Rehoming a dog - impossible?

[sparklebot90]

Im writing this after spending the past 4-5 months visiting rehoming centres and yesterday again being told we are unsuitable to rehome a dog. Its so frustrating as me and my partner were inspired by the supervets rehoming programme that was on last summer on channel 4 and were completely convinced that it was the best way for us to have a dog. We moved into our own first house last year after being in rented accommodation and so unable to have any pets. My partner works full time and quite long days but is able to take his hour long lunch whenever he likes so could come home. I work part time 3 days a week as a teaching assistant and leave around 8am and am home by 3.30pm. I also live fairly close to where I work and would be able to be home between 12pm and 1pm for my lunch hour. This however seems to be too much of a stretch for any rehoming centre. Also we are deemed as not having owned dogs before which is annoying as we have both always had family dogs both as children and as adults...granted we haven't been fully responsible before but I think we have a good understanding of what it takes to be a dog owner. We are more than financially able to look after a dog. Anyway..im wondering if anyone else has successfully rehomed a dog whilst working? If not then we could look at getting a puppy but it seems such a shame when there are hundreds of dogs sat in kennels :(. Also always feel very unsure about funding puppy breeding. Any tips or ideas anyone has would be greatly appreciated.

No suggestions directly, but what county are you in and which rescues have you tried? Someone might have some ideas

You're not the only one with this frustration though - see the designer puppies thread

We were the same. We have a 7 year old dd, dh works full time, I work part time. we were turned down by the bigger shelters. We ended up rehoming from a Romanian rescue charity but smaller,local, rescues may be more willing.

The charity we got out dog from asked about our lifestyle etc then told us which dogs they had that would suit us. I felt it was a bit more personable and they really knew the dogs' personalities.

Dogs trust were open to us rehoming and I work in the office 3 days a week but we had researched day care and explained that to them.

The problem is I think might be the 'popping in' because if a dog is clingy it's going to need more than you popping in to them for an hour or so. Would you consider dog walkers and daycare and investigate those options so it is apparent that you have options lined up depending on the dogs needs?

Avoid the bigger, kennel based rescues. They have blanket rules for work hours that rules most people out!!

Do you have a breed in mind? Smallsr, independent rescues & breed specific rescues are usually foster based & so can assess their dogs better; they are more willing to take on board people's circumstances.

I would get refused by Dogs Trust, Battersea, the RSPCA etc because i break all the rules. But have successfully fostered & adopted from smaller rescues with no problems

I should say we didn't rehome in the end as I wanted a specific breed.

I foster for EGLR and for the right dog (some need people around more than others) your working hours wouldn't be a problem as long as you can guarantee someone will spend time with them in the middle of the day when you are working. You can give them a ring and chat about which dog might suit you.

We are in the Devon area..have tried gables, woodside, dogs trust, blue cross, rspca. Have just started enquiring about retired greyhounds and whippets, they seem to be a little more reasonable!
No particular breed in mind. Have thought about day care, looks like it would be about £7 a day to have someone come in in the AM as well as me home at lunchtime so I guess that is an option. Just frustrating that the whole process is so disheartening - makes me feel like giving up!

Sparkle it is frustrating & it explains why a lot of people buy pups.

Bigger rescues will rehome to people who work, but it requires the right dog being in the centre at the time. Those ones that are work friendly/kid friendly/small furry friendly tend to really fly out the door! I would definitely avoid going the puppy route, unless you have a lot accumulated annual leave, it would be a lot more work to do that than get an older rescue dog.

Do find some good doggy day care and dog walkers in your area and put this on the table for the rescues to consider. It will help you find the right dog AND help you in the long run if you get stuck and can't get home at lunchtime or working hours change in the future (one of the top 5 reasons for dogs ending up in rescue in the first place).

Could you private message me? I work with one of the larger rescues and might be able to help a bit!

Bunny it is rare for bigger rescues to accomodate working families i've found. Which is sad. I've known loads of families be turned away for HC the minute they mention working 😔 Where smaller rescue often put families on wait lists.

Any rescue that takes each dog & each family as individual cases is brilliant

I think we feel it's rare as those with issues shout loudest. Big rescues definitely DO rehome to working families, I know lots of them, it's just they're happy with their adoption so don't shout about it. Those who have issues, take to their friends and the internet to complain, so it seems more unbalanced than it really is.

Some other thoughts OP. I bought a puppy and spent the first month at home to settle him in before he went to daycare. From what I have read on here often rescues need a settling in period as well so you might want to think about that and discuss it with any rescues centres as it shows that you have also thought about that part.

BiteyShark, very good point, it's called Pawternity Leave ;)

Even the most chilled dog will need hours left alone built up, you can't leave them alone for 4 hours the day after they come home, they need routine and settling in before they can be left and the hours slowly built up over several weeks.

I previously worked at a large rescue centre and whilst it limits what dogs would be suitable to rehome, it wasn’t a no.
My advice is find a dog walker/day care person to write you a letter saying they are happy to take on your dog and are lined up for when you find your perfect pet.
Also explain it in terms of hours alone - 8-10am alone, dog walker 10-12.30. You/husband home from 12.30-1.30. You home from 3.30. So realistically the dog would only be home alone for max 2 hours in a row with a total of 5 hours 3 days per week broken up. Just get it really clear to explain.
Also look at breeds you might fancy and contact smaller breed rescues that might be more flexible. Be open to age, a slightly older dog (2-4years+) would be best for the leaving. Greyhound rescue is great, there’s lab rescues, Stafford/bullies in need in Devon and lots of others too. Please don’t be disheartened, rescue dogs are so lovely and you sound like you’ve thought everything through and can offer a great home.

Thanks for all your advice. I was wondering if it would be best to wait until the summer hols as I work in school..I would be off for 6 weeks and so would have plenty of time to settle a new dog in. Will look at the day care more and do some research.

I think that would work perfectly! Definitely a good selling point for any rescue.

Definitely better to rehome when you are around for 6 weeks. I would also get a daycare option in your back pocket as well in case you find the dog needs lots of company, is anxious or destructive etc.

I got my dog the day after I broke up for the summer as I also work in a school.
Some rescues wouldn't touch me with a barge pole as I work, however my local rescue actually worked with me to find the right dog and he's fab.
It took me over 6 months of searching til the right dog came along.
I was matched with a 6yo Romanian rescue and he is the laziest dog ever. He sleeps all day on the sofa. It was a great match.

A rescue that comes from a foster home and not a kennel might be your best bet. They can advise you on a dog that can be happily left.

I'd definitely second foster based. The assessments that can be done in a household environment are invaluable; one of my rommie dogs was terrified of everything household. Even the freezer clicking over freaked him out. Fosters can also fully assess temperament with other dogs in & out of the home, prey drive with smaller pets, temperament with children etc.

A lot of the big rescues have both kennels and foster-based rehoming, also home direct rehoming straight from the previous owner also. That includes Blue Cross and Dogs Trust.

Greyhounds love to snooze, so that would be an ideal choice for you. They really are lovely, and so many need a home. How about two to keep each other company ;-)

Greyhounds are addictive, be warned 😂😂

fairgame84 My Romanian rescue dog sleeps all day too. I wonder what it is about them?

Not sure pizza. I've heard some horror stories about them being destructive and hard to handle but mine is very placid and affectionate. The only time we struggle is on walks. He hates walking and lays down at random intervals. It's tricky because he needs to lose weight.