New dog from the council pound

[randomfemale]

I collected her on Wednesday afernoon (labrador and according to vet check around 5 yrs old) . She is amazing. All our friends can't believe I have only had her a couple of days. She is THAT good and so well trained. Don't know why I'm posting this but I suppose it's to say - if you want a dog don't dismiss the local pound. There might be an absolute diamond waiting for his/her forever home

nice to hear good news from someone who has adopted from the council pound,

I'm really glad it's worked out with you and your dog and I hope all continues to go well but I would strongly advise against adopting directly from a pound.

All of the dogs are un-assessed, home checks are never done - and this is for the benefit of the prospective adopter as well as the dog. It's really, really risky and if the home breaks down there is no back-up or free advise available.

By adopting from a rescue you are still saving a dog in a pound. Every rescue space made available is one more space for a pound dog.

Leave the assessments to the professionals and adopt a fully vetted dog from a rescue who will offer full back up and behavioural support and who will take the dog back at any point during its life if the home fails for any reason.

D0oin no argument or issue with what you're saying. However, just thought I'd contribute that when i got my dog from Dogs Trust I had the 'talk' which was fascinating, comprehensive and very very much in line with so much I've read on here re positive reinforcement etc.

However, although the Dogs Trust talk lady said quite vaguely that she might take a while to respond if we left her a message, there was nothing in the pack that gave me her phone number. There was no mention in the talk or in the pack I brought home about ongoing support and the pack certainly didn't contain her phone number! There was no mention at all of commitment to back up or behavioural support, there were no phone numbers for this. To be honest, all there was was in the pack was a lot of advertising. I have no issue with that at all, but my experience of a major rehoming charity doesn't quite match what you're saying.

Now, if I were to call them and say I had a problem that might be different, but there is nothing I have been told/literature I have been given that would make me think help would be available so I wouldn't think to call to be honest.

I have needed a lot of help with my dog and still do. I have got it via the internet, books, other dogs owners and on this forum. I suspect that is probably fine, but it's not quite what I read on here about proactive ongoing support from rehoming charities.

Gymmummy, didn't realize your dog came from the Dogs Trust. I have heard good things of them providing help to others who've adopted from them. If you still need some help with your dog you should give them a call (on their main number for the centre, doesn't have to be the specific lady you spoke to) and ask for some advice. I am surprised there was nothing in their rehoming pack that said to do this. I am sure they would much rather people rang up and asked for help than a dog came back (not saying that you would take yours back, just speaking in general terms).

From the OP, I guess different pounds are run in different ways.

When people adopt from the place where I volunteer (not Dogs Trust), they get an info pack with advice sheets relating to any problem behaviours the dog might have (they don't all have problems), and will have had a chat about how to deal with it; and they are certainly told verbally just to call for advice if they need any. But your post has made me want to go check what the paperwork says about calling for advice because we certainly wouldn't want people to feel discouraged from calling. I know that on occasion staff have given their mobile numbers and said 'call any time of day or night' because they really wanted to help an adoption work out.