Adopting from Europe

[Beingslightlymad]

Do any of you have experience of adopting from abroad or opinion on it? I have been looking for some time to find the right dog. I have noticed that there are lots of dogs available from Romania and other countries. I am not sure how I feel about this as lots of dogs are available here. Plus are they vetted properly? I'd be interested to know your thoughts.

[Wolfiefan]

I wouldn’t want to take on a dog I hadn’t met. I know of very few adoptions like this that haven’t come with major problems.
With a good U.K. charity they assess each dog and then look for the best home for that animal.

[Beingslightlymad]

Yes that was my concern tbh

[Windyatthebeach]

I know of 3 families who have had to rehome supposed great family ddogs. One of which was most def not the medium sized ddog they were banking on.
Imo there are plenty of UK ddogs needing your ddoggy shaped hole op..

[Walkingtohealth]

My parents rehomed a dog from Spain and he is gorgeous, I think you have to do your research but it can work.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Some of the countries with dogs available to 'adopt' are also the source of decidedly dodgy (to say the least) puppies. Probably not a coincidence.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

I don;t want to depress you but the overseas rescue dogs I've known locally look like this:
Nervous and not let off lead (at least at first, haven't seen it for a while)
Nervous and has needed a lot of effort, much better now about a year in (has become a very nice dog, but took the patience of a saint)
Nervous, did a runner, never found
Nervous, did a runner, found three parishes away
Dog aggressive and never off the lead
One who was lovely but died suddenly and unexpectedly
And a couple that are fine.

There are some breed (or type, more accurately) rescues that do seem to foster dogs beforehand, so you have a better idea about what you're getting in terms of size, character and quirks. I'd be cautious, personally, but I do know people for whom it has worked out well. As a PP said, you need to do you research.

[Ylvamoon]

There are some experiances on this thread about dogs from Romania.... especially from Note & Iris on first page.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/3024167-Dogs-from-Romania-Your-thoughts-experiences

[Sheeeeesh]

It didn't work out for us unfortunately. And a failed adoption is extremely hard for both the family and the dog. I wouldn't recommend it.

[Beingslightlymad]

Thanks all will read that thread.
I’ve noticed on the U.K. pages that lots are bull terrier types which we don’t want. Or they say need honing with other dogs or no children or can’t be left etc. The dogs from abroad just say family friendly please adopt! So whilst easier to get one there may be issues. I just need to keep looking at the local rescues. It’s a shame U.K. rescues aren’t homing at present. I do understand why but equally as a family we have more time than ever to bond with a dog and settle it in.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

OP, you might do better at finding a suitable dog if you look at UK breed-specific rescues. I know of at least one spaniel rescue that fosters in people's homes, so they should be able to tell you if the dog is child/cat/etc friendly and what its recall is like.

The two overseas rescues that I know of that I would say were fairly straightforward with a non-neurotic dog at the end of it were both through a breed-specific rescue too.

[HasaDigaEebowai]

I don't understand why people do this. The logistics alone will be difficult post corona and there are thousands of dogs here already in need of homes. I know there are lots of bull terriers but it is by no means the case that all available dogs are bull terriers.

It would be much better to look at the dogs who are already here.

[steppemum]

our local rescue fosters only in homes, no kennels. we sued to foster for them, and even after 3 weeks could give a pretty spot on assessment of the character of the dog and we were veyr honest with the people who came with a view to adopting each time.

We then adopted one of our fosters. He has grown and improved in terms of confidence and training, and relaxed etc etc, but that first 3 weeks told us what sort of character he was, and that hasn't changed.

This rescue does bring in dogs from overseas. I have very mixed feelings about it, but if you met any of these dogs, they would be in someone's house, and they would be able to tell you what they are like. (some are street dogs and have never lived in a house, so that brings its own issues.)

[Strugglingtodomybest]

My opinion is, why? There are plenty of dogs here looking for homes, why would you import one?

It's different if you've met a stray on holiday and decide to bring it home, but I genuinely don't understand why you'd do it otherwise.

[Waveymaevey]

They might say great with families but all the ones I have met have been nervy and not trustworthy!

[Waveymaevey]

Not to mention the ehrlichia and leishmaniasis they commonly have, which they don’t tell you until afterwards and then illegally supply you with drugs to give. Not able to then get cover for a myriad of things insurance wise and it’s only a matter of time until rabies gets brought in....

[Windyatthebeach]

Imo the just say 'family friendly' because they don't know anything about the ddogs to tell you!!

[ladybee28]

I live in a country where there are a lot of dogs in rescue centres, having been maltreated or abandoned as puppies.

Many of the rescue centres are run by expats who prefer to rehome in the UK, Scandinavia or the Netherlands, as locals often have a very different mentality around dog ownership and dogs are more likely to find a good-quality home for life in Northern Europe. (That's absolutely not to say there aren't excellent dog owners here, but there's certainly a higher likelihood of abandonment, poisoning or multiple stints in rescue centres)

I've watched a lot of dogs be rehomed with families in the UK from here and they seem to get on just fine, so long as the owners know what they're getting into in taking on a dog that has had a difficult life thus far.

I think if you've been looking for a long time to find the 'right' dog, whatever that represents for you, you're going to need to meet them first.

But it's perfectly possible to find a wonderful dog in another country. You'd just need to do a lot of legwork to be sure that you're sure.

[CMOTDibbler]

I foster for a UK rescue. When we say a dog isn't suitable for young children, it can be because from the dog living with me I can see they are stressed by loud noises, jump up a lot (so would knock a small child over), need extra help or time and so on. I don't say it because I want to restrict who the dog goes to - its because I don't want the dog coming back or worse a child getting injured. Same with cats/small furries.
We aren't rehoming at the moment as the potential families need to meet the dogs, and we need to homecheck - neither of which are possible right now.

My nephew has a dog adopted from Romania, and though he is a lovely dog, they have had far more problems with him than they were told, and its been a really long road. When dogs are picked up off the street, go into a mass kennel and then go straight to a home you really know so very little about the dog

[vanillandhoney]

Or they say need homing with other dogs or no children or can’t be left etc

That's because UK rescues do their homework and take the time to assess the dogs properly. Lots of dogs are not good with children (especially small ones), and no rescue will let you take a dog if you're going to leave it at home for too long. Dogs are social creatures and need company.

This is probably the worst time to get a dog, to be honest. Socialisation and training will be limited for a good while going forward - vets might be doing vaccinations but you can't go in with them - you need to sit in the car. You shouldn't be letting your dog off the lead to socialise with other dogs due to the risk of the virus spreading. You may be home all day but your dog will just get used to that, and getting them to adjust to you going back to "normal" will be really hard on them.

How are you going to train and socialise a dog right now?

[DogInATent]

I’ve noticed on the U.K. pages that lots are bull terrier types which we don’t want. Or they say need honing with other dogs or no children or can’t be left etc. The dogs from abroad just say family friendly please adopt!

UK rescues tend to be more cautious about suitability for homes with children or other dogs. Can you assume that the overseas rescues are being as cautious/honest in their descriptions? UK rescues often start out assuming a dog isn't suitable for young children or other pets until they've established otherwise - newly listed dogs on their sites may not have been fully assessed for suitability to live with children, cats or other dogs.

Looking for an overseas rescue specifically to get around household vetting carried out by UK rescues is not getting off to dog ownership on an honest footing. With that vetting comes a lot of support post-adoption should you need it, which you will not get with most overseas rescues.

I have no issue with bull breeds, our RSPCA rescue Staffie is snoring off her dinner next to me as I type. But I see a wide variety of breeds and mixtures on the UK rescue websites. It does tend to vary between regions and at different types of year. It's worth watching over time and widening your search beyond the local rescues. Please don't reject any breed on their reputation. When things re-open get down to your local rescue and meet as many dogs of as many different breeds as possible.

I'm against importing rescues. We have thousands of healthy UK and Irish dogs being euthanised every year. Overseas dogs can be supported far more efficiently with donations to reputable organisations in those countries that support neutering and vet health programmes. There are some very dodgy overseas rescue organisations, a check back at older threads in this section of the forum will find discussion of these.

[yearinyearout]

A friend adopted a dog from the souda shelter in Crete and it's been a huge success. They seem to have quite a lot of young dogs/litters of puppies that have been abandoned.

[steppemum]

I always think the cost of bringing one dog over to the UK could probably have supported a number of dogs for a long time wherever they are.

[terrigrey]

I've got an overseas rescue. Amazing dog. No issues at all. I found the rescues available in the UK came with too many issues, and any that were pretty or had no issues had a waiting list a mile long.
I don't have children & am an experienced dog owner and I trusted the charity the charity who were working to bring dogs over. We are not the only country which does this.
My local dogs trust is full of stray dogs from Eire, no difference in my opinion.
Lots of the other seas rescue charities foster the dogs in the uk - so that is a possibility if you are not happy to adopt straight off the van.
I had a very through home check and lots of post support from rescue is available. My dog is registered (via microchip) with the charity as theirs, they will take her back if I ever needed to re-home her.
I have never had a dog which is so loving and fun. She's so popular with my friends and family, I don't know if being an ex-street dog she has learned to be charming to get food/shelter from people in the past, because she utterly loves people & especially children.
Do your homework and find a charity/organisation which works.

[justtb]

Be very careful!
I found my french bulldog on a app and they said he was from Ipswich. It wasn't until after purchase we realised he had a passport.. he was from Hungary.
Vet checked him over and explained that he had possibly had his tail docked and had his teeth filed down (my poor baby!) luckily he was microchipped so wasn't an illegal immigrant!
He had severe colitis and had never had his ears cleaned, they were black and filled with mites!
Obviously, I might have just gotten him from a bad breeder (I like to think I rescued him). But I do think most European breeders coming to the UK are dodgy

[terrigrey]

@justtb you really should have done your homework.
Are you really saying you just bought a dog online and then were surprised that you were duped and the dog was suffering?
How much did you pay for the 'designer breed?'
My dog is a rescue mongrel, she cost £300 which paid for passport, microchip, transport, health checks, inoculations & neutering in her home country. I think there was probably a bit left over for the charity to pay for the next lot of operations etc for the next lot of dogs.
She arrived with a slight ear infection (she was in kennels in her home country for several months so she could have her jabs and recover from neutering). I took her immediately to my vets to check she was healthy on arrival for fleas/worms (all clear) and for them to check her passport & vacs record for my piece of mind as I have a cat at home too.
Ear infection cleared up after a week of me squirting the meds into her ear. She was very good and no trouble me administrating the drops. Cost probably £50 for the vet check up.
I'm not saying it's not a risk, but I know of people who have bought designer puppies and they have died after a day (probably puppy-farmed dogs) because they don't bother to actually find out about the origins of the puppies and how these animals are bred.