Am I missing something here?

[SistersofPercy]

Over the last few weeks I've noticed a few friends sharing rescue photos of dogs of all shapes and sizes from the likes of Greece and Romania on Facebook (all since deleted as it was starting to irritate). Four people I know have now gone on to adopt dogs from these countries.
A couple of things don't sit well with me:

firstly, what's wrong with UK rescues? These are mongrel dogs, nothing particularly hard to find and in fact could be found at most rescue centres.

Secondly, these people are actively seeking money from friends and family to pay for these dogs to be sent over. I feel that those donating to have these dogs brought over are less likely to donate to UK rescues so again, local shelters suffer.

I can kind of understand if you went on holiday to one of these places and found the Dog wandering the streets, but to actively seek out an animal from another country and then expect other people to pay to have it flown over?

Tell me, what am I missing here?

[KatharineClifton]

The situation for dogs in countries such as Greece and Romania is dire, much moreso than here really. The few rescues there are quite happy for anybody to adopt their dogs so they can go on to rescue more.

There was a big problem in countries with lots of UK ex-pats just up and leaving their dogs when the last recession hit. In that way you may think we owe something back.

I think overall it's not a terribly good idea as we are at risk of importing diseases which aren't usually seen here (when less than ideal rescues export animals).

Perhaps counter these appeals with appeals to neuter stray animals in these countries? You should be able to find plenty easily on Google.

[KatharineClifton]

romanianstraydogsploiesti.blogspot.co.uk/p/ploiesti-neutering-challenge.html

[tabulahrasa]

Personally I wouldn't adopt from abroad as I think there are enough dogs locally, but...

Rescues run in some countries bringing dogs here because the life of an unwanted dog in other countries is much much worse than here, and I do believe the adopter pays for the transport costs.

[DragonsCanHop]

Everything Katharine said.

[LokiBuddyBoo1]

Don't know I wondered myself why you would adopt from abroad when there are so many dogs needing a home in the UK.
It's also probably costs more, they could adopt from this country and give to a animal charity instead of spending all that money to adopt a foreign dog and bring it over.
It's not like there's a shortage of uk rescue dogs needing a home.
Perhaps it's the new in thing to do so they can Facebook brag about it.

[SistersofPercy]

Loki, i think that comment it's certainly true, there is very much an element of "oh look at me, how good am i!?"

I agree that dogs abroad probably do have worse conditions than here but I'm probably naïve in my belief that you sort out problems on your own doorstep first.

I'm going to share that link Katherine, thank you. I do think that this is about to become the next fad and I think it's worrying for UK rescues, especially smaller ones.

[KatharineClifton]

Please do. The smaller rescues are already doing this - the one near me almost exclusively rehomes small dogs from Romania now. They do it through a good rescue there and all is above board. But it does make me feel sad that they no longer help dogs in the local area.

[LokiBuddyBoo1]

I agree while rescue dogs abroad probably do have it worse, I too think that we should sort our own dog problem first, before we go adopting from abroad.
If your going to adopt a rescue do it from a local uk shelter/ rescue organisation not from abroa.
I hope this adotting abroad do'snt become the next fad with Facebook as like op said it could be really bad for uk rescues.

[MyFeatheryHat]

To a certain extent I can see why people do it as some rescues in this country make it so incredibly hard to adopt a dog (I'm thinking blanket rules on DC's under a certain age, 8 ft high fencing around the garden etc)

If I were in a situation where I could offer a rescue dog a good home but was being constantly turned down by UK rescues, I may well consider looking abroad where the criteria are less strict.

[SistersofPercy]

I'm 99.99999% certain none of the adopters I know have contacted UK rescues. In fact I suspect if they had two would be turned down as one works 10 hour shifts leaving an empty home with a dog already left and another has three kids under three and no means of supporting the dog without the PDSA.

[QueenJoan3]

We were in that situation MyFeatheryHat - experienced dog owners, work from home but have a cat and a young child. I understand the UK rescues not wanting to take a chance but it was very frustrating. We now have a Podenco from Spain and a few months down the line he is the perfect dog for us. He is very affectionate, has taken well to training and now has pretty good recall, he will walk as far as you want him to but at home is happy to curl up on the sofa. He is great with children (they have been trained how to act around dogs too) and he is only interested in the cat in so far as when she is around there might also be cat food, which is his favorite thing in the world. It has worked out great for us so far, touch wood. BUT- I have done a hell of a lot of work with this dog. He had not been trained, toilet trained, never even walked on a lead when he arrived. He is regularly checked by the vet, although he is clear of tropical diseases etc they can sometimes appear up to a year later if you don't keep up to date with worming treatments. I have also spent a long time working on his separation anxiety. The UK based charity I adopted him through have been great in terms of follow up support for behaviour, etc, and I knew what I was getting into. However I am horrified at the thought of someone who works 10 hour shifts or has no means of supporting the dog going down this route, even with the kind of support I have had from the charity we used.

[QueenJoan3]

Oh, and we paid for everything. If they can't afford to do that then they can't afford a dog.

[sanfairyanne]

it is officially a trend

liz jones, dailymail, has a 13 year old stray from romania, as she mentions ever so casually today

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3035252/No-s-not-just-Crufts-s-plagued-controversy-LIZ-JONES-ventured-dog-shows-win-rosette-CRUELTY.html

[BagelwithButter]

Yes, lots of rescues working abroad, some good, some not so good. Reputable ones always run a spay/neuter programme alongside any rehoming.

The Liz Jones story is pretty old, she worked with K9 Angels who are very good at getting publicity (lazy newspapers love the 3 blondes who run it), but there are better rescues around.

As said, many people are refused by UK rescues and look around for other options. Plus, it is a fact that all the animals rescued through these charities would be dead if not helped. Thrown out, poisoned, shot, run over, tortured - this is what happens to dogs in Spain/Greece/E Europe/Cyprus etc

[BagelwithButter]

Also, good rescues will offer backup, there are many successful stories out there. Many people are turned down by UK rescues, as mentioned above, so have no choice but to rescue from abroad.

I fostered 2 dogs from 2 different rescues. I told them I wasn't an experienced dog person (had looked after brother's/friends dogs) and wouldn't be able to cope with any difficult issues.

Talked via FB with the rescuers on the ground who knew the dogs, so I could be pretty confident with what I was taking on as a "newbie" fosterer. Both were ex-street dogs, no real history on them but had spent time in the rescue kennels abroad so were assessed before I got them.

The dogs were both lovely, one had a few accidents at beginning, other was house trained from the first night. Both were able to go off lead after a couple of weeks. Both rehomed after 2 months with me.

[TheHappinessTrap]

The dogs aren't all mongrels, and the kennel standards can be worse than in the UK and the pts time limit adds extra worry.

[JustJanice]

A lot is made of what a wonderful thing it is to rescue a dog - and of course it is.
Rescuing can make people feel special. To the degree that they will introduce their 11 year old dog, that they got as a puppy, as a rescue. Any behaviour problems will be blamed on the fact that the dog is a rescue. He's not very well trained because of course he's a rescue. Etc etc.
Some people will embark on a training program and have wonderful results but just as an issue is nearly cured.....will stop. Because actually they don't WANT the problem cured. Their problematic rescue dog gives them something to think about and talk about.

Rescuing a dog from abroad feels even more special. They dine out on it for life and delight in telling people the story of the adoption. Rescuing a dog from Romania is just SEXIER than going to the local dogs home.

[TheHappinessTrap]

I disagree Janice. You might be speaking from experience, but so am I. Mine are wonderful, well behaved, and the others I know are great. We also met a 1 year old today that was rescued as a young pup. He had been abandoned. That qualifies as a rescue. And better that his owner and we did not buy a new pup when there are others out there looking for a home. As a second owner we will always wonder what was simply in the dog's nature versus how the dog learned to behave based on previous experience. As the owner of rescues, not that this matters, we also engaged in initial training and on-going training. The reason I will mention when I'm out that mine are rescues is that 1) if they are new and I'm still learning their behaviours I might need to apologise or explain myself and that seems a relevant point to add and 2) when you're having a chat and someone asks how old they are and I mention they are quite elderly in years I usually get some comment about how long I've had them. I don't need to be so open of course, but people around here are so nice and chatty I can't see why I wouldn't. My dogs aren't sexy - but then they aren't Romanian so maybe that has something to do with it!

[QueenJoan3]

I'm afraid I don't recognise any of that either, Janice. I will chat to people and mention mine is a rescue when asked, and I am often asked where I got him because he is not a breed you see that often. I'm not bragging though, it's hardly unusual, most dogs I meet round here are rescues. And as far as rescuing to feel special...? We rescued because the other option, buying a dog that has been bred specially, didn't appeal. We weren't after a dog for a particular job, just a pet, so it seemed wrong to encourage breeding when there are so many unwanted dogs already. Which is why I adopted from overseas when I was unable to find one suitable in the UK. Not because foreign dogs are sexy, (although he is pretty damned good looking ) but because that is who was willing to let us adopt, and the alternative was to buy or not own a dog at all. And I certainly haven't come across anyone who has stopped training their dog so they have something to talk about! If anything the opposite is true. A lot of people are put off adopting because they believe that all rescues have behaviour problems, so we work hard at training to disprove that myth.