Dogs from Romania - Your thoughts/experiences?

[skyblu]

We are looking to get a dog, but would like an older/steadier dog, rather than a puppy.
I have found a website of an organisation that does amazing work rescuing dogs from Romania. They have kennels out there, work with the dogs to assess behaviours/characters. Neuter, de-flea, worm them, socialise, walk & play with them and get them ready & all paperwork sorted for travel. Some come to the UK to foster home first, but most do not.
So this means in many cases you do not actually meet the dog. You go all through the adoption process, have homecheck, can speak on phone to the rescuers etc....then once all in place, doggy flys over and is yours.
There are some truely beautiful dogs & because they are crossbreeds, far more choice for my size requirements etc.
Just feels such a massive decision to rescue one without meeting it at all & going by someone else's word & description over the phone. And such a big deal to put puppy through (flying over, new country, environment everything). For me, once commitment made, Thats IT. Doggy is mine for life. I would never decide no & give it back to rescue, that's not an option after putting it through travel/change etc. It would HAVE to work no matter what.
So, is it a brave/ridiculous/crazy thing to do? People must do it as the charity has been going a while! Any experiences of anyone doing this? Is it better for very experienced dog owners only?
(Not saying I'm going to do this, I'm just exploring all options/doing my research).

[Lucisky]

I can't understand why homeless dogs are being imported into the country when we already have so many here? Personally I would not re-home a dog without having seen it in person.

[Thewolfsjustapuppy]

There is a Facebook group the good guide to Romanian rescue may be worth a look. It seems it can be a bit of a murky world .

[BiteyShark]

Honestly no I would not do it because I would want to see the rescue and dog in person.

[MamaOfTwos]

My friend has recently become a foster home for these dogs, she's had pedigree and mongrels, beautiful dogs all with excellent temperaments. Rehoming centres in the U.K. Are full of bull breeds and grey bounds, any 'family' breeds are gone almost before they're available for adoption.

[juneau]

Do we not have enough rescue dogs in this country desperate for homes already????? Our re-homing centres are overflowing. Please don't import a dog. Get one that is already here, that you can meet and assess first.

[Nocoffeetodayrosie]

We rehomed a Romanian dog - after months of no success finding a family dog in the UK. They all went very quickly and we were committed to rescue. We've had to work on some training with her - she was a doggy 'teen' when we got her and not house trained. Not meeting her beforehand wasn't a problem, but you need to put your trust in the fosterers and rescue agency.

[Ollycat]

Like others have said I genuinely don't understand why you would want to bring another dog into the country when we have rescue centres full of them here?

[Note3]

I homed a 5 mth old pup from an English rescue and after committing to the dog we were told she was imported from Romania. This didn't concern us. Unfortunately she grew and developed a concerning temperament. Unbelievably nervous around humans who didn't have dogs with them, nipping and chasing at children in the park to herd them (yes she went on lead from this point onwards!), antagonising and bullying dogs smaller than her. Amazing and tolerant with my children but nervous and not trustworthy around children visiting our home. Attended specialist training and behaved reasonably well there but out in the big wide world it was all forgotten as her senses took over.

Got to the point where she had to remain on the lead for pretty much every walk but would often return not having burnt enough energy and satisfied her need to chase so she began to be destructive in the home and tried to hunt the cat who was very small and frightened.

Sadly she had to be returned to the rescue after a yr of giving everything to make it work.

So based on my experience I would not be opposed to an adult rescue dog from England or Romania providing their temperament was well evidenced. I would not have a rescue puppy unless I knew they'd been in a protected environment since birth as whatever our poor pup had witnessed on the streets there before she came to us had clearly imprinted badly on her mind and personality.

Please don't slate me for returning her to the rescue. It was a very painful decision then and remains that way now. I'm not sure I'd ever get a another dog as I feel so awful for letting her down but I honestly tried everything I could.

[skyblu]

Note3 - thank you for your honesty & sharing your story. This is exactly the kind of experiences I wanted to know about. That is very helpful.

For those saying there are plenty of dogs here already, do not import. That is exactly how I felt too.
However, after research, as others have mentioned, UK rescues are largely filled (over-run!) with bull breeds & grey-hound type breeds, neither of which is right for us & finding the right breed/size/age/compatibility is difficult enough & then they get snapped up in an instant.

I'm just looking/thinking outside of the box & gathering thoughts/experiences.

[AfunaMbatata]

I would never buy a dog without seeing atleast the mother ,(father too if possible) so you can see their health, behaviour etc.

Do you have children ? I'd only ever get a recuse if I didn't have children and it came from a UK centre.

Remember dogs are animals, they can never be fully trusted.

[Iris65]

My experience of a Romanian dog is one that was not house trained. Chewed and destroyed furniture, carpets, rugs, shoes, handbags, hairbrushes. Tormented the family cat and harrassed the family's first dog (that was predictable but the person who adopted the dog is not sensible or rational) Endless energy and ran around the house and the garden like a maniac. Nipped and harrassed visitors.
What made it worse was that the family who adopted the dog made little attempt at training the dog and shrugged their shoulders and complained rather than doing anything about it.

[skyblu]

I have one DS who is 15.
I work from home everyday, in a very flexible job, with minimal need to go to the office but as/when I do, again can be very flexible & just go for a couple of hours.

[Iris65]

Lots of dogs needing homes in the UK. We had a mixed breed rescue from a dog home and she was lovely.

[Justgivemesomepeace]

My sister fostered one over xmas as she works and didn't want to leave one in the house all day so did it in her xmas hols. He had come from a farm, never been in a house, never been on a lead, didn't have a name. She used a harness instead and he was fine but really scared of roads traffic etc as he had never seen it. She was wary but he was amazing. He was as good as gold. I think He was so pleased to be indoors with food on tap! He was always happy being shut in the kitchen when She went out and just seemed to have been sleeping when she came back, so she tried him when she went back to work and He was fine so she's kept him. He's got a lovely temperament, great around kids, she's been lucky and got a great one. He's very food orientated as he had to fend for himself, he's very fluffy and sheds loads but that's the worst I can think of. He's brilliant.

[AfunaMbatata]

Is there anyway if you finding out the background of the dogs? Some can appear fine but are set off by certain things relating to trauma they've experienced.

I'd really look into a UK centre.

[bulldogmum]

I think the key thing is would you have the rescues back up should something go wrong - would they be able to send someone out to get the dog in the worst case? And be on the phone for advice etc.
Quite often dogs are transported across land and ferry not flown so it's quite a journey.
There are lots of very small dog rescues who may have what you're looking for, try researching in your area. Facebook is a good start for finding small rescues. It's true a lot of the big ones are overrun with bullies and greyhounds. You could also contact breed specific rescues if you have a particular breed in mind.
Check out the fb Romanian guide as mentioned above and ask advice of its members too. But don't rule out smaller U.K. Rescues who don't have the big advertising budgets too, they tend to have their dogs in foster homes so have a lot more info on them and their behaviours. Good luck!

[tabulahrasa]

I've known two people to adopt dogs from Romania, I have no clue if they're from the same rescue or not, probably not as they don't know each other, both dogs have some fairly major behavioural issues that they weren't told about before adopting the dog.

[DonkeysDontRideBicycles]

The only person I know who has adopted dogs through a similar sounding Romanian organisation is very committed to her pets but is the first to admit they came with behavioural issues stemming from nervousness and timidity.

They cost around £300ea. (non-refundable if she decided she couldn't cope and asked them to take back the dogs). She only intended to take one but within a couple of months was arranging a second. There was a home visit beforehand but once approved a lot of emotional pressure to see the arrangement through.

She was an experienced dog owner but has had to adjust her expectations.
Going out is limited. Meeting friends with their dogs has been fraught. Leaving them at home is stressful. Normal stuff you expect to do with a healthy well adjusted pet just won't happen for some time to come. She loves them but it's hard work. If she had had a young family at home I doubt those dogs would be placed with her.

[BLUEsNewSpringWatch]

Most of these dogs have grown up on and/or spent a very long time on the streets. Dogs with that background generally won't adjust to family life.

A lot of these rescues apparently claim they provide post adoption support, however when it comes down to it don't (probably because they know these dogs have major behavioural issues that will cost an arm and a leg in behaviourist bills to have any chance, what-so-ever of becoming suitable family pets). A lot of these Romanian rescue dogs are ending up in UK rescues, taking places from stray British dogs who are being put down by local authorities, when they can't find a rescue space.

I think it is both a recipe for disaster and unethical to buy a romanian rescue.

[tabulahrasa]

I feel the need to ask as well... what size dog are you wanting that's not covered by bullbreeds and greyhounds?

That's a pretty huge size range tbh, from small to giant...so is it a toy breed you're looking for? Because I can't say I've seen many of them in foreign rescues either. You'd be better off contacting breed specific rescues if that's what you're after.

[SlothMama]

I volunteer with rescues and have transported Romanian rescues, I have to be very very careful with them. They are known to try and escape as they aren't used to a car, or lead etc.

I've heard horror stories and if you are looking for a specific breed why not try contacting a breed rescue? There are a lot of rescues in the UK desperate for a home and have been waiting for a home for a long time

[slinkysaluki]

Chap across the road from me has two street dogs from Romania. They are virtually unhandleable outside the home environment, can't be let offload and bark incessantly at other dogs, the guy struggles bug time with them.

I foster for UK rescues we have all types of dog come in, from PTS pounds on death row and strays. Nothing wrong with most of the dogs, never had any problems with any fosters plus full back up from the rescue.

Where in UK are you op ?

[slinkysaluki]

Dogsblog is good online rescue dog finder

[exLtEveDallas]

I have volunteered at two rescues previously. I've just checked their websites and both have a number of dogs that aren't SBTs or Lurchers.

Where in the country are you?

Also, Many Tears Animal Rescue will transport dogs pretty much anywhere, and have a huge mix of dogs in their care or in foster right now.

[Whitney168]

what size dog are you wanting that's not covered by bullbreeds and greyhounds?

The OP didn't suggest it was just about size. We are all allowed to like different types of dogs. If the only breeds left were bull breeds, I would personally never have another dog, it is about so much more than size.

However, I am also very sceptical about this new fad for importing. It seems no-one wants a dog now that isn't a 'something-a-poo' or a foreign imported rescue.

It does seem that many people (not talking about the OP specifically) look at importing rescues as it is easier to get a dog from them - much the same as many people buy from puppy farms, but frankly would never get a puppy from any decent breeder. I do think many rescues are OTT in the limits they set on new homes, to be honest, but I guess much of it is through bitter experience.

Difficult.