Rehoming a spaniel

[EnsignRoLaren]

I’d love some recommendations about how to find an older spaniel to join our family. I have joined most of the springer/cocker/sprocker rescue sites on Facebook and a friend with a gun dog is asking around her contacts.

Is it the done thing to ask breeders if they have older animals needing homes?

We have a big secure garden plus another acre of land, and we have country walks on our doorstep. We have children (8 and nearly 5) and I mostly work from home, have a dog friendly office, and it looks like DH will be home for the next year or two at least. I don’t think we are ready for a puppy but we could give an older dog a lovely home.

It seems like unless I am willing to stalk every Facebook page for hours a day that we won’t be selected to rescue or foster. Is there another way to find an older dog or bitch? Thanks for any tips! 🙂

@Thunderpunt he’s such a sweetie! Saw him earlier but not suitable for young children. I’d be fine with a rescue as long as the rehoming centre thought we were the right family 🙂

Hi @EnsignRoLaren this is the reason we ended up getting a puppy. Nooks would even entertain us for a rescue. We work from home 3 days a week so only away for 2 but they said you have to be home full time (puppy will go to crèche) and we have my niece and nephew here several days a week (well pre lockdown) and they said no young kids too. It was impossible!!! I am happy now we have a puppy as at least we will know it has never been mistreated and can bring him up well socialised with kids.

Might be worth a try checking with some reputable breeders. I got my pedigree cats when they were aged two from a breeder who they were returned to. Some breeders will stipulate that if you ever need to rehome the animal to return it to them. And I had a friend who became unwell and couldn’t care for her Sheltie return it to the breeder.

Lots of reasons a breeder might have an adult dog to rehome, as above, a returned dog, a dog they were going to breed from but didn’t grow up to have the right characteristics. A dog that doesn’t take to being a mum/had a caesarian/too old etc so can’t be bred from.
They can’t keep all their dogs, especially if they are keeping puppies to further the line, they would end up with too many.

Thanks, everyone! Ok, worth trying a breeder or two then also. MIL’s terrier came that way - she wanted a litter from one of the young dogs but didn’t want to keep her forever, so MIL took her home.

Better to go through the breed club. That way any breeder you contact is less likely to be dodgy.

I have a rescue from Spaniel Assist Rescue and Rehome (SARR), I am a foster parent so have young children in the house too (younger than your children). I have also rehomed a lovely sprocker in the past via Heathlands.

(Gratuitous photo of our Alfred, a spaniel/terrier cross from SARR)

Well done you ... we have 3 spaniels (2 springers and a cocker) which we have been given.

Brucie, aged 4 when we were asked if we'd have him, due to family circustances of acquaintances.
Arnold, aged 4, family circustances, we had him for the w/end to see if he got on with Brucie.
Ossie, aged 11 from the people who holiday sat dogs in their home and were moving to smaller accom, no room, again stayed for w/end and got on with Brucie and Ossie.

We'd had a break from dogs for a couple of years prior to Brucie, but had another springer from a local dog rescue and a wonderful Heinz 57, from the Dog's Trust.

So beneficial getting a rescue. VETS also often have info about resuce dogs/dogs needing homes and there are the poor dogs in Romania or Greece and of course the RSPCA.

OP how about fostering?

We do it and specifically take in oldies with health issues and most end up staying with us. SAUK have a simple online form to fill out

Thanks @Froq - yes, fostering definitely an option and I filled out foster and adopt forms last week. We have had an auto acknowledgement but no contact. I hear that there have been floods of requests though - hopefully all people like us who have new work from home options that would never have been agreed before rather than people who are just bored!

@VerityB1 ooh you can’t tell me you have three without sharing photos!!

@bloodywhitecat I will have another look at the SARR paperwork and see if we can apply - sounds like you have an amazing home 🙂

Also @bloodywhitecat - he is adorable

Ah, I remember, the SARR volunteer form has been taken down - a shame as there are some lovely older spaniels in foster there.

I contacted a local breeder who will have three girls available over the next six months! They have good credentials and these are their first girls who will retire after their fourth litters. Apparently they otherwise use Spaniel Aid. Certainly worth keeping in mind. Thanks for the advice!

Yay. Breeders who pass their unwanted bitches onto a charity. What would we do without them. 🙄

I fostwe for spaniel assist. They take dogs from breeders, otherwise they are in danger of abandonment.

But its not something to celebrate. A breeder who is turfing out 3 breeding bitches and regularly does this, is a puppy farm, or at least a prolific backyard breeder.

I have adopted one and fostered several. You have to remember these dogs generally have issues. Especially ones kept for breeding. Your kids may be used to dogs but, they can come with a whole range of issue. Especially, ones used as a breeding machine

@EnsignRoLaren their bitches shouldn’t have had four litters. And ditching three bitches in 6 months? Bloody hell.

I appreciate the comments and take them seriously. I thought the same thing initially but the KC permits 4 litters so I didn’t discount them.

Anyway, I will keep looking at foster and adopt options.

It’s not that they “permit” 4. They refuse to register any further litters. Four litters per bitch is a lot. And to have three who have all reached that “maximum” in 6 months and to “rehome” them? At best commercial puppy breeders. Buy I would call that farming.

KC is a gaurentee of decent breeding practices.

Can you not see what is wrong with a breeder using a rescue to consistently get rid of dogs once they cant earn as much money out of them?

^yes.

Yep. KC just means pedigree. It doesn’t mean decent breeder.

Wow that’s horrendously sad I’ll never understand humans.

It’s a difficult position for the rescue to be in - report the breeders and risk them continuing as they are but no longer sending the dogs to the rescue or leave them to it and cause more misery for future dogs.

Deja vous.

Its real ethical dilemma for rescues.

Do they refuse the dogs?

Do they take dogs, remove and make money out them again? (Yes the money goes to the rescue but its still making money of them.

Rescues need to be careful, being a breeders regular dumping ground. Because then it can easily look like the rescue is making money from puppy farming/poor byb. Also some rescues have been known to buy these dogs to get them out of a bad situation. But they are compensating the twats and enabling them to continue.

Which they could be and maybe able to swallow it, because it enables to to help other dogs. But its not helping the actual problem.

Though not entirely convinced op is on the level, though. I mean come on, who speaks to a breeder who is turfing the dogs out once they cant have more breeds and then goes 'yay'.

Given that these dogs won't have been treated like pets, a sensible refuse wouldn't rehome them with young children. So it's not even good for the op.

The spaniel rescue community is quite small. I am sure someone would have flagged Spaniel Aid if they were helping support puppy farming or housing (foster or adopting) dogs with young kids that absolutely shouldn't be there.

www.instagram.com/p/CAcKn6Bnkx2/?igshid=mw9g5n850xyh

I wonder if this is the first of the breeder’s girls?