To think that "rescuing" an imported dog is a bad idea?

[pepsicolagirl]

So last lockdown (ahem, and the one before) we had the company of our dog to motivate us to get moving everyday. She was an old girl who sadly had to be put to sleep in September due to old age and early stage heart failure.

Since then I have been looking for a new dog to join our family. I feel very strongly that I'm just a better version of myself when I have a dog around and we can offer a nice family home with years of dog ownership experience and a nice big secure garden. I work from home (did so pre lockdown) so no issue there

But OMG the prices of dogs at the moment!!!
Now, I understand that cheap dogs are not a good idea because of people buying them on a whim but even though I KNOW I can afford the day to day costs of feeding and properly caring for a pup I can in no way justify upwards of 1500 to buy one and I am absolutely gutted about it.

I have been looking at rescues too, it would be nice to have a young puppy but I am absolutely aware of the amount of work involved and I would be happy to open our home to a rescue but there are none out there suitable for a home with 6yrs+ children so that's not an option.

The other thing I'm seeing all over the place are dogs/puppies which have been rescued in places like Romania and then sold in the UK.
Now, the prices are lower and many accept kids 6+ but why does it feel like such a bad idea to me!?
If you've got one of these dogs I would love to hear from you as to why I'm wrong in feeling like this about them?

It's my understanding that a lot of people are adopting rescue dogs from abroad as the animal rescues here make you jump through hoops to adopt and will turn you down for all manner of reasons.

I was looking to adopt a German shepherd, I'm extremely familiar with the breed and have grown up with them, and have owned two in the past. I have a house with a huge garden but they said my fence wasn't high enough despite me saying I could extend the height and I have a cat. All my previous dogs have lived happily with our cats and the dog I was looking to adopt had no history of being difficult around cats.

That German shepherd is still at the rescue nearly a year later - I see him on their website/Facebook.

I have two aunties who have both adopted dogs from Romania, both dogs have minor 'issues' but not specifically because they are from Romania they are issues that I have seen U.K. rescue dogs too.
What is your exact reasons for thinking it's a bad idea?

Lots of people are indeed finding that they don't meet rescue requirements and so go for these imported dogs where the rescue in question has lower/no requirements...

They are then finding these dogs are serious behavioural challenges, no training at all, often absolutely terrified, are escape artists (and many are gone from their new home in days and will end up flat on a road or under a train more likely than they will be caught) and the rescue who has no requirements from the new owner... also turns out to have no moral or legal responsibility to help that new owner...

Don't do it.

If you want a puppy, go via the kennel club and breed clubs and you will find puppies at the same sort of prices they always were, it IS only the puppies from dodgy greeders who are massively overpriced, so stop looking at the free ads and online classifieds, you won't find reputable, decent breeders there.

Once you are in touch with breed clubs if you do want to rescue you can find a breeds rescue co-ordinator and go that route, they tend to rehome on a case by case basis and often direct from the previous home to the new so the dog is much more of a known quantity and you still have the breeder AND the breed clubs back up, should you need it.

I've got a Romanian rescue and thoroughly regretted it in the first week but we are now on week 3 and I can see light through the trees. He still tries desperately to hide food / chews as he's used to going without but he's slowly relaxing and doesn't now howl if his food bowl is empty. I had huge support from the rescue and rescuers which has helped a lot and all new owners are put into a messenger group so someone always on hand for advice / questions.

You are less likely to know anything about the history of the dog and how it would cope with children/ other pets etc. Do the overseas rescues assess the dogs individually?

Equally the dogs may be more at risk of poor placements if those rescues aren’t as fussy about where they go.

The only dog I know who was a Romanian rescue is an absolute darling. A bit mad but very sweet and domesticated. But it must be even more of a lottery than rescues - or dog ownership generally - can sometimes be.

I have a Romanian rescue (8 months in) - she is lovely, but she will never, ever be able to be walked off lead. Her prey drive is overwhelming, and freedom to roam is ingrained in her DNA. She even managed to escape from a harness and run off whilst I was handing her over to the dog groomer. I am embarrassed to say that she has managed to run off on four occasions (I have never lost a dog before), on each occasion happily we have been able to recover her. She hasn't got out recently as we are fully prepared and know her little tricks now, and we have a GPS tracker on her collar.

She has a lovely nature and gets on very well with my other two dogs and with people. Her other issue is a tendency to bark super aggressively at dogs when they walk past her - she wouldn't actually hurt them (in fact, if they approach because the owner can't recall them she stops barking and plays with them), and she is under control on her lead, but the look of fear from other dog owners!

Although I don't regret getting her (she's a personality and makes us laugh, plus super affectionate) in future I will stick to puppies since they are blank sheets of paper with no ingrained habits and easier to train, or a British rescue dog with no challenging behaviours - perhaps an old dog or bitch who have lost their owner

My DD was bitten in the face by a friend's Romanian rescue dog. The dog went on to bite another child and other dogs before it was put down on the advice of an animal behaviorist. It was allegedly bomb proof with children and my friend was an experienced dog owner. I personally wouldn't go down that route as you have no way of really knowing the dog's history.

We looked at this too a company called wags and roses I think? Imports from Eastern Europe. Most are happy to rehome with children which U.K. based rescues weren't. There are lots doing it at the moment but what I would say is with all restrictions in place most were cancelling travel within a week of the rehoming date.

One thing to be aware of when adopting a dog from abroad is Mediterranean diseases such as Leishmaniasis. The dog may test negative but then a year or so later develop the disease because it can be dormant for a long time. If caught early and treated these diseases are manageable but owners should be clued up on the signs and symptoms and the dog may require regular blood tests to check levels for the rest of its life, along with the cost of any treatment. With a negative test you might get insurance but this is not guaranteed.

Having said this, we have a dog that we adopted from a rescue in the UK but originally came from Spain. He is absolutely brilliant, has a fantastic temperament, great with kids and was house trained almost immediately we got him. So it can work out!

We got a Cypriot rescue. One of the best decisions of my life. There are some very good rescue charities out there with great reputations. Rescue and Rehome. S.O.S Orkolini are both on Facebook and I have positive experience of both.

Someone I have on Facebook adopted a dog from Greece, and has had to give her back, and she's now been put to sleep.

She did her absolute best for this dog, but everything scared her, she wasn't getting any better, was barely eating her food, and life was a misery. If there was more than one person in the room she would cower in a corner and refuse to move.

Nobody knows for sure what she went through in Greece, but the kindest thing to do was probably PTS.

I've got a rescue dog from Bulgaria. I wasn't the one to import her, I knew the lady who was fostering her.

My dog is extremely friendly to dogs and humans. Very intelligent, playful. She has good recall and is fine off the lead. My only problem with her is her is the chewing!

She was rescued at a very young age though so didn't spend too long on the streets. I got her at 4 months old. I can imagine an older dog who is used to living on the streets would be hard to train for an indoors life.

A family member rescued (literally - asked the owner, who had him on a chain outside the house for months on end, if they could take him) a dog from Greece. He's the nicest dog I've ever met and apart from being scared of men with beards, he's a wee angel.

However, we don't know his history, what breeds he is (he looks like part beagle but the rest is anyone's guess), any potential illnesses that could crop up, etc. So there are downsides.

My friend adopted a dog from Romania. Both her son's have Autism do rescues here wouldn't touch her.......he's a brilliant dog. A proper Heinz 57 which are always the best dogs and an amazing friend for her boys.

I grew up in South Africa and volunteered at the SPCA and even among the street dogs the vast majority of them are lively and don’t have major issues. Issues that they do have such as fear or not being toilet trained are easy to overcome.

A friend of mine with young kids recently adopted a street dog from Hungary after her dog died and the new dog is wonderful. Her only issue is that she sometimes eats random stuff she finds in the woods but that is quite common with street dogs.

Why are you worried?

We got a romanian rescue dog 18 months ago through safe rescue who bring them over and put them with foster families first. She is absolutely wonderful but does like chasing and catching rabbits given half a chance so we only walk her off lead in enclosed spaces and along the beach. We love her.

You've missed the boat, I fear. The group I'm (vaguely) involved with - who rehomed dogs from Portugal to the UK - have stopped (temporarily, I hope) due to new regulations. Thanks Brexit.

Thankfully the rest of Europe are still offering loving homes.

Pure breeds from Eastern Europe are sometimes dogs stolen from their owners, not rescued, and that is exactly why they are so domesticated and good with children.

Source: from Eastern Europe myself, and have volunteered in a couple of shelters while living there.

You've said you think its a bad idea but you havent said WHY you think its a bad idea?

They aren't rescued 'in order to be sold here' they are rescued from horrific and cruel excuses for 'shelters' where they would get killed if not collected after a certain time. They are brought back to health in the hope of giving them a chance at a loving home. The price covers the cost of medical care, vaccinations and transport.

Goes without saying, we have a Romanian rescue and it's the best thing we've ever done. There's no other dog like him and he has such a funny personality. I hate to think what conditions were like for him when he was in Romania. you can google what it's like there for stray dogs....

@Bicnod

My DD was bitten in the face by a friend's Romanian rescue dog. The dog went on to bite another child and other dogs before it was put down on the advice of an animal behaviorist. It was allegedly bomb proof with children and my friend was an experienced dog owner. I personally wouldn't go down that route as you have no way of really knowing the dog's history.

My sister’s youngest ds was bitten in the face by their Labrador that they had since eight weeks from a KC registered breeder.

I hate these threads and it’s usually full of people who have no clue about rescue or have no intention of ever doing it themselves.
I have also not seen any Romanian dogs being ‘sold’.

There is an adoption fee which is how it should be and covers all vaccinations, spaying and transportation.

Perhaps op could put the same effort in to put living the plight of tiny puppies brought over in the back of cars and presented as family bred dogs on gum tree?

Or is it the foreign angle that’s the problem?
KC registration is no guarantee of a well bred dog either.

There will be lots of cockerpoos, cavapoos, springadors, jackawawa types in rescue soon once the lockdown idiots get rid.

Sorry if I don’t reply to any more comments as hiding this thread, so sick of the rescue dog bashing on here.

OP, I can totally understand why you might be having niggles, as this is something completely new for you!
The whole thing is a bit of a lottery really. My sister took on a dog from Romania, but it was a disaster. She got very little guidance from the charity, and it turned out that hers wasn't great with children at all.
It's heartbreaking for these animals really.

DS has had a Romanian rescue for two years. When he arrived he was passive, used to want to walk close to walls rather than in the middle of a pavement. He was terrified of groups of young men in tracksuit bottoms.

It has been wonderful watching him settle in, come out of his shell and blossom. He is a different dog. He is a delight. A friendly waggy tailed joy.

My friend adopted a puppy from Romania before Christmas via a charity. She's an experienced dog owner. Pup is an absolute delight. Lovely temperament. What's the problem?

Its a bad idea. There are some places that have different infectious diseases that dogs carry to the uk and they can become introduced here.
There are also many dogs in kennels here that need a home, I'd be patient and wait til you find the right one. Once people stop working from home theres gonna be overflowing dogs homes