Well STW, not done this before, but had a dog till 18 months ago when she died at 15. We had her from 8 weeks old. Tough time…

However 18 months have passed and as a family we feel the time is right, and think giving a home to a rescue dog might be a good idea, however, have no experience of what to expect…..

Tell me your stories / experiences etc and any advice on where from, considering I live in Hampsire!

Thanks

Got my Staffy from a rescue, she was basically sound with no behavioural problems and was house trained. I do think that she was beaten as she doesn’t like when I raise my voice, for example with the rugby today. She will either cower or come to me to seek forgiveness, she isn’t too keen on being left alone but deals with it.
Dogs are ace and mine is the acest.

Ive had three from a small re-homing center, no behavioural problems at all, two had been brought in because owners had had kids, one found running around on scarborough beach, hopefully center will tell you if the one you want is nuts.

Good on you. We have had five rescue dogs over last 30 years and four were / are fab. The 5th was 2 yrs old and could not be stopped from chasing the cats so had to go back. The other four have all been mongrels, very healthy, intelligent, long lived, well behaved with children, farm animals, cats, hens etc. Why people pi$$ away money on inbred pedigrees is a source of dismay and confusion to me.

In our experience being rescue doesn’t particularly limit your choice in terms of size, hair length, age, colour or sex. ours have come from RSPCA and a local Somerset rescue outfit.

My last dog Duke was a rescue dog and whilst he was absolutely brilliant 99% of the time he could never be trusted with other dogs. He did like a ruck! Unless you are getting a yound puppy you run the risk of taking on a dog with issues! When he went to the woods in the sky last November it only took us 3 weeks to get another. This time a 3 month old lurcher and he is absolutely brilliant. The cleverest, bestest, fastest and obedientest, jump the highestest and super dooper traildogest dog ever ever!

We have two, Lucy who is 17 now but still gets around ok,

And Ben, who looked starved when we got him, his back end looked like a whippet, looks buff now but he’s big softy though really.

Huxley our Dalmatian has been a lot of work. (We learned on collection day that he had bitten someone in the past!) He has tried it on with me to start with, but a strong dose of assertiveness from me has stopped that. From observation he wasn’t that well socialised with people or dogs but 7 months in he’s getting better. I muzzle him when we are out for a run or ride to prevent injuries to other dogs. He’s our fifth rescue dog wouldn’t ever have a puppy again.

Rescue dogs Rock!

We have 2 currently Charley (the collie -x- corgi) is from an independent rescue charity in Nottingham. And Alfie, the most handsome dog in the world, is a Lab -x- Rotti from teh Dogs Trust new shrewsbury.

Def try teh Dogs Trust, they’re really good and can advise on beahvioural traits.

+1 hh45’s comments.

Stick hunter by Evil Goat, on Flickr

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

You can even take them riding [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=xLaufUGh-V4[/video]

We love our staffie cross from a rescue centre, but training can be hard work. But then again it can be with a pup.
Biggest problem for us was finding a centre which would answer emails and commit to a visit – ended up going to Essex from Northants. We’ve now got an Essex girl complete with white shoes.

When i lived in Hedge End we rehomed a Austrian short haired pincer(they told us she was a Stafx) from the RSPCA at stubbington.
They will do an inspection of your home to make sure your garden is secure etc and that someone will be at home for most of the day.
They had around 150 dogs at that point which was 14 years ago.
Only dog type i wouldn’t rehome are the breads that are regarded as more aggressive ie Rotties, dobermans, stafs etc.
Nothing detremental to any of these breeds, i have a lovely Staf myself, but you have no idea what influence a previous owner may have had.
There’s a Blue Cross in Hedge End aswell, they tend to be more fussy about where the dogs are going and how much time you will be spoending at home.

From this poor little thing.

kaladay1 006 by simoncarter.es, on Flickr

To this confident little missy.

jumping1 by simoncarter.es, on Flickr

Well worth it.

Got my ex wife/dog from the rehoming centre,not much choice at the time, didnt realise she had behavoural problems, was nasty, and would sometimes snap and bite, she got rehomed quite a few years ago, and now ive got a cat.

Went to the local dog pound once, what a place, so many lovely dogs(4 legged ones) hard to choose, and i had only took a frieind there, how people can throw these lovely animals out i dont know, but lots of love they will give in return.

If you’re after a specific breed, there are quite a few dedicated welfare groups for dogs. e.g. Dalmatian Welfare

I can thoroughly recommend the North West English Springer Spaniel Rescue: http://www.englishspringerrescue.org.uk/

We got our springer from them (3rd one from them for the missus) and she is perfect. Amazing retrieving if you are into that, a perfect trail dog and the perfect general house hold pet.

Tell them what lifestyle you have and what you are after and they will make sure you get the right dog not just a dog that needs a home.

Hi mate, sorry to hear about your dog.

I was talking to someone recently who owned a really beautiful, gentle greyhound. an ex racer, put out to pasture/going to be destroyed. he said he did a simple google search and found it for £100. It was such a lovely dog.

Thanks all, had googled local re-homing centers etc and they seem to to mainly list staffys etc, that I have no issue with, however I have 2 girls and the little one might if the dog has some issues 😯 So is it such a good idea…. I am wanting to do the right thing…. and don’t care for pedigree’s – the last dog was a cross (and the first of our ‘children’!!)

If I go round a few centre’s and spell out my wishes (dog, less than 3 yrs, good with kids, likes walks and chasing my bike etc) will I end up with that, or will they re-home the first half decent one they have??

Go round, see the dogs, let your kids see the dogs. I’m sure the rescue centre will try to match the dog to the home as they won’t want to see the dog back in a couple of weeks due to imcompatability issues.
At the end of the day the choice is yours whether you take the dog or not and as you’re going to be together for the next 10-15 years, take your time choose carefully, if the rescue centre try to push one on you, walk away.

“I was talking to someone recently who owned a really beautiful, gentle greyhound. an ex racer, put out to pasture/going to be destroyed. he said he did a simple google search and found it for £100. It was such a lovely dog.”

We have fostered quite a few greyhounds and are currently fostering another after mine had to be laid to rest in January. They are lovely dogs and very forgiving and great company. They do not need lots of exercise as they are happiest sleeping but do enjoy it when they go out. There are lots of rescue centres aroud and they nearly all do home checks and offer support and advice for anyone homing a dog. Try http://www.grwe.com or http://www.greyhoundsinneed.co.uk

My experience with my rescue staff matches don simons 🙂 hated me watching rugby as I tend to get a bit hysterical. He was ok being left alone and would always get a huge walk 1.5hrs when I got home form work. I was lucky as I lived at the bottom of the scenic drive in Cwmcarn. Loads of different routes to go on and he could swim in the pond.

RSPCA at Stubbington were really helpful.
All the kennels have info re the dog in that kennel/run.
You will be able to meet the dog and take it for a walk etc.
Expect any dog you take home to be a bit nuts or very subdued for at least a week after you get it home as it takes time for them to adjust.
Ours reduced a 3 seater sofa to a pile of fluff when we left her for 1 hour to go shopping about 3 weeks after we got her, but turned out to be brilliant with a bit of consideration and patients 😀

Yeah, rescues are great. We went to a breed specific rescue, Maddie had been assessed so we knew things to watch out for immediately, it didnt come as a surprise that she hated cats! When we got her, the rescue phoned a few times, and came out for a home visit to check she was settling with us.

Many dogs end up in rescues through no fault of their own.

Maddie in the snow 011a by Dolce Red, on Flickr

Do it, I wish I still had my dog. Got her from the Dogs Trust who I can highly recommend. Didn’t take much training, super friendly and such a character. Loved going biking too, gets super excited whenever I get the bike out.

Gutted I had to give her up when me and my ex broke up. But quite lucky that the ex’s parents were more than happy to take her on and she gets as much love and attention. Really wish I could of kept her all the same.

We took a German Shepherd cross from a local centre about 8 years ago, good with people, cats, other dogs etc….
We should have been tougher and returned to the centre when it became obvious that this wasn’t the case, but we thought that if we weren’t able to give her a home then could anyone (this sounds smug but we have had dogs all our lives and live in a great location for dogs, have a large garden etc…)
Over the years we have tried countless training methods and spent a considerable amount of money trying to overcome her various problems to the extent that the last one hour consultation with a dog behaviour expert lasted about 3 hrs and they admitted we had tried everything they could suggest.
The past 8 years has really put me off ever having a dog again ( hopefully over time I’ll be able to think about a dog again) it’s not the dogs fault as we will never know what happened to her in the 18 months prior her coming to us.
Sorry to put a downer on it but it’s not always a great experience.
The really sad thing is that we are certain that if we had got ‘Bud’ as a puppy she would have been a fantastic dog.

Me and Mr Bullheart are big rescue dog fans – Sumo our shepherd x husky came from the dogs trust in Leeds. He’d been there for 6 months, had one failed re-homing which ended when he growled at the new owner (which meant he then had an ‘aggressive’ tag to his name), and sat at the back of the kennel looking pretty stand off-ish. Mark saw something in him, and he was right because within 10 mins of getting him home we found we had this amazing, very soft, dog who just hadn’t been coping well in kennels. The only thing is that he came from a broken home, and he gets really upset if me and Mark are having an argument – this has regularly been a good way to immediately end whatever we were bickering about!

We’re now on the hunt for a rescue springer – but we’ll take our time as it has to be the right dog who will be a good companion to Sumo.

Anyways, take your time to find the right rescue dog and you won’t regret it!!

Mrs Bullheart

Thanks for all the tips!
Will start the search soon 😀

We got a 4 year old Labrador from the RSPCA last year.

He was hugely fat I’m sad to say but a lovely nature, calm too!

We’ve had him nearly a year and he’s lost 10 Lbs. He can walk round the block now (his feet were very tender) and most days he comes to work with me.

He’s great, very mellow, quiet, still a bit lardy but our perfect dog.

Nice to see another person going down the rescue route. It’s not always easy (50 / 50 rate here, based on an unrepresentative sample of two dogs!) bu tvery rewarding.

Google LurcherLink or GreyhoundGap. Lurchers and Longdogs are great, as you can have almost any breed you want.

Good luck.

@Mrs Bullheart – I take it you know about the charity I posted above?

Got this little bugger from a shelter in Doncaster (Dogs Trust) about 5 years ago. He was a right little turd and still is – a Staffy/Boxer cross by all estimations.

He grew up to be a beaut of a dog, although he’s a bit of a turd still with other dogs. Training was very hit and miss.

He was found at the side of a road and thus was very frightened of everything and had separation anxiety. He’s always had issues of some description, but we couldn’t wish for a more loving, child friendly, loyal and affectionate pooch.

We’ve rescued a couple of trailhounds (http://trailhoundwelfare.org.uk/ for explanations of what a trailhound is) through The Dogs Trust in Harefield.

Nell and Susie in normal mode, with Susie yawning her head off. They were hard work at forst – Nell had been with a family for 6 months and gone from 22kg to 33kg. It’s taken 18 months to get her back to her right weight. Susie had never lived in a house, so that took some work.

Both gloriously rubbish, it has to be said. But they cope well with the chickens and the cats, and are extremely affectionate, though Nell is a bit stand-offish with other dogs in the park – gives them a wide berth.

Trailhounds are notoriously difficult to train – they’re bred to do long races without guidance so they’re very independent – so I’ve resigned myself to the fact that they’ll never do much other than sit, stay and return on command. To get them to that level was a challenge, and even now Susie doesn’t walk brilliantly well on the lead.

They take a bit of exercise as well, hence I’m always up at 5am for a 1hr+ walk, plus they have a 2hr walk with our dog-walker in the early afternoon.

I’d recommend the (quasi) breed to anyone with small children – they’re very gentle animals, and utterly unaggressive. And there are always ex-racers who need rescuing.

Do it,

Got our Huntaway a few years ago. he would not work on a farm so was taken to be put down by the farmer. vet said no (thank god) he ended up in the rescue. we saw him on dog pages – the rest is history.

Was full of worms, under weight, never been up a flight of stairs etc when we got him.

fairly wild and out of control (possibly as very hungry/under weight)
first 6 months all he did was kill rabbits/squirrels/pheasants and anything that moved! got 2 local cats luckily I got those out of his mouth!! now much more chilled though will chase anything that moves but comes back on command.

makes a great trail/running dog,.kid friendly.

farts/burps,rolls in fox shit. sprays mud all around the house. 16 stiches after cutting himself on metal post (600 quid!)

but wouldnt change him for the world.

Freeridenick – I should have mentioned insurance.

Nell managed to jump through a barbed wire fence and cur her haind leg badly (£-400 bill), plus ate a packet of pot pourri (intensive care, £1000 bill).

Adult dogs you take on may have some bizarre habits that a puppy, under your control, simply wouldn’t have, so good insurance is vital.

Blimey, I’ve wanted to rub the jowls and scratch the belly of every dog pictured here! What a pack of beauts. With sich inspiration and advice I’m sure you’ll find yourself the perfect pal, Cider!

I hope to be in a living situation in the near future that is dog friendly – I’ve always wanted one, mainly for the companionship and runs we could go for. Trouble is, I’ve never had a dog before. Any ideas how rescue centres react if you rock up and mention this…?

dandelion – as long as you talk reasonable sense then they are more than happy to let you have one. There are plenty that need homes.

They normally will do a home check. ie check your garden, living arrangements etc
ask you a few questions like “how much roughly does it cost to feed a dog a month”

best think you can ever do 8)

plus ate a packet of pot pourri (intensive care, £1000 bill).

😆

Never get a dog from a rescue centre, it’ll take your face off

davidtaylforth – eh? Completely stupid statement.

Plus 1 for English Springer Rescue – Got my Springer from there – i had a forestry job at the time and was outside most of the day – she was rescued from a terraced house in runcorn – but had evidently been fully gun trained at some point but was not 100% steady.

She was the smartest dog i have ever had – you only had to train her to do somehting once and she got it – some seperation issues – but as long as she was with people (or in my truck) she didnt mind who. The people at the local boarding kennels loved her and she slept in their daughters bedroom.

My advice would be – be sure what type of dog you want – and if you are after something specific try the breed rescue societies. But keep an eye on the local general rescue places as well. Finally all the rescue places will want to have a posiitve outcome – if the dog turns out to have issues they will help – they wont just leave you on your own with a problem mutt.

Go for it!

dandelionandmurdoch – Member

Blimey, I’ve wanted to rub the jowls and scratch the belly of every dog pictured here! What a pack of beauts. With sich inspiration and advice I’m sure you’ll find yourself the perfect pal, Cider!

I hope to be in a living situation in the near future that is dog friendly – I’ve always wanted one, mainly for the companionship and runs we could go for. Trouble is, I’ve never had a dog before. Any ideas how rescue centres react if you rock up and mention this…?

Do it! I have no idea why we’d never had a dog earlier – neither Papadirt nor myself had a dog as children and in over 30 years together had only cats. I’m not really a cat person and after Dave brought a rescue cat home I threatened to do the same with a dog – cue lots of visits to the local animal shelter. We spotted JD on the Four Paws rescue site and arranged to go along to see him (and a couple of other dogs). We’d also visited more local animal sanctuaries and been able to meet a few potential ‘dirt family’ members (some of whom sadly weren’t cat-friendly so not suitable). There didn’t seem to be a problem at all with the fact that we were first-time dog owners – we had the usual home visit to meet family members, check garden and security, etc, but to be honest I think that was more useful than anything, enabling us to ask questions and get advice too.

Our first meeting 😉 . . .

He does like to chew stuff . . .

. . . when he’s awake . . .

We’ve had him a couple of years now. Traildog potential failed at the first hurdle as I don’t drive – he was absolutely fine with the bike in the local woods and at the park but getting to and from while on the lead was a nightmare. He’s also very shy of other dogs and will bolt for home if off the leash and someone comes up to say hello. Cracking little chap though!