Importing rescue dogs

[Tonemeth]

I keep wondering this and have just seen another facebook post about it.

Why do we allow dogs to be imported into this country as rescues? The only reason I can see for it is so people get the dog breed they want which they wouldn't get in the UK through a rescue. Otherwise surely they would just rescue from a local centre?

I'm curious what people think of it, I find the concept a bit bizarre but not sure if I'm missing something. It seems to be a really recent trend.

I think the dogs overseas are far more likely to be mixed breed street strays: it’s nothing to do with people wanting certain breeds from overseas.

In the UK, we don’t have a culture of street dogs and animal cruelty where we’d just all walk past a dog lying on the floor with broken legs etc. The rescue centres here (I’ve volunteered in one) are very different to many of the ones overseas which are often just massive open pens with hundreds of dogs all mixed in - highly stressful for the dogs. Adopting from these places is easier than it is to adopt from many of the shelters here. The one I worked at really did act like it was doing the potential adopters a favour if it even replied to their enquiries! Honestly, it was quite an eye opener.

Our Labrador came from Ireland 11 years ago. So not that recent.

Our local Labrador Rescue has a tie-up with a pound in Ireland where I understand they were more likely to be pts (would be very happy to be corrected on that).

I think the dogs overseas are far more likely to be mixed breed street strays: it’s nothing to do with people wanting certain breeds from overseas.

True, I think what I really mean it's so people can avoid certain breeds like staffies which local rescues are full of.

My mum has rescued dogs from Romania and Croatia, reason being they were in much worse conditions over there and she wanted to help. She is now treasurer for a local charity which supports a few rescues in Romania and helps to raise money so that they can improve their centres and educate people on animal welfare.

I do get why it seems odd, there’s thousands and thousands of dogs needing homes in the UK and many are PTS as places cannot hold them all. Personally I rescue from local centres, but I also understand the want to help abroad.

The one near me doesn't have such stringent home checks as a normal rescue, often has puppies/young dogs and the fee is cheap compared to buying from a breeder.

I wouldn't get a dog from our local one btw.

I have a spanish rescue dog. Have always had rescues. I also have a UK rescue dog and uk rescue cats.

My reasons for getting my spanish rescue are

1. I spent ages looking on various rescue places and couldnt find a single bloody rescue dog that said they were good with kids and cats. They all seemed to be ex breeding stock, kept in sheds etc, or behavioural issues. Basically big projects.

I just kept looking as I wanted an older dog that was calm, housetrained, reliable, that would just fit in. I was even looking on those resale sites at one point, but I just didnt trust they were being honest about the dogs. Eventually I found a rescue not too far from me that has UK dogs, spanish dogs and sometimes romanian. The rescue works closely with a spanish rescue to help some of the street dogs or rescue dogs from perreras that would make promising pets. They had a few dogs that were cat tested. I saw a video of her in the house, with children, with other dogs and with cats. She seemed perfect. She was on her way to the UK so I arranged to visit. Shes a fantastic dog. The fact shes. Spanish is neither here nor there. Id rather people rescued from any country than bought puppies from breeders. Ive had maybe 2 people comment about why I didnt rescue from the UK. maybe they should save their concern for those with pedigree pugs, french bulldogs or yet another fuckin cockerpoo. My lovely dog deserved a chance. Im glad she didnt die in the perrrera. I have no responsibility to take on the offloaded traumatised ex breeders from the UK anymore than you do. Nor do I have a responsibility to undo the damage that other shitty owners have done to their out of control adolescent dogs who they try and rehome once the novelty has worn off. And actually ive totally fallen for the spanish breed that my darling dog is. I love her temperament and I actually love how streetwise and sociable and reliable these ex streetdogs seem to be in general so i'd do it again tbh, and id take on an old dog again.

Staffies are the best. It's fucking criminal what goes on with dogs, and it breaks my heart.
OP, I'm with you though. I don't really 'get it' either. I think the previous poster is right; it's not so that people can get, or avoid, certain breeds of dog. It's that the life of dogs in these other countries is so unbelievably shit, and people are totally desensitised.
I still don't understand the concept though, when rescue centres here are full. And people just don't know what they're getting when they get a dog from overseas.

As a vet.... These rescues are large contributers when it comes to bringing non endemic disease into the UK. Babesia, for example. We have so many strays here that need a good home. So I am not the biggest fan, I must say, though I understand intentions are good

Many rescues here won't rehome to people with kids, or who live in flats or have a job. The foreign rescues are a lot more accommodating.

Isn't this like asking why do people donate to charities doing work abroad when there are charities needing their money in the UK?

They are less strict with their checks i.e will let dogs go to full time workers. I think the U.K. ones are a blanket no for this.

We briefly fostered a dog from Romania, wasn’t given the full picture about the dog from the rescue (they were U.K. based but accepted the odd Romanian dog) and ended up in a situation that wasn’t good for dog or us.

Because OP they're far more more to be abused and killed. An animal in need is an animal in need, no matter where they are from.

Looking at charities like the Wild at Heart foundation, they do seem to have a lot more conventionally 'attractive' dogs and puppies and my understanding is that the checks are not as stringent, which could be a good and a bad thing.

However, I am glad that they exist because the stories of what some of these animals have been through are heartbreaking (wild at heart for example had a recent campaign to raise money for surgeries for dogs who have basically had parts of their faces shot off by target practicing young people in their home countries). I believe they also do neutering etc. to try and reduce the numbers of dogs born on the streets in these places, so obviously the adoption fees are going towards food charity work like that.

I see everyone’s point on importing dogs. However I have a Romanian Rescue. I chose her simply because she was the right size and responded to me when I took her for a test walk.

I have had her about 8 years now. It took her 18 months to fully settle. She is a great dog. Bags of personality. Watching her work a park of dog owners scrounging treats is watching a true artist.

She is a spitting image of a Shiba Inu.

*far more likely that should say

In many many cases..

Because they do few to no homechecks, you pay for the transport and delivery and a dog is fetched to your door, regardless of whether you are a suitable home, or whether the dog is suitable for your home.

Then when it turns out you aren't or the dog isn't, theres no rescue back up to come help as there is no rescue, just a bunch of bonkers women shipping dogs via blatant and gross misuse of the pet passport scheme, and theyve no where to put the dog you can't now keep, nor resources to help you fix its behavioural problems, so another UK based rescue that has resources has to step in and mop up the mess.

One of my foster girls was a Romanian street dog. The cage is where she lived for 3 years before coming to the Uk and the 2nd pic was once she settled in

@LennyPugGoat She's gorgeous! 💕

Isn't this like asking why do people donate to charities doing work abroad when there are charities needing their money in the UK?

It is absolutely nothing like it. The equivalent would be to donate money for shelters, neutering programs and education campaigns in the country of origin. Rehoming from abroad is not giving to a foreign rather than a domestic charity, it’s mainly a disaster, a well meaning disaster, but a disaster nonetheless.

There are many reasons why people go this route. Some want to go around UK rescue rehoming requirement, and learn, at their costs, why those requirements were in place in the first place. Some are moved by horrible conditions and sad stories, but are often overwhelmed by dogs with serious behavioral problems and end up encouraging people in the host country to abandon more dogs. Some are extremely naive and don’t stop to think about what is involved in retraining a street dog. Add to this that the dogs bring diseases and that many of the rescues are extremely irresponsible and you have a recipe for disaster.

I was homechecked btw. Met her first, then had to wait a week between meeting her, homecheck and delivery. Also had a weeks trial period. The backup is much better than the previous UK rescue that we used. We have a fb group for owners from that rescue. They also offer cost price subsidised vet service for any non-emergency vet care and will take the animal back if you cant keep it. They at the momemt are also offering to kennel NHS workers dogs for free if they need to quarantine, and all dogs arriving from mediterranean basin are tested for those specific diseases.
I see so many misconceptions when people talk about these rescues. Im sure there are bad ones out there, but its certainly not the norm

I wanted to help where there is most need, we sought out two particularly nervous and hard to rehome adult dogs, I didn’t want an overbred ‘breed’, and rescue centres in UK say no if you work full time (we both do but one is wfh at least 50% week). Our lovely Romanian girls are a delight, one required a lot of work for fear but neither never showed aggression. They are intelligent, sweet, independent, robust, have a more doggy-cunning bright character from generations of surviving on the street, and are genuinely grateful to be shown love and kindness. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The rescue they are from is great, well-run and they had full health rules complied with (we know as they were tested rigorously by german vets en route). I will help whatever animals I can, no matter what country they are from, no apologies!

We were also thoroughly home checked and advised. Do your due diligence but don’t dismiss overseas rescues.

If you have kids, live in a flat, or work FT, you get ruled out of UK rescues.

I used to work at dogs trust and often disagreed strongly with some of the no-nos for particular dogs. So many blanket rules for animals who are as individual as you or me.

I also suspect an element of xenophobia sometimes too. I mean, im closer to france than I am to scotland, but ones a foreign rescue and one isnt.
A dog is a dog, and a dog in need is a dog in need.

True, I think what I really mean it's so people can avoid certain breeds like staffies which local rescues are full of.

Good enough reason, surely? I wouldn't want a staffy. They're not my cup of tea.

A relative just rescued a dog from abroad. Every uk rescue she enquired about she was told no because the dog she eventually rescued would have occasional contact with children and a cat and none of their dogs were suitable. She didn't have a very long list of requirements. It needed to be good with cats and children, small size, not a puppy. Couldn't find one at any local rescue centres. So she went to a foreign rescue and found loads and loads of dogs that fit the bill. Virtual home check, ongoing support from the rescue and if she can't keep the dog they will find it a new home in the uk. It all seems to be working out so far.