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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Then again, wouldn't it be better to tackle the root of the problem by mass-spaying stray females, rather than trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon?
I didn't realise that neutering protected them from starvation, cruelty and all those other horrors, as well as disease, in poor countries or places that are indifferent to animal welfare.
Flip, without passing any judgement on the work these charities do, I’d rather rescue a dog from my local area.
To be honest, I feel the same way.
But I still think this type of rescue is just as necessary. It’s a bit like saying that humanitarian charities should focus on ending all the hardship and poverty here in the UK before helping out in other countries...
Kikaah, you might want to clarify what you mean there, because when you say "the opposite of some", that could mean anything from "all of them" to "none at all".
Flip, without judging the work these rescue charities do, I’d personally prefer to rescue a dog closer to home.
Look, even if we all know you’re partly right LDV (far too many owners take on a dog far too lightly and don't always make the right calls if there's an accidental litter), we shouldn't really be questioning the legitimacy of rescues just because they rehome dogs from overseas, or start prioritising dogs based on where they’re from.
A charity is set up for a cause.
It’s better to encourage people to be more responsible and stop going for trendy breeds that don't actually suit their lifestyle. When you see the types of dogs in our local rescue centres, you quickly understand the link between trends and why they end up being abandoned...
"Some 'professionals' are happy to just churn out puppies like a factory without a second thought for what happens to them later."
Or not.
"Some private owners do choose to breed their dogs and manage the rehoming process properly."
Or not.
Don't take that criticism too much to heart.
"Every time you rehome a dog from Romania, isn't it true that a dog in a UK rescue centre loses its chance of being adopted?"
In the UK, dogs have a much better chance of finding a family, and they're looked after as well as possible while they wait to be rehomed. In some countries, they have little to no chance of being treated well or finding a forever home.
Well done @van_do for everything you do and for your dedication. You must be used to the critics by now, just ignore them. Keep at it! :)
Hi @Van_Do,
I’m also going to exercise my right to reply regarding one of your comments: "Backyard breeding is one of the leading causes, if not the primary cause, of abandonment."
To my knowledge (and there are probably others I haven’t seen), there has been only one genuine study conducted on a national scale to determine the reasons behind the dog population explosion and, more importantly, why they end up in shelters.
Way out in front is a lack of commitment from dog owners, a "couldn't care less" attitude, and a lack of supervision.
Some professionals are content to just churn out puppies in bulk without any concern for the animal's future, where the sole aim is to shift merchandise. I hope you wouldn’t dream of judging an entire profession based on a few specific cases.
On the flip side, some private individuals do choose to breed their dogs and manage the adoptions properly; judging these people as a whole as you are doing is no better than the people who judge you.
Whether it’s a breeder, a rescue centre, or a private individual, even with the best intentions in the world, you can end up with an adopter who puts on a good front but will get rid of the animal a short while later.
Having bred dogs myself, and since you’ve judged me without knowing me or what became of the puppies, I have a question. You’ll see how easy it is to always jump to the wrong conclusion.
Every time you rehome a Romanian dog, isn't that a dog in a UK rescue centre losing its chance of being adopted?
I’m really impressed by the explanation of all the painstaking work rescue charities put in to see the adoption processes for rescued dogs through to a successful conclusion. Well done!
I’m in total agreement with you @Van_Do regarding how harmful it is to publicly bash people who have to rehome their dogs (so I'm not a huge fan of Patsch’s tone...).
You never make people "better" by insulting them, and that's not how we're going to bring about positive change.
Since we know that adoption isn’t an exact science, we also have to accept that sometimes it just doesn't work out, without being so quick to jump on the adopters.
You can’t want to debunk public misconceptions on one hand, while on the other, rush to reinforce equally damaging clichés by claiming that anyone who has to give up a dog is a monster. It’s simply not true.
The reality is that every case is different, and we’ll always have to deal with a small proportion of failures.
I think the main thing is that anyone reaching out to a rescue needs to be in a "rescue mindset" themselves and understand what that actually involves, which isn't always the case.
Even though I’m fairly new to fostering, I’ve already realised that briefing adopters is never going to be an exact science, and it’s just impossible to 100% guarantee a "successful" adoption, even with the best intentions in the world. (Since you aren't breeders or a pet shop, it's not your job to "guarantee" anything anyway, but I’ve noticed that’s often what potential adopters expect).
There are just too many factors at play, some of which are impossible to assess.
We recently had a case on this forum of a young first-time adopter who chose a very deprived adult dog as her first pet. He was incredibly fearful and completely unfamiliar with his surroundings, to the point where he couldn't even be taken out of the flat at first. I was so impressed by her optimism; far from being discouraged, she found clever ways to manage the adjustment period, even setting up a little "indoor grass patch" at home for the time being.
She was very positive and soon started sharing good news about the dog becoming more confident and curious. That seemed to be more than enough to make her happy—just seeing him progress—without having any specific goals or results in mind. Even though I’ve had several dogs myself, I wouldn't have been that calm in her shoes!
It just goes to show that a first-time adopter can sometimes manage a particularly difficult adoption, while others—whether it's their first dog or not—will panic and back out at the first sign of unexpected behaviour, even things that could be easily sorted, like a bit of reactivity or some stress-related chewing.
It’s not something you can know in advance. The rescue can only go by the initial motivation of the applicants; they can't predict the future.
