Adopting a dog

Thanks Vince, as it happens that one went by the wayside as many, many have so far. Got an appointment to see one tomorrow, but he could be a challenging young fellow...

 

Well, sadly he is a non-starter for us.... we simply cannot give all that he needs, and this seems to be what we are finding with rescues all round; they are either very complex behaviourally, almost at the end of their lives or have hefty health issues. Very frustrating and disheartening.

 

Aye, they are couch potatoes after they have had their zoomies - - but their zoomies are fast.... beside that, most of the greyhounds appearing in rescue currently are ex-racers, so are not always house trained etc having lived in kennels etc all their lives, and that is not easy to correct once they are past pup stage.

In order of preference:
Retriever
Labrador
GSD
Collie
Spaniel
in all cases, crosses and variants of course too...

Mrs C is not keen on Lurchers/Greyhounds/Salukis

Essentially, especially the way things are at the moment, I think we are knackered...

 

I have moved this into it's own thread, as I didn't feel right hijacking @Vince's thread.

 

I can handle some behavioural issues, for sure, some - but with the exception of one dog so far they are all way beyond some.

He is highly intelligent and massively energetic, but has had zero stability or guidance to help him understand how to deal with himself really. No boundaries - none - but thankfully friendly with it (lots of kisses, bouncing about and jumping up, and generally seeking a lot of interaction) but verging on neurotic with it..... there is no let up, no calm with him unless he is occupied by something (toy, food, walking); all prior homes he has been nipping, although allegedly that improved in the last one, but he was returned to the rescue centre because he had another dog in the house by the neck.... thankfully, no damage done thanks to thick fur, but the potential was clearly there and it seems to be repeated behaviour. He would need circa 6 hours a day direct exercise, and then garden and play outside of that - hiring a secure field was also suggested to let him be able to have a right good off the lead run. Best will in the world, we cannot give him that sort of commitment - - a walk in the morning, and at night, garden and toys in the middle we can, but we'd also need considerable periods of calm (need to work!).

If I was fitter, not working and living in the countryside then it may be a different story, but we are within the M25 and work full time plus.

 

Thanks Vince - I had a Collie years back and it was a great dog, but I am unsure that one would be a good fit for us now, purely for the very reasons you say.

Seen two GSD's - polar opposites of each other.... one was calm but alert at the same time, gentle, walked well on the lead; the other, mad as a box of frogs and really would not be able to be left on his own at all, not even for five minutes. Sadly, the first was all but spoken for when we got there to see him (I think we were the fall back approval if that makes sense) and the latter I turned down flat.

There have been others - we missed out on a gorgeous wee puppy just this past weekend, again because someone got there first. However, the good news is that the charity dealing with that one seems to have really taken a liking to us, and we are essentially 'approved and awaiting the right puppy' now, so fingers crossed.

 

Well, things have moved quite rapidly since my last post....

The charity that we have been in communication with are quite a small charity (although growing it would seem) who specialise in rescuing and rehoming dogs from Romania. I was initially a bit dubious, I admit, but researched them quite extensively and found that the work they do and the care they take is really quite something. Better still, they have been better at communicating with us than all of the 'big brand' animal charities put together.

After a lovely chat with one of the main organisers of the charity on Wednesday, it was clear that they were committed to matching us with the right dog, not just any dog, and gave me a commitment that they would do just that. In return, I said at that point I would put my trust in them and stop looking elsewhere, and would hear from them in the weeks ahead if and when a suitable match came up. There was one wee pup already in the UK that we were offered, but I had to turn him down as he had quite complex health needs and whilst the charity would cover the costs of that, it was going to be a battle for us to meet his appointments and that would not be fair to him.

On Sunday evening I got a message from the organiser, offering us another puppy....







This poor wee mite had been found, abandoned and was rescued:



Suffice to say, he has now found his forever home (subject to one final welfare check here in the UK), and we will be picking him up hopefully within the next couple of weeks.

 

I am working on the basis that he will be bringing his own one with him....

It was a bit of a leap into the dark in some respects, but I can honestly say that they are so far putting the likes of Battersea to shame; we are currently getting updates (photos, videos, information on the vet checks taking place, where they are being done and how long etc) all as they travel to the UK. They are due into the UK tomorrow and then will distribute the dogs to the foster homes, where they have to stay a while until the final wee checks are done.

 

We already have a name, which is being registered on his microchip for us by the charity - - I am not going to disclose it just yet though, as there may be folks looking in who we haven't told yet....