Two rescue dogs - making a choice

[tinselvestsparklepants]

After looking at a lot of rescue dogs and learning a lot about what we could/ couldn't cope with, suddenly we may have the choice of 2.

We are a couple in our 40s, rural house, large garden, walks from home, lots of exercise. No children. Quiet life. First time dog owners. Work from home.

Dog 1- private adoption from couple who can't give dog the attention they should after birth of a baby. Well socialised 3 year old lab.

Dog 2 - rescue centre dog. Dog hasn't been in long but seems to be full of joy, well socialised with people and other dogs. 1 year old. Needs some training. Comes with support of recuse centre. Breed - mixed, not known but looks like part collie. Dog was rescued from Romania.

We are suddenly in a position to meet two well socialised female dogs, which is fantastic, and we have been told we are top of the list for both. Both have no reported health issues.

We are ready to do this as we have been planning it for a year. We didn't think we would be considering private or rescue from abroad, but all the uk dogs we have seen so far have had serious issues that as first timers we didn't think we would cope with - which wouldn't be fair on the dog.

I'd welcome thoughts. It's a big decision. Older vs younger, rescue vs private? We want to get it right. With either dog we will be booking in 1-2-1 training classes for our own benefit.

I'm aware that neither choice is the ideal UK rescue. If necessary we will walk away from either / both - we are not going to do this unless we think it's right.

Have you met both dogs?

Going to meet them both this week, but trying to run through all the pros and cons before heart strings are pulled!

On paper, private sellers are always a bigger risk. Why would anyone sell a well-behaved well-trained adult lab?

Definitely meet the dogs in person, one or the other will pull your heartstrings and the rest won’t matter x

Personally, if I was happy with everything else, I'd meet both and see which one clicked with me the best.

As a first-time owner, I'd make very sure that neither dog had any serious issues.

Private re-homes are a risk because the previous owners are rarely completely honest. There's a recent thread about a privately re-homed lab: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4232459-Struggling-to-bond-with-new-dog

How did the rescue dog end up in the centre? Was it brought there straight from Romania or has a previous adoption not worked out?

100 percent go with rescue centre dog, she will be matched to you and you will have full support and rescue back up.

Personally I would take the Romanian rescue mostly because I have one and he is amazing plus she may be harder to rehome then the lab and you being a couple with no children and working from home sound ideally placed to take her. The owner of a 3 year old well behaved lab shouldn't have any trouble finding a nice home for it.

Is there anyway you could take both?

Get both

On paper I would take the lab, but as others say it depends on how honest the owners are being. If they would agree to a vet check I'd take the lab.

A mixed breed one year old from Romania likely to be a lot of work.

Who sells their dog because they’ve had a baby - disgusting behaviour so on that basis alone I would discount that dog as no way would I be giving those people any money . If they are ‘giving ‘the dog away then they should have done it properly through a breed rescue .

Romanian rescues can be just as dodgy as private rehomes, and a potential ex-street dog is likely to be a lot more work than a lab based in a private home.

However, with the private rehome, they could be completely lying to you.

I don't think either sounds like a good option, and I would keep looking.

If you know the lab owners and trust their story then I'd lean towards the lab. Be aware though that dogs don't really like being rehomed from happy homes and expect behavioural changes. An attached dog will grieve the change.

You can't know anything about the street dog, there could be all sorts of issues. I know they have their champions on here, however I think given there could be lots of unknown issues they're not right for a first time owner.

So on balance, I'd go for the lab.

Rescue centre. It's a wonderful feeling getting a dog out of the kennels and into a lovely home. No better feeling I wish more people would do it. Best thing we ever did

I would not touch a private Rehoming.I would go for the one with rescue back up. I say that as a fosterer whose had dozens of dogs over the years to get ready for their new homes.
One of my biggest bug bears with rescue is people putting dogs in rescue because their "child has an allergy" or "their going back to work" or the landlord won't let them keep the dog.
A lot of the time you discover within the first twelve hours the real reason they are in rescue.
The reality for a lot of dogs seems to be that the owners bought a cute little puppy who did tiny little wees and poos indoor and was small and easy to control on walks.
.Somehow or other training didnt happen and they're suddenly stuck with a big dog that isn't housetrained so it does huge wees and poos and drags them down the road on walks.These dogs are prone to separation anxiety so they destroy your house and damage themselves when left.
These unsocialised dogs chew your furniture, cock their leg indoors bark non stop and resource guard food.
The rescue and fosterer have got to make sure they've been flea treated,wormed, vaccinated and neutered and often clipped before you even start on behaviour.
Some young dogs have had three homes before the end up in rescue.
The sad thing is that they have a very uncertain future unless they be trained.

I wouldn't go for the Romanian dog because of the latent disease risk - brucellosis, ehrlichiosis etc.

I've had four very successful rescue dogs direct from owner, one was arranged by breed rescue (owners relocating to a very hot country and didn't think it fair on the old dog), one by his breeder as the owners had a baby and finding it hard to cope (we'd had one of the breeder's pups previously) one was a dog I knew locally whose owner became terminally ill, and one from a family member who died. We also had one failed rehome of a dog via a friend of exH where the owners really underplayed the dog's issues and he attacked one of our cats who had to be PTS.

Did the dogs grieve for their previous owners? yes, I think they did, but the most traumatised dog I've had is my little RSPCA terrier X, who I think was a loved dog, he was traumatised by being in a Irish pound, shipped over here, then put into RSPCA kennels, he had one failed rehome (fighting with another dog in the family) and then came to me. I thought he was a bit dim at first tbh, but he was just totally shut down.

I know people on here have had successful Roumanian rescues, but I wouldn't go for one, and I'm experienced with rescues, including a street dog many years ago. If you get good feelings about the lab then I agree with Holdon, on balance the lab sounds the better option.

@Postapocalypticcowgirl

Romanian rescues can be just as dodgy as private rehomes, and a potential ex-street dog is likely to be a lot more work than a lab based in a private home.

However, with the private rehome, they could be completely lying to you.

I don't think either sounds like a good option, and I would keep looking.

@Postapocalypticcowgirl that's rubbish? Do you actually have ANY experience with Romanian rescue dogs of are you going of hear say. A reputable Romanian rescue is just as good as a uk based rescue.

Meet each dog and take it for a walk. Avoid anything reactive or anxious if possible. On paper the lab sounds a better bet but in reality, either could be a ball of trouble.

I would avoid the labrador at all costs as I absolutely detest them. Our ex-street dog is amazing so I wouldn't hesitate to meet the Romanian rescue and see if you would be a good fit together. Ours is also part collie and gets on so well with our two working dogs. We live a similar rural lifestyle to yours.

@Dobbyafreeelf Do you understand what "can be" means?

But I have heard an awful lot of horror stories, including from people I know directly, so more than just "hearsay".

Maybe there are some good ones out there, I don't know, but there are a lot that can leave people with a very tricky dog and limited support- and that's before you get into the issue of rescues not doing the correct health checks etc.

Part collie? How much walking are you prepared to do - they need a LOT of excerise

@Postapocalypticcowgirl

Romanian rescues can be just as dodgy as private rehomes, and a potential ex-street dog is likely to be a lot more work than a lab based in a private home.

However, with the private rehome, they could be completely lying to you.

I don't think either sounds like a good option, and I would keep looking.

I don't necessarily agree with the last sentence - but I do with the rest of this.

I have come across a fair few re-homed "Romanian" (and other countries) dogs, and many have problems settling into a domesticated life as a pet. They may not be insurmountable, but they can be hard work, and I wonder how effectively a first time owner could cope with this. I think you'd need to be sure that you were willing to manage with whatever a street rescue throws at you - it's not an easy choice for a first dog. Also, be aware - there are some fantastic rehoming rescues from other countries - there are also some real scam artists and some even have links to criminal organisations - sadly even rehoming dogs through rescue has now been spotted as a lucrative scam.

Equally, the lab story may be true - unless you have proof of provenance though, it could be older, have health or behaviour issues, and/or have been used as a breeding dog.

I wouldn't necessarily discount either option - both could work out. But I would definitely do your due diligence, and if you have any doubts, wait and find a better option.

I've removed from both situations. The biggest thing to remember with a private adoption is that it's very rare that that we'll behaved dog needs rehoming as a balanced well trained dog will fit in with baby. That's not to say they are beyond redemption just that you need to be aware. It's really useful if you can observe how the lab behaves in their family environment, because this is more likely how they are, the dog in rescue and the lab if you take it on your own ofter revert to 'best behaviour ' because they are unsure
Agree that meeting them both is a good idea.

Dog 2. And advise dog 1 couple to relinquish yheor pet to a rescue who will adopt out to suitable adopters