Romanian dog rescues

[Glitters100]

So Mumsnet, I need the help from doggy loving members.

We’re have spent the last 18 months looking into getting a puppy/or a rescue dog if it fits our needs and vice versa.

Once Covid happened we saw prices sky rocket so put plans on hold, but still kept an eye on what dogs are out there.

So we stumbled upon someone selling the type of dog we’re after, it ticked all the right boxes, in size, temperament, child friendly, low prey drive, minimum shedding...And in was in our price range.
After some digging I realised it was a Romanian dog rescue and the dog would be coming over from Romania if we gave the go ahead.

We have turned it down but it’s got me thinking, this page only has good reviews, nothing negative about them online. So people are using them and seem happy with it, and updated pics of their dogs show the dog is happy too.

Could I have your stories If you’ve used them or know someone who has used them- good or bad.

I’m going to be telling my teenagers these replies as they are disappointed that we’re not going for it, but they do grudgingly agree getting a dog from a proper breeder is best, if we can’t find one that needs rehoming.

Hope I don’t get shot down in flames with this post! We are still doing research into dogs so we can be the best owners when we get one.

What kind of dog do you want?

[quote compulsiveliar2019]@vanillandhoney have you actually had personal experience of rehoming a Romanian rescue dog? The internet is full of horror stories about all sorts some true others less so. It's rather harsh to write them all off based on a few stories.
My trainer actually says that foreign dogs are often the easiest of all the rescue dogs she works with. They can be challenging to begin with because they have next to no life in a household experience. But that the vast majority come round to being really good well rounded family pets
[/quote]
Not as a pet, no, but I'm a dog walker and have walked several overseas rescue dogs and have had very few good experiences I'm afraid. So I don't think I'm being remotely harsh.

Of course there are going to be those with good experiences, but along with that, you need to accept there will be horror stories too, and there's nothing wrong with people coming on the thread and telling those stories.

The last foreign rescue I walked was from Cyprus. He was incredibly nervous to the point of almost shutting down. If he was scared, he just wouldn't walk. He was aggressive with other dogs and unfortunately he was also a biter. The last time I walked him was when he bit me on the hand and ended up giving me two puncture wounds. He was promptly returned home and I told his owners I would no longer be walking him as the risk was far too great - not only to me but to other members of the public. I didn't feel like muzzling was appropriate as the dog was so scared of everything that muzzle training would have potentially scared him further.

I appreciate that's just one example but I think it's important for people to hear the negatives as well as the positives.

I’m really glad I started this thread as it’s made me smile listening to the good stories- dogs really do want to please their owners.

@Besom we’ve spent a lot of time looking at different breeds and I think we need to look at something small, like a Yorkie.

We have pet rabbits so the local rescues won’t let us adopt (rabbits are outdoor and separate from the dog but I understand they don’t want to take the risk), so we need a low prey drive dog.
We also have high school aged children.

Vanilla, I completely agree about hearing good and bad stories- it’s such a shame the cost of dogs (even for rehome) has gone up as it has made families that will provide living homes unable to afford one in the England.

Friend used to foster for a Romanian dog charity.
She fostered 4-10 at a time.
The weird part of this story is she had primary school aged child, so young child not a bar to foster.
I had impression the dogs varied in what kind of home they were suitable for, like all dogs. Plenty were great.

Some are genuine, I’ve a lawyer friend (army wife) who lives in Cyprus and she knows people who rescue them etc.

I think in your circumstances it would be a spectacularly bad idea!

I hear all the time about how all these dogs are - sweet, friendly, low prey drive, low shedding, love kids etc etc and I’m sorry but I just don’t buy it.

How can that possibly be so for the majority of these dogs considering their lives?

You are talking about dogs that have lived mostly on the street, that have had to catch and kill small animals for food and scavenge scraps, that have had to fight other dogs to retain food, that have had very little positive interaction with people, that in some cases have been beaten, hit by cars, seen other dogs in their cages poisoned etc etc.

How can the majority of those dogs possibly be what the “charity” says?!

I would have thought that a significant proportion would be deeply traumatised with severe behavioural problems like resource guarding, dog aggression, fear aggression to people, extreme prey drive etc and despite the positive stories in this particular thread, there are so, so SO many posts and threads on foreign dogs where the dogs have not been what they were reported to be and the owners are seriously struggling.

Don't do it. You don't know what you will be getting. As others have said, for every success story there is a fail story.

Why not wait/ save and get the puppy you really want?

No one has said they are all perfect. Equally dogs from breeders, rescues in the UK, or off Facebook aren't all perfect. Or all terrible either.

You work with what the dog brings. That's why all the usual applies. Make sure you have enough experience, money, support, resources, homework and time to give the new family member what they need.

@vanillandhoney it is equally important that positive stories are told to balance the negative. Having a dog of any description carries the risk of aggression. That's a fact. It is scaremongering to suggest that most foreign rescues turn out negatively.

@MrsJunglelow on what are you basing your assumptions! Do you actually have any experience with foreign rescue dogs?

[quote compulsiveliar2019]@vanillandhoney it is equally important that positive stories are told to balance the negative. Having a dog of any description carries the risk of aggression. That's a fact. It is scaremongering to suggest that most foreign rescues turn out negatively.

@MrsJunglelow on what are you basing your assumptions! Do you actually have any experience with foreign rescue dogs? [/quote]
I really don't think it's scare-mongering to give an opinion based on your own experience.

It's perfectly okay to think that someone with young children needs to be extremely careful when choosing a family pet. Choosing one that's potentially lived on the streets and could've been subject to all manner of abuse or poor treatment is a much bigger risk than choosing, for example, a puppy from a good breeder, or a dog from a rescue that knows the full story about the background of it's dogs.

It's not something I would risk around school-aged children myself.

I got one about 5 years ago from Romania. She's a lovely little thing, however she couldn't cope with the noise and chaos of a busy family home. I regimes her with my elderly mother and she is doing fantastically well. I would definitely recommend it.

It's perfectly okay to think that someone with young children needs to be extremely careful when choosing a family pet. Choosing one that's potentially lived on the streets and could've been subject to all manner of abuse or poor treatment is a much bigger risk than choosing, for example, a puppy from a good breeder, or a dog from a rescue that knows the full story about the background of it's dogs.

On my road there are; a pedigree dog who is a constant yapper with no recall and who bites but is the size of a large rat so whatever and; a rescue who has to be muzzled and warning signs on the house because it's frankly insane (and a bully breed so it could probably kill me). My foreign rescue looks pretty good compared to them.

There are street dogs with trauma and habits that are not conducive. But any dog could have those.

There are street dogs with trauma and habits that are not conducive. But any dog could have those.

Absolutely, but the chances are going to be higher with an overseas rescue, especially if the rescue have no idea of the dog's background. I'm not saying all foreign rescues are going to savage your children but I'd just caution people to do their research.

There are lots of charities out there and they're not all equal in terms of the work and research that they do.

My ex got two puppies who had been abandoned on the street in Romania. They were from a litter of six and had been separated from mum far too early and dumped. By the time he got them, they were 4 months old shad been in foster in the UK for a while.

It was a spectacularly stupid thing to do. Raising two mixed breed littermates from puppies is just asking for trouble, because every bit of training takes 5 times as long. He had no idea how big they would be. They were terrified of cars, people, dogs, noises, everything. There was resource guarding in the beginning and they had to be separated for feeding. They ate half his furniture and a couple of doors when left on their own,

But with all that being said, they grew and learned and are bloody gorgeous now. They love the kids and I have no worries about them being together.

Absolutely, but the chances are going to be higher with an overseas rescue, especially if the rescue have no idea of the dog's background.

My entirely unscientific theory is that these risks are balanced by the breeds. Most of the dogs left in the shelters in the rich countries seem to be stupid crosses, bully breeds, puppy mill 'pure breeds' and similar. The foreign ones are whippy-tailed, medium-sized mongrels. Just like my Battersea dog growing up. The dogs in rescues in the UK are the ones that were 'too much' for the people that handed them in, not just randomly street-living ones. Or they were seized for some reason.

I'd love to do a study, otherwise it's all anecdata.

Most problem dogs ive met have been bought as puppies by shit owners who dont know what theyre doing. Not rescues

You are talking about dogs that have lived mostly on the street, that have had to catch and kill small animals for food and scavenge scraps, that have had to fight other dogs to retain food, that have had very little positive interaction with people, that in some cases have been beaten, hit by cars, seen other dogs in their cages poisoned etc etc.

The rescue we used said that actually many of the dogs in kill shelters aren’t in fact ‘street dogs’ in this sense - not feral, never-been-in-a-home fighting for survival dogs, just unlucky pets who’ve been dumped and ended up on the streets when owners change circumstances etc. They’re often fed by well-meaning members of the public so not scared of humans at all and hang out in packs so well socialised with other dogs. In lots of these countries there’s no deterrent to people dumping dogs when their circumstances change, or the pup turns out not to be a good working dog for hunting or whatever, so the culture is very much just dump them rather than look to rehime them, The dog wardens just round them all up and put them in the kill stations.

Certainly our dog has great manners, came with basic training, had clearly lived in a household before and was obviously once someone’s pet.

Yes, much to consider if you want a rescue, from wherever, and you must do your due diligence, but we couldn’t find a suitable dog in UK rescue with over a year of looking. No regrets here.

We have a Bulgarian street dog that we got from a rescue run by a British couple. He was rescued with his mum and three siblings and the whole family live in the UK now. We've had him almost 2 years and we're very pleased with him.

Out dog is Romanian, never lived in a home before. He was born in the shelter and came over with his siblings at 15 months old. We actually fostered his sister first and then took him in when his fosterer was allergic to him. We wanted to keep both but she was terrified of my husband. In the end she found a great family and is all settled. Our love bug is perfect for our family. They're hard work to start with as they've never been in a home, but love kids (I think the lady that runs the shelter has kids) and all animals. My friend recently went through the same rescue and has had a good experience too. He's settled in well and house trained in a week. He's 6 months old.

I think you need to find the right shelter, but at least it's a rescue. So many people are duped by puppy farmers and think they're buying a family bred puppy that's actually not been cared for at all and is riddled with health problems. Getting a dog is rarely straightforward

@MrsJunglelow my rescue is scared of my friends rabbits. He's desperate to be friends, but as soon as he gets close, the rabbit thumps and he runs and hides at the other side of the garden. He adores all animals he's met, but will chase the fat pigeons out of the garden.
He does have a vice; he eats poop

He was a scaredy cat when we got him, but our dog walker now uses him as the intro dog to new dogs because he has such a great temperament.

I am not judging as have been sorely tempted myself in the past but decided it was better to rescue a uk dog as we have so many homeless ones here. However, if you look at DogLost, you will discover that 2 or 3 foreign rescue dogs escape every week, usually when just arrived or a few days or weeks later. They are huge escapologists having lived on the streets and if you do adopt one you should use 2 leads collar and harness for months. Don't let off lead for months and assume they can get through or over any hedge or fence. Never leave door or window open that they can nip through. There are many living rough in uk. A portuguese podenco, for instance, has been on the run for about 3 ir more years, is regularly seen but no-one has managed to trap her yet. Owner still desperate. Many escapees die within a few days on roads or railways . I tell you this because far too many rescue organisations do not brief their adopters about the need to be super careful to safeguard the dogs and the poor dogs suffer.

My Cypriot rescue has been an absolute dream apart from this afternoon when she ran away from DD and took herself home as she didn't appreciate the torrential rain

Streetdog doesnt mean they bite and guard. Often the opposite. They have excellent doggie social skills and understand dogs signals well as they have had to. It often depends on the background though.
Mine I can tell would have worked the tourists and restaurant tables like a charm, but she is quite nervous around food as in she takes a bit then eats elsewhere. Shes jumpy when shes eating but doesnt resource guard at all.

I wouldnt take on a feral dog though. I dont think those ones are usually rehomed. They must be assessed to see their character around people.

Its definitely not usually a case of plucking a dog from a free roaming dog pack and hoping it likes life as a pet - it wouldnt.

The fosterers should be able to give you advice on it. Choose the right rescue with decent back up obviously and avoid project dogs

We rescued our Romanian puppy when she was just over three months old. She's been a perfectly normal puppy, probably smarter than average as she learns commands really quickly and was also housetrained very fast. She does nip and bite but no worse than most puppies. She's incredibly friendly and absolutely loves people and other dogs but she does have what seems like a strong prey drive and she can't be trusted alone with the cats yet - we've had her about two months. I would say a young rescue mixed breed puppy from a reputable rescue (not breeder) overseas isn't too much of a risk and will just need training like any puppy. Ours cost £250 including transport and vaccinations.