Rescue dog - where??

[Amaretto]

I am thinking about getting a (small) dog and would much prefer to get a rescue.
The only place I know around us is the Dog Trust and our centre is very small so the choice is very limited (by the time the dog is put on the website, it’s already ‘reserved’).

Are there other rescue centres you would recommend?
Any advice on how to get on about it? I have noticed that often the dog will need us to visit a few times before coming home with us (which is fair enough!) so not having to travel 2 hours each time will make a difference!

Whereabouts in the UK are you? There are hundreds of smaller dog rescues dotted around - Google 'dog rescues near me' and you'll get an idea of what you have locally.

If you think of a breed you know and like the chances are that it will have its own rescue point. Try that. If not, go to a site about your favourite and see what they say. Probably wont help but rescue Greyhounds and Lurchers are delightful!

I tried that @spiderlight but I can’t say I have found anything!

Good idea to look by breed.

facebook often has rescue pages and many use social media to publicise which dogs need homes. many small rescue dont have fancy web pages so its a cheap option for them i run a guinea pig rescue and i use fb pages

There are lots of breed specific rescues that rehome nationwide so maybe look at some of those?

Where abouts are you OP?

I found the same with dogs trust, did much better with a breed specific rescue. Now I follow a few dog pages on FB I see loads more rescues when e.g. the local pet shop share posts. Get talking to doggy folk and hopefully you'll find one

I foster and homecheck for many tears animal rescue. They have hundreds of dogs all around the uk and at the centre in Wales. They mostly require a resident dog but there are puppies and dogs that can go as onlies. Good luck!

Rescues often have dogs in foster so just because the centre isn’t nearby, doesn’t mean a dog won’t be.

Spaniel Aid
Many Tears
Last Chance
Etc

We knew roughly what we wanted so approached breed specific rescues.

Have you told the rescue that you’re looking? You could ask them to be in the look out for the right dog for you?

I have a Many Tears collie, she was a 9 week old puppy when we got her, a Heathlands sprocker, he was 9 months old and our most recent addition is a (now) 16 week old English Springer Spaniel/Kerry Blue terrier cross who came from Spaniel Assist Rescue and Rehome (SARR), all our dogs have come from foster homes who knew the dogs really well and were able to match us well to what we were looking for.

Go and register with that DogsTrust and you will then have much more of a chance of getting a dog from them before someone else does. If you haven't registered, you will mostly be pipped at the post for dogs. I talked to DogsTrust when I was looking for a rescue and, though ultimately I got one elsewhere (there was a lot of choice where I live), I was impressed with how helpful they were. If you are registered, they can look out for a dog that would suit you.

If you are able to hint at what area/county of UK you are in, people might know what other rescues are possible for you.

Rescue Review has a comprehensive list of rehoming charities: www.rescuereview.co.uk

If you’re prepared to adopt a dog from abroad, the choice is sadly very wide. Have a look at Bid To Save a Stray Wonderland or Barking Mad Dog Rescue on Facebook.

Currently browsing myself and totally disheartened by the no dc /no dcats /no other ddogs. Sometimes on a ddog under 6 months! Feels like they have been written off from having a full family life!!

Whynosnowyet many smaller rescue organisations take a much more realistic approach to adoption criteria.

We have a while yet so will keep looking. Pointy hound wanted so needs to be young enough to accept our 2 rarely seen as it is dcats!!

we are now looking for a family dog

ive been looking on pets4homes as they seem to list lots of rescues nearish. you can filter by breed, price,distance etc also dogs where families can no longer look after their pet

its heartbreaking and i really struggle with all those little faces and sad eyes looking at me!

Thank you all.

I am going to contact the Dog Trust and see if I can go in their list so they can contact me if something comes up.
I agree with @Whynosnowyet about the requirements that seem to e over the top sometimes.

I am not sure about the breed tbh. It’s not really a criteria for me as such. The size is important (it has to be a small dog) and for the dog to be ‘easy going’ if that makes sense.
I’m in the NE .

I would ask for advice on your local FB pages.

We got ours from a kennels who are also the local dog pound. They rehome abandoned dogs and also take from rescues who have too many dogs. We have two children - the youngest was 9 when we adopted Ddog.

Please have a look at "Oldies Club" we have had three dogs now that were advertised through them and they have all been lovely.

www.dogsblog.com/

I gave up with dogs trust but got my rescue through following a couple of small rescue places on Facebook that I heard about via word of mouth - I've got lots of dog owning friends! I missed out on one suitable dog but because I had filled in a detailed application, the next one that came along was easy to apply for. It's partly being lucky - I had a day off work so I was the first interested person able to visit. My youngest is not quite 6 but they took a pragmatic view and let us foster then adopt. I think it helped that I'm friends with one of their regular volunteers. Don't give up!