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.

Rescues are often labelled as problem dogs. It's not the dog that's the issue it's the people in most cases that didn't train them or abused them. Any dog any age can be trained. If you want a rescue dog don't get one because it's cheaper get one because you want to give that dog a second chance. Get all the background and breed info from the shelter first. Be prepared to spend time training the dog. I got a rescue last year. Out of all my dogs he's the most loving and cuddly and obedient. He was not trained when I got him. Just because he's from a rescue doesn't mean he is a bad dog. I've know plenty of dogs far worse that were bought from breeders that were bad dogs.

@vanillandhoney

Also the idea that my 5 month old puppy who I've had since she was 3 months old is suddenly going to completely change her personality all of a sudden just because she's from Romania is ludicrous.

It's really not that ludicrous. And it's nothing at all to do with where she's from - it's a common phenomenon that's can be present in all rescues, regardless of their backgrounds.

It commonly takes 6-9 months for a rescue dog to completely adjust and relax. Probably it's going to be less for a young puppy, but it's worth considering that the dog you see at 2 or 3 weeks post-rescue may not be the dog you have a year later.

A quick google will tell you that it can takes months for rescue dog to settle (and by months, they mean 6-9 months, not 2-3). Being transported across Europe is a stressful experience even for the most loved family pet, let alone a nervous rescue who's going to meet a new family for the first time.

It's very common for rescues to "shut down" and be exceptionally placid at first. As they relax and settle, their true personality (be it good or bad) starts to emerge.

Nope.

My Romanian rescue is exactly the same 3 years on as she was on day one.
Confident, extremely loving, extremely friendly, house-trained, great around children, no resource guarding, playful (she hasn't 'grown up' at all in 3 years) great at recall/walking off lead (which admittedly I didn't start doing until I had her for about 2 weeks)

The only thing that's changed is she did chase the cat when they were both in the garden when she first arrived - but DDog realised pretty quickly who the real boss is!

Actually I forget, she did suffer a little from separation anxiety - she followed me around all day from the first moment (and still does, but less so) so I did take her to work with me or used doggie daycare for a few months, building up leaving her, after a few months I could leave her all day (9-4pm) twice a week because she preferred to sleep on the sofa than come to work at the office with me (sensible dog!)

@crunchtimes exactly.

On a similar thread a few days ago I was told that someone hoped I didn't have children, as DDog is a disaster waiting to happen because I said we've had her six months and she hasn't shown any aggression to people or other dogs, no resource guarding, is appropriately friendly but not over-friendly etc.

Apparently even after 6 months she might have a complete personality change, because she FOREIGN

Of course, if she was a British dog a few weeks in a UK shelter would be enough time for them to assess her, but 6 months of living in a family is far too short a time for foreign dogs.

And I did look at UK rescues for several months (this was all well before the Covid dog buying boom) and all the dogs were unsuitable breeds or were for rehoming because they had serious issues.

I haven't got the time/patience to undo someone else's neglect - I wanted a dog who would fit in with my lifestyle.

It was a gamble, but I've had a history of having pure bred puppies in my family, all the same breed & bloodline and they have all had completely different personalities, no idea what you were getting personality wise.

Taking a gamble on a rescue (even a foreign rescue) to me isn't that different taking a gamble on a puppy.

Apparently even after 6 months she might have a complete personality change, because she FOREIGN

It’s not because they’re foreign.

Nope.

My Romanian rescue is exactly the same 3 years on as she was on day one.

The fact that rescue dogs take months to show their true personalities was first raised in response to a poster saying that the dog they’d had for less than 24 hours was really well behaved. Ironically, the same poster started this thread 2 months later:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4117978-Dog-has-eaten-the-cooker-overnight-carnage

We took a chance on a Romanian rescue. Perfect dog for us and a loving, funny affectionate intelligent dog!