Please be gentle with me.
Earlier this year we temporarily took on 2 dogs for a friend. I've named changed as this outing.
Dogs belonged to friends mum&dad. Friend has had a very, very bad time of it the last few years - still birth, multiple late term miscarriages, loss of her brother in an RTA, sister emigrated, dad diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, mum died of a sudden brain haemorrhage and shortly after her dad was taken to hospital and died of his cancer. In between all this she had 2 living children as well, currently 8 months and 2.5. You couldn't make it up, so much shit happening to one lovely person.
When her mum died, her dad couldn't manage the dogs and my friend took them in until a new home could be found. After her dad died she had a breakdown and her husband couldn't manage her support, two kids, a FT job and 2 dogs. We agreed to temporarily look after the dogs. They've been with us 6months. Both my friend, her husband and myself have tried to find them alternative homes. They're very bonded (mum and pup) and need a home together which is making it harder. We've been turned down by breed specific rescues (1 agreed to try and find a home whilst we 'fostered' but nothing has come of it), dogs trust and local charities. Mainly because they're trying to force our hand to keep them. RSPCA have said we can surrender when they aren't full but as mum dog has a health condition (manageable with medication) she'll likely be euthanised unless they re-home her or find a no kill shelter within 2 weeks. Local vets have also been approached but nothing has come of it.
We need to re-home them/ move them from our house. DH doesn't want a dog. Has never wanted a dog. I like dogs and would probably keep them if he were on board but I work FT out of the home, DH WFH so most care really falls to him. We also have 2 kids, 2&4. Plus extra cleaning they create and the money. We can't afford doggy day care or a dog walker for the two (well maybe we could, but don't want to, it isn't a priority for us and we're far from rich do it would be at the expense of other things). Thankfully the insurers have been amazing and transferred the existing insurance to us otherwise we'd be paying in full for the medication, but I don't think they'd transfer it again.
Friend and husband have said they absolutely won't have them back, even if that means they're euthanised - they just can't cope (fair enough). They've asked friends, relatives and neighbors, as have we.
The rehoming shelters are all basically saying they are full with lockdown puppies and puppy farm breeding dogs and cannot take more dogs right now.
Does anyone have any suggestions? My next port of call is to sell them but I'm just so so wary of that as you hear the horror stories of bait dogs etc. But is selling them better than having them PTS?
Please help, any suggestions? Not a begging thread and PMs requesting details will be ignored.