As i know lots of you are dog lovers on here I just want to ask have any of you had a rescue dog and what is your experiences bad or good? I so want a dog and keep looking at the rescue pages seeing these poor dogs wanting homes. The hubby needs convincing, plus I have a 4 year old Son and a cat to consider as well.
Thanks

One of our neighbours got one a couple of years ago when it was just a puppy. It was a lovely dog but very hyper and it would bark at the slightest disturbance. Not just a few yaps but a wild uncontrolled frenzied bark like a proppa mad dog.

I think they tried to train it but had no luck.

We got a rescue dog from RSPCA at Altham nr Burnley. Border Collie 2 years old. He was hard work for a long time as he hadn’t been socialised as a pup. Used to go crazy whilst on the lead if he saw other dogs. Was a bit prone to nipping people when stressed. We took him to dog training classes and really worked hard at making him behave. Eventually we turned a corner and after about a year to 18 months he became a lovely, loyal, placid dog. We had to have him put down this time last year and he is missed.
We were looking for a relacement for him after 6 months and visited all the local rescue centres but just couldn’t find one that suited us so we ended getting a pup from a farm instead.
I think it’s pot luck as to what dog you end up with from a rescue centre. Who knows what it’s been through before BUT I am a great believer in giving these unfortunate animals another chance.

A Rescue dog yesterday…

We’ve had two – both were lovely dogs, great personalities, fine with kids + cats. The 2nd one unfortunately had to go back to the home, it wouldn’t stop barking, we ended up having problems with the neighbours…

The 1st died last September, will probably get another rescue dog at some point in the future.

Certainly the rescue centre we went to would help out choosing the dog, they wouldn’t dump some massively aggressive nightmare on you without warning. They also had cats up for adoption, and would take the dog into the cat area (on a lead, obviously!) to check out how they reacted.

We took a rescue dog from the SSPCA just before Christmas. I found that they were very good at matching dogs to homes. We have a cat, another dog and two kids so this was all taken into account.

However I did it a bit of a topsy turvey way and rather than look for a dog I liked the look of, I emailed them with my ‘requirements’ and let them recommend the dogs. In the email I let them know our daily routine, ages of the kids, sent photos of our other dog and the garden / kennel area that we had. I got a call within a week saying they had a dog just come in who was suitable. I drove the 3 hours to the centre and came home with Whisky, a lovely 9 month old Kelpie x collie.

She is a sweet dog, much calmer and more ‘bidable’ than our ‘non rescue’ Kelpie, although she can be nervous of new things. The only issue we have is house training as she previously spent her life in an outside kennel, so she assumes all concrete / tiled floors are fair game. However we now put her in a crate at night and seem to be getting somewhere.

You do take a risk with a rescue dog, you never know their past history, but the rescue centres know the dogs well and will only place a suitable animal with you. Be totally honest with them about your circumstances and what you want in a dog and you are more likely to get a ‘good un’.

I have had two rescue dogs now, and one from a breeder, the rescue dogs were by far the most gentle and loving. It may be a coincidence but I would take another when the time comes.

Good luck 🙂

had a rescue dog in our house for just over 3 months now, lovely little monster. well socialised, great with strangers, kids, dogs… doesn’t care about cats but wonders why they run away from him (kinda stands there looking at them silently trying to work them out). about 2 weeks of barking when we went to bed at first because of separation anxiety but we worked him through it and he’s been fantastic since.

i think as long as you’re honest about your circumstances and the rescue is honest about the dog you should hopefully get a good match… just remember a dog can develop as many issues as it can come with them! spend time with the dog before signing any papers, try to walk them in an area with other dogs, people, cars etc to get a feel on how the dog copes with the outside world. 🙂

Hi, we have always had dogs, our first two were lurcher/whippet type rescue dogs and were great animals. One didn’t like kids, but we were told this prior to any rehoming and this wasn’t an issue at the time. As the right questions, any decent rescue centre should allow a trial period first. Get as much background info into the animal, ie. How they came to be in the centre. A vet check is a must although some places will offer this…
As well as local rescue centres try looking at specific breed rescue centres. Greyhounds, for instance make great pets, but as you have a cat this could be an issue.
From what you have described a puppy may be best as the dog will grow with your family…
Saying that, we got our Border Terrier from online, she was a breeders bitch who had become too old for her intended purpose…she now lounges all day on the sofa and in front of the fire… A typical LBD..(lazy bloody dog)… 🙂

There’s absolutely no hard and fast rule with any dog, rescue or otherwise. Some are good, some are bad; some can be trained/retrained, others can’t. You pays your money, you makes your choice.

I have working cocker spaniel, got him at six months old from the local vet because the person who had bought him from the breeder couldn’t cope and wanted him destroying. He’s a lovely dog, full of beans, really clean and fairly obedient, BUT he’s a nightmare on the lead (no amount of training has broken him of the habit of pulling), he’s a nightmare off it (if anything moves he chases it until it’s beyond chasing or he’s caught it) and he’s petrified of humans other than me or my parents, and scared stiff of other dogs with one or two exceptions.

That said, I love him more than anything because he’s such a good mate and an entertainment. Am I glad I got him? No question.

Brilliants animals

As said, there’s an element of luck with a rescue as you won’t necessarily know the dog’s history.

Ours was a lot of hard work, never socialised or walked or really trained, it took a long, long time and a lot of training before our lad calmed down and ownership became a pleasant experience rather than a collection of trials and tribulations. These days he’s great, is (fairly) well behaved out and about (sometime he will still chase wildlife, sigh), and more importantly is brilliant when around our little boy.

I think my advice would be, just be prepared for a bit of a rocky period when you first get the dog – but having said all that, a home should be able to match you to a dog who fits in with your life.

This is our RSPCA special Buck. He’s about 13 now, i’ve had him for 12 years and have to say he’s the best dog i’ve had.

There was him and his brother locked in a flat in Rotherham. RSPCA wouldn’t house the two together as they were a pack trashing the place. When i first got him he chewed a plug socket off the wall with the fridge plugged in and has chewed through the hoover cable while plugged in. Used to come to work with me but now happily sleeps at home in the warm. We think hes starting to develop cataracts and is slowing down due to age but he’s still a cracking dog.

We’ll have another when he goes. He’ll be hard to replace but we love dogs.

Only have good experience. 3 years in with our 6 year old GSD rescue.

I think a lot depends on the rescue too. We went to German Shepherd Rescue Scotland, have only got good things to say about them. They don’t have kennels and you don’t get to pick as such, the dog is matched to you (you can specify what you are looking for, male/female, age, good with cats etc etc).

It was quite a thorough application/interview process. We were interviewed at home, had to rebuilt some fences (judged to be not high enough). After a month with our dog, we were revisited to see how she was settling in.

The assessment of ours was bang on, good with dogs, good with children, good on lead, not good with cats etc etc. We got to miss out the toilet training and mouthing stages! We couldn’t have got a better dog 🙂

We got a rescued stray from Battersea and would recommend them. They are very honest about the dogs and cautious about matching dogs with the right owners. We had a specific list of requirements (young, female, good with kids and dogs) and they recommended a cross breed that we probably wouldn’t have gone for on looks alone. She has been brilliant and exactly as they described, obedient, relaxed, good with dogs and very patient with children (mine are 11 and 15).

Had a DNA test done recently and she is rottweiller X american bulldog. These aren’t breeds I ever imagined owning,having always had gundogs, but perhaps a better match for us than a more active breed.

ohhhh, which DNA test did you go for? considering it for ours as we knows he’s a pointer crossed with something, but knowing what with might help up know what instincts we’re battling against 😆

There was a rehoused dog locally that I met twice with different owners. It was very scared and aggressive towards bikes. I suspect the new owners only found out just how bad it was when they met me.

So check, carefully….

Agree with the check. Mine doesn’t like men in black or men in hats. OH is in police so we meet a lot of men in black. Thinking about it maybe its male coppers he doesn’t like 🙂

it sounds silly, but something as simple as diet can make a big difference in behaviour. when we feed ours cheaper dried food he’s a hyper little beast, when we feed him raw meat (cyclists, childrens faces) he’s much calmer.

@ philconsequence, couldn’t agree more. We feed ours James Wellbeloved and mince/chicken..A good quality food is essential, we tried ours with the usual stuff, Bakers etc but these just made her sick.

I’ll second or third the “allow plenty of time” angle. It’s taken a year with each of the 3 we have rehomed to get them used to us and us used to them.
Try not to worry about what went before for the dog as you can train any bad behaviour out with help and patience. Our current dog is the first one that has bonded to Mrs S, I’m tolerated and he is nervous when he gets a fuss from me (growling in his chest but no teeth or hackles showing) but will push for more attention if I stop when the growling is too much! This is the only thing we haven’t managed to train out, I also didn’t bother with the cat aggression as it keeps the garden safe for the birds on the feeder.

We have a lovely mild mannered rescue dog. Much better behaved at times, even if not as well trained, than the other one we’ve had since weeks old.

Dogs are no different to people. Some are difficult and some are not. I have seen mild-mannered dogs troubled by their experiences. But they’ll make great dogs even if they do have a few quirks, and I definitely know a few non-rescure dogs with a few quirks too.

I got mine at 9 months. He’s 11 now. Best friend I’ve ever had .
He was a gamble, he’d been issued 2 yellow cards and it wasn’t looking good for him. He didn’t really understand the whole patting/stroking thing for a while which made me think he’d been given very little attention/affection.
Took a couple of years to get him straightened out but he ended up a great dog.
It is hard work with the less well adjusted dogs but very rewarding.

My mate

Sandy by S1mmy1, on Flickr

A complicated character to say the least. Without going into details he was abused by the drunk who used to have him.
My Mum works for a Animal Charity & rescued him herself and fell in love with him. He’s about 12 now & we have had him nearly 7 years.

The Day he came to us he hid behind the car & wet himself. This went on for Days until he settled in. Even now certain things will trigger him into shakes.

If I have a shouting match he cowers & shakes but overall he’s really settled now & is a great barker / doorbell.

He’s really loving and dead soft but I’ve never had any kids around him so wouldn’t let any kids stroke him whilst out walking as I can’t predict how he will react so its not worth the risk.

Takes time with a rescue. Mum says loads are returned after a few days which is fair enough, but often more time is needed on both the dog & new owners side.

Two Staffs both brilliant, 2nd one was a bit of a handful to start with but with a lot of time and effort be beame an awesome hound. Both sadly chasing sticks in doggy heaven now.

When i gt mine home we were told not to let him into the house until he’d pee’d outside which would help him to understand where he could and couldn’t pee.
Got home at 3pm January 2 years ago (very cold and snowy) went in eventually at 8pm with still no pee. He’s a stubborn bugger at times.

Also be aware how depressed/shit scared etc they will be in kennels when you meet them.
We almost didn’t take our fella as he was such a miserable sod on his trial walk with our existing bitch. (Both mini schnauzers) He was not interested in any of us or anything. At the end of the walk luckily he saw his regular kennel helper/walker and went batty, jumping up wagging, tail etc just as you expect. Then he was back to depressed/confused as we drove home, kept looking at me with his big depressed eyes no doubt thinking what the hell is going on.
Still took plenty of months until he finally came out of his shell with us. Had him 4 years now and he wakes up every morning full of the joys of life, he’s almost puppy like still.
We think he sat on an old ladies lap for his first few years, wasn’t socialised, still doesn’t like men & kids until he knows them well.
He has a few bad habits but if i’m honest I cut him too much slack, due to his past.

Had 4, last went before Xmas :cry:. all Springers so to a great extent fairly predictable. Daft. All 4 at the same time were great fun.

We had a springer from English Springer Spaniel rescue (who are great) – she was proper gun trained and i think had been harshly treated, was collected from a terraced house in an inner city area and turned out to be pregnant…….

She was ace! – Most easily trained dog i have ever owned, could run and run and run. Some seperation anxiety isses if left in the house, but fine if left in the car. Loved people but was not fond of kids, espescially kids swinging school bags – she would just leg it. Fine with gun shot and fire works if outside – terrified if inside.

As others have said – most rescue places know what they are doing and are good at matching. Yes some rescue dogs have issues but probably not in any greater proportion than most dogs.

Go for it – make a dog happy!

As others have said – most rescue places know what they are doing and are good at matching. Yes some rescue dogs have issues but probably not in any greater proportion than most dogs.

Yep, they are very careful. I had a home inspection and was advised to raise the fence, which I did. He got into the garden and cleared it 😳
They nearly didnt let me have him as they thought he needed an owner with more experience (he’s a bull terrier type thingy) but i think they suspected they’d have had to put him down so gave me a chance. He’s had a great life, been up snowdon, most of the brecons, loves swimming in the sea and adventures in the forest. He even made doggy love to a bitch once (despite not being fully equipped for the task)

We have had two dogs recently, one from Dogs Trust (lovely placid lurcher) and one from the local council dog pound (mad whippet)…. like the other posters say, be honest about your lifestyle and they will find a suitable fit.. but I would say Dogs Trust are better at this than the local dog pound (for example, they had “Not Tested” next to every criteria on the adoption form for our whippet, but we took a chance).

You also need to consider that some work may be required on behavior, but it is one of those things, if you put the effort in, you get the rewards out. Just be realistic about what time you have and experience, it can be really stressful having a misbehaving dog, which only causes a spiral of behavior which will do neither party any good.

Best of luck with the search…

Not helping much, but every case is different as are the dogs. Having homed a few rescue lurchers in the past they can be hard work and frustrating, but then puppies are as well. You often not going to know the history or the full horrors to which they may have been subjected to in the past, but it’s very rewarding homing a dog who would otherwise be left in a pound. Snoop has recently developed what we think is some kind of separation anxiety after 7 yrs in a stable home. Now in fairness this could or could not be related to being abused as a young dog, but we’ll never know. Just be aware. Snoop says hi…

Had 2 rescue dogs:

No 1: a stray which I found on the streets. Some kind of GSD cross, about 6 months old. Obviously had no information about him or his prior life. Turned out to be a fantastic dog, great with everyone, and the best friend I’ve ever had. Sadly died aged 17 after a great life together.

No 2: came from a kennel, and supposedly matched what we were looking for. Unfortunately the kennel lied about many things, including her age! So we ended up with a very psychologically mixed up dog, with a fair few behaviour problems. But that was 14 years ago, and she’s now 15 and curled up beside me – a loving, well-behaved dog.

My advice – all dogs are different. Think carefully about what characteristics are most important to you, and make your choice on that basis rather than looks / breed. Choose your rescue kennel carefully – not all of them are responsible! And above all, put whatever time and effort is needed into your dog – they are not a disposable item to be returned if they’re not perfect. And that applies to both rescue dogs and ‘new puppies’ (my sister always has pedigree dogs as puppies from reputable breeders, and one of them has a fair few personality problems)!

Some lovely dogs there. I still have a lot to think about. My friend is having to return her rescue dog as he developed a problem with her youngest child. He is mostly ok but sometimes he growls at her son and she doesn’t want to chance it which is understandable. Another friend adopted a choc lab 3 years ago and she is lovely and I get to look after her sometimes to get my doggy fix. The dog that is to be returned was supposedly assessed where the my other friend went to see the lab and took her home as soon as she met her.
I know that dogs do have their issues my brother has had his dog from a pup but would have hum dingers of rows with his then gf and the dog now hates loud noise.

“Unfortunately the kennel lied about many things, including her age! So we ended up with a very psychologically mixed up dog” +1
In my experience rehoming or rescue centres are often, shall we say, economical with the truth. Be aware…

We’ve had four!

First two were fine other than a bit of house training, but once we got that sorted they were both just dogs i.e. Brilliant!

Third one was unfortunately a different story, a GSD cross from a local kennels that was good with people, dogs, cats etc..
In reality she would get agitated whenever anything passed the house, we live right next to the Trans Pennines Trail, so she got plenty of opportunity to get worked up.
Couldn’t walk past another dog without almost performing somersaults on her lead.
Difficult to introduce new people to her as she would constantly bark whenever eye contact was made. I could go on.
With hindsight we should have returned her to the rescue centre but we persevered with her, spent hundreds of pounds on dog training,socialising classes and visits to animal behaviourists and plenty of time and effort on her.
Somethings worked some of the time but we had ten years of looking after a dog without ever fully being able to enjoy having a dog! She calmed down a bit for the last couple of years when she actually went deaf.

But despite this, after having a six month rest from being dog owner, we adopted a Staffy Cross from Yorkshire Rose Dog Rescue last February and I am pleased to say that ‘May’ is the best dog we’ve ever owned and has been no trouble at all from the moment we brought her home.

Hope this helps?

Hi Phil, we used “Wisdom Panel”, which you should find in google. Strangely it is part of the Mars group. It’s now £60, but we got a special offer, which might come round again.

got to agree about the diet issue– its something that is often overlooked, but you owe it to the animal to give it decent food.we feed our hound Burns holistic , it may be coincidence, but she has had no ailments, skin issues, behavioural problems–no vet visits in her life….

We got our dog Benny from The Dogs Trust – he’s a Tibetan Terrier crossed with something. He was found as an underweight stray in Ireland, was nursed back to health then shipped off to the Kenilworth branch of the Dogs Trust to be nursed some more. After a month he was put on display, we took him out for a walk then decided that yes, he was our dog.

They didn’t have much information on him. They guessed he was 3 years old, possibly house trained as he didn’t soil his kennel, and he was very friendly towards other dogs.

He was very sweet and friendly from the off, and quite bouncy. We’ve been so very, very lucky. He was indeed house trained, very good with other dogs, friendly towards people (but only jumpy/bouncy if they’re equally silly with him), fine with being left alone, not even remotely destructive or possessive and generally adorable.

He’s hard work in other respects – although he follows commands well at home, he’s very easily distracted when there are other dogs or people about. He’s been going to training for a year and has yet to take his bronze citizenship test, due to his excessive silliness when it comes to the recall bit – I don’t think he’ll ever be a trail hound! 😛 He can be terrible walking on the lead, especially if he’s seen a cat.

He will try to emotionally blackmail people into giving him human food using the power of HIS FACE – I once caught my mother just about to give him half a steak and ale pie. :/ He also needs to be taken to have his anal sacs expressed every few months, which is… delightful.

My brother has a rescue Staffie who is also very loving and sweet – he’s much better at walking off the lead, but can be funny with other dogs.

My in-laws have a rescue Yorkiepoo. He’s an angry, Satanic loaf of bread, but he came from a horribly abusive prior home – he was never taken for walks by his previous owners, so became destructive in the house. Because he was destructive, they crated him all day. Because he was crated all day, he started barking excessively. Because of the barking, they put an electric shock collar on him. Understandably, he turned into an angry, aggressive, bitey little thing.

Eventually his original ownersdecided to rehome him because he was ‘too problematic’- I think when they got him as a puppy they didn’t realise how much work puppies are, and that terriers aren’t lapdogs.

Fortunately my in-laws have had terriers before, and also have a huge garden and go for walks in the wood and down by the river every day. Slowly the Yorkiepoo is becoming marginally less hateful.

A good rehoming centre will give you as much information as they can about the dog – whether they’re good with children, other dogs, other pets, etc.

We have currently 2 rescue dogs (Alfie and Charley), and before these 2 had another (Peggy).

Alfie – lab/rotti cross came from a very abusive start, went to a home then they decided to take him back after 2 years. He’s gorgeous. Really come on, scared of people but dominant around other dogs. Also protective of our kids. and puts up with a lot from them really calmly.

Beach + sun = happy dog by Evil Goat, on Flickr

Charley was quite young when we got him, probably less than a year. He’s got loads of energy and is really clever. also quite clingy and a bit of a coward (unless big brother Alf is there to back him up.) He’s currently curled up on my feet.

Stick hunter by Evil Goat, on Flickr

Peggy was our first dog, we had her 6 1/2 years, she was about 13-14 when she died. She taught us a lot. Mostly how not to let a dog become the dominant pack member! She was gorgeous though and still think about her loads. She was nervous though and occasionally nipped people. We ended up getting some training to sort it out and all was ok from then on.

No longer have any pics of her online. 🙁