I'm looking to adopt a dog this year. I was originally looking at breeders for my future puppy, but recently I've come across some rescues that save Romanian dogs and find them homes in the UK. I've spotted a puppy born in September 2017 who could be transported over on 15th March if my application is successful. They'll do a "cat test" once the adoption paperwork is approved.
The only thing is, I'd need to raise the height of my garden fence before he arrives, which might be a bit tight time-wise. Does anyone have any experience with this? How high should a fence be for a dog that will weigh about 44 lbs (roughly 3 stone) as an adult?
Has anyone on here adopted a Romanian dog through a rescue? How did they settle into your home? Do you have cats, and if so, how did the introductions go?
Thanks in advance to anyone who replies! :)
Translated from French
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I’m with Marinedmcl on this one: there’s a rescue that brings over Romanian dogs, and it’s a total horror story! The animals are neglected and arrive in the UK in a terrible state (filthy, stinking, sick, or literally skin and bone!). On top of that, they lie on the profiles—especially regarding behaviour and socialisation—so some of them are basically like wild animals. Honestly, it’s disgraceful! I’m based in the London area and I’ve known several people who adopted from them and had nothing but trouble! It’s easy to spot which one it is; they’re the most well-known name when you’re looking for a Romanian dog. Basically, you either get lucky and everything’s fine, or you end up with a difficult one and that's when the nightmare starts.... 😠
Hi, would that be MUKITZA?
@Van'Do
Thank you for your detailed account; it’s a very down-to-earth look at the reality of the rescue world within these charities. I was hoping you’d come back to explain more about your specific role and the work you do.
Thank you for your dedication to animal welfare.
Are you familiar with the wheat and chessboard problem? If you manage your breeding programme correctly, you could end up with several hundred thousand bitches in your kennel within 20 years.
I want to make it clear that our charity neuters nearly a thousand female dogs and cats a year in Romania; we run an ongoing neutering campaign with our partner vet to allow low-income owners to get their pets fixed for free.
There’s no point pitting "French dogs" against "Romanian dogs"; in our eyes, animal suffering knows no borders, just as there are no borders for human suffering. The most important thing is saving an animal and choosing to adopt rather than shop. Whether that animal comes from France or Romania really isn't the point. We also step in to save "local" dogs or even those from Belgium when we’re alerted to abandonment cases; for instance, this month we took in three small "French" dogs from an elderly lady who had to go into hospital and could no longer look after them.
And no @Kikaah, to answer your question, our rescues aren't "taking the place" of French dogs waiting for homes. Families who come to us have often already visited their local rescues without finding the right match: there are a lot of guarding breeds, Malinois crosses, and other large dogs in French shelters, but very few puppies or small dogs. Personally, I’d much rather see a family adopt a Romanian puppy born on the streets or left in a public pound than buy one from a breeder or from a casual "backstreet" litter. That’s just my take on it; I’m not saying it’s the only way, it’s simply my opinion.
Besides, you should know that many French shelters actually offer to help us by taking in Romanian dogs, either because they have adopters waiting but no suitable dogs to offer them, or because they have plenty of space and want to save more lives. We work closely with several of them.
Why don’t you start looking at the uncontrolled breeding right under your nose in France?
Why are French rescue centres still forced to spay female dogs before adoption? Funnily enough, it’s the exact same practice you’re criticising in Romania... yet some forum members are so clever and have such simple solutions for every other country in the world?
You’re living in a dream world if you think a mass neutering programme is that simple. I’ll lend you some binoculars to spot the females and the net you’ll need to catch them. You’ll have to bring your own vet, though, and find the funding yourself in a country where even the orphanages aren’t up to EU standards.
Life expectancy reduced by various diseases
Stray dogs live in conditions where it’s impossible for them to stay healthy, which makes them very vulnerable to the following illnesses:
Leptospirosis: This affects the kidneys, causing renal failure and eventually death. What’s more, it’s unfortunately a disease that can be passed on to humans.
Distemper: This is passed between dogs and has no specific cure. It affects the digestive and respiratory systems.
Rabies: This disease is fatal and can be passed to cats and people.
Fleas and ticks: These parasites are a common sight on stray dogs. Ticks can also act as carriers for other serious illnesses, such as Lyme disease.
Mange: This is caused by mites and massively reduces a dog's quality of life, leading to very severe skin problems.
The presence of these diseases dramatically shortens a dog's lifespan. For a dog, being abandoned is essentially a death sentence.
How long does a stray dog live? - Life expectancy reduced by various diseases
How long does a stray dog live?
There isn't just one answer to this. For example, it’s perfectly possible for a puppy born on the streets to never even reach adulthood. On the other hand, adult dogs that have been abandoned and are lucky enough to be adopted by a lovely family can often get their health back.
Sometimes stray dogs live in very busy areas, which makes it easier to scavenge for food. In other cases, that same environment can cut a dog's life short as they’re likely to be run over.
Quite a while ago, I had a bit of fun doing the maths for 20, 50, and 100 years, and the results were absolutely astronomical.
I say 'fun' because I’m well aware that a dog obviously isn't going to live for 100 years!
You see, even if the dog dies at 2 years old, her offspring don’t all die at once; they carry on breeding, then their puppies breed, and then those puppies have their own litters...
So yes, the study is definitely relevant as it allows you to extrapolate the dog population over time.
Vénus17, I think Pablo'S is just using a basic geometric sequence. If you calculate the offspring of a single stray dog over ten years, you’ll get an idea of the number of dogs you won't have to put down or rehome.
It's a good job you're so good at sums. And was it Mystic Meg who told you that an untreated street dog makes it to the age of 10 in those countries? Such a brilliant bit of logic, I’m absolutely dazzled.
