I think it is too hard to rehome an animal

[SuperHans]

I bought a puppy a few months ago and I really love him - he was the right choice for us. He cost £100.

He was vacc's and I will pay to have him castrated soon.

He has been such a success that I have been looking into getting him a companion. I would like to help a dog and rescue them but they want stupid amounts of money and loads of home vists.

I am just put off, and it is a shame because I could easily home another dog and give him a good life.

I think I will just buy another puppy I am afraid.

Val has done an excellent job of explaining the "chain" of how dogs enter pounds and then may end up in rescues. Of course, some dogs are also given straight to breed specific rescues or all breed rescues without even entering the pound/stray system. In this way charities are actually doing a lot to help subsidise the stray dog system.

I plough a lonely furrow in studying and analysing the stray dog figures for Wales - broadly, of all dogs that enter the system, roughly 40 - 45% go back to their owner (so were lost or strays) - the rest are probably more accurately described as abandoned.

10% of all dogs entering the system are killed - however, these figures mask huge variations between Councils - in Wales some have put no dogs to sleep for the past three years while others are killing up to 12% of the dogs they handle.

So, that 10% of all dogs is a much higher figure for those dogs that are not quickly rehomed back to their owner. In reality if a dog is abandoned, they are likely to have a 1 in 5 or at best 1 in 6 chance of being killed for no good reason other than some idiot "let their bitch in heat out" (Reason No. 8, 237 to have it neutered) or possibly bought a puppy because they felt sorry for it, but didn't think through the 15 year financial, time and emotional commitment. Sound familiar?

Where I disagree with Val is that I'm aware of at least one boarding kennel in Wales that does take pound dogs and to my knowledge looks after them very well. In fact it also boards dogs for a number of charities including the one we volunteer for and is one where I have left our own dogs on the rare occasions we've been away and needed their services. So please don't tar all private kennels with the same brush.

It is also worth pointing out that the regulations covering the welfare of pound dogs are different to those for boarding kennel dogs - poundies do not require the same standards legally - obviously this does not justify poor treatment and it's a subject for another thread on why this should be so and how it can be changed/improved. But it is wrong to blame private kennels for providing facilities that meet the regulations. I would also add that council's own pounds are not always as good as they could be.

I think a lot of people think LB is a rehoming centre, the only other place is Brysons, these are obviously a rehoming centre as they do home checks.

www.brysons.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=42

Its not for me but i can point amyone in the right direction who mentions getting a dog from LB

Chipping - I have had pounds bar rescue from their premises and refuse to cooperate because the rescuer has exposed some of the stuff above. The last thing these guys want, especially those who wish to sell you a puppy or board your dog on their premises, is a bad name.

It's blackmail... if you say anything which sheds a bad light upon us or which indicates that we are breaking the law we will stop you from saving the dogs' lives.

WRT closed pounds, I don't know what sick things go on in their heads, I really don't. You find these in parts of Ireland, which has a shit animal welfare record at the best of times and in the main is bloody primative in it's approach - look at puppy farmers, look at Ireland's continued breeding of, abuse of and murder and abandonment of racing Greyhounds, look at some of their farm dogs and the way they treat even pets. (And yes before the cries come up, I'm not Irish but have served my time working to get Irish pound dogs to safety and have seen far more horrors doing that than even here in the UK).

I would say a large part of the reason for the closed pounds is the sheer number of unwanted dogs - Irish animal welfare legislation hasn't changed AFAIK for over 100 years and they won't join with EU policy on animal welfare. There are fewer rescues by far in Ireland and nowhere for the poor buggers to go. Far better to kill them off and not let people know what goes on behind closed doors than to have to admit to the problem and put the resources in to deal with it, eh?

I wouldn't get a pet from a pet shop or commercial breeder but I'd also have reservations about getting one from a rescue centre.

I'd love to rescue every cat under the sun (DH wouldn't let me anyway :)) but when I looked at local rehoming centres they would not allow you to take a cat or kitten if you had young children - fair enough some cats may want a quiet life so I can understand their rule, but I have two small children.

In the end a colleague at work's cat had kittens (they aren't breeders and had her speyed afterwards) and I got two from her free of charge at about 12 weeks old, they were trained on the litter tray and have always been really great with the children - I think because they were born into a house with children who played with the kittens a lot! I knew they came from a nice home and got to see the mum who is a lovely cat also.

Scuttle, I agree that there are boarders out there which do a great job with strays, but IME they are few and far between.

One such is NOT a pound but a rescue I know of and work with, which runs alongside the owner's boarding kennels. She takes in unwanted dogs from the pounds when their 7 days are up. I'd happily entrust my own or a stray to that lady and her staff.

I personally have yet to find a boarding establishment which holds the council stray contract and about which I would feel as confident.

Agreed that the welfare standards for boarding and council pound contracts are very different (to society's shame) and that many council run pounds are a bloody disgrace too. I've found over here in England that many councils are turning from running their own pounds to subcontracting - don't know if you're experiencing the same in Wales?

(And by the way, belated Dydd Gwŷl Dewi Sant hapus!)

Bugger... I meant to say Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant hapus!

That'll 'learn me' for copying and pasting a language I love but don't speak!

"but when I looked at local rehoming centres they would not allow you to take a cat or kitten if you had young children - fair enough some cats may want a quiet life so I can understand their rule, but I have two small children. "

I have 3 very boisterous boys (10,7, and 3) and not a particularly big home and they run around a LOT. When I had my home visit there were 2 other children here as well and it was complete and utter mayhem.

Scuttlebug, is the not thinking through the commitment aimed at me or op, My bitches are vaccinated neutered, chipped and insured, not premium insurance but the best cover i can afford which is better than nothing.

When i got the puppy vaccinated the vets have an offer on pay extra and get booster jabs life. I got the staff chipped for £5 through a charity which goes around community centres in the area asking for a small donation if you can afford it.

If i hadnt of made the commitment of taking them on then Lola could be at the pound with her sisters and been given to someone leaving her unisured not vaccinated and adding more unwanted puppies into the system.

I didnt pay a penny for my dogs, i took them as no one else wanted them and i knew 100% i could look after them.

Yes but the fact was that was stated as their policy so it prevented me from making further enquiries.

Also, though not all pets from a rescue centre are emotionally damaged some may be and not everyone has the capacity to look after a pet with behaviour problems.

Val - why do you think she did that? It just makes no sense? What does she gain from it??

Same with the Pound guy??

I just read Shane's story too, sad but lovely.

MrsH, there is a HUGE difference between getting a cat from a private home (albeit it is STILL ill-advised) and taking on a DOG which is unassessed.

There is also good reason for rescue's decision re small children... years of bitter experience. We are many of us sick to death of the "oh he climbs all over the dog" mentality and the "I haven't time any longer for the new dog and the toddler" mentality as well as seeing cats being pulled around by young children.

Yours may not do that. Mine didn't either, it was more than their lives were worth to try. My rule was and is that if one of my dog bites one of my children my DC shouldn't come running to me as they will have done something to deserve it.

Unfortunately the idiot brigade mentioned above (or those who let their children carry the dog around like a handbag, for example) often cause rescue to reject all or most young families.

Not all rescues do however - the one I help out at judges case by case, dependent on dog and family.

Our pound has a boarding facility. Dh wanted to use it instead of the very well reviewed Pet Hoetel (only the best for my mutts ) that I wanted to use.

After hearing from my Dad just how bad it was, even DH aka the greediest man in the world, would not leave the dog there.

I wouldn't house vermin there, let alone my beloved pets. It's beyond disgusting. When we visted we had to paddle through inches of dog piss, none of the dogs had beds or blankets (they only get these on a night, during the day they are taken away so they can't pee on them or destroy them). So basically if they want to rest during the day, they are laying on a cold concrete floor coated in urine

I am told that our pound is one of the better ones

Chipping, no bloody idea, but she has a reputation for similar behaviour.

MrsH, yes, some rescue animals might be "emotionally damaged". That is why we, the decent rescuers, assess the pet and homecheck the family, requiring to meet all residents of the house and ensuring they are all up for adopting the pet, requiring to meet your existing pets, requiring you to fill in an extensive questionnaire and give us your vet's details for cross referencing, and why we offer lifelong support and advice having already assessed, rehabilitated if necessary and matched the right dog to you.

We would rather see you leave rescue empty handed than come back with a bitten hand in a month's time. Likewise we would rather the dog didn't "bounce" back to the rescue and would rather he stayed there with us for life than went to you for just a week only to be handed back to us.

With the greatest respect you are painting just as inacurate picture of rescue as the OP did. This misinformation can cost lives.

Like I said I don't blame the rescue centres for their no small children policy but it was obviously a bar to us enquiring further.

our local CPL on their websites gives a brief description of the cat and it's character - and what sort of home would suit it. As well as being absolutely gorgeous the fact that my cat was described as "liking to be boss", and other things (can't remember exact wording now) such as confident, good with children

I can confirm he fits all of those - DS3 (well all of them) are really good with him - but sometimes he gets a bit annoying with him, - and just as the CPL said he takes it all in his stride - and just kind of looks at them is a "piss off" type of way and turns round and goes back to sleep.

Had I said I wanted a cat with a description of

"not very good with noise" or "very timid" - then obviously I would have hoped the CPL would have guided me away from them.

MrsH, it was a bar to you enquiring further of that particular rescue... not of all rescues.

Will the cat lovers amongst us who are without young children on this occasion as she is timid although incredibly affectionate please look at Snowy on my profile. She's a white Siamese cross, the vet reckons, about 9 months old, and is looking for a forever home. She's currently fostered by yours truely.

And yes, adopters will be homechecked and will be asked for a £65 donation to go towards the £200 cost of her spay, vaccinations, flea treatment, worm treatment, medication and soforth. I hope that by now you'll all understand why. :)

Val, DIOLCH YN FAWR!!!

I think the issue is really that a kennel is no place for a dog. I would like to see compulsory microchipping of every dog that leaves a pound so that if it re-enters the system it can quickly get back home - dog wardens will tell you that much of their work is with "repeat offenders" who are lazy/feckless/don't care.

Compulsory microchipping anyway would also be a big step forward in helping to manage traceability and responsibility.

Both Councils and charities could do a lot more. Councils generally don't because it is a very low priority politically. I'd urge anyone reading this thread to find out more about how stray dogs are managed in their local area. FOI requests can be made free of charge and are very helpful in uncovering statistics on dogs, their outcomes and their management.

Charities could do more in working together - many do, but there's more to be done. I think too often we are also guilty of fire fighting rather than standing back and saying what can we change about the system to make it work better for the dogs andf for us?

I'd love to see Councils doing more on the homecheck side - this is something that they could do that would really tap into the expertise of the charity sector who've been doing this successfully for years.

I'd also like to see Councils doing more "Home Boarding" of strays that come in especially where dog wardens have to take dogs that for instance are emergency entrants due to say Social Services interventions. Typical scenario where elderly person with pet has fall and needs hospital - Cinnamon Trust often help but why not a home network of emergency foster carers for these pets who will often only need temporary home?

also, in spite of Animal Welfare Act, Councils don't do enough to show what a responsible dog owner looks like. Probably too busy fire fighting, but generally are crap in providing information on training, health, neutering, social issues etc. V short sighted.

Lastly, and most importantly why aren't more Councils announcing themselves as NO KILL Councils? Wouldn't that be fabulous? Obviously, there will always be a tiny number of dogs that will need to be PTS after accidents, severe illness, advanced old age etc but think about the message that would send out. Councils could and would do this if they thought there were votes in it - but they don't at the moment because stray dogs is one of those issues that nobody likes to think about. And particularly killing on the rates - too uncomfortable for a lot of people.

And frankly, this thread has illustrated perfectly the attitude of many that dogs are a "Pick up and Go" commodity, and that puppies just happen because oh, dear, my bitch got out and got "caught" by the naughty boy dog down the road. Never mind neutering. Never mind knowing your dog had sex so taking it ot the vet immediately to prevent the pregnancy. Grrr.

Scuttle dismounts from soapbox and retreats to her herbal tea, muttering.

Valhalla I have no experience of rescue centres and never said I had other than making initial enquiries- I'd looked at it but it wasn't suitable in our case, so I don't think I can be accused of spreading misinformation when I was just offering my opinion.

You are also offering your opinion and while I'm glad to hear that the centre you are involved with has high standards I don't think going to a rescue centre is by default the best option certainly if the centre isn't well run. Though of course there are some options which are a huge no-no, I think people have to be careful generally, be on their alert and know the risks and advantages and disadvantages whereever they get a pet from.

MrsH - try the CPL - they were fabulous with us.

Yes it was a bar to the local ones. All of them had the same policy. I wasn't going to travel 50 miles away!

Hans your dog is a puppy. It should be getting 3 small walks a day not great long big ones. Too much exercise at that age causes muscle and joint damage. Try giving him 2-3 short but interesting walks a day, much better for him.

FWIW I have only had rescue dogs, I would never buy a dog as there are far too many dogs in the world already. I also think you're in for a nasty shock re costs pretty soon.

How can you tell if a place is a Rescue Centre or a pound? It's not obvious from Battersea Dogs and Cats that they are a pound.

not all cat rescues bar families with young children from adopting kittens, at haworth most of the kittens have been to a foster home before they come back to us, so they have been brought up in a normal family enviroment, dogs kids etc, and the foster mom has had some time to assess the kits temrpements, some of the kits are nervous, some are bolshy and we get a pretty comprehensive idea of which kits can go to children homes and which ones cant, and potentional owners are asked to bring thier kids with them, and when we have several kittens even if the person wants the say pretty little ginger one if he/she isnt suitable for them we would rather they came back several times than adopt a kit that is going to come back to us 3-6 months down the line because the cat didnt get on with thier family, we had a lovely lady lady come in to the center a few weeks ago, wanted a cat brought her son with her he was about 7-8 yrs old, took them in the pen and the kid ran screaming towards the cat (this was a child friendly cat) total disaster and i said maybe wait till son is older, mom was mortified that her son had reacted like he did, apologised profusely and agreed defintiely not a good idea to get a cat at the moment , people on facebook if you look up haworth cat rescue loads of pics of happy rehome stories on there