To consider rehoming rescue dog due to negativity from neighbours?

This whole post is heartbreaking and I’m not even a dog person.

Imagine being a dog whose been through a shit time in life and lived in four different home and loving your family and your owner wants to rehome you because of the mostly false opinions of snooty neighbours 😳

That poor dog.

For the garden can you try a long line that you hold whilst he goes out? Feel the pain of having a lurcher. I get the neighbours being annoyed as it’s really not safe for him to get out.

he seems lovely though so if you can solve the escaping I don’t see why you can’t keep him. I have a monster of a whippet amongst a load of poodle mixes but I just ignore any ridiculous comments.

This - why did you take the property when the garden security is so insecure for the dog?

The poor rescue dog does not bark. It is OPs other dog that barks but he seems to be getting the blame.

There is no person in this world that would make me consider getting rid of my untidy looking rescue dog.

Why did you move to a property that has inadequate fencing to keep your dog safe in the garden? My pointy nose dog can jump a 5ft fence so our garden has 6ft hedges/fences to keep him safely contained. We also take him to an enclosed field so he can run off lead.

If he’s itchy and smelly it’s doubtful that it’s fleas, or lack of bathing. What are you feeding him? Cereal based kibble is notorious for these issues, it’s worth considering a switch to grain free food (or even raw completes) and maybe look into allergies/intolerances; chicken is a common one. We use Billy No Mates in the food to keep fleas and ticks away, and either salmon or flaxseed oil to help reduce itchy dry skin.

He looks out of place? he’s almost certainly beautiful, and everyone knows that rescues, especially sighthounds/lurchers, are the coolest of all dogs, with significantly more streetcred than any designer pedigree dog. Anyone who sneers at him is an absolute knob, and needs to be ignored.

He’s not barking, the other dog is. Don’t blame him for that. Your other dog will almost certainly struggle more with separation anxiety if you rehome the Lurcher. It’s also not fair to not tackle the separation anxiety, not on the neighbours although I appreciate her barking is annoying, but she clearly gets distressed when left, and a behaviourist could help you resolve this anxiety for her.

Crating the Lurcher is not a real solution to wee/pooping in the house. Again, this just needs proper training. Get a behaviourist to help you with this at the same time as they are helping the other dog with separation anxiety.

Resolve these issues and you’ll find it’s much less stressful.

you need to dog proof your garden, doesn’t matter that’s it’s a rental. A decent fencer will be able to suggest something that is easily removable. Timber stakes and wire stock fencing in front of the hedge.

And stop caring so much what people think of you / your family / dog.

I'm not clear why you would rent a house with a garden unsuitable for dogs?

But regardless it would be cruel to give him up purely because of your judgey neighbours. You need to grow a backbone and explain he's a rescue.

I've only read the OP replies but not the rest.

You and your family love this dog, have homed it for 5 years.

Dogs smell
The barking isn't this dog
Use a lead in the garden.

Tell your neighbours to F... Off.

Please don't give up on this poor dog. You might be his only hope of a happy life. If your garden/neighbours aren't isn't suitable, could you consider moving?

My dog has separation anxiety - he happens to be a rescue. He's the only dog I have - the comparison was between 2 dogs with separation anxiety, not their rescue dog.
Super dog needs to go to daycare with that level of anxiety.

You should simply move to a house that suits him more. Garden that is sealed is essential.

Maybe a house with one room that has a tiled floor to negate the need for the cage (even carpet tiles if carpet is necessary as they are easily replaced if soiled). If you walk him before you leave him alone and he is less likely to foul.

Vet for medical issues like fleas and regular dog groomer appointments maybe.

I’m surprised you couldn’t get a mild/sensitive shampoo for him, get a second opinion.

Get an allergy test done and change things if he is allergic, sounds more likely than fleas if your other dog doesn't show signs of fleas. Try medicated or super sensitive shampoo and make sure he's dried thoroughly afterwards

Buy a heavy duty stake and tie out line for the garden

Hire a secure field and/or use a long line on walks if you don't already, get a flirt pole or (if you can afford one) a lure coursing set up so he can let out his lurcherness in a controlled environment

Ignore the neighbours!

It's definitely the barking dog winding the neighbours up. You need to do what the rest of us have had to do and arrange for the dog to be with family, friends or a dog sitter if someone can't be in the house with him. Did you get the 2nd dog to try and tackle the 1st dogs barking through company?

But also the dog isn't escaping the garden. There's clearly an opening he's going out. So he should never be out off the lead unless you're supervising.

Sympathies though because you'd think you shot the dog rather than just being a bit of a pain of a neighbour.

She hasn’t said how old the barking dog is

Why can’t you seal off the garden with wire mesh?

Have you considered the barking dog could be stressing him. That can cause scratching and itching

Sounds like food allergies for the skin.

I would get a tracker collar and set up a virtual boundary so if he escapes you can track him instantly.

Don't you bloody dare.

perhaps it's your other dog barking all the time, as you admit, that is pissing off the neighbours, and with this one escaping and running wild I guess they just see you as unfit dog owners. But I'm sure many will come on here to say that the poor dog is far more important than all those mere humans living around you.

He should probably be hand stripped, not clipped, brushed well and often vs shampooed - you CAN wash him if he gets into something nasty, he won't explode, but proper stripping and brushing is far better for his skin. This may well help with his itchy/ponginess, if he has a build up of dead hair and undercoat, that will not help him.

If he pongs then its likely his food.

Clip a light weight chain to a ring bolt by the door (it can be removed and the hole filled when you leave), clip him on it as you open the door, then you can take your eye off the ball for a minute if necessary. Or keep a long line by the door and stand there with him every time - thats on you for renting an unsuitable property.

Fleas - treat the house regularly with something long lasting, the vet will know which is the best (Acclaim or Indorex usually) you DO have to use it properly, whole house, all down the nooks and crannies, crevices along the floors, under sofas etc. I see so many issues when people treat where the dog goes, forgetting fleas jump, walk, and hitch a ride on humans.

Then you only need to treat the dog himself if you actually see evidence of fleas -thats live fleas or flea dirt (its a dark brownish black dirt on the comb that blooms into a reddish brown stain on a wet white tissue).

Likely his itching is to do with whatever is disagreeing and causing his pong, fix one, you'll fix the other.

Walk him more -more enrichment - safe hired fields for hurtling around are great.

Sounds like some of your neighbours assume lurcher = traveller = dodgy. Ignore them, they are twats.

Yes I know! But it’s still the only thing that would bother me

It is possible to house train an 8-9 year old dog. We have done it. It took about a month. The thing is to give them run of one room at a time- dogs keep what they see as their territory/home clean- this dog is already doing that with his crate. So next he needs to be working on crate + room crate is in etc. Until you can give him access to where ever he is allowed to be. (Poor boy, shut in a crate while Posh Dog runs free.)

Please give him a chance. He will be miserable in kennels away from all he knows and loves and (emotional blackmail coming up) your kids won't forget you did it. Vet for skin, dog walker for boredom, loads of solutions for garden, let him out the crate if only into dog pen/utility etc. And tell your neighbours the truth about which dog barks!
(Our neighbours' dog barks from 6am onwards- she has dementia and is blind, we put up with it because it's no ones fault and obviously short term, but it drives us nuts,)

From reading your OP it’s really confusing as to whether you actually want to regime the dog, or whether you’re just concerned with appearances. From reading your updates I see that you say you DONT want to rehome him, in which case I’m confused as to why you are so deeply affected by the views of strangers that you are seriously considering getting rid of a beloved family pet!? I’m not sure why you would move to a house that is unsuitable for the dog, but given that the area/neighbours don’t sound very nice, plus the fact (you say) you want to keep the dog, I’d start looking for a more suitable house, that should fix the majority of the issues you’ve listed.

Poor dog! You're worrying too much about the neighbours. Please keep the poor dog.

I can't be bothered to read all the comments, but I'd definitely be looking at his food for intolerances.

Also, I have images of Lady and the Tramp! Bless his scruffy soul.