Please can you help me to understand Council Dog Pounds Rehoming Policy ?

[Willowisp]

My mum is after a poodle & her local dog pound put a rehoming plea in the paper.

DM rang & none left, but they took her number & the other day called to say we have a 7mth old poodle that needs a home.
DM went over on sometime last week & wants him, so they told her they will bring him over to her today.

Dog is really a puppy & a sad case, apparently has had 7 homes & been in & out of the pound due to neglectful owners (went missing & 1 of the families said we don't really want him ).

Anyway, he arrived today, I rang (very excited) & Dm has the dog pound woman with her who tells DM that he's a bit scatty & they are going to take him away & give him 7 days training (?) & then she can have him next week....

DM is a bit soft, but has had a dog before (who ruled the roost) . SHe's taken advice from a friend who's lent her a crate. Apparently, when DM leaves the room, the dog/pup has cried....he's been there about an hr or so.

DM has a work thing at her house for the next 2 days, so she can't get there until thurs (she runs craft classes from 10-3pm). The dog pound is about 15 miles away & she won't drive in the dark, but will of course be able to walk him on those days.

I suggested she give doggy something of hers, so he's gone off with the jumper she was wearing.

I think the whole scenario is very odd, of course he's going to be unsettled, he's had a horrible life. He will be adored by my mother & I've emphasised the importance of attending puppy training.

Sorry if I am rambling incoherently...I just think it's such a shame..

What, so the pound brought him to the home, observed him for an hour and then wanted to take him away again for 7 days' training, based purely on his whining when left alone?

This just doesn't add up, sorry. Did you mum let you speak with the pound lady on the phone?

Has the dog now gone again???

yes, that's it. In fact I've just been on the phone & DM is very cross furious.

The pound woman knocked her door, left the dog in the car & came into her house. DM asked pound woman to bring dog in, DM gave him a cuddle & apparently he sort of melted in her arms, then she put him down & he cried & pound woman said, yes, he screams like a baby . Anyway, as soon as DM sat down, he was on her lap. He cries as soon as he looses sight of anyone.

We have to give him some training for 7 days. DM said, well I have looked into puppy training classes etc etc. Answer was no, we will train him & you can take him out for the day on Friday.

To be honest, harsh as it seems on both your Mum and the dog, I would embe running for the hills and looking for a good rescue, not a pound - people on here can advise I am sure.

They aren't putting the dog's welfare first, you don't know what training methods they're going to use and quite frankly they appear to know fuck all about dogs - excuse my french - but the dog was in a highly stressful situation and wasn't acting normally. Even if he was, he could well have major separation anxiety issues which could take months to train - 7 days isn't going to help. Where is he now - at someone's house, or in the pound?

Are they definitely going to let your mum get him back, or was it a very amateur home assessment followed by a gutless fob-off by someone who doesn't know how to say 'no' to your mum?

Either way, I would seriously walk away - I know it's hard to do, but this whole situation has not been handled well at all and who knows how many months/years of problems this dog could be bringing.

Find a proper rescue centre near your Mum which has a slow but gentle adoption process and a proper home assessment, with LIFELONG support for the dog and your Mum.

Excuse typos, angry rants and iPhones don't mix!

The poor dog sounds like a bit of a nightmare anyway and if your Mum is going to comfort it every time it cries, she could end up creating a monster. She could need some serious help from a behaviourist to sort its problems out (assuming this wasn't just a random stress reaction and that there are some deeper issues going on here, and given the dog's history I am sure there are...). Is your mum prepared for the time and expense that could be involved?

Did the pound lady perhaps suddenly realise what a bad state this dog was in (ie not rehomable) and is it actually possible your mum might never see the dog again anyway? They might make up an excuse about what's happened to it.

I'm so sorry you've been through all this, it just goes to show why the knowledgeable rescue people on here warn people to stay away from pounds. I am sure someone more knowledgable will be along soon to help you.

thanks - Dog is back at the pound (boo hoo).

DM has been looking for ages & her more local (RSPCA) rescue is full of staffies etc. She is 67 & on her own & basically lonely. She's put her mind to a poodle & a poodle that needs a special person is right up her street.

We think it's some warped red tape - if he's had 7 other homes & they've rehomed him already I can understand why they would be cagey but I can't understand if she is ready & approved to rehome him, why they don't let her have him & then come back every week or so to check ? I can't find a website for the rescue but have found an old reference on dogsblog.com, so I think they are just a council pound.

I am wondering if they think she won't cope? she's not frail though, just a bit over weight which she says is because she is lonely (I'm about an 90 mins away)

Neither of us will walk away, we are all about waifs & strays...I am seriously considering kidnapping him if they are arsey on Friday.

I can totally understand why you wouldn't walk away. BUT what if the dog has such bad problems that his life is basically going to be crap, whatever you do?

I know this is jumping the gun a bit, but it is possible that because of this pound's epic mismanagement of this dog's entire life (from rehoming him to the wrong people on multiple occasions, through to whatever is going on now), he could have some major problems.

I'm slightly biased (I live in a small country where there are way too many dogs in relation to the number of dog-friendly potential homes and IMHO more need to be put down - its really hardened me up moving out here) but my friend rescued an institutionalised dog here in the summer. The dog had been in kennels for most of her life and is such a mess that we have been seriously discussing whether it would actually be kinder to put her down now, despite months of trying to build her confidence and help her see the world as a good place for dogs. (We don't have access to behaviourists or trainers though). A dog that has been badly broken by a bad rescue centre can be a major project for someone to take on.

That's an interesting view & one I certainly agree with when I read (over & over again) the rescue centres full of dogs where that might apply.

However, you've got to have hope. I think I've posted on your previous threads before & I can completely see where you're coming from ( were you thinking of taking on a friends dog ?) I've been on holidays where the poor animals have rotten lives.

But the point is, DM has made this decision & the council are, imho, being...well, extremely odd to say the least. And yes, who knows what their methods are & who knows (I'm very worried now) whether she'll see the dog again.

I expect he will have some problems, hopefully ones that can be resolved, he's only 7 mths afterall.

Have been googling behaviourist, so thanks again for that advice. I guess the best place for her to find one would be her local vet though..

All very strange particularly as the behaviour is no that abnormal in Poodles they are very needy dogs even the well adjusted ones - I can think of three poodles whose feet I don't believe have ever touched the ground.
Can I suggest Poodles in Need they assess all their poodles for suitability with other dogs, children, cats etc and try very hard to match needy poodles to the right owners. They will give the life long support that a rescue dog should have.

Many Tears often have ex breeding poodles.

Thanks, its not about where to find a poodle (but will bear in mind if this falls through), it's about the odd policy of bringing a dig to your house & then raking it away to train for 7 days & then picking it up again.

Is this usual ?

No, very strange indeed. Surely dogs need to be trained with the people they are going to be living with? Many years ago we sent our then year old PBGV off to be trained by an expert, he came back with some wonderful skills and tricks but forgot them in about a week because we did not have the expertise to maintain them.

I have never, ever heard of a council pound doing this

Ours doesn't even home check. You can literally walk in and out with a dog the very same day . This is normal procedure for a council pound and is very irresponsible.

Normal policy to hold the dog for 7 days and then pts if no owner comes forward. They certainly do not train the dogs.

Which pound is this?

In relation to training, it sounds like separation anxiety, which is fairly easy to train (but is a long, drawn out process) but can only be trained in a home environment.

I have had two SA dogs. One can now be left and no longer attempts to attack people when he knows you want to separate him from the family. One still needs to be with other dogs at least, but is now happy to be a in a room alone, so long as she knows you are in the house.

I personally would not trust a council run pound if my life depended upon it. I would not advise that anyone rehomes from a council pound either . You get no back up or recourse if anything goes wrong. The dogs and homes are rarely (if at all) assessed and matched properly.

Thanks for your replies.

Today my mum met & walked the dog for an hour. It appears (my mum is 67 & not always on the ball) that its a rescue that takes dogs from the pound.

Because of the amount of disruption to the pups life they wanted to see if they could help with his behaviour. They also wanted to get him used to being an only dog because the previous owners bought another pup to keep him company.

Appears to have worked because he was a lot calmer when my mum met him & very well behaved when she walked him.

She's now paid for him to be neutered & will be collecting him a week on Monday !

I've suggested she enroll into dog training classes ASAP to work on any issues the may arise.