But I do wonder who it is right for? Are there people out there who give a home to these dogs which come with significant problems? Or do all of the good dogs get snapped up befor being offered to the wider public?
It was right for us. In fact, I was insistent that all our dogs were rescues. And yes, there are people who gove homes to even some seriously damaged and broken dogs, even if they don't ever recover.
It's not so much that the 'good' dogs get snapped up in advance, but that there are plenty of people who've already passed all the checks and are ready to adopt NOW... like, right now, the very instant a dog is listed.
Firstly, the 'safe around young kids' part is going to be a major hurdle - Most rescue centres won't home a dog with children under 10, or often 12, unless it has a known history of being good around them, ie has come from a young family already. That's just a safety and common sense thing - Young kids also require a lot of attention, to the point where the rescue dog may not be getting the attention it needs, which is another reason why many places have age restrictions on the younger family members.
Behavioural issues are tricky, as rescue centres are stressfull and distressing places for dogs to be in. They won't behave as they would when secure in the comfort of a place they consider to be their own home.
Health issues depend on the problem and how much time, money and effort you're prepared to put in.
Remember, there are many reasons why a dog may end up in these places, but they call it a
rescue centre for good reason.
Secondly, if the interview process and home inspection seem very invasive, that's a good thing - Take a wander through the 'Does something need to be done about dogs' thread and read the cases where dogs have killed people. An overwhelming number of those deaths occurred due to considerable negligence by the dog owners, and often it's a case of those utter ******* ********* leaving the dog unsupervised in a room with a toddler or sleeping newborn!! In many cases where dogs have attacked, the conditions in which those dogs have been kept would horrify you.
The people checking you out want to make damn sure you're not another **** who's just going to mistreat your dog, give up on them after a couple of months, or do something stupid that results in people getting hurt and the dog being destroyed.
Thirdly, adopting a dog is a serious commitment and requires a LOT of work, not only with training but with your time, your company, your attention and your love. Many of these dogs have suffered trauma and will have trust issues, and some may never get over what's happened to them... but by adopting them you still commit to doing your absolute best for them and providing a good loving home no matter what.
Our Border Collie was a failed sheepdog, who had been beaten with sticks. She was shy, very scared and very clingy, but turned all that around once she was in a proper home with people who looked after her.
Our Welsh Collie had been abandoned and was found living off a rubbish dump in Ireland, so possibly an ex-***** dog. He was fiercely independent, but with careful handling turned out to be the most amazingly social dog, with a very kind, gentle soul.
Our Labrador was abandoned because her previous owners fell pregnant and didn't want to risk a dog around their impending kid. Turns out she was 100% pure love and perfect for anyone with children. She was also epileptic, but that was resolved with a single tablet twice a day.
We couldn't have done any of this with our dogs if we'd had young kids running around.
Fourthly, a lot of which dogs you'll find depends on the rescue centre. High profile places like Battersea and the RSPCA do end up with many of the serious-problem dogs. You may have more luck at the smaller independent centres, or finding a rescue that specialises in a certain breed.
As for inaccurate representation, the dogs will have been at the rescue centre for a couple of days or so - There's only so much the staff can tell from that short time, remembering that the dogs are coming in fresh from wherever they've been rescued, are in a strange and scary place, are likely recovering from any treatment they may have needed, and in general will just not be themselves at that point.
And yes, rescue dogs are in high demand. Each time we adopted I had to check their listings every week for months before we found the one for us. Our most local ones generally turn over about 20-30 dogs per week. You can even log in on the very day they get their new ones in, and find many of them have already been reserved by other people. They are taken up that fast!
So yeah, remember that rescue dogs aren't just in centres because they fell behind in their rent or something. Most have been through some serious **** and need not just good homes, but good people to help them as they try to recover.
Do consider whether you really are the right sort of person in the right sort of situation to truly meet the needs of a rescue dog, whatever those needs might be.
Do also look around at other centres and don't be afraid to look far afield. My parents once went all the way to the Severn Bridge to find the right dog.
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