Thinking of owning a dog? Please read this?

[VallhalaLalalalalalalalaaaaaa]

This is a bit of a soapbox subject for me, so please forgive me if I get carried away!

If you are considering owning a dog, now or in the future, may I suggest that instead of contacting a breeder you contact some rescues?

As well as helping practically in my local rescue I am what they call a "network volunteer". I get tens of calls and emails each day about dogs which are either in pounds or with owners who can no longer keep them and my task is to find those dogs suitable rescue places before they are put to sleep.

As a result of my experiences I have seen not only the heartbreaking side, where I have sat up until the early hours to save a dogs life but also many beautiful, friendly and affectionate dogs moving on to loving family homes and my aim here is to reach out and increase that number.

You may not know this but if a stray is taken to a pound he has just 7 days grace before the pound is permitted to put him to sleep... and so many do. A dog which is surrendered to the pound by an owner can be killed immediately. These poor creatures need all the help they can get - as the saying goes, "why breed and buy while others die?".

This is why I am asking that you consider rescue....

A decent rescue will not just homecheck you but will match your family and circumstances to the right dog and offer lifetime support. You may find your ideal companion in a local, independent rescue or in a national one, you may have a breed in mind and find your friend through websites such as Biggsd or Bullies In Need, you may find the Oldies website has a calm, older family friend. Remember that rescue dogs are BY NO MEANS all strays with no history, many have lived in family homes which can no longer keep them and that any reputable rescue will assess a dog thoroughly before placing him with your family so that he is safe with your children, cats or other pets. Such rescues will also neuter and vaccinate your friend before he goes home with you.

We struggle to find rescue on a daily basis and last Christmas was the worst I have ever seen with more dogs in pounds and about to die than ever before. Of course, if dogs in rescues are not re-homed there is no space to save the lives of those languishing in the pounds across the country.

Of all the dogs which I have helped, both pedigree and crossbreeds, Staffies and Greyhounds make up perhaps the greatest number. They are much maligned but Staffs make wonderful, loyal family companions and Greyhounds don't need miles of walks each day, just a couple of half hour ones then they are ready to loll about with their legs in the air and make the most marvellous, gentle and well mannered pets.

I think I have jabbered enough but just in case you are wondering, yes, I do have children, dogs and cats and all my dogs are and have been rescued and I have had dogs since long before my children were born and throughout their lives.

So, if you are considering owning a dog or may do in the future, please, look at those in your local rescue and search the net for rescues across the country, many of whom are willing and able to rehome a dog despite the distance between you and him and please do pm me if you'd like advice in finding a rescue as I have many contacts nationwide, or if you need assistance in any way.

Thank you for reading this.

Jax, I followed a few links and it seems that Cane Corso Rescue and Ironmountain Large Breed Rescue work hand in hand already, so if you are looking to rehome through CCR, Ironmountain will do the work. Not sure if it worth going direct so you can ask the question directly - there is a facebook page and the owner of it seems to have some good principles from what I have read.

here

Val no my partner has not been peed off by you but he was a little peed off when we offered to re-home a dog (we are experienced staffy owners with 17yrs experience in the breed) and they didn't even answer us or tell us of the dogs fate that peed both us off! It makes me believe that they were using 'scare' tactics by saying x amount of dogs needs homes NOW or they will be PTS both my partner and I do feel passionately about animals and have helped transport for RHU in the past so an update about this dog wouldn't have gone amiss surely? x

oh motherjack, those gorgeous dogs!

I had a look, I want them all, you see that is why I dont do this fostering fulltime, only for emergencies, because I would have a house full of huge dogs!

Val, have you ever heard of Many Tears Animal Rescue in Wales? We got our beloved mutt from there last Feb and will be going back for another in Jan.

They do a lot of rescue from Ireland, who I believe have a 3 day PTS rule :( Tell you what though, I get really annoyed at the amount of ex breeding dogs they have there. Poor old dogs, 5 yrs old, never lived in a home and have been puppy making machines all their lives. Makes me so mad that they get chucked on the scrapheap so easily.

We cannot decide what we want at the mo; got Mutt Dog as a very poorly puppy, and I'm not sure I want to go through that again, but then we do want a dog young enough to be a good playmate for totally hyper Mutt Dog (there's Springer in her and don't we know it!)

Cant wait till Jan, it's the Christmas present we all want the most!

Salsmum, hmm... I'm going to ask some questions about that. Give me a day or two, no promises but will see what I can find out. Can you link to the dog pls, or pm me with details if you prefer?

LtEveDallas, I know of MT well. :) Ireland's situation is even worse than our own, their animal welfare laws haven't been reviewed for over 100 years so are particularly dreadful and their PTS rate horrendous.

Irish strays have 5 days in a pound by law before they are PTS - here in the UK strays have 7 days. I know of cases where, in Ireland, dogs have been killed before that legal limit and plenty, plenty where 20 to 30 dogs (often including litters of puppies) have been killed weekly without the pound informing the public, members of whom might be searching desperately for their lost dog, or who might like to adopt one if they knew of the existance of these dogs. These dogs would be put in the back of the kennels out of sight of the public and rescue and killed on Tuesday mornings when the vet came round.

Ireland's overall attitude towards animals is disgraceful - stuck in the dark ages. Sadly it's a cultural thing which will take decades, maybe centuries, to change. My Irish A/R contacts despise their own countrymen for this in the main - it's for this reason that we in the UK have so many Irish dogs coming over here. It's a sad thing to hear, a broad Irish accent saying, "I hate the fucking Irish", because the owner of that voice knows what her countrymen and women are capable of doing and allowing. :(

PS - In both Ireland and the UK a dog which is surrendered by his owner, rather than being found as a stray, may be killed immediately after he is signed over to the pound.

Don't think it doesn't happen either - it does, and all too often. :(

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Sorry but you can't rely on that and it wasn't our experience.

You need to size up the rescue 'organisation'. If they seem disorganised they probably are - assume that means unreliable. Make your own assesssment of them and the dog.

Having said that, all in favour of rescuing dogs and cats too (beloved rescue cat in my way as I type).

That's a bit unfair, eemie. The rescue I volunteer for and whose owners I know very well, is "disorganised". In fact, I'd go as far as to say that one half of the couple is competing with me for the title of "Disorganised 2010" and without his other half would be worse still! However, they are one of the most discerning rescues I know - and I know loads, across the UK and beyond - sometimes even a little excessively so.
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The (several) rescue outfits we had contact with were both disorganised and unreliable.

I'm speaking only from my own experience. No-one should assume that a rescue centre will be 'really honest' as an earlier poster claimed. These ones were not.

I will not name because I hope that, by now, the people we dealt with will have moved on.