You don't have a "rescue", you have a fucking dog!

[RoboticSealpup]

Is this a recent phenomenon? It seems like everyone who has a dog that wasn't bought from a breeder feels the need rub their virtue in others' faces every single time they mention the darned mongrel. "My poodle Henry -he's a two year old rescue - loves cheese!" It's like veganism but with dogs. Don't they realise how sanctimonious they sound?

I have a 6 year old rescue dog who looks like a cockerpoo but is a mix of all sorts. He can be quite vocal towards other men and other dogs esp when on a lead. I spent the first few months explaining he was a rescue but felt sanctimonious, but am sure people are judging me otherwise- thinking I've got some puppy farmed dog who I haven't bothered to train properly. Cannot win!

It's self-congratulatory, vapid bullshit. I think it's either a cue for the unfortunate person who asked the question to shower the speaker with confetti or hang an olive garland about them, or just a cue for a stultifyingly dull conversation.

YABU
Thank goodness for people who do adopt "rescue" pets
It's appalling that breeders keep churning our pets for profit when so many animals need a home
And I'm not even keen on dogs

Thanks mustbemad.

She's a nightmare and a tie and an absolute PITA, but she's mine and I love the little fecker.

How dull and uninteresting it is to give a home to a shelter dog. What a tedious person the owner must be with nothing worth saying.
Ridiculous attitude to hold!

You seem very over-invested. Are you a puppy farmer?

I prefer the term adopted to rescue. Think it is more fitting.

Either way, it serves as a shorthand to explain unusual or unpredictable behaviour.

Agree about sanctimonious vegans though (I know they aren't all, just the ones I come across )

But yeah YABU

Oh, and I usually say our dog is a Battersea dog, in the same way I might say I’m wearing a Topshop dress or an Asda coat. And I say it a lot because people ask me all the time what breed she is and we have no idea.

mustbemad Thats Betty. She is a pretty little thing but bonkers and a bit dim

Starwars I am not keen on 'adopted'
I have an adopted child and somehow referring to buying a dog from a rescue as 'adopted' doesn't seem to fit IYKWIM.
It was a hell of a lot harder to get my hands on my DC than it was to get them on my DDogs

Sometimes it's necessary though. We had a (very poorly behaved) rescue. We didn't really care what other people thought of him but if we were concerned about looking neglectful because of his lack of training that would be a thing to tell others to explain his behaviour.

OP, I see what you mean.

I have 3 cats from a rescue centre and 2 foster kittens waiting for homes.

I occasionally mention it to explain why two of mine came to me at 4-5 weeks, but I feel like I'm bragging or something if I describe them as "my rescue cats."

I don't mind others doing it, but I do see where you're coming from.

I generally tell people if they ask me questions about my dogs I can’t answer, like “how old is he/she?”or “what breed?”. I don’t randomly bring it up because I prefer not to remind them of their horrible pasts.

I often get people incredulous that such cute little dogs could be rescue dogs. As if bad things happening to animals are determined by cuteness of lack there of . I’ve also had a few people telling me that I don’t look like the sort of person who would have a rescue dog, which weirds me out even more.

Anyway, here they are:

Billy my last but one failed foster was like that - he bounced after not one, but two idiots passed him between them. Came back to me an absolute wreck; trashed my flat, tried to hang himself out of a tiny top window, hogged the bed...couldn't kennel him so we never went away. Couldn't be walked around other dogs so had to be stealth ninja-ry about walking him. He was an absolute fucker. But he became our fucker & spent his days ruling our lives. Was bloody heartbroken when he died. In bed would you believe!!!

I point out mine is a rescue because the poor boy was used as a bait dog and he's very obviously not in top condition and nudges into my leg and wets himself if hes scared We are working on it and he's improved massively but he's a long haired mongrel and some of the scars have affected how his fur grows, which does make him look a little neglected/like he's never been washed or brushed, and he has very noticeable damage to his eye and nose, its less of an issue now hes up to a healthy weight and all the cuts and stuff are obviously very old but I could feel the judgement coming off people before they realised he was like that because he is a rescue not because he needs rescuing.

I say my dog is a rescue to tell people not to be boisterous with him, lunge at him for a cuddle etc etc as they don't know what awful shit he's had to put up with in his life so they can't expect him to act like a totally relaxed dog. It means he is emotionally damaged basically so be cautious with him. It's also why he might be great with other dogs but only off the lead, because he spent a lot of his puppyhood tied the fuck up and it makes him defensive being on the lead, unable to get away. It's also to tell them that the good things he does, like being soppy and gentle and exceptional at recall are a fucking miracle considering the horrible things that have happened to him and that that good behaviour is a credit to his personality actually, more than me - I've never thought of myself when saying he's a rescue, only of how proud I am of him.

When was the last time the OP came back to look at these responses?! 🙄

Fizzcat I love your optimism. Our first dog was like that - apart from being under weight and having kennel cough she settled right in straight away.

Our second dog had been removed from a family who were abusing him. Had a long standing bowel infection which wasn't treated by the rescue centre and coupled with his crippling separation anxiety you can imagine the mess. It's now a chronic condition which costs us in hefty vet bills occasionally. He was terrified of everything and it took years of hard work to reassure him and build his confidence. I honestly think most people would've returned him after a few weeks (or the first time he ate the living room carpet).

The simple fact of the matter is that there are thousands of dogs being killed each year because there aren’t enough homes for them. People talk about rescuing a dog in the hopes of raising awareness of the issue and encouraging others to do the same. It’s life and death so it’s a little bit more important than your feelings, sorry. Honestly, what a strange thing to be bothered by

This is my rescue husky. I got him from the local pound where I was told he would have been put down if I hadn’t taken him. I tell people that he is a rescue dog because I want to raise awareness that there are a lot of huskies in rescue, it’s an issue as people are drawn to their distinctive appearance, particularly after the popularity of Game of Thrones, but underestimate their exercise and care needs so if talking about that helps someone decide not to get a dog they couldn’t cope with and would eventually give up, or encourages someone who has got the ability to look after a husky to consider rescuing one in need, then it’s worth it to me. You don’t seem to realise that people genuinely care about causes like this for personal reasons, it’s not some kind of affectation they put on.

Also I work with dogs and, despite my personal views, sometimes have to remain professional while an owner tells me about the totally made up breed they spent £100s on. If I can keep a straight face at “golden doodle” or “it’s pronounced sheee-shon, it’s French doncha know?” Then you can cope with hearing that a dog is a rescue.

Incidentally, some people on here have said rescue means a mongrel but actually sometimes pure breed dogs end up in shelters and sometimes breeders sell what are basically mongrels labelled as designer dogs.

Any dog can end up in rescue, that's why there are breed specific rescues now. Anyone who believes that only mongrels end up in rescue needs a head wobble; i have had pure bred dogs with papers handed over to me!!

Don't know why this bothers the OP, but what does bother me is people insisting that anyone looking for a dog MUST go to a rescue or they're evil/killing dogs/encouraging back yard breeders. There are some good breeders out there, funnily enough, ones that care about improving their breed, for example.

The problem is decent breeders are few & far between. And even the KC register is full of shitty breeders in it for a buck. With so little regulation of breeders I personally will always advocate rescue, be that breed specific or generic

TheFirstMrsDV I fully understand where you are coming from, sorry if I caused offence

I think I use it because my Mum does and she was adopted so never thought about it from the perspective of adoptive parents. I also think she holds her pets in higher regard than her children though I have lost count of the amount of times I have been told to sit on the floor as it isn't right to make one of said pets move from the sofa in their home.

How about "saved" as a new term?

I use adopted.

I didn't pay for my adopted dog.

Carouselfish has it right. When I describe my jrt as a rescue it's pride in him, not myself. Not sanctimonious to state a fact I don't think. Don't understand why that would get your back up op? Does it also annoy you if people announce they adopted their kids? Is that sanctimonious too?