To not understand why people adopt feral dogs from Eastern Europe?

[Elmore]

I don’t get it, there’s thousands of dogs in the U.K. that need homes, so why go to the effort (and expense) of importing these wild street dogs?

People are stupid about dogs in the UK. In other countries they're more clear minded. Look at the people running these so-called rescue operations. Most of the time they're just underemployed. But combine the kind of toot they peddle with the Facebook hun mentality and there you have why people import foreign street dogs of uncertain provenance.

My Romanian rescue is the love of my life and has kept me going during covid and miscarriages when I was close to giving up. There are millions like her in extreme suffering (nothing like what UK dogs go through - the state run pounds often don’t feed or treat the dogs and after a short stay they get put down with spades, beaten to death with metal poles, injections of petrol or being slammed against walls by their hind legs)… it’s a level of brutality most Brits cannot comprehend.

They are also objectively better than UK dogs - mongrels, more intelligent, not inbred, more robust (genetically) and characterful. Street dogs every time! She has never ever been aggressive, even at her most fearful.

I will rescue more!

Well I’m vegan and I have a Romanian rescue and I wouldn’t brought it up if you hadn’t posted such an ignorant and provocative OP.

There's a war in Ukraine; perhaps you could be.a little bit more compassionate??🚜🇺🇦🐶🌻

Also if you can't tell a troll from a real reply (if you can find one) the issue is U.

I'm amazed it is legal, tbh. I think importation of live animals is something to be discouraged in general because it drives a trade and risks importing diseases or problem animals.

I haven't tried to adopt a dog but support dog rescues and everytime I've checked the criteria, I wouldn't have been able to adopt any. I have a dog and kids. However, I would make a great owner as my kids are great with dogs, I wfh and love close to woods. My dog is my constant companion and when my boyfriend is over, his dog and my dog get on well.

Absolutely. What a shitty thread to start. Hope you and your beautiful overseas rescue are very happy together ❤️

I just want to say a huge thank you to those who have gone to the effort and hard work of adopting a dog from overseas ❤️ Their suffering is unimaginable. I hope this shitty thread doesn’t put off others from doing something so wonderful as helping a dog in desperate need.

All the overseas rescues I have met and known have been wonderful and so, so grateful to finally know love and compassion 🥲

All the overseas rescues I have met and known have been wonderful Plenty of dogs both bred here and imported have issues and we are seeing increasing problems with dogs in this country - we need to be a bit less fairytale about dogs.

If you genuinely feel that the dogs would be happier on the streets, then you have no clue about what life is like for stray dogs in Eastern Europe. You really need to do some research into it and then you might manage to not ask such a stupid question.

I totally understand the reasons people rescue from overseas. Difficulty getting a UK rescue and seeing the sad plight of street dogs etc. That said I do think it would be great if more could be done to improve the welfare of the dogs without importing them. If the money spent on transport, import paperwork etc were redirected into neutering, welfare schemes and education I suspect many more dogs could be helped.

As has been commented above though my main concern is of the diseases we are importing. Regulations and vaccination offer protection from a small number including rabies, but detecting diseases like brucella canis, leishmania, heartworm rely on additional, non mandatory testing. Some are zoonotic so pose a risk to people as well as other dogs and whilst vectors for some diseases have not previously been present in the UK this may not remain the case. The potential for huge animal suffering in this country from imported disease worries me enormously.

You don’t do yourself any favours with this comment and it gives us more insight in to your lack of tolerance for anything/anyone that may not fit your way of life, any ‘foreign’ perspectives

I adopted an older dog in 2009, having found her via The Oldies Club which aggregates info from shelters and rehoming organisations across the UK:
www.oldies.org.uk/

I adopted another older dog in 2019, having found her via DogsBlog, which also aggregates info from shelters and rehoming organisations across the UK:
www.dogsblog.com/

Both sites allow you to filter information according to numerous specifications like "Good with kids" (Oldies), "Not Cat Tested" (DogsBlog) - there are loads of these sorts of criteria on both sites.

This might get over some of the problems reported by PP, of organisations deciding whether or not you are suitable as adopters: you choose the criteria that match what you have to offer and then you only get to see a list of dogs that are a good match.

I also looked at other sites that advertised dogs for rehoming but I found those ones the most useful starting points because of the ability to filter by specific criteria.

My main reason for posting though is that I noticed a huge change in the dogs available across the UK between 2009 and 2019.

In 2009 it was very rare to see mention of a dog who had been born abroad.

In 2019 there were masses of dogs for rehoming had been imported or were still abroad and were looking for people to fund their care abroad, importation and rehoming in the UK.

Those that had already been imported were a mix of "new imports" and dogs that had been handed in to shelters, or abandoned, by the people who had originally adopted them from abroad.

This is an interesting article:

Rescuing dogs from abroad – does it make sense?

It concludes:

"SO, does it make sense to import rescue dogs from foreign fields or streets? Probably not.

Do these dogs impede domestic unwanted from finding new homes? Probably not.

Are the oft stated risks and problems caused by these dogs over-emphasized? Probably yes.

It is undoubtedly a messy situation which causes considerable angst amongst various animal charities and the veterinary profession, but I’m sure you will get no argument from those individuals who have been saved from the wretched conditions they have been kept in certain countries and given the chance of a life worth living."

animalrightsandwrongs.uk/2018/09/rescuing-dogs-from-abroad/

If people are uncertain about adopting an imported dog (rather than being for or against) perhaps they could consider dogs who were imported but have since been returned to a rehoming organisation?

The good news is that Oldies Club has abandoned its "Overlooked Oldies" list because it is not needed at the moment:
www.oldies.org.uk/2020/we-arent-using-the-overlooked-page-at-the-moment

There are plenty of other dogs listed there though, including dogs who have been imported:
www.oldies.org.uk/category/adopt-an-oldie

There are also plenty of older dogs on DogsBlog, including dogs who have been imported:
www.dogsblog.com/category/age/6-years/

Another person here who would never have got approval from a UK rehoming charity (live in a flat) and who didn't want to support a puppy farm. We have given a wonderful dog a chance to live. Not any hint of aggression and after a settling in period she is gaining her confidence and is a true member of our family.

It's all about the charity you adopt from, ours was excellent- very little risk of importing diseases etc as vet care and risk management were excellent.

What the fuck? Have you adopted a child?

There are a few foreign born rescue dogs around here. Some were rather feral at first. Thankfully all owners have been responsible with them, successfully training their dogs. As a result the dogs are less reactive and more sociable with other dogs.

You're clearly very ignorant, OP. Please take the time to try and process the information from better informed posters on this thread.

I adopted a Romanian dog who'd been rescued from the street and lived in a shelter ran by one man doing his best. The shelter was being closed by the local council so another more organised shelter with links to the uk took as many dogs as they could. My girl was cat friendly which was my biggest requirement. Whilst I'd love a greyhound from the dogs trust, that can't happen with a cat. I knew my girl had terminal cancer when I got her, she had many quirks but aggression wasn't one of them. She lived like a queen for 10 months and I don't regret a moment

The dogs might be fed and sheltered in RSPCA kennels but if they can't be rehomed, one of two things happen. Either some of them will be PTS so that other dogs can be taken in; or dogs that desperately need to be brought in, can't be because there's no space, which again leads owners to abandoning them, having them euthanized or given away to useless owners.

UK charities are experienced and know where problems lie in rehoming. That's why they are careful where they rehome. Overseas charities just need to get them off their premises so they can take more in to sell or rehome. They don't do proper checking of whether the dogs are safe, or whether the prospective owner is a good match.

In just the last 6 weeks I've heard of two dogs from Greece. One is my chiropodist's that she's had to give back because it wasn't suitable with her 18mth daughter! And the other is from a dog walker who has had to refuse to walk the dog as the longer it's settled in, the more aggressive it's become.

Meanwhile thousands of healthy, nice - natured dogs in rescue centres and stray kennels are put to sleep every year. And why? Because it's now a status symbol to say you got your dog from abroad.

Owners often bring up the fact their dog is a foreign rescue because people will ask, what breed is he/she, or ask for paw in exchange for a treat, or wonder why the dog has no recall or awareness of their name. In younger dogs the latter 2 can be taught. So my explanation was (no I'm not a negligent owner who hasn't trained my dog), she's from a foreign rescue, Lord only knows what mix of breeds she is.

I have a beautiful Romanian rescue, would love to get another. There are many of them where I live in London, all lovely dogs. He's good with children and cats, and the rescue I got him from test for that. The English based rescue we adopted from broke down all of the costs in getting him over here with the right documentation, microchip, neutering, vaccines etc. The fee they charge only just covers that. I topped it up to what I would have paid for a puppy. The dogs live in appalling conditions, look at some videos on YouTube if you can bear it.

He was very afraid when we got him, we put in a lot of work, I absolutely love him.

They’re more likely to be street dogs than feral dogs but I agree that even with those rescues who assess via fostering before putting out for adoption, they can be very much an unknown quantity. I wouldn’t have one, I wouldn’t recommend anyone with DC to even consider having one.

It’s very hard to adopt I’m the UK and no, there isn’t loads and loads of dogs in the UK to adopt! The UK has a great love for domestic animals in ways that other cultures don’t - there’s nothing wrong with adopting from wherever. It’s one more that is given a good life and care. The problem in the UK is dog breeders and demand for fashionable dogs like frenchies these last few years. I am assuming you don’t have a dog OP! xo

No, there isn’t loads and loads of dogs in the UK to adopt!

Yes, there are loads of dogs to adopt in the UK!

Meanwhile thousands of healthy, nice - natured dogs in rescue centres and stray kennels are put to sleep every year. And why? Because it's now a status symbol to say you got your dog from abroad.

Because, as many people have said, kennels will rather put a dog to sleep than re-home to a perfectly lovely family who, shock horror, might work or live on a main road.