Disreputable Rescue Agencies

[beluga425]

We are looking at getting a dog. I would like a fairly young dog, puppy if possible and rescue just feels the right way to go.

I came on here a while back and was advised to look at various agencies in Greece and Spain. I was looking in detail yesterday and the sight of all of these thin hungry dogs needing homes is heartbreaking.

I have now found out that some? many? of these organisations are disreputable and are making money by transporting sick dogs (from in the case I just read) Serbia, getting them Romanian passports) and faking health records, basically trafficking stray sick animals illegally and for profit - so just as bad as the puppy farms we want to avoid completely.

Does anyone know where I can find out more, or whether there is some kind of registration that can help avoid supporting this trade?

Rescues in the UK are not regulated, anyone can set up a front to ship over "rescues" from abroad who are actually puppy farmed dogs. There's campaigns to change this at the moment, but that's how it is.

There's also increased risks of imported dogs bringing in illnesses we don't get here and they are not screened for. The only thing that's screened is rabies. Leishmaniasis and babesiosis are being seen in the UK for the first time now thanks to infected animals being imported in.

I would personally recommend looking at reputable well-established UK rescues with UK dogs. Importing dogs doesn't fix the dog problem in the countries they come from (if anything, fuels a trade of fake rescues over there). Support rescues in those countries who are doing in-country education and spay/neuter programmes instead.

Love Underdogs and Many Tears are good rescues.

OK, thanks bunnygeek I think that's changed my mind. Just not prepared to risk supporting puppy trafficking. UK it is then.

Leishmaniasis and babesiosis are being seen in the UK for the first time now thanks to infected animals being imported in.
I believe this is not quite correct. Babesiosis - yes, that has arrived in a few areas and is a danger. Leishmaniasis - no. Leishmaniasis dogs have come into UK (my old dog one of them but I would not have brought her if it could have been passed on - she had actually been given an expensive new treatment and never suffered any symptoms of it thereafter). However Leishmaniasis requires a specific sandfly, not quite yet native to mainland UK, to be passed on to other animals - it cannot be transferred by saliva/blood (bites) between dogs. The sandfly in question has now reached the Channel Isles so it is probably only a matter of time, as our climate gets warmer, until it gets here but, at the time my dog came over (2008), there was absolutely no chance whatsoever that her Leishmaniasis could have been passed on to other UK animals by one of those sandflies . As far as I know we still don't have the sandflies (or Leishmaniasis in native British dogs) on mainland UK.

Santerpaws Bulgarian Rescue are legit and above board. I recommend you look at their facebook group.

Also, Mutts in Distress rescue, Bishop Stortford take verified dogs from pounds in Romania and Bulgaria.

I can vouch for both the above rescues, who vet check, vaccinate and passport all dogs, and they have UK Rescue Back Up.

mrsjoy - dog to dog transmission of leish is now a concern.