Adopting a dog

[Scuzi]

We would like to get a dog. Nothing fancy, just a small-medium sized dog with a good nature, safe around kids and other dogs, and a decent bill of health. I always thought, possibly naively, that there are thousands of decent dogs out there looking for a home. However having been on the search for a few months, my experience thus far is that there are a lot of problematic dogs looking for homes and very few dogs suitable for a family with young children.

Pertinent observations:

• There are a lot of street dogs being shipped over from Romania and Macedonia with a fairly steep adoption fee, ~£500. With so many dogs in UK rescues (allegedly), I don’t understand this. It seems like an organised racket to me.
• UK based dogs seem to fall into one of two categories. Firstly, dogs that have been abandoned by chav owners. Staffies and Lurchers with the expected behavioural traits. Secondly, the more normal dogs seem to almost always have significant underlying health or behavioural problems.
• The handful of decent dogs I have tried to adopt, the process to even be considered is more personally invasive than some job interviews. Having met all of the criteria, I’ve jumped through many hoops only to be headed off by someone else, or to be ghosted.

So as much as I want to do the supposedly right thing and adopt a homeless dog, I’m beginning to realise it may be easier, cheaper, and safer to just buy a puppy from a reputable breeder. Has anyone else had a similar experience or am I doing something wrong?

 

[Scuzi]

I think you may be right that adoption isn’t right for me as the risk is too high. 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?

 

[Scuzi]

Whats wrong with the lurchers? There are lots round me, and whippets/greyhounds and they are great dogs. Totally not chavvy at all and they aren’t known for aggression. They are great flat dogs as they don’t take much walking, are docile and friendly.

I don’t doubt that well reared lurchers can be great dogs. The ones I have seen in rescues had been used for hunting and came with the associated problems. I haven’t yet seen one in a rescue which would fit the ‘family pet‘ category.

 

[Scuzi]

Adopted a rescue from Bosnia. He's been a lovely amazing boy. Nicer than all 6 of my families (sisters, parents) dogs.

Its a lovely thing to do to rescue one if you can. I wouldn't have a puppy myself with so many needing homes.

Tried to adopt a UK rescue. But too many issues. And the rescue was too fussy.

Sounds like your experience with UK rescues is similar to mine. Good to hear a positive report about your dog from Bosnia. Having seen so many, I was concerned it was a scheme being abused by people in it for the money.

 

[Scuzi]

Yeah it was a nightmare. I can't remember the reasons they didn't let us have one. But it was ridiculously tedious.

The contrast in those pictures speaks volumes. Koda looks very happy now! Did you know what to expect before he arrived?

You sound like you expect the dog to be perfect, no dog will be and will take lots of training and care to get it to where you want it. This is true for a puppy and even a rescued dog that came from a decent background.

I have a rescue golden retriever, but my mum got a rescue mongrel from a charity rescuing dogs from Eastern Europe and she’s great. Very shy and nervous but great now. Definitely not a con.

Not at all, I just consider the dozen or so dogs I’ve given serious consideration to so far to be too high risk for a family environment. I fully expect a period of adjustment with appropriate training. I’ve had dogs before and my wife had a couple of rescue dogs back in the US, so have some idea of what to expect, but do accept that my expectations may be somewhat out of kilter with the reality of it as it is now in the UK.

 

[Scuzi]

Why not both? The first part of your question is much harder to do but that links in to your third point ("the process to even be considered is more personally invasive than some job interviews").

I suppose the crux of the issue from my perspective is the expectation that what I have to offer as a potential dog owner is compatible with the needs of the dogs up for adoption. It seems that it probably isn’t the case for most rescue dogs, and those which are compatible are understandably in very high demand. It really doesnt help that many of the dogs offered for adoption aren‘t accurately represented, with some of the more concerning issues being played down or hidden.

I made this post to see if anyone else had a similar experience and could offer advice.

 

[Scuzi]

We gave up on the adoption route in the end. Partly because it was looking to be almost impossible, and partly because this little guy came into our lives.

Meet Paddy. Border / Lakeland Terrier cross. Comes from good working roots and already showing great aptitude, temperament, and loyalty.