Potential dog rehoming

[itsallabitrubbish]

My DM lost her beloved JR a few weeks ago and is looking to adopt an older dog that needs a loving home. There is an 8yr Jack Russell on gumtree that's looking to be rehomed and we are going to meet him this afternoon. Any tips on what we should ask or look for? Last dogs have been adopted through the RSPCA not got any experience of doing through a private ad. This seems genuine though, health reasons etc. Thanks

They always seem genuine , personally I wouldn’t go there it could have any manner of behavioural issues . Have you looked at long term fostering for the cinammon trust , they often have dogs that have lost their owners / owners have gone into care that are looking for forever homes . The oldies site is another place to look .

I have rehomed privately but through word of mouth from an acquaintance. It has always worked out fine
I go with my gut feeling about the dog (and the owner) and definately see the home circs of the dog currently and feel encouraged if the rehomer wants to see where the dog is going.
Again I would shy away from any puppy/young dog advertised with the explanation that they don't have time, landlord says no, now have small children and no time etc
an 8 year old dog - you more or less know what you are getting.

It wouldn't be my first choice of places to go when looking to rehome a dog. Is there a reason why she isn't looking at a rescue organisation? Jack Russells aren't exactly rare in rescues.

I would honestly want the dog independently assessed by a dog professional - because that's what happens when a dog goes into a rescue like Dogs Trust. I'm talking about someone appropriately qualified - an APDT trainer would be a good place to start.

If she really does want to go ahead, I wouldn't accept anything less than a "warts and all" discussion about the dog. Make sure you get vet records. Make sure you take the dog out and about and see what it's like in different situations - around traffic, in the car, with strange dogs, walking on a lead, etc etc. There are many, many dogs that will look like perfect dogs in the house, but if they see a specific trigger, such as another dog (or strangers, or motorbikes, or men wearing hats, or one specific dog breed), you will rapidly discover that the dog has some serious underlying behaviour problems. I should know - I have a Jack Russell X who is perfect in the house and park, and a nightmare as soon as a motorbike comes into view (people have crossed the road to avoid us). The technical term for it is reactivity, and while I can cope with my dog's mild version, for some people and dogs it's overwhelming, and dangerous.

Get the owner to show you the commands the dog understands - for instance, there are several different words people use for down (and I once, memorably, met a dog owned by an elderly English lady who had exclusively trained him in Swahili!), some use a mixture of hand signals and words, some use exclusively hand signals, some use clickers or a specific marker word... You get the picture. It will also reveal if the dog is totally untrained.

I'm sure I'll think of some other things later on - but I would also seriously urge her to consider going via a rescue where the dog will have been independently assessed, and there's backup if you have problems.

the thing is that many people do not want their beloved dog (who they have to give up) to go to a rescue where at 8 years old they may languish for months being overlooked for the cute cross breeds
no dog is perfect all have some triggers for reactivity - and with rescues they have such strict criteria that may be essential for many dogs and OTT for some of the older ones.
So if the dog does not match up at a rescue for the perfect home - what happens to them. Do they not deserve a second chance.

I prefer to give a dog a chance based on gut feeling while fully aware of as much as I can about the dog, its owners and its environment.
As I said - never a puppy/young dog via this method.
but I see I am a lone voice with my viewpoint.

dreary , lots of rescues will advertise your dog but allow it stay living with you whilst they find it a home and other rescues use foster homes so there is no reason for dogs to be in kennels , both are a better option than getting rid of your dog via the internet.

ah - I see I am outnumbered again on my views.
To me it is putting the dog first if one is advertised privately or through contacts. Just IMO
Good luck to you DM OP - I hope she finds a lovely JRT through whatever means.

just to add - it is not necessarily 'getting rid of the dog' - it is trying to get in contact with someone who will give the dog a good loving home.

“it is trying to get in contact with someone who will give the dog a good loving home.”

Or someone who will give it a shitty home... or use it as a bait dog for dog fighting...

That’s the issue, you have no real clue about who takes the dog.

no-one who cares about their dog and has a handful of common sense would use gumtree to rehome it.

And from the point of view of the person taking the dog on, you’re having to accept what someone says about it who either didn’t care enough about the dog or hadn’t enough common sense to rehome it sensibly.

I’m sorry but anyone who sells their pet / gives away their pet on the internet is ‘getting rid of it’ in my book , because as a loving pet owner it’s not something that I could even contemplate doing . Finding a new home through word of mouth acquaintances is a different matter as one assumes that even if the person who has the pet doesn’t know the person wanting the pet a middle man who is trustworthy does .

I think there's an enormous difference between rehoming a dog to friends or family who you already know and trust (and who ideally know the dog already) and rehoming it to someone who happens to see a Gumtree ad and ring up.

It's not entirely clear how my dog's first and second owners got in touch, but they weren't a preexisting contact; online ads seem plausible. 6 weeks later she abandoned the dog in her flat and moved out without making any arrangements for his care. He then passed, by default, to owner number 3 who was still living in that flat, but didn't know anything about dogs and was out the house for 14 hours a day. I ended up doing a lot of the care, and eventually he came to me. He was on his fourth owner before he was 2. This is, quite frankly, the mild end of what happens to dogs that are rehomed via Scumtree. I'm still trying to pick up the pieces.

No way on earth would I rehome via Gumtree - I know myself that I don't have the facilities to properly vet a prospective new owner. In the first instance he would go to DF, who adores him, and if that couldn't happen he'd go to a formal rescue - preferably Dogs Trust.

Does the friend have a war chest of money for if the dog turns out to have either
a) significant physical health problems that are preexisting and therefore won't be covered by insurance or
b) behavioural problems that require expensive input from a behaviourist?

No it's not an ideal way to rehome a dog but it doesn't necessarily mean the owners don't care. They might like the idea that they get to choose the person who their dog is going to and might just not realise that the person they are potentially going to rehome their dog to isn't necessarily who they say they are and could abuse their dog.

Some people are naive.

I've already had a conversation with my DCs that if I die before my dog does and none of them want to keep her they must not advertise her on line but rehome her through either a breed specific rescue or a known rescue. They wouldn't know that advertising her privately could result in someone taking her to use as a bait dog, for instance.

Some people might just not be aware, and likewise buying a dog from an ad. Some people might be inclined to take people at face value and accept that the people saying it's a lovely, beloved pet are telling the truth.

And in some cases they might be, telling the truth, that is.

I knew I would be flamed
but \I would hope you realise situations are never black and white. Unless a dog is aggressive/out of control most reactive berhaviour can be overcome (don't tell me a rescue checks for every possible reaction - parading men in hats or with brooms in front of the rescue dog ) and a home check of 30 mins could not possibly answer all the questions about the potential owner.
anyway - I am out
my privately rescued older dogs have been an absolute joy to me and grateful I gave them years of love and attention.

“my privately rescued older dogs have been an absolute joy to me and grateful I gave them years of love and attention.”

I’m sure they have been and are... but you’re advising someone else to take a risk that has the potential for some pretty serious consequences if it goes wrong.

My last dog was from a council pound, no background on the dog, no behavioural assessment... he was a great dog and I’d do it again, because that’s me taking the risk and I’m confident I can cope with any issues that arose.

I wouldn’t advise someone on here to do that because it would be completely irresponsible.

Please don't rehome a dog through Gumtree. You have no idea who these people are or what issues this dog may have. You also have no idea of his medical history, his previous homes or any other information about him (mannerisms, has he bitten before, etc).

Animals are not commodities to be bought and sold on the internet.

If I had to rehome my dog because of illness I would do it through word of mouth. Surely most people have friends, family (and friends of friends and family) who would rehome a well behaved healthy adult dog? Having said that, to me Gumtree is just an extension of the small ads that used to appear in local papers. Before the advent of the internet all my dogs were acquired through newspaper ads. Gumtree (et al) is just somewhere where you have to be very dilligent in making sure you are getting what you think you are getting. I think it is wrong to say you should never buy from there as 'all the dogs are either dodgy or from puppy farms', which is what some people would have you believe. I have never seen people emit so much bile for any of the many horse selling sites on the internet for example, but I can assure you there are just as many dodgy horse sellers as there are dog sellers.
Op, I hope you mother gets the dog she wants.

The difference being that to lots of horse owners ( not myself) selling a horse on is a normal thing to do , whereas dogs / cats are pets that you keep for life and when you buy a horse if you have any sense you go a couple of times at least and have it extensively checked by a vet . I’m sure lots of people find their puppy via online ads and again it’s a case of buyer beware but as has been said with an older dog it could have any number of issues and why would you expose yourself to that when there are ample older dogs in rescues who have been properly assessed and who can give you follow up support if necessary .

Thanks for your responses, went to see the dog in it's home yesterday and it's friendly and sociable and well loved. Genuine change of circumstances and the owner wants to be careful who she goes to instead of handing over to a rescue centre. We took it a long walk and that went well. We're going to have it for the day to see how it goes in our own house and garden and have a vet check but all seems positive thanks

Hope it works out for you OP.

Hope it goes well.