Adopting from Romania

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I’ve been thinking of getting a pup for a long time, the breeder I was recommended has just had a litter but hiked their prices to a ridiculously high amount I’m not prepared to pay

I’ve been put off trying for a rescue because of the really high demands - I understand why the centres want to find the best homes- I don’t meet. The dogs either need another dog around, a rural no noise neighbourhood, can’t be left alone, have guarding issues, no children or all of the above! I live in a city with a small garden and feel confident I could provide a good home, to a pup.

I see puppies and young dogs for adoption in Romania and wondering has anyone else adopted from abroad?

My brother went a Romanian rescue and returned the animal after two weeks.

They were refused at U.K. rescue places because they both worth full time and had two young very energetic children. The Romanian rescue place did not even meet them and the dog they were told that was great with kids turned out it wasn't.

There's a few Facebook groups where when dogs go missing or run off people help look for them and at one point they asked people to please reconsider going through Romanian rescues because some of the dogs are not suitable for new owners or those with young kids due to the history and some rescue groups aren't doing what's best for the dogs and putting stressed anxious animals in homes that are totally unsuitable and then they bolt or dig their way out. When it becomes clear the the dog has a lot of needs and needs a lot of time and work, they get returned to the rescue place and passed about.

I'm not saying all Romanian rescue places are like this but some are. There was a thread not too long ago where someone had been given a Romanian rescue dog that was totally unsuitable for a busy family with a few young children and that went wrong.

@AndroidsAliensAndWizards

My brother went a Romanian rescue and returned the animal after two weeks.

They were refused at U.K. rescue places because they both worth full time and had two young very energetic children. The Romanian rescue place did not even meet them and the dog they were told that was great with kids turned out it wasn't.

There's a few Facebook groups where when dogs go missing or run off people help look for them and at one point they asked people to please reconsider going through Romanian rescues because some of the dogs are not suitable for new owners or those with young kids due to the history and some rescue groups aren't doing what's best for the dogs and putting stressed anxious animals in homes that are totally unsuitable and then they bolt or dig their way out. When it becomes clear the the dog has a lot of needs and needs a lot of time and work, they get returned to the rescue place and passed about.

I'm not saying all Romanian rescue places are like this but some are. There was a thread not too long ago where someone had been given a Romanian rescue dog that was totally unsuitable for a busy family with a few young children and that went wrong.

Then your brother is an idiot! He's the issue not the poor dog! He shouldn't have even considered having dogs if they both work full time and have young kids. Completely irresponsible. I suspect they lied too to be allowed to rehome a dog!

Then your brother is an idiot! He's the issue not the poor dog! He shouldn't have even considered having dogs if they both work full time and have young kids. Completely irresponsible. I suspect they lied too to be allowed to rehome a dog!

I agree it's not the dogs fault at all and he's a total idiot. I never once said the issue was the dog. I fully agree with you.

He didn't lie to them though, the Romanian rescue place knew they both worked full time and had two young children. His mil lives two doors away and would be able to pop in at lunchtime to feed and let out for wee etc and they were more than happy with that. I've seen the correspondence with my own eyes because I couldn't believe that a rescue place would give them a dog without even arranging a meeting first but that's exactly what happened.

This was about five years ago and since then I've heard of plenty of other families turning to foreign rescues because the U.K. ones are "too strict" and they get declined. I wish he was unique in that sense but I've heard of enough people around me and on here to know he's one of quite a few who get a dog while working full time with young children and then can't manage the dog's needs. It's not fair on the dog.

We adopted from Hungary, right on the border with Romania. Our dog was around 18 months when she came to live with us, and had been in the shelter since she was four months, had basically grown up there. A street stray before.
She is the best dog we have ever had. So easy to train, recall 100% ... this is a first for us! Friendly with other people and other dogs. Absolutely loves us and we reciprocate. Can be left alone with her chewy toy but is delighted when we return.
Maybe we were lucky. BUT we were extremely careful. We went through a well established, UK based rescue organisation. We did not fall in love with a beautiful face or cuteness or a sad back story. We were careful to exclude any dog that was “anxious” or “nervous”. Our girl is very far from beautiful! But she is a total gem. We feel incredibly lucky, but we did our due diligence and this stacks the odds in favour of a happy outcome.

As with a PP, a friend of mine got a Romanian rescue and the poor thing stopped eating after a couple of days and died 10 days later. Heartbreaking.

We got a foreign rescue dog. He's from ireland though not Romania. Can you see if there are any uk charities that rehome from ireland? I am thinking that the dogs are much less likely to be street dogs than from Romania.

We have been so lucky. He is an absolute dream. We also avoided the dreaded future owner vetting - which we would have failed. We live in a flat, have a child and work full-time. Also our dog had gone to a previous family (in the country). But it didn't work out and we met him beforehand at his foster mother's. So we could see if he was a good fit.

We had tried Romania-based charities, but were actually asked to stop applying! Because we lived in a flat and are near tram tracks. We still don't know if the charity was being too cautious, had loads of applicants so could be choosy or had experienced that street dogs don't settle in small flats. (By the way, despite living in a flat he is walked 3-4 hours a day, has loads of access to green space and actually loves travelling by tram! I am just a tad bitter )

Good luck to the OP. I'd advise patience

I got my rescue puppy from Romania when she was just over 3 months old. She a lovely, sweet dog who just wants to cuddle and play, and is smart and has been easy to train. She's very well socialised because she interacted with all sorts of different dogs in the rescue centre. I got her from a small organisation called Dana's Rescue Dogs which I heard about after my friend volunteered with them for a few years doing fundraising. They insisted on a home visit to make sure we were suitable dog owners and a UK-based volunteer came to the house, checked the garden and asked lots of questions. My puppy also got tested and her first set of vaccines before she arrived, and after she got here I took her to the vet who says she's in perfect condition. You can find them on Facebook.

What Lonecat said. I hate all the imports from Romania. They are not as easy to treat as charities make out they are.

I have a Bosnian street dog
He’s been with us 7 months now
He was living in a shopping mall when picked up by the rescues kennels so never was in the public pound/kill shelter
He came to us house trained miraculously only 1 accident in house (when he was poorly more on that in a minute), we have 2 kids 4 and 8 he’s completely indifferent to them, he’s got zero recall couldn’t give two shits so it’s secure field off lead exercise for him but he’s a very laid back, affectionate, lazy wee thing
In terms of his health when we got him he was underweight, he then transpired to have worms and giardia once they were treated he got kennel cough and I thought he was going to die. All before had chance to insure him so cost is about £800 in the first 8 weeks after we got him. In the throes of him being poorly he did get stressed and chewed the knobs off our cooker and turned it on in middle of the night - did at that point think what the fuck have we done??!! All been fine since.

We’ve not had the behavioural issues some of them have, the only thing he’s scared of is a plastic bag.
We’ve got very lucky with him, all the stories I’ve heard through friends who did similar and on our group are positive but it is a big big decision and some may say risk

“We also avoided the dreaded future owner vetting”

Honestly, that’s an awful reason to recommend something, that vetting isn’t there to be awkward.

“She's very well socialised because she interacted with all sorts of different dogs in the rescue centre.”

Other dogs are only a tiny part of socialisation.

“We’ve got very lucky with him, all the stories I’ve heard through friends who did similar and on our group are positive but it is a big big decision and some may say risk”

That’s the thing, it’s something you need to weigh up and decide if you’re up to it if it’s not straightforward. Because it might mean months of some pretty intensive work, it might mean a complete lifestyle change... or if you’re lucky it might be as easy as any other dog, but you need to be sure you’d be ok with issues because the last thing a dog with issues needs is being bounced back from a home.

@tabularasa What is your point? She interacted with lots of dogs and people. And she is very well socialised.

My Romanian rescue was was selected and bought to the UK for adoption so I met him and he was assessed before adopting him. I wouldn't adopt a dog that is in Romania and not meet it before hand this tends to be where problems arise as just because they look cute and cuddly doesn't mean they are. Our dog is a delight but he is very much his own dog, he appreciates a stroke for a bit, he will sit with us downstairs for a bit but he likes his own space. A Romanian rescue is not the same as a British rescue and you can't go into it without a lot of thought and a realistic view of what it means.

We have a Romanian rescue and I adore her but she's...stubborn. We were matched with her by a local dog charity who adopt Romanian dogs in batches themselves and then assess them for a few months before allowing them to be re-adopted out to local families. She's obviously lived in a home before, is very clean and a giant fluff ball but she's elderly, and older than they guessed at. She gets on very well with our other dog, also an elderly lady (16 this year!).

There's no way I would have taken her on and been able to manage her as a first time dog owner. I have had rescue dogs (usually two but occasionally three at a time) for the past 25 years and I'm used to quirky personalities and the occasional anti-social behaviour.

Visiting the rescue charity was heart breaking, lots of happy waggy dogs there but also dogs who were just "broken". Those poor pups will need a lot of work to be socialised and are the ones who usually try to escape at the first opportunity.

[quote Catslovepies]@tabularasa What is your point? She interacted with lots of dogs and people. And she is very well socialised.[/quote]
My point is that socialisation is more than mixing with dogs, I’m very aware that someone posted this because they were considering adopting from Romania and that other people may read it with a similar thought... and that they may think, well the dog I’m looking at has been well socialised with dogs, so it’ll be fine then.

When socialisation actually means introducing them to different kinds of people and different environmental factors.

For some people it’ll be dead straightforward and it’s a similar amount of training to getting a dog from anywhere, for some it’s going to be a whole heap of issues... and I think people should know that before they decide to take one, because not everyone who has the right set up to own a dog has the right set up to own a dog with behavioural issues.

We have an 8-month-old rescue from Cyprus. He was found on the side of the road at a few weeks old and went straight into a foster home, which had lots of people, cats and dogs in it. We had ongoing communication with the charity, were sent regular updates, pictures and videos and felt really happy that we knew as much about the puppy as we could, in the circumstances.

We couldn't use a UK rescue because we have young children and both work full time (although dh works from home).

He's a great dog, but we knew he'd been socialised well and had no behavioural issues from living on the street or in a shelter for a long time. He came to us at 4 months old, after all vaccinations, microchip, etc.

@tabulahrasa I do agree with you actually. To me it comes down to working with a reputable rescue to find the dog that will be right for your family. Getting a dog that has had to live by its wits on the street is a different matter from getting a young puppy that hasn't suffered trauma. Both types of dog are available from Romania and people should go in with their eyes open and be clear about what they can handle.

My puppy from Romania is definitely well socialized and has been easy to train. She doesn't have perfect recall yet but she's only 11 months and is improving. Apart from that she's been a dream. We went to a crowded market with her yesterday and behaved perfectly. And she loves being fussed over by strangers, gets on well with our cats, walks great in all kinds of conditions...I don't know what else I can say really. I also know of former street dogs who have bolted and had people looking for them for weeks. It's definitely possible to adopt a difficult dog from Romania but it's also possible to adopt an easy one!

I haven’t done it but I know lots who have adopted from various places, including Romania. You don’t know what you will get or how it will work out. I do know a couple of people who’ve had an easy time but they are a small minority. Most have had to work with behaviourists and trainers and I know more people who have handed them back than who have had no problems. Personally I think if you don’t meet the criteria to get a dog from a large, national rescue like Rspca then adopting from abroad is not for you. You are likely to end up with a dog exactly like the ones you say you don’t want eg guarding, can’t be left etc.
I would try smaller, local rescues as they are better at seeing individual circumstances rather than have blanket “no under 12s” etc.
DH and I both work full time and had 2 primary age kids when we got our dog but because of our work hours she isn’t left for longer than 2-3 hours at a time and that’s no more than twice a week. On paper we didn’t look good but we did manage in the end.

@tabulahrasa

We also avoided the dreaded future owner vetting”

Honestly, that’s an awful reason to recommend something, that vetting isn’t there to be awkward

But the vetting requirements for rescue are dogs can be very high in the uk. We live in a flat, work full-time and have a child. We would failed any inspection. But we got a dog from an irish charity and it has worked out perfectly. We walk him for hours a day, have a dog sitter and he gets on well with our child. But most importantly my husband has had loads of life experience with dogs (parents owned and trained many dogs, including police dogs). That doesn't get reported on paper. Also the people who had our dog before us ticked the right boxes: lived in a house in the country and didn't work full-time. But they gave the dog up because he was too difficult.

Yes, i would have hated a "proper" inspection because we would have failed it, while knowing that we could give a dog a good home. The only way for people like us to get a rescue dog is to go to charities that have a less strict criteria. If the inspections are too rigid only richer people or those prepared to go breeders have the opportunity to have a dog as a pet, while other people would be equally good owners (or better in our dog's case).

I have had dogs all my life but this time we wanted to adopt a rescue. UK rescue centres wouldn't consider us because of our age even though we are fit and healthy.

We adopted a Romanian dog through Paws 2 Rescue (a wonderful charity) on Facebook.

She is a wonderful, loving and friendly dog, with the gentlest nature of any dog we have owned. I see hundreds of similar stories from similar owners on the Paws 2 Rescue site. Yes some of the dogs have issues and take time and patience to settle but the rewards are huge. Honestly, I would recommend it if you go through a good charity like the above.

Any rescue can have health problems but I would question Leishmaniasis in Romania. I had a dog from Spain that developed Leish and I didn't want to go through that again. I checked very carefully and as far as I could see there was no Leish in Romania.

A lot of UK vets don't like the idea of dogs from Romania but the criteria for adopting in this country is so strict that sometimes it is the only option. We give our dog a loving, wonderful home and if our health should fail I have made arrangements that my daughter will take our dog. She is another one who has successfully adopted a Rommie.

I know rescuers have to vet prospective owners carefully but, honestly, sometimes good is good enough. They are always looking for perfect.

“But the vetting requirements for rescue are dogs can be very high in the uk. We live in a flat, work full-time and have a child. We would failed any inspection.”

That’s not true.

I’ve adopted a dog from a U.K. rescue while living in a flat with a young child, plenty of people adopt dogs from U.K. rescues while working.

Yes the nationwide ones have some pretty strict blanket policies, but there are plenty of rescues who work on a dog by dog, person by person basis and the “inspection” is to match a suitable dog to a suitable home.

Visiting the rescue charity was heart breaking, lots of happy waggy dogs there but also dogs who were just "broken". Those poor pups will need a lot of work to be socialised and are the ones who usually try to escape at the first opportunity.

This is what euthanasia is for… many of those dogs are never going to be happy or make their owners happy, or at least not without a lot of effort and money that could've gone a lot further elsewhere.

I don't know why it's even allowed. A really bad idea. Bringing in loads of problem dogs into the country. Madness.

Just sitting here looking at my vicious Romanian dog. 6 years on the streets and then straight to me in UK. Once when I stopped stroking her she whined at me to carry on. Absolutely vicious

I’ve got a few rescues from abroad, I’ve also worked with the charities. UK are known to be difficult to rehome and also there’s been many incidents of uk rescue dogs biting new owners due to anxiety and fear.

Look up Wild At Heart Foundation, they have a great reputation and were in The Times at the weekend

also there’s been many incidents of uk rescue dogs biting new owners due to anxiety and fear

Maybe they are the dogs from abroad that didn't make it. Just a thought.

There’s a lot of concern about bringing diseases in to the U.K. via these dogs that we don’t currently have in this country. In addition many of these dogs just end up in our rescues because they are not suitable and add to the already huge amount of animals that need home over here. Look at smaller rescues, they often have less strict rules about who they will home to.