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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We were also looking for a big lad to adopt. I’m a huge fan of big dogs (over 6 stone :D) and I’ve already got a big softie at home. We can’t afford any scraps; it could turn into something serious! So Romania was a no-go. I applied for a two-year-old Spanish Mastiff who was in a rescue centre in the South of Spain. When he arrived: 0____o blimey! A real bruiser! Tall, massive, a few scars, strong as an ox, confident, handsome... you should have seen my dog’s face... But he’s extremely gentle, intelligent, and has settled in well with my 'old boy' who was a bit wary. Honestly, teaching him the house rules was incredibly easy. He’s our second Spanish dog and I’d highly recommend it; he would never have been this well-adjusted without the volunteers who do such an amazing job before they're put up for adoption. Sometimes they take in dogs that have been completely broken by people, and they manage to get them balanced again and give them hope – and the dog really senses that. It’s a world apart from Romania.
Hi everyone,
I can definitely confirm the issues with RM – I'm currently living through this nightmare myself!
A month ago, we adopted a little dog who is lovely with us. The rescue told us she was dog-friendly, but unfortunately, she’s actually extremely aggressive towards other females. She nearly sent my mother-in-law's dog to the vet, and we only stopped it by intervening. There were three incredibly violent attacks with no warning signs like growling or barking. The other dog is very submissive and just looked at us while letting it happen—it was honestly horrific. Given our lifestyle, where this dog was supposed to be dog-friendly so she could be looked after by my mother-in-law or my parents (who have a tiny dog themselves—I didn’t even risk testing them), it’s just not workable. We all dog-sit for each other in our family; that’s just how we do things. It’s impossible for us to keep her (it could just as easily have been our own little dog that we lost last summer). On top of that, she was also aggressive with people coming into the house, but we were prepared to put the work in to help her over time, even though the ad said she was "very sociable"—we know these dogs need time to settle!
However, managing dog-on-dog aggression and risking a serious injury is a whole different level. These kinds of issues should really be highlighted in the ads so the dogs go to experienced owners who know exactly what they’re taking on and can make an informed choice!
Now I’ve ended up being "tried" by a Facebook mob on their page because the rescue simply posted "Reason for re-adoption: doesn't get on with the mother-in-law's dog." As you can imagine, everyone has piled on me because of how it was phrased! (Thankfully, no personal attacks in my private messages yet). They didn't even ask how the other dog was doing...
So, we’re stuck with this little dog we’ve grown attached to, but who has to go back. It’s awful... we’re not doing this lightly. It’s so hard and I feel so sad for her!
That’s my nightmare experience with RM. In 95% of cases, things probably go fine (though I suspect a lot of people are actually struggling in silence), but when it goes wrong for you, the "beautiful adventure" turns into a total nightmare!
It’s a shame for these Romanian dogs, but my mum adopted from Spain and friends have "Creole" rescues from the Caribbean, and they've had no issues at all!
Anyway, I’m not trying to discourage you, but please be very careful, especially if you have children, cats, or other dogs. You need to be certain. Don't be like me and trust blindly, because you’ll end up being cast as the villain... It’s much better to look for dogs in foster homes or through rescues where the dogs are properly vetted and followed up. That place is a bit of a factory; they can't possibly know every dog’s temperament or test them properly!
Oh, I’m not surprised at all reading your comments! I personally know four people who each got a dog from RM France, and out of those four dogs, two had to be replaced because it was such an absolute nightmare... What’s really not right, though, is how they fuel the hatred and let adopters get virtually lynched (you only have to look at their Facebook fan group, where people talk about ‘killing these shitty adopters’, ‘smashing their faces in’ and God knows what else). They just let it happen and it’s really not on. A friend of mine even had death threats and people trying to intimidate her, all coming from the followers! Poor soul, she only wanted to adopt a Romanian rescue instead of buying a puppy, but it was a total disaster because the dog seemed to have completely lost the plot! It all spiralled out of proportion and she was properly scared for months. Honestly, look into Spanish rescues or the ones in the Caribbean; they don't lie to you and the charities actually support you if there’s a problem. They’re much more decent.
Oh, I’m not at all surprised reading your comments! I personally know four people who each got a dog from RM France, and out of those four, two had to be 'replaced' because it was such an absolute nightmare... What is really out of order, though, is how they fuel the hate and let adopters get virtually lynched—you only have to look at their Facebook fan group where people talk about 'killing those shitty adopters' or 'smashing their faces in', and so on. They just let it happen, and it’s completely unacceptable. A friend of mine actually received death threats and was targeted with intimidation by their followers! Poor thing, she just wanted to adopt a Romanian rescue instead of buying a puppy, but it was a total disaster because the dog seemed completely bonkers! Things spiralled way out of hand and she was genuinely terrified for several months. Honestly, look into Spanish or Caribbean rescues instead; they don’t lie to you and the charities provide much more support if there is a problem. They are much more reliable.
I’ve actually had some trouble with a rescue myself. I got in touch about a certain dog, and without any real explanation, they told me it wasn't possible. Instead, they steered me towards a little three-month-old girl who’d been found in the snow back in December. Given the pup's age, her size, and how long she’d been there, I asked for some clarification because something just didn't add up. But still, she was lovely and I thought she was adorable, so I figured, why not? I asked to fill in an application form but they told me not to worry and that the dog was mine... I didn't really understand how they operated. Then, a week before my little one was due to arrive, they told me she was "too small" and would be coming in a month's time instead. I asked for more details—she was supposed to be four months old, so why was she too small? In the end, they just turned me away because I didn't fit their "adopter profile". Basically, I’d asked too many questions.
It’s a shame, but I won't be using those kinds of setups again; I’d rather just go to the RSPCA.
I think you’re doing the right thing. There are plenty of other threads on this forum about these types of adoptions and they always seem to be about various issues. It’s either hurdles during the pre-adoption stage, or the dog’s behaviour being the complete opposite of what the rescue had described... On the other hand, I’ve never heard of any problems with the rescues that help Creole dogs. I’m not saying there are never any issues at all, but they seem to be few and far between.
I’ve set my heart on a girl at the Remember Me France rescue, but I only asked for some info about the organisation and they were very vague with their replies. After coming across this post, I don't think I’ll be taking any chances.
There are so many stories out there about adopting Romanian rescue dogs and, frankly, they really put you off the idea of taking the plunge. It’s a real shame for the dogs, but I honestly think it’s better to avoid taking that risk.
