So hard to adopt a rescue, feeling peeved.

[MrsKingfisher]

My dad has been looking for a companion for a little while now, we've had dogs growing up and he has also had various breeds throughout his life.

He has the experience needed for a particular dog he liked who's been in the dogs home 14 months but the receptionist just barked he's unsuitable. Apparently his experience is not enough, she was really quite rude.

I fear this dog will be stuck in this place for years because the manager who's also a behaviourist apparently cannot find the right home. How on an application you can tell I don't know.

Feel sad for my dad and this lovely dog who really needs a good home which dad could've provided.

Lovely dog bunny

However, even setting aside there is a difference between ‘living with children’ and ‘living with children aged ten and over’ she will need to be on a lead and muzzled in public, so new owners will need to not be phased by this

And she cannot live with other animals.

I’m really sorry, I hope she gets a great home, but she is not the perfect family pet you are depicting her to be.

@Welcometonowhere

Lovely dog bunny

However, even setting aside there is a difference between ‘living with children’ and ‘living with children aged ten and over’ she will need to be on a lead and muzzled in public, so new owners will need to not be phased by this

And she cannot live with other animals.

I’m really sorry, I hope she gets a great home, but she is not the perfect family pet you are depicting her to be.

The muzzle is standard for ex-racing Greyhounds and is what most responsible ex-racer owners do. It doesn't mean they're savage - you're only in danger if you're a rabbit or squirrel. They are also notorious for poor recall in open spaces (as are many other breeds like Huskies). Again, very typical for all ex-racing Greyhounds. They can still make fabulous family pets. We had a elderly ex-racing Greyhound office dog, he spent 90% of his time asleep and you never heard a peep from him. He was scared of the tiny terrier in the office too.

And not living with other animals is very typical for many dogs. My last pair of rescue rabbits ended up being handed over to rescue as they were harassed by the family dog.

I think a lot of people are too quick to assume they'll find a perfectly well behaved dog from the off in rescue. Most dogs are signed over for behavioural reasons - either they're too boisterous, they won't stop chasing the cat, they've nipped someone, they've got separation anxiety and have destroyed the house or they've developed resource guarding. Yes all these are fixable but it takes time.

This is why many full time workers may get turned down - sure a dog can probably be left for 1-4 hours BUT it may take months before they're able to do that, not a week after they've adopted the pup. If the rescue feels like they're going to adopt the dog and then go off to work the following day and leave the dog for 4 hours then they're going to say no.

Rescues don't owe people dogs, they owe the dogs the right homes. Are all rescues perfect? HELL no. But that doesn't mean they're not all trying.

I know all that bunny, I had a greyhound myself once. They are large, they generally can’t be walked off lead, they need muzzling, they have a strong prey drive, they often struggle with toileting. That’s why I don’t think they can be described as a perfect family pet.

She will be someone’s perfect pet. But shaming people for not going down the rescue route is not fair.

A rescue dog isn't for everyone. But shaming rescues because they didn't give someone a dog is also not fair.

Finding a rescue dog that fits into a family can take months. People are too impatient at the moment and there's a lot less dogs being signed over as well - they're being sold on Gumtree instead.

A good breeder should have as long a list of requirements for a new home for their puppies as a rescue. It's the breeders who just hand over dogs for cash without asking questions that are the bigger problem - those are the messed up dogs that will be in rescue in a few months time.

No, of course not, but the problem is that when people mention buying a puppy people immediately get arsey and demand to know why they are doing this and not rescuing.

A good breeder should absolutely vet the homes the puppies will go to, but many of the issues that will cause problems for a rescue centre don’t apply when you’re buying a puppy.

I think we are saying the same things, really, that what is important is that people are prepared to wait for the right dog, whether thats through an ethical breeder or a rescue centre and prepared to make adjustments to their life.