Attitudes to Rescue Dogs

[RedwingWinter]

I adopted a dog from a rescue just over a month ago, and one thing that has surprised me is some other people's attitudes to rescue dogs. Lots of people tell me I am brave, as if he must have problems. That's not so bad, but some people have been half-way through patting the dog, saying how lovely he is, and then when I say he is a rescue dog they recoil as if they think he is some kind of psycho-dog. They've already seen that he is beautifully behaved!

I won't deny that we had to teach him a few manners, such as not to pull on the leash, and that it took him a little while to settle in. But it's been a pleasure to see the transformation in him as he's realized that this is his home now. That is really rewarding. And after all, if we'd have got a puppy (from rescue or elsewhere), we would have had to teach it a few things, like not peeing in the house, that this dog already knew.

I think this attitude shows that some people don't understand how dogs end up in rescue. There are lots of reasons, many of them no fault of the dog (e.g. it was a stray, the owner fell on hard times like divorce or illness, etc). I also think it shows that people don't realize how much influence they have on a dog's behaviour.

Has anyone else with a rescue dog been finding this? It is probably old-hat to lots of you, but as a new dog owner, it's surprised me to see how many people have this attitude.

My one and only dog (as an adult) was a rescue mutt....I was always proud of him, and don't remember any strange attitudes tbh. But its very possible I wouldn't have noticed them - and it was a while ago, so maybe things have changed.

He had NO history (apart from the dubious privilege of having been through Battersea twice - they thought he might be a 'bolter', ha, never met a less 'bolty' dog in my life) but was about 12 months old and gorgeous

Oh wow, Redwing, what a stunner! He is just gorgeous....lucky you!

And, lucky him of course

(just had quick peek at Redwing's pictures - what a stunner!)

Sorry, I'm not going to be helping you here. I have staffie x, from council pound, who is absolute darling and would prove your point if I didn't tell everyone I meet that we've been v lucky with him. The Council knew absolutely nothing about his history - just picked up in the street about a month before we rehomed him. Body language in the pound and when we 'met' him for 10 minutes was great. And 5 months on I'm fairly confident that we're through the honeymoon period. And he is the BEST dog! Oh, and he's my first ever dog, dh had dogs growing up, but he's my (mine!) first.

But there are shelters, rescues and pounds and they all do different jobs and the council pound do a good job in their own way, but just don't seem set up to get to know the dogs (they don't talk about socialising the dogs with each other, or spending time with the dogs training or playing, to find out about them), to make sure that they get rehomed for sure to the right people. Staff were great there, but then they did seem inclined to reassure us that all the dogs they had for rehoming were 'great'.

So obviously, because I have a rescue dog who I'm proud of, I get into conversation with dog owners at the park and some of them tell me the stories about the rehomed dogs that don't work out because they bite . I guess non-rescue dogs bite too, but it's an easy stereotype to assume that rescue dogs might have been let go of because of something about the dog, rather than something about the owner.

Hello MJ! Been out with pot luck pound dog

I've done lots of walking today as I'm dogsitting my sisters Lurcher, who I must return now before she finishes work or she will murder me.

I've been out walking since 7:30pm with just a wee ten minute MN break inbetween.

Your dog is beautiful Op. Im rather partial to Huskies and the like myself, but I don't have the space for one

I don't understand it either. The dog we had when I was younger was a rescue dog (albeit a puppy at only 16 weeks, but found as a stray not long after Christmas, so probably an unwanted present ).

When looking for dogs now, we didn't even consider going to a breeder. Why would we?

I've generally found we get two types of reactions. Those from "doggy" types who possibly also own rescue dogs, who say "oh, how wonderful, he's a rescue. They are often so wonderful and it is so lovely when they find a happy forever home" and those who recoil and say "oh, you got him from the rescue? How is he with the dc?" (to which I get sincerely tempted to comment that he tries to maul them on a daily basis, except they are probably too stupid to recognise sarcasm).

He's not perfect, but he's our dog and he makes our family complete . I couldn't imagine a different dog.

We get congratulated on getting & dog & further congratulated on him being a rescue!

We kept him on a lead all the time at first & I know one woman was annoyed at having to put hers on when we "met".
I think she thought he was vicious.
Until she was talking to someone who lives nearby & I could hear him saying "oh look-here he is, what a lovely dog, so gentle...."

His reputation preceeds him

Yep I've had the idiot comments, also one woman around here with a mob of red setters who sneers and visibly recoils from him because he's not a definite breed as such. I get the mongrel prejudice far far more than the rescue dog one to be honest (and it bloody annoys the shit outta me when some snob with a totally neurotic collie is sneering at him plodding by).

Fortunately he's also got a healthy fan club of generally old ladies who cross the road to come say hello to him, tell him how awesome he is and give him treats and fusses - little tart he is.

"but it's an easy stereotype to assume that rescue dogs might have been let go of because of something about the dog, rather than something about the owner."

:( It's ridiculous isn't it? When, at our local rescue, most of the dogs are there due to neglect or abuse.

we are looking for another dog at the moment, and I think we will be getting a rescue. I love mutts. my Benji (ds named him) is a Jack/westie and he is adorable. jumpy and yappy and a bit dim, but adorable.

It's a shame people are so ignorant and prejudiced. I remember my in-laws were very strongly against us getting a rescue dog, were convinced he'd have behavioural problems and would be dangerous, were adamant that he couldn't be allowed anywhere near the children (DPs nieces and nephew) despite having lived all his life in a family home with small children. Didn't help that he's a Rottie, so add breed stereotypes to the mix .

They have been somewhat 'converted' now they know and love him (you couldn't know him and not love him!), but still believe he's a rare exception, that we just got lucky.

Of course some rescue dogs have problems, but then so do many who were bought as puppies - in fact many of those go on to become rescue dogs (where else do people imagine all the rescue dogs come from??) - and said problems are almost always to do with bad owners who should never have been sold a puppy in the first place.

Of course some rescue dogs have problems, but then so do many who were bought as puppies - in fact many of those go on to become rescue dogs (where else do people imagine all the rescue dogs come from??) - and said problems are almost always to do with bad owners who should never have been sold a puppy in the first place

so true Ephiny

I understand it!

You can not know the background of a rescue dog and therefore, it is important to be careful initially whilst you work out whether there is anything that the dog will react badly to.

I had a rescue dog - a gentle dog it appeared. Then after about 2 months, dd offered it a biscuit and it attacked her.

Caution with dogs is not a bad thing.

'You can not know the background of a rescue dog' - that is completely, utterly untrue and something that really irks me. I know exactly where our dogs came from.

My foster grey has ear tattoos meaning we know exactly where she came from. We can trace her parentage back for years. We know exactly who owned her. We know she spent the first year of her life living in a small, dark shed in her inches of her own shit full or worms and crawling with fleas . I also know she has been fully assesed by a very experinced behaviouralist and tested with anything and everything the rescue could think to test her with her. I have the back up of that behaviouralist if I need it.

My Dad's failed foster Whippet was bought from a BYB approxiamtely 10/11 months ago. She spent the first few blissfull weeks living as a family dog. Then the Dad found a job. She spent the next 6 months locked in a crate for 9 hours a day while the parents worked out of the house. She got very few walk and little to no socialisation. Obviously spending so long in a crate meant she got very over excited when her family came home. They couldn't handle her bounciness and were 'too tired' to walk her . She ended up spending much of the evening in the crate or in the garden alone. She has also been fully assessed by a behaviouralist. She is as mad a box of frogs and completely unsocialised and not the sort of dog who would be handed over to someone who didn't have years of experience with dogs, but she is lovely. There is not an aggressive bone in her body.

It's complete crap that you 'never know' with a rescue dog. Nothing is more unknown than a puppy who is still to grow and develop a personality of it's own. One which might not match your lifestyle. A rescue dog can be perfectly matched to your lifestyle, by people with years of experinece in doing so. You also get the help and training from those people should you need it. You also get the guarentee that your dog always has a loving team of people willing to step in and ensure it's safety should you no longer be able to keep it. Rescue is always the better, safer option.

Of course I was generalising. Our dog was a greyhound with ear tatoos and we knew exactly where he had come from too in the sense we knew who his previous owners had been and where they were. We did not know what life he had come from and what peculiarities he might have as a result.

I love dogs and always wanted them in the house. Rescuing dogs is a great thing. However, I do not understand the hostility to the attitude that says "some caution is reasonable - you do not know everything about this dog, so wait and see". I am not saying there is anything bad about most rescue dogs - most I have ever encountered are lovely. I am saying that a dog who has just come from rescue may have issues that you don't know about yet.

Well yes, and a dog you've had since a puppy may develop unexpected 'issues', or may react badly to something when they experience it for the first time.

So of course it's always good to be sensible and careful in how you interact with your dog (and teach children the same). Just like people, any dog can sometimes react in a slightly unpredictable way, especially if frightened or in pain or something. I just don't like to see that sensible caution cross the line into scaremongering about rescue dogs in general.

And there are of course rescue dogs that come in as strays with no background at all - but a good rescue will spend a lot of time assessing them in different situations and getting to know them, to understand what sort of home and environment they need. And these dogs will usually not be homed with young children anyway, as a precaution (though many of them probably would be fine!).

Ephiny - I agree. I would say that from my limited experience, not all rescues are as careful as they might be - and if you are not experienced with homing dogs, you would not see the warning signs. With hindsight, I don't believe that our dog should have been homed with us or indeed anyone with children. We were not exactly given full and frank disclosure about the dog we had and I would very much like to know if his new owners have been told that he previously attacked a child.

The whole experience has changed my perspective to dogs and now, I feel that caution is a good thing with any dog you don't know much about.

Yes I think it's true some rescues are better than others (and some are actually just dog pounds with 'rescue' in the name), and of course it's very difficult especially for inexperienced new owners to tell the difference.

I'm sorry to hear you had that bad experience - I hope your DD was OK, and the dog went to a more suitable home.

Thanks - dd is OK although she had to have plastic surgery and will be scared for life.

It turned out that the rescue centre knew that the dog was a little neurotic, and that he always wanted to be top dog and could snap to enforce his authority. Not a good mix with 2 children under 8. When we saw him he was always calm and tail waggy!

Some caution is always needed around dogs, even if that dog is a puppy you have bred yourself from parent dogs you own. Just like people all dogs have their own threshold of what they will put up with and what they won't. All dogs have the potential to develop irrational fears of things. All dogs have the capability of behaving unpredictably.

I'm sorry about your dd, Goosey. I hope her experience hasn't made her too fearfull of dogs. Most dogs are wonderfull, but just like people, you get the odd 'bad' one. Just like people 99% of the time that 'badness' has been caused by the very people who are meant to care most about the animal, regardless of whether the dog is a rescue or a well bred puppy.

Most rescues are great, but there are the odd few who are not great. It's the same with breeders though, most breeders would never consider breeding from aggressive parents, some want to deliberately breed aggressive puppies, as a prospective owner you need to try and weed out the good from the bad, whether it's a rescue or a breeder you are looking at. I agree that for a first time owner this can be daunting and challenging. Breeders and rescues really should be vetted better and controlled and legislated in some way.

Redwing, your new pal is scrummy and just what you wanted - you said you were seeking either a Mal or a Husky, you got both! :)

I know DBF, I feel very lucky!

So following people's logic what should have happened to my dog - kicked out onto the streets in the middle of that brutal winter and thankfully picked up by the dog wardens rather than meeting a frozen end... just killed because "you never can tell with a rescue dog?"

I'll go tell him that shall I? Sorry my darling wonderful waggy-tailed monster - you've got to die because you're only worth anything in this world if you've got a "history"... better go find another from someone who took the Ikea approach to dog-production (stick two together, let them insert plug A into socket B, produce dodgy wobbly result where the legs are a bit ropey and the whole thing collapses if you look at it funny) just to justify people's moral sensibilities.

How many dogs with a known background are the ones that attack - I bet they're in the majority because of complacency. But no, carry on badmouthing rescues - might mean the next dog kicked out in the freezing snow just gets killed instead of a second chance because they were unlucky enough to get wrong'un owners the first time around.

Goosey, I'm sorry that happened to your dd. It sounds like that dog shouldn't have been housed to a family with young children.

I think your observation that "not all rescues are as careful as they might be" is the point Goosey. Some rescues are not actually rescues but make themselves out to be, whether they be pounds or people out to make a quick buck (the latter being far more rare than the pounds btw).

I am so sorry you (and our DD) had your horrible experience and as experience shapes us I am not surprised you are wary. But I assure you, not all rescues are like that. No decent rescue would have homed a dog like that, knowing what they knew, with 2 children under 8.

*your DD
NOT our DD