I have a Romanian Rescue Dog - AMA.

[Youdonut]

Hoping this will be useful for anyone considering taking on a Romanian Rescue dog, as I see this topic come up fairly frequently.

Not claiming to be an expert, far from it, but I can share some honest and real experiences so you can get a feel for what you may encounter. We got our dog direct from the rescue - no UK middleman. So when she left Romania, she came straight to our door. We are 3 months in, very early days. However, seen various threads where people are pulling their hair our after a week or two, or asking if they think a Romanian rescue dog would fit their family. Whilst a handful of people have a relatively easy ride with such dogs, it is the exception not the rule. Very hard work, yet very rewarding.

Only one persons opinion/experience, but hopefully it may be useful to someone.

I should add - this thread is not intended to be a topic on the debate of rescuing from the UK or Abroad, it's done to death and if you want to discuss it, please do so elsewhere.

@inquietant my questions where completely ignored... I wonder why.

I had a rescue dog from Battersea many many years ago. They could tell me a lot about the dog I chose, the aftercare was ace and they were prepared to take the dog back, should things not work out.

(Had her for 12 years!)
I just wondered if something similar is in place for these street dogs.

Lonecatwithkitten

Leishmania can only be transmitted by a sandfly, which we do not yet have in UK (apparently it has now reached the Channel Islands and will doubtless eventually come here with global warming going on). Therefore, dogs that have come in with Leishmaniasis cannot infect other dogs or humans.

Ehrlichia is, in theory, transmissible by dogs imported from overseas if they still have a infective tick or ticks on them when they arrive.

Questions about diseases are best directed to DEFRA really because they decide what to monitor and how - if you’re seeing sharp increases in some of these in your area then obviously notify them, lobby your MP etc

Bringpizza -

No, it was a headline on the Vet Times a few months ago, plus I have heard of a number of vets who had seen 9week old pups with the paperwork of older pups - is too young to have been legally imported with rabies vaccine.

I hate to break it to you @mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork they are not only transmitted by vectors. Having had to fund a screening for an employee who had a stick injury when handling an infected dog imported to the UK despite knowing it was infected. This dog had skin lesions which dramatically increases the risk of human infection. Myself having to have erlichia screening after a skin breach injury with an imported dog, blood to blood transfer is possible.
As a vet who regularly has to deal with these dogs even with infected dogs are not advised by the rescues of the potential zoonotic risks.

@Tamingofthehamster hopefully new limits and restrictions on commercial
Imports tomorrow will bring so changes.

I wanted to thank the OP for this thread.

I have owned dogs as an adult and grew up with a GSD cross. I walk friends’ dogs for pleasure and having lost our adopted dog 2 years ago, I’ve been thinking about trying to rescue another.

We have two young children 3 and 7, so understand why we might not be suitable for a rescue dog and why many UK rescues are a blanket “no”.

I really didn’t want a puppy, so those Romanian/Hungarian/Bosnian websites offering to rehome to young families, many dogs marked as “good with children” are oh so tempting.

Your post has made me think twice and have a word with myself! I think I have been naive about it all. It is surprising how many times people recommend foreign rescues to young families on our local FB page.

Why Romanian? Do they have a lot stray dogs there?

Will the rescue take the dog back if you're unable to keep it for any reason?

@MarinPrime I asked the same question up thread but never got an answer.

I assume that these types of rescue centres are not able to take the dogs back.

Think about it, most are placed for a short time in a Foster family and then moved on to the recipient. Sometimes they go straight to the recipient.

I believe that if a placement falls through, there isn't a physical place to return the dog to.
So UK rescues will be taking in the dog ...

@Youdonut please correct me if I am wrong, preferably with evidence! This is MN after all.

Not a Romanian but we've just rehomed a 1yr old Spanish dog if this is useful to anyone:

He has slotted into family life (kids are 4 and 7) very easily - he has a wonderfully gentle nature, is a real cuddle monster, happy to sit and watch/sleep for large parts of the day and isn't fazed by them running about and being noisy. Toilet trained pretty much within 2 or 3 days, doesn't chew (so far!) and has picked up walking in a lead/harness very easily. After nearly a month here we are still seeing bits of his personality emerge (like starting to play). I'm sure there will be issues to overcome but so far it's been fairly plain sailing.

I did a lot of research, am part of a very detailed FB force-free training group which I'm learning a lot from, and have scrupulously supervised interactions with the kids, clicker trained him, gave him loads of time and space to just chill out after the journey etc.

He was born in an informal rescue and raised by kind (English) people alongside the rest of his litter and other rescued dogs and cats on a large farm. I think there are more dogs in Spain which are in need of homes but have had decent human interaction, compared to Romania where the situation is pretty dire in terms of strays/dog catchers/kill pounds.

@Ylvamoon @MarinPrime in my case I have rescue back up with a small breed-specialising Uk based rescue who rehome dogs from Spain to UK. They have a large network of fosters etc here, provide support and advice and would rehome our dog if for any reason the placement broke down.

I have deleted the longer version of my story because in retrospect it was quite outing and I don't want to be identified by the rescue.

But suffice to say -- I did tons of research, thought I found a very reputable organisation (they said and did all the things you are meant to look for), the dog I got has very serious issues that were not disclosed, and I am still trying to get them to take the dog back.

I would not recommend anyone adopt directly from Romania. Behavioural issues may not present until the turn up in the UK, and even a rescue that seems reputable can make it very difficult for you to give the dog back once it's with you. You are then stuck with a dog that has serious behaviour issues and is potentially unsafe in your home, and no rescue will want to help you because no one else will want the dog either.

I spoke with lots of people who'd adopted Romanian dogs with no problem via social media etc so thought I was well informed. In retrospect I think there is probably a very vocal minority of adopters who get a dog with few problems. Those of us who have lived a nightmare with our dogs will quietly try to forget the experience and our stories will not be heard as loudly. When it goes badly, it goes really badly. And I think this most happen more often than anyone lets on. Don't let promises of UK back up make you feel like you can just hand them back if it doesn't work out because it's not always that easy and then you are stuck with them.

Old post, but DEFRA has suspended Romanian and some other Eastern European commercial imports because of faked paperwork.

Brucellosis canis brought in via a Romanian dog fostered by a well meaning woman caused the death of her four dogs and she too became infected. (2022)
Brucellosis is no joke.
Local vets are really concerned about new parasites coming in as well as Rabies risk.

These dogs need spay neuter treatments in countries of origin, to stop the lucrative cross border trade in dogs and puppies.

They are often aggressive to people and other dogs, and the well meaning people who buy them get out of their depth very fast , so the dogs ends up in a UK shelter or worse.

One Romanian dog dealer said “ The more disabilities, the more money comes in”