray and had been picked up in Manchester at the tender age of only 2-3mths. Again he had been transferred to Snetterton and we adopted him at 5-6mths of age. We had to asure the staff that our circumstances were still the same at home, all the family had to meet and greet again 4 times and this time so did Tigger. Then and only then were we allowed to adopt him, "Midget".
The reason I think for all these rules and regulations at these rehoming centers is that a lot of these poor dogs have really gone through the mill and the last thing anybody wants is for them to have to be destroyed due to them going to an unsuitable home and causing some dreadfull incident, and equally they want to rehome these dogs for life. After all it's what they deserve after their start in life. I welcome the stringent rules they have in place. Maybe if every single dog owner had to be checked/veted before they were allowed any dogs there would be no need for the rehoming centres, for stray, ill treated and abandoned dogs.

<<<Maybe if every single dog owner had to be checked/veted before they were allowed any dogs there would be no need for the rehoming centres, for stray, ill treated and abandoned dogs. >>>

never a truer word said :)

Lel

Thanks for that reply, its nice to find someone who agree's. I have had an argument recently with a so called friend because they had been turned down for rehoming. They thought it was rediculous that they had been refused, "either they want rehome the dogs or they don't"!
The reason being, they would be out all day working and had a busy social life. Also they had not got a fully enclosed garden front or rear. I think their want for a dog was to keep up with the jone's. I was sooooo pleased they were told no. :-)

Hi Stacey , reading your post was like re reading one i posted a couple of months ago ,i rescued a beautiful little dog from the R.S.P.C.A. (Millbrook at Chobham)in June last year , they were wonderful they do every thing within their power to match dog & owners ,Battersea(Windsor)  were a different kettle of fish ,90% of the staff were great ,wanting  only the best for their dogs( not all though !) ,i was trying to rescue a dog for my Mother in law , i visited Battersea at least twice a week for almost six weeks ,The Akita has been there a long time as it was there when we were first looking ,i fully appreciate that a breed like the Akita would need special treatment ,but why should it only be rehomed to people with experience of the breed ,we had at least four interviews with staff ,and a home visit ,surely they are experienced dog handlers ,they should have a pretty good idea of the right people for the right dog ,was the Dalmation still there ,his notes said on the door "please excuse my behaviour as i am unhappy in kennels!" he was there for all of the six weeks i visited ,and he was pacing to and fro over & over howling & crying ,it broke my heart ,why didnt they send him to breed rescue ,?we then had a dog recomended for my M.I.L. by one member of staff to be told the dog was not suitable by another ,my last two dogs have been crosses  from rescue centres ,and they have been wonderful ,but i eventually contacted a lady on this forum and got a beautiful American Spaniel for my MIL  ,(ex show dog ) ,the trouble they all took to find us the right dog ,& aftercare have been faultless !!! i know which way i will go the next time i am looking for a dog ....it will never be Battersea again !! if you are still wanting to rescue  contact Gwen on this forum ..you will not regret it !Good luck Sue & Lola xx

Hi Sue,

Yes, unfortunately the dalmation is still at Battersea.  He was quiet.  I cannot believe in all that time that a single, suitable individual or family has not come along that would be better for him than life in a kennel.

With regard to breed rescues, I thought the same about the Akita, he would be better of in a breed rescue that at Battersea. 

Stacey

Hi Nicolinena,

I absolutely agree that rescues have a responsibility to rehome dogs in a suitable situation.  I've had dogs for twenty years, big ones, little ones, show dogs, companion dogs, mixed breeds, from terriers to GSDs.  The only requirement I personally have for another dog that it is a young, small dog - because I have a young, small dog who would greatly enjoy a playmate. And my husband does not want a big dog, but his wishes are secondary. :-)  Nevertheless, there was hardly a dog in there that if Battersea followed their "qualifications" to the letter I could adopt.  Even all the JRTs said there were "suitable as only dogs". 

Stacey

Hi Kathy,

I never said I wasn't "charmed by the less 'show quality'" dogs and crossbreeds.   If I was looking for a show quality dog I would not be looking in rescues, would I?  What I said was that for the most part the SBTs in the rescues do not look like the SBTs I see at dog shows.  Meaning that they are most likely the result of people who were more interested in selling a litter of pups than they were concerned with the health, welfare and standards for the SBT breed.  Many of them were real lookers - they just did not look like SBTs.

The love of my life, who I lost in August 2002, was a 19 lb Yorkshire Terrier with floppy ears.   My dog now is a good example of her breed, but I know would do nothing in the show ring - and I used to show the breed.  I found a reputable breeder and told her I was looking for a puppy and I definitely was not going to show. 

I think you took my comment the wrong way. 

Stacey

Hi Stacey,

Believe me I do know where you are comming from. We did not find our dogs on the first visit. In actuall fact we had to travel to Snetterton (which is about 45mins away) on many occassions before we found the dog that was right for our family. If you are desperate to rehome a dog, you are prepaid to wait and keep looking, even if it takes up every weekend for 6 weeks as it did with our first. Then we had to do the further 4 visits to make sure he was the perfect match. We were extremly lucky with our 2nd dog as he was there the first time we went in search :-) Again though we still had to do the further 4 visits to make sure.
It can be extremly frustrating but it is worth the trouble in the long run when you end up with the dog/dogs that fit perfectly into your family. The rules can seem very harsh, but please remember that they are in place for the bennefit of the dogs and then the would-be rehomer. Would you really be happy if you ended up having to return a dog because it did not fit in to your circumstances or did something dreadfull :-(
I am sure when you stop and look at it like this, then maybe you will agree:-) The rehoming centers are not there for us humans, they are there firstly for the dogs they rescue, from sometimes the most appauling situations. Don't be too mad at them for following their rules and regulations :-)
If you have not already found your second dog, I wish you luck in your continuing search.

nicolinena