Can we talk about rescuing dogs from other countries please?

[KenAdams]

We've looked at buying a puppy but decided to consider rescues first. Well a large number of them wouldn't even let us register as we had a child under 10 and then the ones that would let us told me that as we didn't have another dog (to show a rescue how to "dog" as well a young child), the chances of us being matched were incredibly slim. I understand the reasons for this and accept them.

Then we considered rescuing a dog from another country but I'm in two minds about this. Firstly because I can't actually meet the dogs, second I'm not sure if the health tests and other tests (e.g. if they're OK around) would have been done properly and finally if its even ethical to bring more rescues into this country when lots of dogs here in rescues are PTS every year (despite the fact that they're unlikely to let me have one).

I'd like to know your thoughts and experiences please as I really can't make up my mind.

IMO it should be illegal.

Until we sort out the issue of the numbers of dogs in rescues in the UK we shouldn’t be importing more just because someone wants a dog with a waggy tail.

Aside from which, many puppies will likely be imported from puppy farms and older dogs are rarely socialised.

And meanwhile dogs are languishing in rescue centres over here because they’re not pretty enough.

If someone wants a puppy then it’s IMO preferable to go and buy one from a reputable breeder rather than meet it at the airport. FGS how likely is it that that kind of exchange is even legitimate.

I remember back in the day reading about puppy farmers who would meet you at the local services to give you the puppy you bought. This is no different.

You think it's better to produce more puppies in the form of breeding than rescue a foreign dog? What a weird idea.

I'd rather rescue a dog from the very reputable charity (which my vet is fine with BTW) than encourage more breeding.

Our first dog (pre DC) was an adolescent rescue dog, he was wonderful but had lots of behavioural problems - some serious and which we could never completely resolve. So with small DC we were only looking at puppies because we wanted to do the training ourselves from the start. Rescues near us did not have puppies but a local rescue does bring in puppies from the Canaries. The puppies are properly registered and vaccinated so no worries on that front. We're 5 years in now, no problems at all and have a dog with a lovely temperament. Once the DC are older I would revert back to getting an older rescue dog to save one from being PTS.

@AlternativePerspective

IMO it should be illegal.

Until we sort out the issue of the numbers of dogs in rescues in the UK we shouldn’t be importing more just because someone wants a dog with a waggy tail.

Aside from which, many puppies will likely be imported from puppy farms and older dogs are rarely socialised.

And meanwhile dogs are languishing in rescue centres over here because they’re not pretty enough.

If someone wants a puppy then it’s IMO preferable to go and buy one from a reputable breeder rather than meet it at the airport. FGS how likely is it that that kind of exchange is even legitimate.

I remember back in the day reading about puppy farmers who would meet you at the local services to give you the puppy you bought. This is no different.

Can I ask what your personal experience is of this? Mine are both rescues (from this country) so I don't have any experience of adoption from a foreign country myself. However our DC's were 10 and 8 at the time and only one rescue centre would even entertain us and I'm sure it's only because no one else wanted our Ddog. He was old and had been there a while, otherwise I don't think they would have let us have him due to the children's ages.

People want a certain type of dog for all sorts of reasons and rehoming a dog from a rescue that isn't the right 'fit' (for whatever reason) can very often end up with the poor dog being returned yet again. UK rescues are very strict and while, on the whole, that's a good thing, it does mean that many dogs who could be given loving homes, are not and are left for much longer. It's not always about a dog not being 'pretty' enough. I'm not sure how I feel about adoption from abroad, it wouldn't be my first choice but I can see how people take that option I suppose. It's just sad that any animal ends up in rescue in the first place.

I had no intention of adopting from overseas but when we started looking but came across our romanian dog who was already in this country. I wanted a medium sized dog, not a puppy, and she ticked all the boxes. If you read up on how dogs are treated in romania i can understand why people are bringing them over and i do understand why Some think we shouldn't be doing this when we have our own rescue dogs. However my dog was already here and we fell in love with her.

@janetsgarden

I have two from abroad - we work full time so couldn't adopt locally.

They are perfect - just as described and we had lots of videos etc before hand. We also got one as a puppy so was easier to train. Just because they're from abroad doesn't mean they don't deserve a chance and those countries are far less forgiving of strays than the UK!

So what happens to the dog when you're working full time?

@MrsTerryPratchett I already find this an odd perspective. I have two large working dogs and three children. I would never ever get a rescue dog from that breed because temperament is so important particularly with kids and with the size of the dog it could do a lot of damage. It's too much of a risk. And I like that breed because they are great family dogs and suit our lifestyle and where we live. Additionally the breed of dog We have can have health problems as is the case with many pedigrees - the breeders we bought them from had the parents fully tested and certified. Someone alluded to it earlier - and it's true - there's not a lot of choice of breeds in rescue - they are mainly staffies and some GSDs which are not the sort of dogs I want for many reasons. It's absolutely fine for people to buy the dog they want from a reputable breeder. Rescue isn't right for everyone

We have a rescue from Spain.
Similar to others, we wouldn't have been considered by UK rescues (single working parent, children under 10) so I started to look at abroad rescues.

Found this breed-specific rescue by chance - run by ladies both in Spain and the UK. I chatted with one of the contacts about our circumstances and what kind of dog (in terms of temperament) we are looking for. Found "the one" - waited for blood test results (got copies of the vet reports), they had her spayed and vaccinated and got her ready for transport. They'd already taken her out of the kill shelter where they found her and she was fostered by a British family in Spain (with children - obviously that was one of the requirements I had!). She came to us almost two years ago and we never looked back; hands down the friendliest, most easy going and trainable dog I've ever met.
Abroad rescues often look for UK foster places too, so you could agree to foster first with a view of adopting later.
Good luck in finding your dog!

What happens to the dog when you are working full time ? I’m my dogs’ case - they sleep, have a bark at the neighbourhood cat, sniff their bowls to see if they have magically regenerated food and then sleep some more.

I know this because we have a security camera In the kitchen.

Both my 2 can’t wait until schools are back and lockdown over, so they can resume their normal sleep schedule without interruption.

I have been to Romania many times and the packs of wild dogs are very common in some areas. There are also some children living in very difficult circumstances, l find it hard to see people spending loads of money importing a dog when there are children with no food. if you want to help, contribute to charities which neuter street dogs, I would worry you are encouraging puppy farming or getting a street dog. Hope you find something suitable.

I live in Cyprus and have friends who work / volunteer with local rescues which regime dogs in the U.K. the animal situation out here is heartbreaking, many dogs are bred as hunting dogs and the abandoned if they don’t do well (or if owner just can’t be bothered to fed and care for them in the off season). There was a bit of a scandal locally where a dog rescue place was keeping the dogs in a terrible condition but the place was taken over by British volunteers and is now nearly empty.
Leishmaniasis is endemic here and, If you adopt from Cyprus, you must get a test done for it.
I can honestly say that dogs aren’t ‘puppy farmed for rescue’ here, as frankly we Have enough of an animal issue without that! I love this country but the way some Cypriots treat animals breaks my heart.

I would honestly consider a Cyprus rescue (and in fact have two of our own ) but do go through one of the reputable charities so the dog will get a full vet check and be cat / child checked before being sent home.

@horseymum

I have been to Romania many times and the packs of wild dogs are very common in some areas. There are also some children living in very difficult circumstances, l find it hard to see people spending loads of money importing a dog when there are children with no food. if you want to help, contribute to charities which neuter street dogs, I would worry you are encouraging puppy farming or getting a street dog. Hope you find something suitable.

As someone who has spent 30 years working for charities non profits and social services and housed homeless pregnant women in my house and also give to a variety of charters including majority world ones which help mothers and children... I think I'm also allowed to rehome a street dog if I want.

Why do people assume 'cares about dogs' means 'doesn't care about children'? IME the opposite is true.

OP, 3 words: don't do it.
Just keep in mind, for every success story there is also a story where the adoption failed because the dog is unsuitable for suburbia life.

It's not because I want a dog with a waggy tail its because I feel that having a huge dog isn't practical in the space that I have and I don't have work for a working dog to do so they wouldn't get the stimulation they need.

I have a house with a garden, semi rural, DH is home based and I work 10 mins away. The problem is DC is 8 and UK rescues just don't seem to like that. Some of them also want another dog in the home and we don't have one.

I've considered it over and over but unfortunately I'm just not sure adopting from elsewhere is for me and I think the posts above have confirmed that.

@horseymum you are aware that you can care deeply about more than one thing at any one tome aren't you?

for every success story there is also a story where the adoption failed because the dog is unsuitable for suburbia life.

I this can be said of any animal in any circumstance. Getting any rescue dog is comes with caveats and conditions but to be fair, nowadays especially, so do puppies considering that the majority of people don’t buy puppies from reputable breeders.

I've adopted five dogs from Romania and am very happy (we're lucky enough to have the space and lifestyle for them all). I didn't meet any of the dogs beforehand, but spoke to the charity in detail about our situation and requirements.

There are many dogs in these countries who are picked up from the street by the public shelter or a local charity, but aren't real street dogs. Many of them are pets who were dumped when they became an inconvenience, e.g. when the owner wanted to go on holiday.

@horseymum, I take it you keep at least one horse - by your logic you shouldn't, because the money you spend on this could help children with no food.

I worked abroad for some years. The animal charities there concentrate on spaying and neutering, they do a mass sweep each September when the tourists have gone and the one-summer-wonder dogs are dumped on the streets to starve.

The best thing you can do (as always) is give money to the local charities who know what they are doing. You can alleviate a lot more suffering that way.

@mencken

I worked abroad for some years. The animal charities there concentrate on spaying and neutering, they do a mass sweep each September when the tourists have gone and the one-summer-wonder dogs are dumped on the streets to starve.

The best thing you can do (as always) is give money to the local charities who know what they are doing. You can alleviate a lot more suffering that way.

That's if the choice is between charities to support. I already support charities of my choice. We're talking about what to spend the entirely separate 'getting a dog' budget. I'd rather give it to a foreign (or domestic) rescue than a breeder.

I have a Romanian rescue dog,I have had him over 6years,he was one of a litter born to a dog already in the care of the rescue in Romania.

I had him at 20 weeks,he was neutered,chipped,vaccinated and wormed.

They keep in contact with me still and they have a behaviourist who can help with any problems.

Our dog is a Romanian Rescue.

I tried every uk charity and was turned down due to having dc under 13 (8 and 11) at the time. All my family have dogs and we had dog sat regularly for MIL so my kids are very dog savvy. I also wfh.

The charity our girl came from does a lot of education, spaying and neutering in Romania to try to bring down the number of strays.

They spent a lot of time with us by phone to find out about our lifestyle and then suggested several dogs to us. We saw videos of our girl but didn’t meet her first.

It’s not all been plain sailing. Her recall is ok now but we had to put the work in. ( I don’t begrudge this for a second). She is devoted to my DD’s and is a really gentle girl.

If you want the rescue details let me know @KenAdams I would highly recommend them.

Dog shelters abroad are killed ‘kill shelters’ for a reason.

They chuck 20dogs in a run, no bedding or shelter. They’ll chuck a few chicken carcasses in for the dogs to fight over.
The weaker dogs will either starve or be killed by the other dogs.

Then, when the shelter is full, they will poison, shoot or drown the dogs.

Over here, each dog is housed safely with shelter, exercise and food. They have access to vet care. And if the shelter is full, dogs are euthanised humanely by injection.

There is no crime in wanting to save a dog from that.

I’ve had two rescue staffies, lost my old boy recently (aged 15) so only have my 10 year old now.
They are brilliant dogs, KC recommended for families - known as the nanny dog - and have been really good with children. My youngest was 11 years when we got the first dog and since then 3 DGC have been born.
The bond between children and dogs was good and strong.
I understand people might not want a rescue staffie if they don’t know the background but please don’t assume all staffies are child killers.
I think UK rescues should reconsider their homing policies but if you can’t afford to buy a dog then why would you adopt a foreign dog which could have lots of health or behavioural issues?

My partner and I went to a local dog rescue in the UK and we told them about our lifestyle what we wanted. They don't let you walk around and pick, they know the dogs and will pick out one or two they feel are suited to you. We literally took the dog they picked for a walk, paid for him and took him home there and then. He came from Wales, apparently lots of UK rescue centres are filled with unwanted Welsh dogs. They do a weekly run. We also acquired a golden retriever from a friend, a unwanted pet! Both dogs were great and very much part of our family. Our rescue sadly died 12 years later and now we have our elderly goldie. In the meantime we have also had 2 children (5&8) We felt that our goldie would benefit from a new friend. No rescue will let us have a dog because we have children (including our local rescue) and often the rescue dog has to be the only dog. We can't afford a new puppy. Not that we particularly want a pup. Where are we supposed to go? Sometimes the only option is a foreign dog.
If we didn't get to meet it that's no different from the centre we went to years ago. We will probably wait for now. When we do start
Looking again I'm sure the kids will make it a big fat NO unless we lie!

I volunteer for a small Romanian rescue. We work closely with charities who rescue dogs from the kill shelters and on our visits we also save dogs directly from them. Some are life long street dogs, some dumped and others actually stolen from private grounds by the totally corrupt dog catchers who are paid €50 per captured dog. We also contribute to spay campaigns.

Once you have witnessed first hand the brutal methods used to euthanise dogs not rescued from the kill shelters in time, there is no way you can walk away from trying to save as many as possible.

Our charity undertakes all UK required health checks, quarantines and has a team of dedicated fosters and helpers to socialise and train the dogs before putting up for adoption. Nearly all are success stories with only 2 in the last 5 years that could not be re-homed out of over 600 dogs. Most adopters approach us because UK charities have rejected them.

I think it would be an absolutely mad idea. It could have all sorts of health and behavioural problems. And even be downright dangerous.