Rescue dog from Romania. Anyone else did this. Any tips.

[Worryabouteverything]

We are thinking of getting a rescue dog from Romania.
We have tried in this country to be told our fences too low and bungalow is not suitable to adopt.
Fences are 6ft so can't be made higher. Whether the charities are very fussy or what.
We lost our last rescue in January. We think he was about 16 and he had no problems.
It's a rescue we want not a puppy.
We are both retired. Both in very good health. We even have a back up if taken Ill etc our ds is willing to step up.

Anyone else did this. Have you any tips.

Most of them have undisclosed behavioural issues and no onward care is offered so your totally alone in managing the (awful) issues they have.

The rest are either stolen (as happened to my colleague who's dog was stolen out of her garden and later found on one of these websites), bred for the sole purpose of being transported to the UK, riddled with all manner of infection or diseases, or completely unsuitable as family pets given their generic make-up.

Half these rescues, including one suggested above, rescue, are a joke. Look at the background they give on the dogs - literally 3-4 bullet points. No actual information at all. No thorough rescue, that takes animal welfare and human safety seriously would ever provide such a small amount of information. When my breed specific one does it we have pages, and I mean pages, of information. Like Spaniel Aid does. Not four sodding sentences.

And importing an animal when there are thousands here that need homes, says a lot about the potential owner. It's about 'feeling about doing the right thing' rather than doing the right thing.

Sorry but if you are fit and active, presumably home all day if you're retired and have 6ft fences then there is another reason why you are being turned away. There are very few reasons rescues would turn down people such as you have described yourself, so there must be a glaring red flag somewhere.

Nooooooooooh rescue my arse - they are breeding them for the gullible!

Two friends have (had) Romanian rescues. One is a lovely gentle member of the family, the other very sadly had to be PTS in the end as no amount of professional training or love or time was enough to get him to a point of being controllable and predictable (as predictable as a dog ever can be).

I don't know about Romanian dogs. I've known one person to have one from Romania and he was a great dog.
My dogs are Spanish rescues. They are amazing dogs.
I like the place I got mine from as my previous dog was from there too and I feel that they are pretty accurate with their assessments of the dogs each time and they have lifetime back up and also have access to a subsidised vet.

My advice is to get one that has been in a home as a pet. I wouldn't want to take on a dog that had been living feral/stray. It wouldn't be fair on you or them.

If your home isn't suitable for a rescue dog, then it's not suitable for a Romanian rescue either.

My friend adopted a dog from Romania. It was a big mistake. It's taken years to stabilise it to any degree, and there were many times when my friend was at her wits end. She spent a fortune on expert advice and training, but the dog is still more reactive and anxious than anyone would want of a pet.

@Worryabouteverything
Do you really want a dog to travel 1000's of miles across Europe?
Do you want that dog to spend days in the back of a van, with minimal acess to the outside world, toilet breaks and exercise?
Are you prepared for the dog to be put down because of infections diseases?
Do you want a dog that is potentially a lifetime project in terms of behaviour and health?
If the answer to all these questions is yes, go ahead and get that feel good factor of owning an imported rescue dog.
If not, check out breed rescues, approach breeders who might have a dog returned to them, ....

I have adopted two Romanian rescues through a good charity. The second was on a ‘foster to adopt’ basis as I needed to be sure that the second would be accepted by the first. They are great dogs, it’s all been very positive. More work on our part in terms of settling them in, more separation anxiety than many other dogs and they do not like strangers. But no aggression, they are both incredibly loving family pets, in good health, arrived with pet passports recording all their vaccines. No regrets. Perhaps vet your charity carefully, ask to speak to other adopters about their experience? I joined the charity’s Facebook page which was really helpful. They vetted me and wanted to know a lot about how I would support a rescue. Rescue charities in my area would not give me a dog because I lived in a flat, the charity talked through the practicalities of this with me and were satisfied that it would work.

Please don’t

You can tell people who have these - their arms are being pulled out of their sockets and the dog wears a muzzle.

Don’t do it. Sadly I have only heard bad things about rescue dogs from overseas and the people I know have really struggled and of course non of the rescues / charities in the UK want to know if there are problems. The reasons you have been given by the UK rescue don’t ring true as no one is allowed fences over 6feet in an urban setting. I would suggest going back to them and challenge their reasoning.

Sounds like you bought dogs from a Romanian dog farm rather than a rescue. I wonder what would have happened to the ‘fostered’ dog if you didn’t want it, making that trip twice would have been awful.

“Romanian rescue”
Or as I like to call them, foreign puppy farmers
Seriously people, this is a business. And animal abuse.

Council dog pounds where I am give the dogs to anyone who pays the release fee, did every rescue you contacted refuse to give you a dog?

As others have said, these "rescues" breed puppies to keep up with demand. We shouldn't want to perpetuate puppies being born in miserable conditions to get shipped around the world.

What a load of scaremongering BS.

i rescued a Romanian dog from REAN, a very reputable registered charity who offer ongoing support throughout the dog’s life.

My dog has had more tests for more diseases than most UK bred dogs! This BC crap needs to stop - BC has been in the UK for decades and the chances of humans catching it is minimal. My dog was tested in Romania and tested here, as were all other imported dogs I know. She has a certificate and passport to show she is clear of various diseases, that’s more than most UK dogs have.

As for this very right wing sentiment of ‘why get a dog from abroad when UK dogs need help’ is sickening. ALL dogs deserve love and a good home regardless of where they are born. Foreign dogs often suffer far worse conditions than any UK rescue and with fewer resources to help them. My dog sitter’s dog was rescued from a Romanian brothel, that says it all. That’s why I adopted from Romania, not because it’s easier!

Some foreign rescues are dodgy, but then so are some UK rescues. Due diligence and common sense is all that is needed.

@Worryabouteverythingmy advice to you is do your research on Romanian dogs (if that’s what you want). They are different to UK dogs. Many have guardian breeds in them, as many dogs in those areas are bred to be livestock guardians. Do you want a guardian breed? I would absolutely adopt from abroad again but it can be a culture shock if you have never met one of these dogs before. If you want to PM me then please do.

Bullshit. What on earth has made you think this poster went to a ‘dog farm’ rather than a reputable charity??!

Puppy farms exist in the UK under the guise of being KC registered breeders. I’d bet there are people on this thread whose beautiful puppy with all its paperwork has been unethically bred.

Wow. A dog brothel!? Jeepers.

I bet keep a look out at the sky, pigs will be flying next.

This has clearly touched a nerve for you but it’s a fact that anywhere a market opens up, profiteering will follow. While there will be some proper rescues genuinely trying to help dogs, as the demand has increased it’s a fact that more and more ‘pretend’ rescues which are actually businesses exploiting animals for their own gain spring up
That’s just as true here as abroad of course. But that doesn’t alter the fact that many many overseas ‘rescues’ are nothing of the sort

I find that hard to believe. Council dog pounds are lawfully required to try and find the original owner either through the microchip or dog tag. If the owner turns up to reclaim the dog they have to pay a kennelling fee and any vets bills incurred whilst in local authority care. If the owner hasn't turned up after 7 days, the dog is handed over to a rescue centre or the RSPCA. It might be different if you aren't in the UK though.

Don’t do it. Neighbour in my street got one. Bit several people even when on its lead. Put to sleep after police involvement.

I've got one. Good as gold, no behavioural problems at all, and not seen a vet in over 6 years apart from routine innoculations.

They asked for a £250 donation which included the £80 for the passport, and spaying, vaccinations and transport. I can't believe any puppy farm is making a profit at those prices.

A good friend (the only other person I know with a Romanian dog) has had a similar positive experience.

It is well worth reading (or listening to the audio book of) Sophie from Romania by Rory Cellan-Jones. A world of experience in there.

Just don't. There are plenty of homeless dogs in the UK without bringing any more dogs in. I agree importing dogs from abroad should be banned. Its a money making scam.

Neighbour of ours brought one back from Morocco. He found it wandering the streets there. It cost £10000 to bring him back and that was in 2010. He was the most gorgeous dog and looked after extremely well.