I'd like to rehome an older dog but with Dc aged 5,4,&2 will any centre consider us?

[CrunchyNutCornflake]

We are in Hertfordshire. Not had dogs since having children and Dh a novice but enthusiastic (for a small/medium dog).

I don't want a puppy, I want an older dog, assessed as suitable to live with smallish children, who needs a new family to love it, and I'd be happy to be asessed and them wait some time for a suitable dog to become available. We have a largish home with a moderate garden and want to welcome a new memeber of the family with all the committment involved financially and socially.

But my concern is because of the age of my children noone would rehome a dog with us. Is this a realistic fear? I don't neccesarily want a puppy from my own point of view but mainly I'd like to give a home to a pre-loved dog and one who had been pre-assessed as relaxed, child-friendly, happy etc.

Is this at all likely or am I living in cloud-cuckoo land? It just strikes me as so odd that anyone can buy themselves a puppy.

Yes there are loads of rescues who will consider you.

There are alot that wont due to the kids but there are loads that will.

Esp as you want an older dog.

Pop on our site www.forum.animallifelineuk.org - we work with LOADS of rescues who use fosterers so will KNOW whether the dog is good with kids.

I got a rescue dog of only 6 months old when I was quite heavily pregnant with my 2nd child and DD was only just about to turn 2 so it can be done!

What the knowledgable Lucky said. Each smaller, independent rescue has it's own policy and some are more flexible than others.

You might like to try Heathlands in Royston, who are selective wrt young children in adoptive families but not altogether against the idea, Many Tears, which rehomes across the country and, if you are seeking an older dog (generally about 7 or above) the Oldies website.

Seek a rescue which neuters, chips, vaccinates, homechecks (to match you with the right dog, as much in your interest as theirs) and who will offer lifetime support, including insisting that they take the dog back if ever you can't keep him.

Thanks for the info and directions Valhalla and Lucky. It's encouraging to think it might be doable.

Hi
Try the Samoyed Rescue Ass www.samoyedrescue.co.uk/

Samoyeds are brilliant with kids normally and love an active family life. They are quite strong willed (as they are intelligent) and need quite a lot of stimulation - but absoloutely worth it.

I grew up with them and we now have a rescue. When we got him he was only just over half his recommended body weight, he had been really badly beaten and had not been socialised at all - did not know what grass was, or leaves on trees, or what a toy was for. He is the biggest softie in the world and despite his harsh treatment has never shown any signs of agression at all. A couple of days ago I was walking him through town and a toddler came out of a shop and literally threw herself on him with arms round his neck yelling - Look a bear - her mum was very appologetic and I did say to her it might be better if the little girl did not do that to all dogs!!

Anyway - I would recommend them with the kids........

You might need to try smaller rescues, who are able to judge each case on its merits (many larger organisations aren't able to do this).

Get in tough with www.hoperescue.org.uk/ - they're a fantastic rescue and use foster homes so you'd be getting a dog who has been assessed in a home environment, and ideally with kids.

Also it would be worth you keeping an eye on www.dogpages.org.uk/forums/index.php?act=idx as there will be individual dogs on there who may be suitable and catch your eye

Best of luck!

I have 2 dds aged 3 and 6 - and I did find it difficult finding a dog through the rescues. We were looking for an older dog as well.

In the end, we found our dog through a private rehoming from a family with children (through gumtree). We've had him since January and it's worked out brilliantly. It did take us a few months though to find the right dog. Still worth registering with the shelters that'll consider you as it's just a matter of luck if they have a dog that's right for you.
Try staffyrescue and the oldies club - they have a lot of dogs.

Good luck!

Petelly, you were lucky. Only today did receive an email about a man who is taking "free to good home" dogs on Gumtree, keeping them in a lock-up and selling them on at a huge profit.

Going on my knowledge of rescue and of the type of person like him I would be very, very loathe to encourage anyone to adopt privately unless they personally knew the owner and the dog a great deal.

In my experience people lie. They lie to us in rescue so they will sure as hell lie to someone who they are selling their dog to via the free ads.

Put it this way - the dog you took on hadn't been assessed by professionals. You only had the owner's word for it that he was fine with young children, but what if that turned out not to be true?

At best, a lot of worry and hard work, to say nothing of behaviouralists bills, at worst, a dog you couldn't return to where he came from as you can a rescue dog, which you couldn't keep and would be struggling to find a rescue place for or even might take to the vet or the pound to be PTS and heaven forbid, an injured child.

I'm glad your private rehoming worked but please believe me, far too often they don't and the costs can be enormous.

vallhala

We were aware of the dodgy ads on gumtree but this one was for a 5 year old mixed breed and they were asking for a bit of money (£20) to cover the extras they were giving (bed, collar, lead, sack of food, bowls, toys etc).

We met with the family in their house a few times before we took the dog. To be honest, they weren't the nicest family and didn't seem to care all that much about their dog so we did take what they said with a pinch of salt - but their story did hang together. We also consulted with a dog behaviouralist who gave us advice on how to assess the dog and thought everything sounded fine.

It's always a bit of a risk when you adopt a dog and I accept that going through a rescue would be preferable - but I don't think that the additional risk involved in doing it privately, if you make the effort, is significantly greater and I don't think we were irresponsible doing it.

I do feel annoyed at the rescues, like Battersea, who are bursting to the seams with dogs, and who turned us down for rehoming because we had young children and the fence in our garden wasn't high enough (I figure that if you're a responsible owner then you change the height of the fence to suit the dog, turns out our dog is a jumper so we went out and bought a higher fence - not exactly a big problem!) and the RSPCA centre which was packed with dogs looking for homes but not one that they'd be prepared to home with young children.

Petelly, oh tell me about it! Bloody Battersea! I had the same response when I went looking for a companion for my SBT x when the girls were little.

You certainly don't sound irresponsible in your private rehome but not everyone goes to the lengths you do, nor are as savvy.

I'd still be concerned at the thought of an adopter having no back up if the rehoming didn't work out though as a good rescue will insist on taking the dog back even many years down the line if the owner can't keep him and I know how hard it is to secure a rescue place as most are filled to the brim.

The situation is worse now than ever since the RSPCA fairly recently decided that they will no longer spend any of the £119 million they have in the bank in taking in any unwanted dogs from the public.

That's true, I guess, we hadn't really thought what we would do if it didn't work out.

Guess I just assumed we'd find him a place in a rescue if we really had to but that's not as easy as it seems from your post. :(

I'm glad your dog worked out, I really am Petelly but as Valhalla says it doesn't work like that.

We had a dog privately rehomed thro freeads (not going to say which one as it doesn't really matter) he was classed as good with cats, dogs and kids, People paid £70 for him and the next day he killed their cat.

He was then rescued from a vets (PTS REQUEST THAT THE VET DIDN'T WANT TO HONOUR) to go to rescue where he was rehomed without cats and guess what he's brilliant!

That dog could have been put down because its old owners just wanted rid.

i'm so so glad it worked out for you AND that you were so careful in your search and for people like you the freeads will work. Its the other 99% that it wouldnt.