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The doghouse

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Original poster

Romanian rescues anyone?

308 replies

disappearingfish · 09/09/2023 08:14

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.

OP posts:
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43ontherocksporfavor · 13/03/2024 07:24

Ah that’s great. I could have written that about our Romanian rescue that we’ve had now for 7 years. All the same pros and cons initially .The recall thing got better over the first couple of years . I no longer let her off the lead near her favourite bramble spots or keep her close when I know if there’s temptation ahead. She responds to tone of voice and knows when I really mean it. She is an absolute joy and I hope your boy continues to be for you.

43ontherocksporfavor · 13/03/2024 07:26

PS Our baby is smaller than yours so never has counter surfed but once nicked a custard cream from the coffee table. Hasn’t done it since.😂

Original poster
disappearingfish · 13/03/2024 08:43

@43ontherocksporfavor ❤️ we spent some time wondering how he could reach so far from the floor before realising that he was simply jumping up, all four feet on the kitchen counter 😀 yesterday DH was holding an open pack of ham at elbow height and he very quietly, carefully snuck up an tried to snaffle it before DH realised.

OP posts:
johnworf · 13/03/2024 09:18

disappearingfish · 13/03/2024 07:19

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 ☺️

This is such a lovely update. I'm so glad you found your new boy and giving a life that is so different to the one he would have had.

😍

Lovemybunnies · 14/03/2024 08:54

Sounds exactly like our Cypriot rescue who has terrible recall but amazing in the house and with children. He sounds great 😊 .

Blueberry40 · 14/03/2024 09:21

We have a Romanian rescue from ABLDR. He was found cowering under a car after being dumped at the side of a busy road- if he hadn’t been adopted he would no doubt have ended up in a kill shelter.

He’s extremely healthy, we thought he was a Sheperd dog but had him DNA tested and he is basically mega mutt! Which is fine by us and will hopefully mean he shouldn’t be prone to any of the health issues that overbred dogs can be. He’s a lovely, gentle dog at home but can be very reactive and nervous around other people/dogs.

We have worked hard to get him to a point where we can handle him safely to walk outside and he is less reactive than he used to be but we have had to accept that he has trauma and this makes him complex. He will never be an ‘easy’ dog but we love him and he is part of the family now.

Original poster
disappearingfish · 14/03/2024 11:25

@Blueberry40 It's so interesting isn't it? My dog is covered in some quite awful scars but he has no reactivity (so far) at all. He's a dream to handle, practically dives into his harness and can be towelled down/washed with no trouble. Yet he must remember it hurt when he was stitched back together after his injuries.

His recall is terrible but he doesn't run away from us at least - unless he has swiped a ball. We've also enrolled him into some scent training classes which start next month.

We haven't DNA tested ours yet, I was thinking of doing that later in the year as his first anniversary present. We don't know how old he is so we're calling his rehoming day his birthday as well.

OP posts:
oakleaffy · 25/04/2024 12:46

andrainwillmaketheflowersgrow · 06/01/2024 22:53

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.

Have you considered a rescue Greyhound?
Some can and do live with cats. Greyhounds can look a large dog, but they fold up very small.
Females are smaller than males.

They are euthanised in their thousands in Eire - shot in knackeries where they are seen as 'livestock'

They are often docile and walk very well on a lead.

There are quite a few I see locally and they are all nice natured hounds.

https://www.greyhoundtrust.org.uk/home-a-greyhound

Home A Greyhound - Greyhound Trust

Greyhounds make great pets and are suitable for all kinds of families. View the greyhounds ready to be rehomed online & your perfect greyhound today!

https://www.greyhoundtrust.org.uk/home-a-greyhound

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