rehome my pooches

[twinmummy132]

hello ladies im new to mumsnet a few of my friends are on here and told me this was a good place for advice.my problem is i have two dogs a staffie and a alsation x both lovely gentle dogs the only thing is i have to get rid of them as my flat is too small for me two dogs and two 15 month old babies i am at my wits end trying to find them somewhere to go plus my landlord has said that i cant have them i have tried everywhere i know that takes dogs but most of them are full or not any for at least 6 months i need a soultion asap.please help me many thanx.

There is nothing on earth that would make me rehome my dogs. They travel with us and are a part of the family. I know I am sensitive because my old boy has just died, but I am also heavily involved with the rehoming scene here in Qatar and it is a well known fact that the Brits are the worst when it comes to dumping their dogs. It makes me so sad.

But the OPs dogs are very likely to get a new home. They are child friendly and house trained.

I've had several older dogs from Battersea over the years - all staffies and aged between 8 and 12. They obviously weren't put down immediately.

Eeyore, in the nicest possible way, that's bull shit. Trust me ops dogs are unlikey to last a day in council pound.

There are thousands of young, healthy, child friendly dogs of more desirable breeds than ops in rescues. They stand very little chance of being one of the lucky ones.

Are you saying I am lying about getting dogs from Battersea?

The OPs dogs are hardly lucky stuck in a flat with 2 toddlers.

No I'm saying that its bullshit that the ops dogs stand a good chance of anything other than euthanasia if they end up in Battersea.

Of course where she is now is not ideal for the dogs, but it is a damn sight better than any of the alternatives.

I have an older rescue dog of an 'unpopular' breed too (10 year old Rottie), no one is saying it's impossible for such a dog to find a home, but saying it's 'very likely' is unrealistic IME. My older boy was very nearly PTS by the RSPCA due to his age/breed/condition (ironically he had to be 'rescued' from them!) and I have no doubt that there are many many more like him who are not so lucky, actually I know for a fact there are.

It's a sad and horrible situation, but that's how it is. I can't even criticise rescues who do this too much, because often the choice they have is to either PTS dogs like mine, or turn away other dogs (which generally means the same outcome for them, i.e. PTS by the local pound), either way the outcome is a dog killed. I don't blame them, and I don't even really blame people like the OP who find themselves in unexpected difficult situations and struggle to cope - it's an over-breeding problem really, and breeders not taking responsibility for the dogs they chose to create.

We'll have to agree to disagree about Battersea giving them a good chance, I'm afraid.

Her situation is not ideal, I agree, but it could get worse with two frustrated dogs and small children.

I don't think anyone is saying you are lying about getting dogs from Battersea, EEyore - but maybe demand for shelter places had fluctuated at the points where you got your older staffies from them, so they'd been able to keep older, less 'popular' dogs for longer?

I do think that younger, cuter dogs, from the more popular breeds are more likely to be rehomed.

OP - I hope you can either negotiate with your landlord, to keep your dogs, or that you can find them places in good, no-kill shelters.

I guess. The last time was 2005. They were full to the rafters with staffies then. I'm a softie for an old staffie

I do agree actually that the fact they've lived happily in a family home will count in their favour when it comes to rehoming, they'll have a better chance than a stray would, or a cruelty case like mine. Sadly though it might not be enough :(

I would never trust Battersea. The cuddly monster asleep on my sofa was due to be PTS by them along with his three brothers at the age of 10 MONTHS. I'm glad to say that a GSD rescue got there just in time and all 4 boys have been safely and lovingly rehomed.

'the rehoming scene here in Qatar and it is a well known fact that the Brits are the worst when it comes to dumping their dogs. It makes me so sad.'

It makes me ashamed. We're supposed to be a nation of dog lovers!

Eeyore - I wish I had the confidence to take on a staffie - when we went to Dogs Trust in Glasgow, to look for a rescue dog to adopt, they had lots of them, and my heart went out to them - but I don't think I know enough or am an experienced enough owner for a staffie. But we did rehome a 4-year-old lab cross, so created a space in the rescue for another dog.

Gosh, they're not wrong when they call it a nest of vipers. Criticising the op and each other, insulting each other, calling each other bullshitters...hardly a constructive thread or an edifying one.

Good luck OP I hope you find a solution.

I never called Eeyore a bullshitter, fwiw, I like Eeyore. She seems like a nice, sensible poster and she rescued a staffie so I luffs her by default.

I said the the fact that she thought the dogs stood a good chance in Battersea was bullshit. Not that she was deliberately misleading or lying to the OP. From what I gather Battersea is fairly good when it comes to wanting to adopt a dog from them, but not when it comes to wanting to rehome a dog via them because they are a pound not a rescue.

All the BAttersea bashing on this thead is making me sad - They absolutely do what they can. My old dog came from battersea and you would have thought him pretty unhomable, he was a rotweiller, 18m old but with aggression issues centering around food. Then when we got him a good few other issues surfaced. I had years of dog experience but he was a challenge and a half. So BAttersea don't just put dogs to sleep without a care. The people who work there love dogs, but it is simply not possible to accomodate every dog. They do their best. They wont home willy nilly either, unlike some of the rescue centres who will home inappropriately.

Also, theodorakis - it is really unfair to say "oh nothing would make me rehome my dog" you do not know the OPs circumstances or how she got to be in this position, but some people have shit happen to them, beyond their control, they can't just think, ah you know, this house isnt right for my dogs, i'll move to a big house in the country to accomodate them, im sure the OP would LOVE to do that.

Enough with the guilt trips - MN comes up trumps for people, lets put heads together and get something done.

www.lastchanceanimalrescue.co.uk/
www.garbosgermanshepherddogrescue.co.uk/
www.sedogrescue.co.uk/
lordwhisky.co.uk/index.php?page=dogs-puppies -Have emailed these for you, am more than willing to take the dogs there for you if they are willing to accept them.

Anyone else have any ideas?

[email protected]

Tel: 020 8546 4943

That is really helpful, Bob . OP if one of these rescues do help out, please let us know. I, for one, would be happy to make a donation to them.

Best of luck.

Battersea kill around 3000 dogs a year. That's not to say they do it with no thought or care, but in the UK there are too many dogs and not enough homes. FACT. If Battersea are full (like any council pound) and a stray dog comes in, they have to find room for that dog. That means another has to die. FACT.

There have been plenty of suggestions of reputable, no kill rescues that may help the OP, but all rescues are full to bursting. It's extremely unlikely that one will have space now or in the near future. There have also been other suggestions made as to ways the OP may be able to keep her dogs.

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