Romanian rescues anyone?

[disappearingfish]

We lost our old boy early last summer and are ready to take on another rescue.

We have had a home check with a charity that rescues dogs from Romania and have been matched with a 2 year old dog that looks lovely.

Has anyone been through this? I'm slightly nervous about adopting a dog that you don't meet IRL first. Otherwise the organisation seems great.

I had a similar experience. Was told I couldn't adopt because it needed a home with "no visitors". Like, really?- you want a hermit with no friends, no kids (not even older kids), no job, and yet has thousands in savings to spend on behavioural specialists and vets bills? yeah- good luck with that!

But that’s what happens when rescues won’t/can’t have dogs PTS for behavioural reasons.

You can’t just rehome a dog with severe issues to anyone, it’s not safe for starters.

I think the problem is that many rescues have the same blanket rules for every single dog in their care - so when there are genuinely difficult dogs needing very specific homes, people just don't believe it, or see it as the rescue being difficult for the sake of it.

They don’t though...

Even the big ones with stricter rules actually judge it dog by dog as to whether for example they can live with children or cats, they err on the side of caution but they don’t actually have blanket rules about it.

When they say no visitors or must be a female household it’s for specific dogs that they know have an issue.

That's not been my experience unfortunately.

They may not all have strict rules about visitors and female owners, but otherwise they seem to have a blanket set of criteria that apparently applies to every single dog that ever comes through their doors.

Many Tears rehomed 3500 dogs last year. Seems unlikely that they have blanket, overly restrictive rules.

Our lovely boy was from there, they just wanted to know the things that I think most people would consider reasonable and part of responsible dog ownership ie being kept safe, exercised, not being left alone too long and given basic training.

Unfortunately Many Tears are about seven hours away from us.

or see it as the rescue being difficult for the sake of it

I completely get that they have to be careful and each dog has its own requirements, eg no other dogs in the home/ no living with kids etc but to say no visitors is ludicrous. By that rationale, that dog will never leave them because unless you are a literal hermit it’s not happening. You cant have it both ways unfortunately and if a dog cannot even tolerate someone visiting the home then it should be PTS in my opinion as I think it’s crueler to keep it alive and in such blatant distress.

I'm inclined to agree, TBH.

The veterinary nurse we saw yesterday also has a Romanian rescue

That’s great OP, he is absolutely squishy and gorgeous. I personally know of quite a few Romanian and Cypriot rescue dogs in my local area (and through online friends) and they don’t have any more issues with their rescue dogs than those I know through dogs trust / RSPCA.

And you’re absolutely right that the issue is not imported rescue dogs, it is puppy farming and designer breeds. Breeding for money should be illegal in all regards. Disgusting to pay thousands for a milled puppy. Abhorrent.

I know two romies really well, both fab dogs. And I know a charity owner and a rescurer in Romania, they are both the nearest thing to earth angels. Whole lives dedicated to rescuing and rehoming vulnerable and abandoned (often very badly hurt) animals.

Some of the people on this thread wouldn’t know anything about the reality of what it takes to save animals tbh. Well done you and hope dear pups goes from strength to strength!

They have animals in foster in other parts of the country

Oh I think rescues should do behavioural euthanasia

But a lot don’t and there tends to be huge outcries if they do.

I think some of them are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to serious behaviour issue tbh.

Realistically there are dogs they’ll never find a home for, but if they have them PTS they get slaughtered on social media.

But also, some people are just unrealistic, I’ve seen people complaining that they “had” to buy a puppy because a specific rescue near me wouldn’t rehome to them because they lived in a flat - they’d been turned down for one dog, who was dog reactive so needed a garden. That rescue rehomes to people in flats regularly, just not with a dog that was going to have to go out in a very busy city centre park severel times a day when it was terrified of other dogs.

We had no luck even applying @Reallybadidea as we both worked and had cats, plus we'd never owned a dog before.

I'm glad so many people have had success stories with them but we were turned down at the first hurdle.

Yeah, I agree- it's a hard situation. You're right that they'll be slated no matter what. They do a lot of good and I admire that. I do agree though that if they've tried everything (vets and behaviouralists) and the dog is still in massive distress and cannot handle seeing anyone but one sole person then the kindest thing is PTS. It's awfully sad but leaving a dog in constant anxiety is no life for them.

I think Romanian Rescues can be great as long as you ensure it is a reputable rescue with good reviews who accurately describe their dogs and you are fully aware of what taking on a rescue dog entails.

I got a Romanian rescue at the start of 2020 (before the pandemic!) as we were turned down from all UK rescues - this was because my partner and I both work 12 hour shifts, despite us never being on shift at the same and there always being someone at home with our dogs 24/7. It seemed to be a 'policy says no' situation rather than actually using common sense!

Anyway, we applied for our Romanian dog, had a physical home check and booked the transport, she arrived with us about a month after the initial application. She was about 5 months when she arrived and had already been neutered which was a shame, as she was only 3 months when neutered.

She is a great dog - a dear, sweet friendly girl who has so much personality. She can be reactive to other dogs out walking, however I think this is largely due to the fact the week she arrived the UK went into lockdown and we couldn't socialise her properly or take her to any puppy training classes. I think this is quite common with puppies from this time and not unique to her! She also found travelling in a car incredibly stressful for a couple of months after she arrived. She would vomit and wet herself. I think this was due to the journey over to the UK. There is no denying, though, that a couple of days travelling over to be placed in a home in the UK is far preferable to a life in the Romanian public shelters.

My in-laws have had 2 Romanian dogs since we got our girl, the first an older 10 year old dog in the later part of 2020 who was a quiet old boy, you could take him anywhere and just loved a potter about. After he passed away last summer, they've got a 2 year old husky type who was in the public shelter but was pulled and spent a year or so with a Romanian foster prior to being adopted. The foster home was still a kennels rather than her living in a house, although she had human interaction. She has taken to living in a family home so well you would think she had always been here. She's been brilliant with my dogs and baby and great with other children in the family.

I would personally get another Romanian rescue 100%.

That still doesn’t deal with the main concern regarding imported diseases.

I know two romies really well, both fab dogs. And I know a charity owner and a rescurer in Romania, they are both the nearest thing to earth angels. Whole lives dedicated to rescuing and rehoming vulnerable and abandoned (often very badly hurt) animals

...and there it is, that warm fuzzy feeling also known as saviour complex. Plus the latest trends for getting a dog.

The comments from vets on this thread re the real risk of re-introducing rabies into the UK are terrifying.

Don't Romanians want these dogs? If not, why not? And these Romanian charities sound like a great money-spinner – I wonder if people are even breeding them to ship over to gullible Brits.

It's both insane and selfish to bring poorly socialised street dogs over here and inflict them on the rest of us.

Re British shelters' stringent requirements, maybe there are good reasons for them? If Fido needs eg a female-only household where he'll never see cats, dogs or children, maybe he simply isn't suited to being a pet. Again, that's a poorly socialised dog that is likely to be dangerous to people and other animals.

I also suspect that people prefer the look of Romanian rescues, to the usual greyhounds, staffies and sickly-looking French bulldogs we get here. They're often of a similar type. Collie-ish, hints of German shepherd, long-haired. Let's face it, the dogs in your local British rescue aren't quite so Instagrammable.

• reputable rescuers vaccinate the dogs against rabies and test and quarantine them where necessary
• no, I guess they don't. Not all countries treat dogs or other animals the way we do, and in many countries there isn't a culture of keeping dogs as pets.
• many overseas rescues are not street dogs. Mine is not a street dog. He was abandoned and lived stray for a few weeks before he was caught and taken in. He's a perfect pet.
• it's not a money spinner to import these dogs. Perhaps there are fake rescues that breed dogs for pretend rescue, IDK. But the majority of rescues are exactly what they claim to be. My dog had a number of medical tests and treatments that cost multiple times what I paid them as an adoption fee.
• I am not even going to respond to that stupid comment about instagram.

I'm interested to know whether the concern about introducing rabies is hypothetical or based on actual stats. Of course all correctly imported dogs need to have rabies vaccination and clear tests, so the issue seems to be about illegally imported dogs? Overseas rescues aren't really anything to do with illegally imported dogs which tend to be cheaply bred/purchased status dogs where they can be bought with illegal modifications such as ears and tails being cropped. Is there any actual evidence that overseas rescues are bringing rabies? I did a quick google and this article refers to Ukrainian dogs being a risk coming over with owners due to the war, as there has been a significant increase in rabies in that part of the world (again, war related) due to lack of testing https://aphascience.blog.gov.uk/2022/12/05/rabies-a-personal-perspective/

I know imported dogs of any type have a risk of bringing in brucella. All dogs again legally imported need to have a negative test but they could potentially still bring it in. I do understand that concern, but it's nowhere near as serious as the rabies risk.

@falafelover You are clearly utterly ignorant to the real situation so perhaps you'll allow me to tell you about my day today.

My Rommie and I were walking quietly around the outside of a park. She was snuffling about in the grass and having a sniff. Unfortunately, she sometimes finds bits of food when we are out because people aren't able to dispose of their rubbish properly despite, I am sure, their very best efforts. I was keeping an eye out for other people and dogs and when I noticed a woman with a terrier approaching, I popped her on the lead. She is usually quite friendly but she wouldn't want a dog investigating any finds with her and sadly there is food dropped everywhere you go. Anyhow, the terrier came straight up to my dog and they were pretty much fine. The woman (who I'd never met before but who I recognised as someone who the other day was walking her dog off-lead along a not unbusy road and who described her as a "tart" when she tried to interact with another dog who was on-lead) patted my dog and said "good girl". I presume she thought I had over-reacted because I put her on the lead. She then asked if she was a rescue. I said yes and said that I like to monitor the situation when ever another dog comes over just to make sure everyone is happy. "It takes time," she said. No it fucking doesn't. It takes people being responsible for their dog. Not allowing an off-lead dog to approach an on-lead one, at least not without asking first, especially as there were plenty of other paths to follow. It also takes people to dispose of their rubbish properly.

We then went out of the park and came back in at another gate. But we left by the very next gate as there was a man who walking a large German Shepherd and another man with what looked like a Rottie X.
When I say the GS man was walking his dog, what I mean is that he was allowing it to run all over the park without an ounce of input from him apart from when it approached him and he lobbed a ball from his launcher.
I also recognised the Rottie man who on another occasion was totally ignoring his dog allowing it to also run all over the park while he chatted to his mate who looked like he was supposed to spending time with his child in the fenced off swings and slides area.
I didn't want either of the dogs approaching mine, due to the fact that they clearly have irresponsible owners, so we left the park.

But you're right, it's me who is "insane, selfish and gullible". Me who adopted her so I could plaster her all over my Insta. I am hoping to get a shot of her when she is at her most rabid, drooling, desperate to bite and utterly demented. That should make a great photo. Much better than the crappy one I would have got if I had adopted a sickly looking French bulldog.

The more I read @falafelover post, the more bizarre I find it.
I suppose it's a bit like people who blame "Johnny foreigner" or the "hurricane of immigrants" coming to the UK for their problems. So much easier to blame people with 'rescue' dogs or, even better, 'rescue' dogs from overseas for the fact that you can't be bothered to train your dog properly.

Anyone who adopts a dog from overseas needs to be careful so as not to import diseases or put money in the hands of unethical breeders. I do not take either issue lightly but both are often used as scare-mongering tactic by ignorant people.
There are lots of factors to consider and unfortunately people can't always be trusted to do that. I saw a TV show the other day where a family went to adopt a dog in rescue but the little boy was scared of her. At the end of the programme they said they'd enquired about a puppy in Romania. Now that to me is irresponsible.

What I think is pretty clear is that it's actually poorly socialised people, rather than dogs, that are likely to be dangerous to other beings.

I thought I would update on my dog, who has been with us now for coming up to four months.

He is (of course 😉) the bestest boy and we do love him. Overall he has less issues than our previous (UK) rescue!

The good bits:

• affectionate, so cuddly and loving, and no separation anxiety or preference for one family member over another
• brilliant with children, loves being silly with them and loves draping himself over them
• totally calm in the house, doesn't react to the doorbell (stays in bed!) and really polite with visitors
• no issues with food guarding
• very food orientated so a dream to train. He already had "sit" so we have done "down", "paw" and "stay" pretty successfully.
• sleeps well at night, and for a good part of the day!
• walks well on a lead, waits to cross roads (see disclaimer below!)
• generally greets other dogs nicely, loves a chase and a play, although when he is on a lead he can get grumpy with other dogs (I think this is common?)
• after a very nervous start is a much better car traveller. He never fussed but omg the drool! That's all gone now.

The work-in-progress:

• very unreliable recall. If he gets a scent or sees a squirrel he is OFF. So there are limited places where we can take him for off lead walks and our garden has had to be Fort Knoxed! We have had sessions with a trainer and have a plan in place to improve
• follows scents relentlessly through horrendous brambles and gets covered in scratches. He's also ripped off his collar and harness getting caught up in undergrowth.
• delicate tummy. Too many treats and his system gets very upset 🤢
• recently started to steal other dogs' balls and finds it a game if we chase him. So we take a ball with us to throw if that happens and have started training "drop". And we avoid times and places where there will be a lot of ball throwing

Some of the early behaviour (counter surfing, thieving anything left about) disappeared within a month or two. He has had two days where he had to be looked after another family member and he was lovely with them.

So all in all we are very happy and he is living his best life! Here's a pic ☺️

Don't think it attached, trying again...