Experiences of rehoming (giving up) a dog through a UK breeder or rescue centre

[SJone]

Hi, I am just wondering what people's experiences have been of surrendering their dogs to either a breeder or rescue centre. I understand that people can need to rehome dogs for all sorts of reasons, including reasons beyond their control. I'm not here to judge the reasons but I am interested whether or not this was managed ok by the breeder or rescue centre? Thankyou

Is it the breeder of the dog in question you’d be rehoming it to? If so then that is the way forward, most breeders want their pups to go back to them because they care about them and want to know where they are.

I’m sure dog owners will give you their opinions in later posts. I’ve had 6 litters over 30 years of owning dogs and have had 2 dogs returned - one because the new owners weren’t coping and the other I took back after an alarming phone call with the owners. In each case the new owners had signed a contract agreeing that the puppy would come back to me, not go into rescue or be sold on. The pup was therefore returning to a familiar environment. I took time to find a new home and, once a price was agreed and paid, I passed this on to the previous owner, minus a small sum for the dog’s food etc.

My objective was to rehome the puppy with minimum disruption. I believe that breeders have a responsibility to do this throughout the dog’s life.

I've had one puppy 'returned' in 20 years of breeding - that being said, he wasn't really a return as he never actually left (sale fell through the day before they were due to take him home).

On the other hand, my mum adopted her cocker from SA. They said they'd take her back in a heartbeat if there were any issues (dog had severe behavioural issues).

But there are rescue centres and there are rescue centres. I wouldn't surrender or adopt a puppy from one of the Big 5 if you paid me tbh - not with how poor their standards are with animal welfare and looking after dogs and matching them appropriately and being honest about behavioural issues - but I would to a breed specific one.

What I would add, which no one on mumsnet ever bloody listens to, is that a contract between a breeder and a buyer are not completely enforceable. If you have a dodgy breeder, you're looking at huge, long, expensive and time-consuming fight to return that puppy to them. Ditto, a breeder saying 'the pups have to come back to me,' - they don't. You're not gonna be hunting down pups in 8 years time making sure they didn't go into a rescue and you sure as hell aren't going to spend time, energy and money fighting it in court. It's all lip service.

Yes, I have a contract in place for pups I sell - but I fully accept that, at the end of the day, once the pups leave my care there is very little I can do and likewise if I ever turned around and refused to take a pup back (which I wouldn't) the buyer would have a hell of a time trying to get me to take the pup back if I refused.