# Dog homes and experience with the breed



## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

I mentioned in another thread 2011 is the year we want to rehome a dog thats when we sort out moving into a house. We went to Battersea about a month ago and we thought we would go back today as we seen a few dogs we liked and to ask some more questions about rehoming in general.

So also as I mentioned last time we have fallen in love with the akita there we bought some treats to be given to her and a couple of others we liked by the staff and I took the chance to ask some questions about her.

First thing out of the womans mouth was we will only rehome her to people with experience of the breed. I was like right ok I havent owned an akita before but I have done nearly 3 years worth of research, I have gone to crufts and discovery dogs to meet breeders and their dogs. I work with dogs on a daiy basis including akitas both the Inu and the American and I have worked with wolves and medium to big cats.

She was oh sorry I shouldnt say this but we get some numpties asking about her.

I just feel that you shouldnt be shot down right away if you dont have experience of the breed its like when you go for a job and you must have experience of the job, well how can I have experience if you wont give me the job?

Do you they want us to go out and buy an akita puppy and then wait 15 of or so years until it passes on to give an unwanted dog a home which is what we want to do in the first place???


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## jazzywoo (Sep 24, 2009)

i agree with you they were very unfair to do that surely they can tell if its the right people even idiots could have owned one before they should match the dog to the owner


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

lie :2thumb:


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## allsturns (Dec 14, 2010)

An Akita is not an easy breed to own, however you have said that you have some experience of them through work, and therefore I'll not go into why so many end up in rescue! Have you tried rescue (as in breed specific) try The Akita Rescue & Welfare Trust (UK): 0845 2 602 206


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## tinks30 (Nov 2, 2008)

I find rescues saying they won`t rehome cat`s or dogs to flats silly too. I mean some cats love being inside and a kitten wouldn`t know any difference. As for dogs well you are more lightly to walk a dog if you live in a flat, the amount of people i know who live in houses who don`t wallk their dogs and just let them out in the garden!!!!


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## Rach1 (May 18, 2010)

i find rehoming centres to be alittle 'snotty' in general.
whilst i do not wish to poo poo the good work they do and the effort the people put into their work and whils i understand the need for care and caution i do feel sometimes they can be a little off putting to potential homers!
we enquired about rehoming a certain breed from a certain rescue and from the minute the woman walked in the door we cuold tell she didn't like us or our dogs etc. (our two can be alittle bolshy and the beagle in particular is very vocal) she was slightly snobby and very condecending!
just my experience and i know of others who have had the same!


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

allsturns said:


> An Akita is not an easy breed to own, however you have said that you have some experience of them through work, and therefore I'll not go into why so many end up in rescue! Have you tried rescue (as in breed specific) try The Akita Rescue & Welfare Trust (UK): 0845 2 602 206


I havent visited them but I did meet one of the people who is involved with running it at Discovery Dogs this year and he was very nice and we had a good chat about the breed and about the rehoming they do and he was alot more postive than the lady today.


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

I have always said that rehoming in the UK is a little too snooty too. In most cases it is so much easier to buy a puppy than get a rescue and they wonder why more people don't do it. I do understand it from the point of view of the dogs have already often gone through enough, but meeting a prospective owner 1/2 way could help get a large number of dogs into somewhere happier to be than a kennels.

Saying that you will often get so much more joy from smaller rescues, and the rehoming fee will likely go to better use too.

I think in many cases home owners/managers often get to see the worse than people can do, so tend to treat all humans with a degree of contempt.


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

I do find them very snooty I know of a couple of people who have gone there and decided to not rehome from them due to their attitude and then gone to smaller rescue centres and rehomed dogs from there instead.

I know she is an akita and they can be a difficult breed to own but they arent doing her any favours. There are 97 kennels there she has been there 3 months and she is housed in kennel number 97 which is right in the corner.

I know they can be bad with children and so this is to stop little ones putting there hands through but she has plastic covered her bars until half way up no other dog there has this on their kennel door and its the first thing I noticed when we walked to the kennel.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I agree with the sentiments expressed here too! People who want to help an animal in dire need of a home are being refused for sometimes the silliest of reasons.

Cats in flats being one of them - that really sips me off. Dogs with cats, dogs with children etc etc.

And just because you've owned a specific breed of dog doesn't necessarily make you an expert - look at all the numpties parading their bull breeds etc harming the reputation of a good breed because they haven't a clue what they're doing.

Wrong on all levels - each case should be considered independently taking into account the knowledge of the new owners and how much research they've put into choosing their breed, not just the practical experience of owning one.


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## Tds79 (Nov 6, 2010)

feorag said:


> I agree with the sentiments expressed here too! People who want to help an animal in dire need of a home are being refused for sometimes the silliest of reasons.
> 
> Cats in flats being one of them - that really sips me off. Dogs with cats, dogs with children etc etc.
> 
> ...


:notworthy:

I used to work within rescue and found the same as alot of you that rescue centres can be snobby. 
I have found though that the smaller rescues and breed rescues are in general alot better to deal with. 

Years ago I went to RSPCA centre and they had a bull terrier in, I fell in love with her and went to enquire about her, I was asked straight away if I had any experence with bull breeds, to which i replied yes, the receptionist looked shocked and then said "oh well she has some health issues" to which I replied .."thats fine what are her problems" and was told "well I would say they are too much for someone to take on".....I wont bore you with the whole conversation but it went on for some time, and ended up with me being told to come back the following weekend....which I did to only see the girl had gone, when I asked where she was I was told she had been PTS as no one showed any interest in her and being in a kennel was clearly stressing her out :bash::bash::bash: 
I was so upset and since then have tried to only ever deal with smaller rescues or breed rescues. 

I think it is so wrong that people are "jumped" on when they approach a rescue and 100% think it puts a hell of alot of people off taking in a rescue.


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## Jacs (Jun 7, 2009)

i agree too... whe mum and dad got our yorkshire terrier 16 years ago now they originally wanted to rescue. they were told they wernt aloud to rescue because they had a child under the age of 5 (i was about 3/4 months off being 5 at the time) they were then told that even when i turned 5 that it would be hard to find a suitable breed to rehome with a child etc etc, it put them right off and they ended up getting benjie from a breeder.. altho it was a long while ago it seems not much has changed and infact it may have even got worse, i can see that they are trying to protect the dogs from being passed from pillar to post etc... but the people who honestly want to rehome a dog in need instead of buying a puppy end up being put off because all the hassle, accusations etc that is involved before you can even start thinking about home checks and that... im not saying all rescues are the same, but it does make you wonder why all the rehoming centres are always so full... they may have huge amounts of dogs being taken in... but they dont seem so keen on letting them leave to go to good homes!


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## Rach1 (May 18, 2010)

i have read the posts following mine with interest as i am glad to see that it is not just me that feels like this..
we went up to our local shelter today actually for a nosey..my daughter likes to see the cats as we can't have one at home cause of the dogs. and as Purple says they do seem to house the animals in the most bizarre of orders at times...
in this case the friendliest dog on the strip a doberman in fact (good with kids of all ages, friendly quiest etc) was housed right at the end of a line of dogs who loathed children, barked constantly, chewed and the rest... so if you were there as we were with a child you had to run the gauntlet of snappy dogs to get to the one dog who you could possibly rehome.
now i know they can't be constantly changing the dogs around etc and i know i don't know all the facts BUT it just seemed so sad!
the dog was such a gent.....


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

A lot of people in our area come to our sanctuary for cats due to the unrealistic terms at the other rescues.
We treat each possible new home as an individual case and as long as its the right cat we will rehome to flats and with people who have kids under 5 years. Some of the rescues even refuse to rehome to houses without catflaps or if the people work full time.:bash:
We believe there are ways round most situations and do not have a strict criteria as all we want for our cats is a good,kind,safe, caring forever home.
Im surprised that some of the rescues ever get to rehome anything.


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

This is the lovely Rita isnt she just beautiful?

Rita - Battersea Dogs & Cats Home&

If you search for her under akita she isnt listed? its like they dont want her to find a home poor girl.


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## Lover (Apr 3, 2007)

Most places dont home to people with children under 5 too, im hoping the rules wont be as strict when it comes to us getting our rabbit from a rescue center.


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## Nicky1983 (Oct 25, 2010)

The only experience I had with a rescue was about nine years ago when we wanted to get a friend for our year old boxer girl. We decided to go the rescue route with a group that would match a dog to your needs. They rang us a few days later so me and mY partner took our girl up to meet him and walk them together. He was a cross and looked like a wolf. He got on great with our girl and she was a little flirt with him. As it went so well we took him home and it went downhill from there! He stepped into our house as if he owned it and would constantly challenge us and refuse to do anything he didn't want to. He would go straight into lips pulled back, growling at you. I gave it a few weeks as I did not want to send him back without a chance but within weeks he had bitten me. I was talking to my girl and he just lunged for me and started biting my hand. After that he had to go back as he was just too dangerous. But when my partner took him back they said they were surprised we had him as long as we did as they have had problems with him. Iam so happy that I had no kids because I can't imagine what could of happened. I cried my eyes out when he went back as I hated sending him back as I really wanted to give him a home but I could not trust him.



Had


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## Jacs (Jun 7, 2009)

Lover said:


> Most places dont home to people with children under 5 too, im hoping the rules wont be as strict when it comes to us getting our rabbit from a rescue center.


one of my sisters tried to rehome a rabbit for her 2 little ones (obviously she was going to be looking after it it was more to give the kids something to interact with) and no one would rehome to her... she had to buy babies in the end... rediculous really... i can understand some kids may not know how to treat an animal when they are young... but every child is different and i think they should look into that instead of saying flat out no!


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## Rach1 (May 18, 2010)

a few years ago we got a staffie pup...it turned out he was a bit 'grumpy' and eventually bit our other dog and drew blood.
now i knew eventually me and the OH wanted children so we decided that it would be best for the dog to be rehomed as we didn't want to risk him around a small baby.
(obviously it was slightly more complex than that but i'm shortening the story)
we took him to our local rehoming shelter and they gave us the biggest bollocking ever... said we were rehoming a perfectly good dog and we should not have gotten him with out reseaching etc...
nevermind that it broke our hearts to get rid of him but i would never have forgiven myself had he bitten a child.


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## miss_mystra (Jun 24, 2010)

My mums friend fell in love with a dog at a local rescue, he'd been there for 2 years (they don't pts healthy dogs thankfully). 

She has ms and sometimes struggles to walk and already had another elderly dog and an even more ancient cat. She had to go through hell and high water to get her Dougal. My mum is helping her train him to walk along side her mobility scooter and he's the happiest doggy in the world!

At the end of the day there is no such thing as a perfect dog owner or cat owner. Luckily the smaller rescues assess people individually like in this case. Dougal was the sad dog no one ever looked at, he may not get the optimum to the prescribed ideal walk every day but it's better than pacing a kennel alone and that's how they saw it too in the end. It's nice to have a happy ending and it all comes down to compromise 

I guess they shoot people down and try and put you off because the ones who aren't serious wont bother coming back, but surely when someone shows common sense and a deep commitment then it's time to take the 'walls' down so to speak.


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## Sziren (Mar 25, 2008)

I agree with what has been said, but also agree with some of the rescues/shelters decisions too. I mean, what would you do if the dog you rescue bit your child? Rescues have to be very careful, as some dogs come with no history, and others will have a complete lie as their background.
In regards to experience with the breed, think that is more there to put off people that want a specific breed as an extension to their ego!

I have two boxers myself, have rescued in the past, but can't now as I won't neuter my boys.... (long story...). Totally sucks as we would want to rescue/foster an older dog again, as they tend to get overlooked... but unless I chop the bits of my boys, I can't spoil another dog rotten for what ever time he/she has left..............but know, these are the rules set out by the rescue, and I agree rescue dogs should be spayed/neutered etc

So bit of a catch 22....


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Dogs homes want the dogs to go to a 'forever home' so they need to know the owner knows what to expect rather than seeing one they like, take it home and bring it back a week later because it's not the right dog for them.

in relation to work places wanting people with experience; it's because they need somebody to do the job they're paying for and not a trainee.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

A small rescue near me only takes big dogs and only those on death row. The guy travels all over the country picking up dogs which are about to be put to sleep because they haven't found a permanent home.

If you approach him to take a dog, someone will come to your house and do a homecheck and talk to you about what experience you have. Then you go and meet the dog and they study how you interact with the dog and the dog interacts with you. 

From there you can go and visit the dog and take it out for walks, take it out for days, take it home for the day, take it home for the weekend etc etc and then finally take it home on a "trial basis" to see how things work out. There is no pressure from them to take a dog and no pressure on any sort of timescale - they want new owners to be 100% certain that the dog is right for them and, more importantly, they are right for the dog.

I think that's really putting the dogs' needs first and doing the right thing for them.


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

tinks30 said:


> I find rescues saying they won`t rehome cat`s or dogs to flats silly too. I mean some cats love being inside and a kitten wouldn`t know any difference. As for dogs well you are more lightly to walk a dog if you live in a flat, the amount of people i know who live in houses who don`t wallk their dogs and just let them out in the garden!!!!


I find the flat thing silly.Plenty of couch potatoes in houses whose dogs never see the light of day.Apart from a guide dog who lives in our street I don't see any of the dogs going out and all the cats seem to be permanently out,peering through the windows in all weathers ,I think they would prefer the indoors.Slightly different but over the Christamas break a lurcher was found in the road after being hit by a card.Dumped at the dog pound by the dog warden who showed no further interest.A worried worker rang my mums friend who does dog rescue and is a saint.She collected him and because he has been left untreated he has lost his leg and there is a vets bill for a small rescue of just under £1000.Dog warden is supposed to be a trained professional:devil:


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## Tds79 (Nov 6, 2010)

feorag said:


> A small rescue near me only takes big dogs and only those on death row. The guy travels all over the country picking up dogs which are about to be put to sleep because they haven't found a permanent home.
> 
> If you approach him to take a dog, someone will come to your house and do a homecheck and talk to you about what experience you have. Then you go and meet the dog and they study how you interact with the dog and the dog interacts with you.
> 
> ...


 
I know a few rescues that work this way and I think it works. 
I think some of the bigger rescues are lazy, they dont seem to want to take the time to work with people.


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## Rach1 (May 18, 2010)

the above approach seems a good one...
i don''t take issue with them establishing a home is good or not but when you are swiflty made to feel like a numpty cause you didn't know everything there is to know about a dog within the first 5 mins than thats not fair.
as purple says way back at the beginning... how is someone supposed to get exoperience without owning one?
also, surley approaching a certain breed rescue would establish you are keen on finding out more... as it is our dealings with a given breed resuce has put us off abit.. and we even gave up ideas of getting another dog...but we;ve decided to go ahead and offer a pup a home.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Tds79 said:


> I know a few rescues that work this way and I think it works.
> I think some of the bigger rescues are lazy, they dont seem to want to take the time to work with people.


~Exactly my point. It's easier to just say "no, cos you live in a flat", "no cos you've never had a dog before" etc etc

That will only make people go out and buy a puppy, cos nobody regulates - that other than breeders and if the breeder they choose feels the home isn't right and refuses, there's always another one who's more interested in the money than the home who'll sell them one and sadly that gives them the space to have another litter to sell to anyone who comes along and cause a bigger dog problem in the future.

My GSD is a breeder rescue - got him at 11 months old and he's a total nightmare! I paid £400 for him and nothing we were told about him by the breeder fits the dog at all. We signed a contract to give him back to her if it didn't work out, but no way would I send him back there, because I firmly believe she'll just sell him on again and if we can't turn him around I don't see how anyone can, so he'll end up a dog that will bounce and eventually end up living out his days in a pen in her back garden and that's no life for any dog. 

My conscience said I couldn't do that to him and year later he's still here. Much improved with training, pretty obedient as long as he doesn't see another dog, but still he has huge anxiety levels, very high energy levels and no idea how to behave around other dogs and definitely there's something wrong in his head. However, we know his problems and he's good with my family, but has to be watched with other visitors, but we both reckon he'll be about 6 years old before he becomes the dog he was portrayed to us to be - if he ever does.


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

Meko said:


> Dogs homes want the dogs to go to a 'forever home' so they need to know the owner knows what to expect rather than seeing one they like, take it home and bring it back a week later because it's not the right dog for them.
> 
> in relation to work places wanting people with experience; it's because they need somebody to do the job they're paying for and not a trainee.


Finally, a post with common sense.

I think it's incredibly sad that no-one else sees it this way, and think rescues are "snooty" - even suggesting you lie.

The rescues have rules to prevent the dog bouncing, in other words they want to match the right home to the right dog.

Yes, there are some blanket rules that are silly, but in the individual case I think it's very important they just dont hand out a dog to someone purely because they want it.

Akitas are not dogs for the novice. A rescue akita who may not have had the best start in life even less so. It may be that this dog NEEDS an experienced home.

Nothing to do with snobbery, but getting the animal a good home that will care for it properly.

Snooty...gawd...some people are so shallow. I'm sorry folks, but in rescue it is more important that the dog is happy, not every tom dick and harry who want it.


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## Jacs (Jun 7, 2009)

feorag said:


> A small rescue near me only takes big dogs and only those on death row. The guy travels all over the country picking up dogs which are about to be put to sleep because they haven't found a permanent home.
> 
> If you approach him to take a dog, someone will come to your house and do a homecheck and talk to you about what experience you have. Then you go and meet the dog and they study how you interact with the dog and the dog interacts with you.
> 
> ...


i think this is a fantastic way to rehome! time consuming for the rescue maybe, but it shows he genuinally has thedogs best interests at heart, well done to him!


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## Rach1 (May 18, 2010)

hi lisa..
i think thats the point tho...well at least the one i'm trying to make.
dogs should be rehomed with care and noones saying dogs should be handed out willy-nilly but each case should be judged on its own merits... so if someone does wnat a bigger dog for example...judge tham on what they can offer etc not just a point blank 'NO' with no questions asked.


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

But they _did_ ask a question. It's not their fault the dog might not match people.

I think blanket rules are silly, speaking as a mum of 5 - we found many rescues wouldn't home to us because we had small children. So we went to another rescue who didnt have blanket bans.

People have to be prepared to work around things. Blanket rules may seem silly to some, but when you've worked in rescue and seen so many dogs returned because people thought they could cope with their small kids and a dog but couldn't, or cats dying because they've been flattened on a busy road after being asked to be indoor cats, etc, then you'll understand.

I think the problem is people expect rescues to be grateful. Or just like pet shops. It's not like that. A rescue animal is a priviledge, not a right. The owners should be grateful that they've been chosen as the right home for the animal, not the other way around.


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

LisaLQ said:


> Finally, a post with common sense.
> 
> I think it's incredibly sad that no-one else sees it this way, and think rescues are "snooty" - even suggesting you lie.
> 
> ...


She doesnt have a bad history she was found as a stray wandering around the streets, she already responds well to a series of commands. Even to strangers when we seen her at the kennel she sat, gave paw and jumped up when asked too.

I didnt said I hadnt owned a dog before just never an akita and as mentioned I work with dogs on of all breeds on a daily basis and they arent always the nicest of dogs. I have also been luckily enough to have the opportunity to work closely with wolves.

But as others have pointed out due to the attitude of rescues and their if you have no experience we wont rehome to you instead of rehoming a 2-3 year old who has been spayed we may end up going out and buying a puppy which isnt really what we wanted to do.

*I just seen your other reply they didnt ask a question, I asked about her and the first thing out of the womans mouth was "we will only rehome her to someone with experience of the breed sorry" not "Do you know much about the breed or do you have experience of the breed"*


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## Tds79 (Nov 6, 2010)

I agree with Rach. 
I think with rescue its all about getting the balance right and in my experence some rescues are snobby...example...

A wellish known rescue had a shituz dog in and had 2 people want to rehome her, 1 lived on a council estate in a rough area, but had kept shituzs pretty much all her life. 
The 2nd lady lived in a "money" area and had 1 shituz before who got run over at 3 months old. 

The rescue decided that they would rehome the bitch to the 2nd lady as they felt she "offer" the dog more.....to me that is snobby. 

I 100% think a rescue should be about finding a forever home for a dog and yes I do agree that certain breeds should go to a experenced home, BUT I also think that some rescues miss out on good forever homes because of how they are.


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## Rach1 (May 18, 2010)

Lisa i agree but i do think rescue centres (as a collective) ARE AT TIMES THEIR OWN WORST ENEMIES.
they allow their animals to miss out on potentially excellent homes due to silly rules and regulations.
example of ggod practice... our local shelter asks you to provide photo evidence/and they come to check...of where you intend to keep a rabbit if you rehome one.
this is good... it means they care about their animals.
telling someone they can;'t have a dog cause they have never had that breed before is a bit presumptouous...
why not see how purple interacts with the dog and offer hwlp and support?


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

I never said they didnt. I said that some rescues blanket rules are silly.

But I also said it's their right and responsibility to find the best home for the animal.

With regards the shih-tzus, I'm betting there was more to it than the area they lived in. Having been homechecked by breed rescue myself, I can assure you there is nothing "snobby" going on. I'm in a housing association home, on benefits, and despite that we were chosen as the best home for the dog.

Threads like this make me so sad, because you know ultimately folks just want an excuse not to rescue. The comment about being "forced" to buy a puppy says it all. No-one is forcing you to do anything. If you were really after a rescue dog, you'd go to another rescue and try again.


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## miss_mystra (Jun 24, 2010)

I agree about some of the breed rescues being abut funny

My mum put in to rescue a specific breed, and it all went thru fine until we were given two dog who were supposed to be fine around children. No kids in the house but the neighbours small kids often come round or pat the previous dog over the fence. We told them all this. We didn't mind age and any other issues as long as they had been well socialised and were used to kids, which in general the breed in question is anyway. 

After a couple of weeks out of the blue they both went for the little lad in the garden next door. Lucky we were out with them and grabbed them before anything could happen but that was a serious issue they left out or hadn't checked over fully. And they were awful to us about it like we failed in some way. We would be failing if we kept them and something did happen properly. Such a shame but i hope they have found their forever home now. 

Sounds daft but when me and my boyfriend can eventually buy a house in stead of rent I'll be checking homes out based on the ideal conditions for a dog lol. I really miss having a dog but we rent a flat so no chance


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## Rach1 (May 18, 2010)

i do agree that it does boil down to rescue centres wanting the best for their animals...
and i've never felt 'forced' into getting a puppy from a breeder. the rescue centre we dealt with was just not for us...
and we did feel very belittled... which is also a sad situation.
its swings and roundabout i guess...


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

LisaLQ said:


> I never said they didnt. I said that some rescues blanket rules are silly.
> 
> But I also said it's their right and responsibility to find the best home for the animal.
> 
> ...


An excuse not to rescue? why would we bother going to a rescue centre and asking the staff questions if we had no intention of rescuing a dog? It would be alot easier to just pop on preloved find someone locally selling puppies and go along and buy one. 

Incase you missed it we arent going to rescue right now we live in an apartment we plan on moving into a house with a garden this year and thats when we will be seriously looking into it. 

Battersea happens to be our nearest rescue and we wanted to go along and get an idea of the rehoming procedure and ask some questions. I came away feeling that their approach was very negavtive surely it would be better to ask some questions regarding the persons knowledge of the breed, experience with the breed or dogs in general rather than just saying we will only rehome to someone with experience sorry.


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## Tds79 (Nov 6, 2010)

LisaLQ said:


> With regards the shih-tzus, I'm betting there was more to it than the area they lived in. Having been homechecked by breed rescue myself, I can assure you there is nothing "snobby" going on. I'm in a housing association home, on benefits, and despite that we were chosen as the best home for the dog.
> *No it really was based on area as I was the homechecker. *
> 
> Threads like this make me so sad, because you know ultimately folks just want an excuse not to rescue. The comment about being "forced" to buy a puppy says it all. No-one is forcing you to do anything. If you were really after a rescue dog, you'd go to another rescue and try again.


I dont think thats the case at all, some people maybe but I definitly think people lile purple it isnt. 
All my dogs have been rescues and they are the sort of dogs that end up on death row, I could not bother and get a puppy but I dont.


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

Tds79 said:


> I dont think thats the case at all, some people maybe but I definitly think people lile purple it isnt.
> All my dogs have been rescues and they are the sort of dogs that end up on death row, I could not bother and get a puppy but I dont.


Exactly its not like if I posted a thread 6 months down the line introducing my new American Akita puppy people are going to jump on me for not recusing a dog instead. It just so happens that we want to rescue a dog and not buy a puppy.


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## martyb (Sep 5, 2007)

Someone i know is rescuing a deaf dog on tuesday. The rescue place does state that they dont rehome to homes with children under 5(but they would consider it). She as a 20 month old and a 5 year old and they have accepted her to rehome. They did a house check and said that the fence just needed to be made higher which they have done and sent a picture just so the homing centre can see, then on tuesday they are going to see the dog and have been asked to take the children to see how everyone gets on.

If all turns out well she will be coming home with them.

The rescue centre was really friendly and couldn't have help out more, they just deal in the 1 breed.


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## ukphd (Mar 29, 2008)

I had huge problems when I tried to get rescue cats/kittens. As soon as they heard that I worked they went off into a long tirade about how there's no way my home would be suitable. They didn't wait to hear that I work from home up to 4 days a week!

Then when they found out the garden had a gate that a cat could get over and that I lived on a road (most people do!) that was it - they wouldn't give me a chance to explain anything. They didn't bother to discuss the possibility of cat-proofing the garden with me etc. I tried many local (small and large) rescues and the attitude was the same throughout.
Two of them said they would do a home visit but never bothered to turn up (or call me to explain why etc). In the end I was lucky enough to find the cats I have and it worked out fine. They're not rescues but they were older kittens from a breeder, but I never dreamed at the start that I would be buying cats from a breeder. I would have liked to offer a rescue cat a home but never got the chance that time around. Maybe it's just my area - we're in surrey, but the attitude from the rescue's I tried was really awful. I'm sure there are good rescues out there and I just was unlucky but it certainly affected my view of them to be honest. If they had just taken the time to discuss it with me, rather than leaping to conclusions, I may have been able to offer 2 or 3 cats a loving home....


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

I have a good relationship with a number of rescue owners/managers, have been a homechecker and have fostered a high high number of dog from all backgrounds and behaviours and have owned nothing but rescues other than a puppy I owned as a first dog (after trying rescue and being told they didnt rehome to first time owners) which I returned to the breeder after 3 weeks as my Mother collapsed, my mother then died 3 weeks later and we had to tell the breeder we would have to leave to to go to the next person down the list. A grieving new owner was not the best, and the puppy, pagan, deserved the best from us.

I can hand on heart say I speak from experience, hand on heart say dogs sit in rescue today or dead that could have had at least a stab at a real life every dog deserves because of bad choices by a rescue and hand on heart say I have never and resent any implication that I would ever use the unwillingness of any rescue to pull their heads out of their arse and see that the rest of us live in something called the real world as an excuse to get a puppy.


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

Just seen this ad on epupz

akita bitch for sale very playfull good with children and very loving for any 1 that has had an akita befor she is very talkative when she plays (lol) she is house trained and is white in color she has just had a litter of pups so swollen teats bless her but unfortantly we have to say buy to our family member as we are moving and can not take her with us, she was a rescue dog so she needs to go to a family that know in there hearts of hearts she will be settled thanks again...

Poor thing they have rehomed from a rescue bred her and now they have got pups from her she is being moved on to another home.:whip:


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## Tds79 (Nov 6, 2010)

poor girl they probably made their money out of her and now want rid ( i hope im wrong )


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

Tds79 said:


> poor girl they probably made their money out of her and now want rid ( i hope im wrong )


That was my first thought as well hopefully her next home is a forever home.


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## martyb (Sep 5, 2007)

purpleskyes said:


> That was my first thought as well hopefully her next home is a forever home.


As the ad been removed, i couldn't find it.


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

martyb said:


> As the ad been removed, i couldn't find it.


Find puppies in U.K. for free, Find a breeder, Sell puppies for free


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

purpleskyes said:


> Just seen this ad on epupz
> 
> akita bitch for sale very playfull good with children and very loving for any 1 that has had an akita befor she is very talkative when she plays (lol) she is house trained and is white in color she has just had a litter of pups so swollen teats bless her but unfortantly we have to say buy to our family member as we are moving and can not take her with us, she was a rescue dog so she needs to go to a family that know in there hearts of hearts she will be settled thanks again...
> 
> Poor thing they have rehomed from a rescue bred her and now they have got pups from her she is being moved on to another home.:whip:


no! you're saying that. 
it says nothing about them rehoming from a rescue or that they've bred her. It says that she was a rescue and has just has pups. that could also mean that they rescued her when she was pregnant, she's had her puppies but they can't take her with them when they move.

You can't just make things up and accuse people of using them to make a few quid until you know that's what they've done.


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

Meko said:


> no! you're saying that.
> it says nothing about them rehoming from a rescue or that they've bred her. It says that she was a rescue and has just has pups. that could also mean that they rescued her when she was pregnant, she's had her puppies but they can't take her with them when they move.
> 
> You can't just make things up and accuse people of using them to make a few quid until you know that's what they've done.


Your right I am being judgemental that could indeed be the case.


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## miss_ferret (Feb 4, 2010)

in my experience its far better to go to a specific breed/species rescue than one of the big 'take all animals' rescues, they always seem to take more time to understand an individual case rather than say 'no' based on a checklist.

a freind of mine was looking for another ferret a while ago, when he went to a big rescue he was turned down right alway and made to feel like he was the scum of the earth, just because he wanted to work her. this was the case when he went to another 2 rescues, despite many years expreience and noone could have found fault with his housing ect. eventually he found a small ferret rescue whos owners took the time to chat to him, home check him and so on. he took on another 3 from, stayed in touch and helped them out when they ended up takin in a mass recue of about 25 neglected ferrets that no other rescue would touch.

im know they are good reasons why rescues ask questions, ask for experience and so on, but sometimes, in terms of taking time to understand people, they can be there own worst enemys.


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

purpleskyes said:


> Your right I am being judgemental that could indeed be the case.



but if you'd said they're taking the piss and trying to sell a rescue dog for £500... i'd have agreed with you


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

Meko said:


> but if you'd said they're taking the piss and trying to sell a rescue dog for £500... i'd have agreed with you


I didnt even look at the price that is a good point.


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## lunarlikes (Mar 6, 2009)

I have not had any bad experiences of dogs trust they were quite good when we explained our issues ie allergies. Unfortunately we were not able to find what we wanted aftre 4 years so got the dog we have now a Samoyed.

Personally I am thankful that they checked if you have experince as northern breeeds are more difficult to train and need alot of work - i know that most resues do but with northern breeds their needs differ to others and I think they sometimes are too lenient. The poor dog my sister has rescued was returned 3 other times!!! And he's a lovely boy- a bassador


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## Moodie (Aug 3, 2008)

What do you do for a living to work with wolves and big cats?


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

Moodie said:


> What do you do for a living to work with wolves and big cats?


I am doing a degree at the moment which includes 1/3 of each year being on work placement, I worked with the Wolf Trust for year one and for a private collection in year two. 

This is a baby Carcal I worked with



and one of the packs I worked with



:2thumb:


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

purpleskyes said:


> An excuse not to rescue? why would we bother going to a rescue centre and asking the staff questions if we had no intention of rescuing a dog? It would be alot easier to just pop on preloved find someone locally selling puppies and go along and buy one.
> 
> Incase you missed it we arent going to rescue right now we live in an apartment we plan on moving into a house with a garden this year and thats when we will be seriously looking into it.
> 
> Battersea happens to be our nearest rescue and we wanted to go along and get an idea of the rehoming procedure and ask some questions. I came away feeling that their approach was very negavtive surely it would be better to ask some questions regarding the persons knowledge of the breed, experience with the breed or dogs in general rather than just saying we will only rehome to someone with experience sorry.


In case YOU missed it, I said "folks", and "posts like these" (or something along those lines). 

You will see people who post "we wanted a rescue but our friend's mate's uncle's granny was turned down for living in a council house", or "they wanted to do a HOMECHECK, have you heard of such a cheek?!"....because ultimately online they are worried they'll get judged for going to a breeder.

If you want a breeder pup, go buy one. If you want a rescue dog, be prepared to wait for the right one, be prepared to make sacrifices, be prepared to be judged. I'm not saying it's right, just that it's more important that the dog is happy, and if you suggest you'd rule out going to a rescue based on the attitude of one, it may make it look like you weren't really that fussed in the first place to those of us who are more patient.

Are there stupid blanket rules in some rescues? Yes. Does it happen in the majority? Maybe. Is it possible to find a rescue dog that fits? Yes - just be prepared to wait, travel and submit to a homecheck.

And to be fair, if you dont meet the needs for that dog, it's not your feelings they're worrying about, it's the dog's life. He/she has already had one or more homes, they dont want the wrong dog to end up in the wrong home and come back again!


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## Moodie (Aug 3, 2008)

purpleskyes said:


> I am doing a degree at the moment which includes 1/3 of each year being on work placement, I worked with the Wolf Trust for year one and for a private collection in year two.


 Wow, alright for some!! Well jealous!! Hope the other two thirds of your year is loads of paperwork!!:Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

Moodie said:


> Wow, alright for some!! Well jealous!! Hope the other two thirds of your year is loads of paperwork!!:Na_Na_Na_Na:


I can assure you there is plenty of written assignments along with my part time job its alot of work. I only have another 5 months to go and its all over though. :no1:


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## Moodie (Aug 3, 2008)

purpleskyes said:


> I can assure you there is plenty of written assignments along with my part time job its alot of work. I only have another 5 months to go and its all over though. :no1:


 I have a lot of respect for people that work hard like that! Hope it pays off for you! And good look finding the right dog, I've been round battersea recently and its not pleasant seeing all them sad furry faces! There seems to be a pattern in the breeds of dogs there too. Sad.


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

Moodie said:


> I have a lot of respect for people that work hard like that! Hope it pays off for you! And good look finding the right dog, I've been round battersea recently and its not pleasant seeing all them sad furry faces! There seems to be a pattern in the breeds of dogs there too. Sad.


Yeah I would say 98% of the dogs there either staffies or staffie crosses.


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## Moodie (Aug 3, 2008)

Moodie said:


> I have a lot of respect for people that work hard like that! Hope it pays off for you! And good look finding the right dog, I've been round battersea recently and its not pleasant seeing all them sad furry faces! There seems to be a pattern in the breeds of dogs there too. Sad.


 D'oh!!


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