Can anyone recommend a good dog rescue centre in or near Suffolk?

[Pernickety]

I live in south Suffolk, so could travel to north Essex, east Cambridgeshire or Norwich area easily enough. Has anyone found a good rescue centre they can recommend using to find a dog?

Pact

dog rescue

jerryrescue

Where abouts are you *outs self entirely

top of the A12

top of the A12

Poplar Farm Rescue Kennels

These are north of Cambridge, but it's not far to travel for the right dog :) You can see on their website who is looking for a home.

gah, I don't mean top of A12. Top of first part, near the A14.

wood green animal centres are very good. i am in a breed rescue trust and could easily find out from others (as we are not centre based, all our rescues are fostered in private homes so we have huge network)

wood green

and I think you are definitely right to go to one that is known and recommended by others. You want home checks, dog's behaviour monitored and documented etc. if you want any tips, please ask

Thank you. Wood Green is where I will go if there is nowhere closer. I have been following their website for months! Now that we're in a position to actually get a dog, there don't seem to be any suitable ones around. So many are saying no to children under 11. DD2 (my youngest) is about to turn 7. I'd love to get a dog that had been in foster, but do not have a specific breed in mind. Are there any similar organisations I can contact that deal with fostered out dogs of any old mixed breed?

Jerry Green doesnt operate in Suffolk anymore. They closed at the beginning of this year about six months after i got Bumbledog!!

This rescue kennel is near Framlingham

Ah, thank you. do you know anyone who has had dealings with them?

Sadly no i don't but i thought id mention them as they aren't far from me!

Blue cross, Felixstowe?

I did wonder if summer was a more popular time to look for a dog. I've been 'looking' online for a year and notice that now there are fewer possible matches. We weren't in a position to get a dog before now as we had a period of time in rented housing and then had a big one-off 4 week holiday planned this summer, from which we have returned.

Is it best for me to plan to visit a load of centres in one day or do I have to coimmit to a centre and fill out forms before they will let us visit?

I was very lucky when i got Bumbledog. The now closed JerryGreen rescue was less than ten minutes from my house. We looked at one dog before B. Online he looked lovely but when we got there we found out that he had been brought back from Spain so they werent exactly sure what breed he was. he had been returned four times already and was much bigger than i thought and to top it off he spent nearly the whole time in the grass pen humping my Mums leg! Then there was a Border Terrier which Wilf liked but when i rang up to find out about him, he was in there because he had killed a cat already. As almost every neighbour in the vicinity has a cat who from time to time wander through my garden that dog was a "no no"!
With Bumble Wilf saw him online and persusaded my sister and i to take him to see him. It was fate really as the people who were going to have him changed their mind the morning that we went in the afternoon! (if that makes sense) We fell in love with him instantly and because he was so close i went almost every day for two weeks until we had had the house check and we waited till a Sat that Wilf was home from school so he could be with me when i collected him!! After marrying my late dh and having my angel son Jack and Wilfred, having Bumble was one of my best decisions!!!

That sounds lovely Lottie. :)

So, does it matter if I register with several dog rescue centres? I'm still rather confused about the process. Many of the websites (understandably) say they have more dogs at their rescue centre than can be seen online. So, how do I get to see these other dogs?

you can register with as many as you like though you may find some want to do home checks first. my advice is try to go to somewhere close by asyou will need to visit a few times even when you've found a potential match. Some rescues are strict about age because of known factors in dog. Others just think young kids and dogs don't mix.

To my knowledge the only time you will have problems getting a dog would be over xmas when most don't release dogs (because of chaos in homes!). It is best to visit out of peak times as you will find them quieter and more able to answer questions.

You don't need breed in mind - a cross can be as wonderful as a hugely pedigree dog! Think about your budget for the dog itself (all centes will ask for donation, ours is max of £250 which is a bargain) and the ongoing costs (not cheap: food, vet, insurance, kenneling, classes etc).

You will find lots of websites around that 'suggest' suitable dogs for types of families but you will recognise the type of dog you want: sociable, good with kids, unflappable, good with small furries or cats, generally healthy breed; and youwill probably come across dogs where you live. Ask everybody about their breed/cross and what he or she is like. Get a real feel for a dog this way and you will find it easier to choose one.

But in the end you will probably fall in love with one! Mine's a labradoodle (and I hasten to add we have had the breed fr donkeys' years before the celebs did!) and I'd not change, ever.

Google RSPCA west Suffolk and RSPCA Essex and the two rescues near here will come up

Thank you. Overthemill - Thanks for your thorough reply. We're fine with cost - cheaper than a third child I presume. A non-descript cross breed would be perfectly fine with us. Aside from one nearby, which I have contacted and don't currently have a suitable dog, there's nothing closer to here. Unless I try the Blue Cross. What are they like?

Is there anything else I should be doing in the meantime in preparation for bringing home a dog?

pernickety you are welcome. Blue Cross are fine, they take in dogs from all over I think and place where they have spaces. I've had bunnies and guinea pigs from them.

At home you need a space for the dog to have as 'his' - perhaps a crate or perhaps a dog bed but you need to explain to kids that this is a doggie place and they have to leave him alone if he retreats there. He' s having downtime.

2 stainless steel bowls (food and water), bone (nylabone are good), a ball, maybe a toy (toys get put down when YOU want to play!), a blanket. Once you know his size, a shiny new collar and harness (much easier for walking) or lead. You will need food too but the kennel will tell you what he is used to so you don't get an upset tummy. You might want to find out about a local training class - good for kids to go too (not to train them but so they can work with you in training dog). Agility is good too but will depend on the dog you choose. These both should come from people you ask, recommendation is the best way of finding somewhere good.

Good luck! a dog makes a wonderful companion