We have a phone appointment with an overseas rescue :)

[CloseYourEyesAndSee]

I'm very excited!
it's a reputable rescue - I have a friend who has adopted through them and now volunteers for them. DS has wanted a dog forever but I WOH so couldn't. DP has semi moved in and he also wants a dog so a dog we are getting :)
DP has had dogs and I have when I was a child and teen. I have a cat so that's something that will need to be managed. DP is self employed and his office is close to fields so he will walk the dog during breaks.
I will be asking for lots of advice here I'm sure but for now does anyone have anything they think I need to think about??

Sorry for what? In Bulgaria, they are in rescue for a multitude of reasons. Many have been picked up off the streets either as puppies or adults, sometimes injured. Some have been previously owned and given up by their owners due to lack of money or ill health. Some are found living in poor conditions - for example, chained with limited access to shelter, food and water and are rescued. Time is spent on rehabilitation until a decision can be made on whether they are suitable for rehoming. Those that are will be put up for adoption. Others will live their life in a free running rescue in Bulgaria. Many spend extensive time in local foster homes.

If the rescue is reputable, no 'claims' are being made. Please stop damaging the excellent work done by many overseas rescues. There are many people working tirelessly to improve the lives of dogs in less developed countries through local neutering programmes, education and community outreach. Rescue and rehoming is an essential part of their work.

OP, have you approached small local rescues? The suggestion of fostering is a good one as well, it’s how our lush rescue staffy landed with us

We also have a wonderful overseas rescue, from Northern Macedonia. Ex street dog, and you wouldn't guess it! No health issues at all, shes never needed the vets whereas our pedigree spanner is there quite regularly!

She's amazing with the DC and the cuddliest calmest dog in the house. She does woof a bit but that's the breed rather than due to being a rescue (beagle!) We adore her and wouldn't hesitate to go back to the same rescue again.

This is boring of me but remember if he's staying that much I think it's very possible you no longer qualify for single person council tax reduction, so you need to check with them them or you could get a fine if you continue to take the single person reduction while someone spends 5/7 nights with you.

Thanks
he maintains his own home and pays his own bills there so I'm still ok on the single person discount

It doesn't work like that OP. Another adult is living with you for the majority of the time. You aren't eligible for the discount. It's fraud.

I'd be very cautious with getting an overseas rescue dog. There are several locally and some have been great dogs from the off, pretty much. They have either come from breed/type rescues, or have been very young. Some have been nervous and taken maybe six months to find their feet, but have settled well after that.

Of the others, some have been bolters, one was a huge project (still a project), one is dog aggressive (and currently driving his owner to complete distraction), and one was rehomed to a completely unsuitable family and lasted about a month.

I think you need to be aware of both sides if you plan to get a rescue dog from overseas.

As an aside, I think it's very important that rescue dogs from abroad are fully health checked.

@ShadowsShadowsShadows love that first picture !

That is one happy dog ❤️

@Slinkymalinky03
If the rescue is reputable, no 'claims' are being made. Please stop damaging the excellent work done by many overseas rescues. There are many people working tirelessly to improve the lives of dogs

🤔 not sure if it is excellent work, going into a country and telling them "the way you treat your dogs is all wrong.."
Especially when we have a lot of our own dog issues and lots sitting in kennels waiting for a home...
But having an overseas rescue makes for great virtue signalling. Doing something good, and ignoring what's on our doorstep.

The UK based rescue I got DDog through doesn't tell people in other countries they are treating their dogs wrongly.

They link up with rescues run by people in their own countries, and take dogs unlikely to be adopted in that country to place with people in the UK. And pay the costs of having those dogs neutered, vaccinated etc as well as helping with the general running costs.

@CloseYourEyesAndSee there are now 20 dogs on Dogs Trust website who can live with teens and cats :-/

UK rescues are now reporting major issues with intake, several have had to start turning new intakes away because they're full. This is the pandemic puppy boom + cost of living crisis fall out.

Yes a lot of dogs do have issues in rescue, both UK and abroad, and often that's WHY they've been signed over. Dogs who are relatively issue-free and happy to live with children and other animals will be online for maybe a day, receive dozens of applications, and rehomed.

As for cat-testing, it's really difficult. For a proper cat match up they would be doing blanket swapping so both animals are used to each other's scents before they come home. Even then, any dog who is down as being "cat friendly" doesn't necessarily mean they'll be friendly to your particular cat.

A rescue's priority is the dogs in their care, not the person applying, they don't exist to provide applicants with a dog. They exist to find the, sometimes tricky, dogs in their care their ideal home and hope they don't get handed back. Does it always work out? Nope.

As someone else said, working rescue makes you utterly resent people after a while, you're lied to and shouted at on a daily basis. Have heard of applicants applying for not-child-friendly dogs, with children, being turned down. Applying again and not mentioning the children this time, as if the rescue has amnesia. The priority is always the dog's welfare, the last thing they want is a dog's behaviour to be made even worse by a poor match because someone was lying about their home.

Whether you choose to adopt from abroad or the UK, do your background reading, and make plans for if things aren't as smooth sailing as you'd hope them to be.

My mum adopted a little puppy from Romania, she found the process to be really easy and straightforward. My mum spent the best part of Two years training her as she had some behavioural issues and was scared of a lot of things, particularly men with beards! She is now a really lovely,kind dog.

Yes, thats how they did it. Cat testing doesnt guarantee the dog is cat safe, but it does show that it could potentially live with the right cat. Its a start. A dog might try and go for the cat even if the cat is calm. Some dogs might be very interested in the cat but be frightened or fascinated.
Ideally youd want the dog to mostly ignore the cat or act respectfully towards it. Theyre quite thorough and somes they cat test on request.

I think that people seem to think foreign rescues are all feral street dogs. Plenty of people abandon pets in much of europe for really rubbish reasons. Lots of them have clearly been in a home, or there are loads of puppies too.
I would share the concern if it was actual feral dogs, being rehomed, but thats not the case.

Thats another thing I found. Like you say, most dogs in UK rescues seem to have issues. I dont want a dog like that. I wanted an adult dog who was calm, housetrained, cat friendly, kid friendly, dog friendly. I couldnt find that in a uk rescue this time. I have had rescue animals for years from uk rescues but I really dont understand ( or care much) why I shouldnt get a rescue dog from Europe, when theres so much selection. Its so much cheaper than buying a puppy if you arent bothered about pedigrees etc. I think the checks are still plenty if its a reputable rescue