Has anyone managed to get a rescue dog lately?

[Boopear]

This is a bit of a rant, but I would really appreciate some advice. This whole endeavour is driving me mad.

I have been trying to get a rescue dog for about the last year - basically since lock down started. Before we go down any rabbit holes, yes, I am WFH for the foreseeable. I even have confirmation from my boss to this effect. I also own my house, with secure garden and excellent access to great walking areas. I do have some criteria which restricts options - I have a cat, I don't have another dog and, tbh, I don't want a dog that requires huge amounts of exercise (a collie for example), a tiny breed or a dog that is likely to be stronger than me (a bull type). I'm also not keen on a old dog (above 7), just because I want to have time to enjoy it before the likelihood of medical issue arises (I appreciate there are exceptions to this). Apart from this, I'm pretty flexi. Oh, and no small kids - just a teenager.

So, while not having a "anything goes" approach, I have still made about 50 applications over the last year, from small local rescues to the national ones. I keep on top of Facebook pages, look at websites daily and basically spend significant amounts of time trying to find suitable dogs. I've spent hours putting together pictures of garden, the house and writing longs spiels trying to persuade the relevant rescue that I am the perfect parent for their dog. And I am getting nowhere. I haven't even got to the "house check" stage. I've even given up with some rescues as they don't even confirm that an application has been received.

What has prompted this post is a litter of Shih Tzu puppies that came onto Many Tears yesterday (17:00), I eMailed straight away and by 8.00 this morning they had been allocated to families. I do appreciate the huge demand (especially for puppies) but how do I get on this mythical listing of people ready to allocate dogs to? Is it all just bad luck or is there something fundamental I am missing? Help me please, oh wise ones, as it is really getting just so disheartening..

The rescue that I referred to earlier (not my greyhound) was brought over from abroad but then the local rescue helped her out.

I wouldn't have considered a dog from overseas but here she is and she's awesome.

Nope - I mentioned on another thread I’ve been looking for about 2 years... I also have a cat and finding a dog that’s active enough for me and also cat friendly is hard, add in covid and it’s near impossible.

I know one I applied for in July received 660 applications in a few hours...

It sounds like a nightmare for anyone who genuinely would like to get a dog for their family. The only thing I would like to add is maybe don't overlook an older dog - I rescued my girl when she was 7 (10 now). She is still really fit and healthy. You kind of take a chance on any age dog, health wise. An older dog are (sometimes) calmer, wiser and they can still be trained no problem :)

We tried for months too. Ended up getting a foreign rescue via a local centre that specialises in foreign rescue. It’s frustrating but I can see that demand is really high,

Have you tried Wild at Heart foundation? A friend tried them and said they’re amazing. Might be worth looking up.

Thanks again all for all the recommendations. On the foreign rescue front, has anyone done this who already has a cat? If so, how did it go? I have always been a tad wary of the transition from being a dog that has often been living on the street into a home with a cat, but my fears may be unfounded..

@Boopear

Thanks again all for all the recommendations. On the foreign rescue front, has anyone done this who already has a cat? If so, how did it go? I have always been a tad wary of the transition from being a dog that has often been living on the street into a home with a cat, but my fears may be unfounded..

I adopted three galgos from Spain through Galgos del Sol. I lost two of them in the past 4 months and am considering adopting again but Brexit has put things on the back burner for a while. GDS cat check their dogs and there are many facebook pages connected to the rescue showing dogs living very happily with cats (and rabbits and chickens!) I does depend on the individual dog but when the Brexit rules situation is sorted they are worth considering The photo shows my three brilliant boys - the only one left is the brindle

I applied to many tears for a couple of dogs under age 1. In response to one application I was told that they didn’t like that I was working from home, they thought that would stop me giving the dog 24/7 attention. I’d put in the form that I had adequate annual leave to take leave for a couple of weeks to settle the dog, and then work 50% hours for a couple of weeks after that. I don’t know what else I could do - if I didn’t work I couldn’t afford a dog.

I got a rescue a few month ago. He was a pup. There is dogs and puppies but I suppose it depends where your looking. Try smaller rescues rather than the big shelters. Not all rescues have issues. The amount of untrained dogs with issues have been these untrained lockdown puppies. Mine wasn't trained nor toilet trained but he is now he still is a work in progress but hes 34kilo so a big pup. I got him as I have breed express. Some breeds are not recommended to first time dog owners or unless you have owned that specific breed. I also own cats. Don't worry plenty of dogs will be in rescues soon once the novelty of these puppies wears off.

Have you actually registered with any rescues or are you just checking their websites and applying for a dog then? If you register with them and ring them up, say, once a week to see if they have anything that will suit you, you are much more likely to be successful when something does come up (and can maybe reserve it to see it before others). Also, some rescues (if not most) have more dogs available than appear on their websites - if you keep in touch with them, they will be able to let you now if any new dogs are suitable for you. I have a rescue - I got her when I did not WFH although do not get much work in the winter months so not working FT week in, week out. I live alone in a flat. Both RSPCA and Battersea were fine with this, having been assured that I would pay for a dogwalker to walk my dog for one hour halfway through every working day. Once I'd registered I got the a dog within about 2 weeks (I was after a staffie cross, which were coming into rescue regularly - BTW a staffie cross on the slim/small side would not be too much for you to manage - mine doesn't pull except when she sees a squirrel and even then I can manage her fine).You probably don't live near Battersea (who have a branch in Old Windsor too) but I imagine there is an RSPCA not too far from you. (I live about 15 miles from Battersea but they waived a home check as they were convinced, from their interview with me and pics of my flat/garden and knowing my previous dog experience that I would be suitable, so I was lucky as that could have taken a while).

I’d just get a puppy tbh.

It’s sad for those dogs in rescue but as a PP said, a significant proportion of those dogs will have issues, hence why they are in rescue and while I do appreciate that rescues don’t want dogs bouncing from home to home their process is an absolute joke!

It’s restrictive to the extreme.

No homes with small gardens, no small homes, no workers even if part time or even WFH sometimes, no rentals, no children, no people with no experience of a particular breed, no cats, the list just goes on and on and on and on...
Its a miracle anyone ever gets adopted!

We gave up.

2 teens
2 cats was a massive no go

This is despite

Me being a VERY part time worker
Dh working from home
Living in a large house where we can separate cats and dogs easily
Living very rurally with fields and walks on doorstep
Enclosed secure garden
Being an ex veterinary nurse myself and life long cat owner and not an idiot

Still didn't even get a call back

We now have a puppy
And so it goes on.

OP if you're working FT even from home I would STRONGLY advise against a rescue from abroad, or at least research the shit out of the organisation and only look at those that foster in the UK before finding homes. Those coming direct from abroad aren't your average dog. It is a full time job to rehabilitate them, and you really need a wealth of knowledge, access to a good behaviourist and vet asap (which in lockdown is very difficult). I have a romanian rescue and I wish there was more control and regulation around them.

We were approved by home to home Romanian rescue though we didn’t end up adopting through them but once approved they sent us absolutely tonnes of options almost all were cat and child tested according to them. They seemed very rigorous and keen to match right pet to right home

This year less dogs have been handed in and calls for dogs to be adopted from rescues has doubled, if not tripled. It's gone insane, rescues are flat out, often working with a lot less volunteers or no volunteers at all and staff-only if they have them.

Then you have one poor member of staff gritting their teeth as they advertise a litter of puppies online, and that poor person then having to go through the 1,000 (or more) applications to find their new homes. Ultimately most easy dogs are going to find their perfect matches, rescues can pick and choose perfect homes. They literally can't call back every single person, it would take a vast team of people to do that and most rescues, even the big ones, just don't have the capacity.

As for cats, many can't cat-test (you're not going throw a poor cat in with a new hound to see what happens are you now). Those that could do some cat-testing previously now can't because of restrictions.

is there a perfect rescue dog out there for you? Yes. Has it been signed over to rescue yet? Probably not.

The majority of dogs being handed over at the moment seem to be ex-racing Greyhounds (most tracks haven't been racing over 2020), or dogs with behavioural issues. Then there are also dogs who've come in because their owners are sick or have died, including from Covid, if those have come from homes with elderly people (most likely in these situations) they may well not be so kid-friendly (otherwise existing family often take them in).

Rescues can only rehome the dogs they get signed over, if the dogs they get signed over are for reasons such as being too bouncy, chasing the cat, nipped at a toddler, severe separation anxiety etc etc, that's not the rescue's fault.

You might get lucky and find a dog tomorrow or you might have to wait another year for all this virus madness to calm down before you get a look in.

Once lockdowns end, once jobs start to revert to more normality, waaaay more dogs are going to be signed over. Rescues are dreading it somewhat.

We adopted through Pads4pooches in the end and their Uk volunteers were lovely and dedicated. However I think there were a few issues with communication with their Bosnian counterparts...we were expecting a dog and got a bitch pup, but didn’t matter to us and we all absolutely adore her. Could imagine some people might have been a bit put out though!

I will also add that those who have been unsuccessful adopting tend to shout a lot louder than those who have adopted a new dog, so it does often seem a bit unbalanced online.

once approved they sent us absolutely tonnes of options almost all were cat and child tested according to them
I highly, highly doubt the majority actually were.
How could they be?
A life on the streets?
Where they have to scavenge and/or hunt to survive?
Where they are viewed as vermin and hit/chased/run over/stoned/poisoned?
How could such dogs possibly be child and cat safe?

The huge volume of people alone that have adopted overseas rescues who have turned out to be absolute horrors would suggest most of these dogs have significant behavioural problems.

And that isn’t even mentioning the issue of breeding mongrels deliberately under the guise of ‘rescue’ or stealing pets.
Imo, the majority of Romanian dogs who actually are relatively problem free are not genuine street dogs, they are deliberately bred or stolen.

I would like to see an end to overseas ‘rescue’ personally

I feel your pain, we are in the same position. But I do have young children so it is an automatic NO for most dogs (dont get me started on that? why cant an average puppy be re-homed with children)
But it is always a no, Many tears had a litter of 8 pups on Monday, we waited all day refreshing the page, got the application as soon as they were advertised, but all gone within 10 mins.
I dont know how you do it? Its pushing people to buy dogs.

I work with dogs professionally and also I volunteer with a local small rescue and do short term fostering regularly. My cat is a tough cookie and has been the 'cat test' several times. I could have permanently adopted four of these dogs if I wished. In fact I don't wish, it suits me better to work with dogs during the day and occasional overnights and weekends. When the day comes that I do want a permanent dog in my life, probably when I retire, I know I will have my pick. Building up a volunteering relationship with a particular rescue might be your way ahead OP.

I’ve sent you a dm, OP

“I’d just get a puppy tbh.”

That’s not much easier...

I’m on waiting lists for a puppy too, but planned breedings aren’t happening because of covid.

It’s basically just a really shitty time to be trying to get a dog.

@Snaplittledragon

once approved they sent us absolutely tonnes of options almost all were cat and child tested according to them I highly, highly doubt the majority actually were. How could they be? A life on the streets? Where they have to scavenge and/or hunt to survive? Where they are viewed as vermin and hit/chased/run over/stoned/poisoned? How could such dogs possibly be child and cat safe?

The huge volume of people alone that have adopted overseas rescues who have turned out to be absolute horrors would suggest most of these dogs have significant behavioural problems.

And that isn’t even mentioning the issue of breeding mongrels deliberately under the guise of ‘rescue’ or stealing pets.
Imo, the majority of Romanian dogs who actually are relatively problem free are not genuine street dogs, they are deliberately bred or stolen.

I would like to see an end to overseas ‘rescue’ personally

As I said “according to them”. I didn’t attempt to test the veracity of those claims so I will never know. However almost every second person we have met since adopting (and our pooch is super sociable) has adopted from overseas and all are happy they did. I know they go wrong and I know it’s a gamble (as per my PPs), I was just sharing our story which happened to be a positive one.,,

Cyprus rescues are often British run/linked with foster families and young dogs, including puppies. Never met anyone who regretted it.

I gave up on rescues. They want older people (but not too old) who don’t work, live rurally, no children (including visiting children) and have no near neighbours with dogs!!! We pick up our puppy next week.