have made very difficult decision to rehome beagle - how do it go about it??

[breadandhoney]

Our beagle is almost 4 years old. We've had her all her life and she has been a very trying dog from day one. She is a typical beagle in that she is ruled by her nose. If she picks up a scent she cannot and will not let it go - whether on a walk or in the house. She very rarely just sits at peace. We also have a lab who is the antithesis of the beagle in every way.

I put my heart and soul into Molly, training her and giving her all the attention and exercise and play that she needed - and she was still difficult to handle. However, since I had the time, I enjoyed her company and her quality of life was excellent.

Since having DD 10months ago I simply do not have the time to devote to Molly any more. She can't be in the house any more as she needs to be watched constantly (she opens doors and breaks into rooms, raids the bin, etc etc etc etc etc!!!) and with DD that is just not possible. As a results both dogs now spend all day every day (apart from their 45 min walk around the fields) outside in their pen. This is not the life that they should have and it is certainly not the life I want to give them. Neither of them is happy and neither are we! Sukie (our lab) could be inside with us, as she is so chilled and loyal and obedient and would simply sit at my feet and follow me about, doing exactly as she was asked.

So for the sake of everyone's happiness we have come to the very difficult decision to rehome Molly. I have shed many tears over this, as she is my original baby. Even though she winds me up 90% of the time, I can't let go of that 10% of the time when she makes me smile and I just love her! Anyway, I'm getting a bit off track here (and very upset!)

Can anyone give me any advice on how to go about rehoming her? The only suggestion DH will make is "put her on gumtree". I am NOT going to put her on gumtree. I need to make sure she goes to a wonderful home where she will be able to get all the attention that she needs! How do I do this?

I have already contacted our vet practice (which is brilliant) and informed them of the situation. They (and other local practices) have put her details in their "book" in case anyone comes in asking for a beagle! This seems like a long shot. Is a photo-ad on the vet's noticeboard the way to go? These always make me feel very sad - never thought I'd be considering it.

Any help would be very much appreciated. We have made our decision, so please do not try to talk me out of it, as it is what is best for our family.

Thank you.

[Scuttlebutter]

For God's sake, don't put her on Gumtree. She could end up in the most awful hands. In particular is she spayed? If not, you run a serious risk of her being used as a puppy farm brood bitch - I'd certainly get her done before rehoming, as this will make absolutely certain that no unscrupulous breeders can get their hands on her.

Beagle Welfare - talk to them or any other specialist breed rescue about rehoming.

Val may also be able to suggest a good specialist charity - she has excellent all breed contacts (I just do sighthounds )

[breadandhoney]

thank you very much - I'm in NI. I tried contacting the beagle group over here and got no response - was very disappointed.

She'll be going nowhere near gumtree!!! But yes, she is spayed and microchipped.

[coccyx]

Can't she go in a crate? not sure why lab is outside in pen?

[Choufleur]

Think she probably needs more than one 45 minute walk.

Try RSPCA. I think you may have to pay them to take her though.

[breadandhoney]

Have tried a crate but she barks and barks. Also, this affects lab's behaviour - beagle is very dominant and lab will not do anything without beagle's approval.

Lab is outside so beagle has company. Don't want her to be miserable and alone, but also don't want them both to be miserable together!!

Might call RSPCA for advice, but would really like to see her go to a good new home, rather than off to a shelter where I would have no control over what happens to her.

[nightshade]

friend recently rehomed via gumtree and got an excellent home!

it is up to you who you give her to and how vigorously you choose to vet them.

just because it is gumtree doesn't mean everyone using it are scum. genuine people buy and sell on it also!

[DooinMeCleanin]

Please don't take her to the RSPCA, they will destroy her if she doesn't find a home soon enough, besides which I believe they no longer take dogs in from the general public.

Also please don't rehome her yourself. Try and find a no-kill rescue near you. I might be wrong but I believe Many Tears take in dogs from NI.

I know you say you don't want her going into a shelter, but it really is the best way to find her a new permanent home. A rescue is much better equipped to fully vet any prospective owners and offer lifetime back up.

Have you considered hiring a behavioourist first? I know you say you have tried everything, but you just never know. Mine worked wonders with Devil Dog.

[MotherJack]

Do you really consider it is worth the risk, Nightshade? I wouldn't.

Like Scuttle says, Breadandhoney, contact the breed welfare site and/or local no-kill rescues Don't try and rehome yourself.. why would you want "control"? Why not surrender her to someone with loads of experience of rehoming dogs?.... and don't try to give her the RSPCA as she may well end up put to sleep as they have loads of dogs already that they can't rehome.

[midori1999]

Have you tried contacting her breeder? Did they mention when you got her that they would take her back? They should have done and they should be more than willing to take her back.

Otherwise, there are a few no kill rescues in NI, but they are full to bursting no doubt.

Please don't try and rehome her yourself though, it is pretty difficult to vet homes and takes experience, people lie through their teeth and that can be one fo their better qualities.

That said, with some effort I do think it's possible to work around your circumstances. Beagles aren't easy dogs and 45 minutes a day isn't even enough exercise for a Lab, but they aren't untrainable.

[midori1999]

Just to add, some of the solutions to the problems you mention could be pretty simple. For example, changing doorknobs to round ones so she can't open the doors.

[breadandhoney]

motherjack I guess I feel that i want control over where she goes because no one loves her like i do. i know they are well-qualified to rehome dogs but this is MY dog. Sounds ridiculous, i know. But I don't want her to feel abandoned and be passed from pillar to post in the attempt to find her a permanent home.

Also, I know what a challenge she is and I would want to make sure whoever took her knew what sort of commitment they were making - and also that they would really love her!

[Vallhala]

Nightshade, how can your friend guarantee that this was an excellent home and how can THEY guarantee that your friend was telling them the truth about their dog? For all the new owners know the dog could be a biter, could howl day and night, could be destructive.... and for all the old owners know the dog may by now have been sold on by the new owners and in a puppy farm or a pound. I doubt very much if, for example, your friend demanded to see the new owner's mortgage documents to prove they own their house or that the new owner had the landlord's consent to have a dog on the premesis. I doubt too that your friend is willing or able to take the dog back in 10 years time if the adopter can no longer keep him and is threatening to throw him out, take him to the pound or have him killed by their vet.

Rescue would though!

Sorry, but no-one is right to advocate Gumtree for the acquisition or rehoming of living creatures. Trust me, I speak as a rescuer who has seen some awful things going on via Gumtree.

breadandhoney, I've no great knowledge of Northern Irish rescue save that they're few and far between and variable in levels of responsibility as I'm in the East of England. I do however have a grand contact in Irelands most determined, responsible and capable rescuer, Bernie of Dublin Dog Rescue and Alliance For Animal Rights (AFAR). Would you be prepared to travel that way if Bernie or someone she knows and recommends can help you?

Many rescues use foster homes instead of kennels. if that's what troubles you, and rescue can and will, if they are reputable, do the things that the average owner won't or can't... such as as checking to ensure the owner is allowed to have a dog, assessing the dog and matching him with the right owner and taking the dog back if it doesn't work out, even if that's in 10 years time and the dog is old and poorly.

If you're willing to look towards Dublin for help, please let me know.

[DooinMeCleanin]

If she is a challenge then she is definitely better off with rescue back up. A lot of rescues offer behavioural advise and support for the lifetime of the dog.

They'd also asses her properly and make sure any new owner was experienced enough to deal with her behaviour issues.

[breadandhoney]

sorry, x-posted there. So the consensus is i shouldn't try to rehome myself? I have contacted dog's trust, which is the main rehoming centre in NI, but they are full. There is another animal shelter in my area but it is the saddest place I've ever been. Volunteered there as a teenager. I lasted a day!

[breadandhoney]

Vallhala - Thank you! I would definitely travel to Dublin if it meant finding the right home. Could you give me Bernie's details?

[breadandhoney]

Also, I much prefer the idea of a foster home that is vetted to a shelter.

[Vallhala]

By the way, the RSPCA no longer take in from the public in mainland UK at any rate and besides, I would NEVER recommend that anyone entrusted a dog to them. They're far too trigger happy and put far too many healthy dogs to sleep.

PLEASE DON'T TRY TO REHOME YOURSELF.

You're getting excellent advice here to consult a behaviouralist and to make some adjustments in order to keep your dog. If I were you THAT'S the advice I'd be taking.

I can find your dog a wonderful, decent, reputable, safe no kill rescue.

Only YOU can make the changes and put in the work to keep the dog you love. (Speaking here as the one-time owner of 2 dogs, lone parent mother of 2 babies and neither support nor transport. I coped - so two dogs with one child and a husband to support you will be relatively easy).

Oh... and doorhandles... you don't even have to replace them. Just unscrew them, turn them upside down and put them back on.... and then lets see if your Beagle can open them! :o

[Vallhala]

I'll put you in touch with Bernie.... but first please, please, go back and talk with your DH about working together to resolve the problems and employing a behaviouralist.

I just know I couldn't give up my dogs because of temporary difficulties ( - ie your DD won't be a little un forever!). Give it some thought please, then, if you're still sure, I'll call Bernie and put you in touch.

[breadandhoney]

LOL! I might just try that with the door handles. We have consulted a behaviourist, who helped us immensely a couple of years ago, but with DD now, priorities have changed and I no longer have the (very considerable) time it took to get Molly to keep to what the behaviourist advised. I must admit, I am feeling very weak compared to you, Vallhala. I take my hat off to you.

I understand why you are advising me to make adjustments, but please believe me when I tell you we have adjusted our lives time and time again for Molly and have also taken her to training courses and been super strict, but her difficult behaviour continues. I also worry about her dominance - very dominant over lab and has zero respect for me - has never bitten me but has snapped and often growls and sneers when I try to discipline her. I worry about when DD is older and spending time with the dogs (although obviously I would never leave them alone)

I feel so torn, but I honestly believe there is a better life out there for Molly, but only with someone who has the time and patience she requires.

[mbb]

Hi, I remember how hard it was when we rehomed our dog (DS was 1 and I was 6 mnths pregnant with DD), I felt sick and guilty about it for years. Anyway, we tried doing it through the breed association and was a disaster. We went to Wood Green Animal shelter and they were absolutley fantastic. We had a really, really indepth interview about every aspect of our lovely dogs life, behaviours etc. They would not take any detail of his pedigree, so that any prospective owners would choose him because he was lovely, not to make money out of him. The prospective owners had to visit him, walk him and get to him over a short period of time, rather than just walk out with him. They also would not send him to someone worked full time, as he needed loads of attention and exercise. They let us know when he was rehomed, which was within a few days of his 2 week assessment & health check period. Overall, they were great and I could not recommend them highly enough.

[midori1999]

"I also worry about her dominance - very dominant over lab and has zero respect for me - has never bitten me but has snapped and often growls and sneers when I try to discipline her."

What do you mean when you say she is dominant and how are you trying to discipline her?

Also, I am wondering what behaviourist you used, as IME the majoirty if NI aren't very good at all and are a bit old fashioned sadly.

[breadandhoney]

Thanks mbb. it is helpful to hear of someone who has been through this. I, too, feel sick about it. Did you feel guilty afterwards? I just want her to have a lovely, happy life with loving owners. I have that maternal feeling that no one will be able to love her like I do. However, love isn't enough. She needs so much more attention than she gets now. Our lab would benefit too. She would miss her friend for a while, but her quality of life would greatly improve in the long run.

Can you tell Im trying to remind myself of why we are considering this? Inside I just feel very sad.

[Vallhala]

nbb, I'm local as is the independent rescue I help out at (am an independent rescuer myself who answers to no-one but I also "get my hands dirty" for a no-kill dog rescue not too far from WG). Lets just say that your experience has not been our experience - the rescue has seen and taken in more than one healthy young dog which WG wouldn't take but instead told the owners to take to their vet and have killed. WG don't have a no-kill policy and although I'd recommend them to someone wishing to adopt I would never advocate that someone took an unwanted dog there.

breadandhoney, what do you mean "discipline"? What form are you using?

[breadandhoney]

We used Keith Mathews. He is more of a trainer than a behaviourist but our choice is limited here. He is an excellent trainer, though, and very knowledgeable. She sneers and barks at our lab and generally bosses her about, e.g. she often refuses to let her in the shed attached to their pen, so Sukie is left to sit out in the rain (until I bring her inside!!) With me, she barks and growls and hides when I try to put her in utiility room or outside. I don't hit her, if that is what you mean when you ask about discipline. I just won't stand for any bad behaviour, and out her in utility room or outside when she misbehaves. She'll hide under the table and snap at me if I try to pull her out. She doesn't respond to any of my commands any more, as our training has taken a back seat since DD was born. She won't come when she's called, won't sit when she's told. She needs continuous training.

[Vallhala]

There's your problem, IMHO. You're punishing the bad, not rewarding the good and making her WANT to come to you. (Works SO much better with dogs than kids!).

But... I'm no behaviouralist... I just save 'em. Minimu and Midori are the ones to advise about this, rather than me.

And one of those ladies lives in NI. :)