Adopting a dog

[Ooooookay]

We have been thinking about getting a dog for a while. We think our children are now old enough (9 and 6), we lost one of our cats last year who would have hated a dog, our other cat spends most of her time outdoors and we don’t think would notice. We both work from
home part time and we can afford to look after a dog. We think that we could offer a dog a good home.

We had been thinking of getting a golden retriever but my heart strings have been tugged by dogs in Eastern Europe needing rescue. Does anyone have any experience of adopting a dog this way? I haven’t owned a dog since I was a child and am worried that I may not have the expertise to help settle such a dog into a family home. I would love to hear other people’s experiences.

Please go into this with your eyes wide open.

A high proportion of Eastern European "rescue" /street dogs have Livestock Guarding Dogs in their lineage. This means very strong protective instincts. They can be fine at first, but become increasingly territorial down the line and it can escalate to the point where the dog will not allow strangers into the home. Obviously with kids this can be restricting when you want them to have friends visit.
With children that young, personally I wouldn't risk it. My background is in Livestock Guarding dog breeds, but I still would not feel equipped to take on one of these Romanian "rescues". Particularly as I have cats.

However, I'm sure that other people will come on here and give you positive stories about how it has worked out fine for them. Ultimately it is your choice whether you want to take the risk.

Thank you, that’s really helpful. I think I probably needed someone to give me a good talking to. It’s just so heartbreaking seeing all those poor dogs who have been treated so badly.

I agree, it is, in the case of genuine rescues, but there is also some speculation that puppies are being bred to meet the demand, so basically being sold as a "rescue" but there is actually a puppy farmer cashing it. This means it is very difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff so to speak. It is heartbreaking for the ones in genuine need of help.
I speak as someone with a vet in the family and a friend who helps at a large dog rescue. So my views are probably somewhat coloured by that.

Good luck in finding the right dog for your family. I do think a UK based breed rescue may be a good option for you to consider.

With such small children, I would get a puppy (even a rescue puppy)

Wanting to help a rescue dog is a good thing, but for your first dog, and with young children probably not a good idea.
You have no idea what the dog has been through, or how it’s behaviour may be affected. Even “normal” ones will need gentle treatment to let them decompress mentally, this can take months. The last thing you want is a dog who turns out to be reactive to other dogs/children/strangers.
We have adopted a retired breeding bitch- she’s lovely, but didn’t know how to walk on a lead and (like a lot of bitches from her background) eats poo 🤮if unsupervised. Some are not house trained, some have never lived in a house. It is harder to teach an adult dog new behaviours.

For your first pup, go to a respected breeder who has done all the health checks for the breed. You should be able to see the litter with mum and also check out the dad. The breeder will ask you lots of questions, we were interviewed for 40 minutes last time before we were even introduced to the puppies! A GR pup costs over £1000.

You should find a good force-free dog training group and be prepared to go to the classes- it’s as much about training the humans as training the dog.

Good luck! Goldies are great

Don’t get a rescue from abroad. It doesn’t address the issue, which is intact dogs living on the street. We should be funding spay and release programmes.

I fostered two, which appear to have made good pets, but they needed intensive work and would not suit a novice I don’t think.

Get a lab or a retriever, perfect first time family dogs. Sponsor a dog abroad or vets abroad if you want to help them.

Thank you all for your kind and thoughtful comments.

Honestly as someone who has rescued from overseas with children I would say get a puppy.

Our first was brilliant with everyone and other dogs but developed such bad separation anxiety he wrecked the house including our oven and sofas.

Our second has trauma, it's taken probably 2 years for her to trust the children, we still have to manage visitors carefully and she's reactive with other dogs while on a lead. Many people wouldn't have given her the time she needed, she's nipped at feet many times when startled but she's now a lovely dog with us as we know how to manage her but I still don't trust her with visitors and certainly not with other people's children.

Do not get a dog from abroad or a dog that was a stray in this country. With children you need something that has been tried and tested in a home.

There are lots of dogs with full histories available in rehoming centres in the uk. If you have small children this is your best bet.

Adopting a dog from overseas, while very honourable, comes with risk. And it’s a risk I just wouldn’t take with young children and an existing cat. More than likely you won’t meet the dog until it’s at your home. You won’t know its history or behaviour traits. If it doesn’t work out it will be hugely difficult to rehome it. You could well be back on here a few months later asking for advice because your cat now refuses to come home or your child has been nipped.

There are plenty of places in this country bursting with dogs that need adopting. You’ll get to meet them, the kids can meet them, many of them will be ‘cat tested’. You might have the opportunity to visit/walk and see whether you fit together. Slower build up but a safer option.