AIBU to get a rescue dog

[NotJustACigar]

DH and I have discussed it and decided that in a few months time we will be getting a dog. Ideally we would like a lab but would be open to a mixed breed or a different breed. We want a dog that's youngish but not a puppy, ideally 2-3 years old. We would prefer it to be housetrained already and know basic commands and not have too much separation anxiety. The dog will be left alone occasionally, say twice or three times a week up to four hours each time.

Now I'm just wondering what's the best way to get a dog. Options seem to be:

1. Buy from a breeder or advert online. Pros: lots of choice, get to select the exact breed we would want. Cons: doesn't seem right when there are dogs at rescues needing homes, expensive

1. Adopt from RSPCA or similar. Pros: Rescue a dog, get to know the dog a bit before committing. Cons: Many of the dogs seem to have issues, few can live with cats, little choice/availability.

1. Adopt from an overseas organisation that rescues dogs from Romania, etc. Pros: Rescue a seriously in need dog, lots of availability sadly. Cons: a dog who has lived on the streets might be very difficult to train, unknown whether these dogs could live with cats, make a decision based on a photo/video rather than meeting the dog.

We have had two dogs before, both rescue greyhounds. Both died quite young of cancer sadly and we don't want to go down the same route again. The first dog was brilliant, very easy going and great with cats. The second was very sweet but extremely difficult to train, soiled the arpet a lot, had terrible separation anxiety and was generally a bundle of nerves. We loved her but we are not up for having a dog with those sorts of issues again.

So given the above AIBU to get a rescue dog (options 2 or 3) and if so what is the best way to go about it? We can offer a loving home without small children and with a big walled garden, tons of nice walks and someone home the vast majority of the time.

Firstly I am glad you are thinking about this carefully .

I have had three rescue dogs . The first one a lurcher was amazing such a lovely dog . I miss him a lot .

The second and third were rescues from Spain because I work and even though I have a dog walker I could not really find a british rescue that would let me have a dog .

My second dog was 5 months when I got her , she is absolutely lovely never had a problem with her .

My last rescue was 9 months old and is also lovely but he is mainly a breEd that is a live wire . He has endless energy and had never been walked in a lead . He does not have a bad bone in his body but he is strong , energetic and despite lots of training still pulls like a train . Great in the house though .

I would think about what type of dog you want ( even if a mixed breed )
If possible find a rescue that fosters dogs so it has been in a home and you get a full report and you can do a trial .

I don’t regret any of mine but research is key .

There are few cyprus rescues and definitely spanish ones that have foster homes here before rehoming

If you have had a greyhound you are used to a lazy dog I guess😀

Google Labrador Rescue, they are very good at fitting a dog with the right home.

If you want a lab, or any other breed, try contacting the breed specific rescue. There are a few Labrador Rescue charities and they oversee a lot of rehoming. They tend to operate within a geographic area, but just google them.

Based on the fact you are expecting to be able to get a dog that's already trained and not have separation anxiety (I'm not sure this can ever be guaranteed, and I think you should be willing to put in at least some work to help your dog) your best bet would be to register with UK based rescues who can match you to the right dog. Might not be what you think you want breed wise but they know what they are doing.

That said, we have a Romanian rescue and he is the absolute best funniest most unique little thing, and SO rewarding to give him this life compared to the 'shelter'. There are loads of older puppies too so if you are willing to do toilet training then they can adapt to your lifestyle, learn to be left alone etc.

Some foreign rescue Shelters do send dogs over here so you are able to meet them first. We adopted a romanian dog last year from safe rescue And she had been in the uk for around 6 weeks with a foster carer so she had some idea of what the dog was like. Never regretted it - she is adorable. But you do have to be extra careful for a good few weeks and keep a lead on them at all times - street dogs will run very fast if spooked and can jump gates and Fences at amazing speed!

I'd look at breed specific rescues, local rescues and some of the less well known rescue centres. I have had three rescue dogs, a collie aged 9 weeks, a sprocker aged 9 months and a 10 week old English Springer X Kerry Blue terrier, they all came from foster homes so we had an idea of what to expect regarding toilet training etc.

P.s. agree with the above posters, there are plenty of foreign rescues in UK Forster homes so used to things like children and cats. We were actually fostering ours but couldn't let him go!

As above, look for a specific lab rescue. They'll be fussy, but all to make sure that you're a good fit for each other.

Alternatively look for a rescue that brings them over from Ireland, they are often good rescues.

If you adopt from somewhere like Romania, you won't be getting a lab :) but rommies are wonderful, a bit of hard work, but worth it. I'd recommend making sure that the dog has been assessed though - hopefully you can find a reputable one

I would say that quite there are rescues that come in with no major issues (no dog is perfect so might still bark at a person in a hat, be freaked out by the hoover or such) as they have come from loving homes who can’t have them any more due to health or financial reasons.

And with being toilet trained already, they could still take a bit of adjusting to a new environment, especially after a stint in kennels when loo time can be more limited.

You’ve had rescues before. You’ll be great. I would just register with all the places I was drawn to as some of the dogs that don’t have issues may not be advertised and go to people who they already have on their books.

Another one saying go for a Labrador rescue charity. I also wanted an adult Lab, already housetrained. We got our lovely girl five years ago from a Labrador Rescue and she’s wonderful. She had a few issues, largely nervousness around other dogs, but with love and reassurance she relaxed hugely and is now a very chilled out dog.

My aunt has had 3 rescue dogs which she’s adopted from UK organisations that bring dogs over from Serbia, Romania and Cyprus. She has also fostered dogs from them.
She had one which had a very serious brain abnormality caused from severe abuse by horrible cretins whilst living in the street, we think he may have been ran over too. He died not too long ago, and though he didn’t like to be around anybody but my aunt, it was very sad as he died of an aggressive cancer and he’d become part of their family.
The two she has at the moment are absolutely lovely dogs, one was very obviously once a pet before being abandoned, the other was most likely always a stray and born on the streets.
They are both scared, to different extents, of men, and we assume it’s because they were abused mainly by them.
They have good ‘manners’ which again we think is mainly born out of necessity, as if they were aggressive they may not have been fed by kind strangers and holidaymakers. However she has been lucky with these two, she has fostered many frightened, aggressive and ‘difficult’ dogs, and it has taken A LOT of patience and time spent with them to get the level of trust she has.
They also go to a daycare setting ran by the charity she adopted them from during the day when she is at work, as they’re can’t be left (and in my own view no dog should be either) for a long period of time. The smaller of the two dogs will always be a flight risk so they’ve had to box the garden in completely.

My point after all of that, is to say if you can offer them lots of time, patience, love and likely money for medical treatments (she’s spent over £6,000 so far on the three rescues she’s had and most problems didn’t present immediately though weren’t covered by insurance such as severe gum issues) then absolutely look at adopting from abroad whether that’s through a UK charity or one abroad.

Our family have had 3 labs from breed specific rescues. They have all been wonderful dogs. If you want a popular breed like a lab, there may be a long wait, so do be prepared for that.

My daughter also got the most amazing rescue from a breed specific rescue group in the uk .

(Not likely to be a lab though!)

We had an RSPCA rescue dog, he was trained to toilet outside, knew basic commands and didn’t pull on his lead! He was 11 months when we adopted him. I would recommend RSPCA dogs to anybody. He was the best £100 donation ever!

I’m totally against breeders why would anybody pay for a dog when there are lots who desperately need homes. It’s a no brainier to me.

Thanks very much for all the responses - in finding them very reassuring. I think that a rescue dog will be the way forward, probably via a lab-specific rescue or one with dogs in foster from abroad. I appreciate all the stories a lot.

'Labradors in Need' is another one to look at