Advice needed: Romanian rescue dogs

You’re very welcome! I’m so happy for you, everything will go brilliantly. Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any more questions :) You’ll see that Romanian dogs are truly lovely! Yes, I’m really looking forward to the photo. Have a lovely evening.

First of all, thank you for your reply. We’ve already made our decision and our little princess is arriving on the 20th of December, but your experience just confirms that we’ve made the right choice. The rescue has been really reassuring, providing photos and videos of the little ones as well as footage of them arriving at their centre in partnership with a well-known transport company. Everything seems fine, so I’ll post a photo of our beautiful girl if you’re interested.

Hi there, I adopted a dog from Romania through a rescue called Inima. As long as the charity is legit and they get back to your messages, you shouldn't have any problems. Once the dog arrives in the UK, you can take them in on a ‘foster-to-adopt’ basis to see if everything works out and if the dog fits in with your lifestyle, and then you can make the adoption permanent. This option really gave us peace of mind; we adopted quite an old dog, and everything is going brilliantly—provided you have heaps of patience and love to give! Anyway, I hope sharing my experience helps you out :)

Hi everyone! I know most of the replies here are about a year old, but I thought I’d take a chance: My partner and I have spotted a dog that we’ve completely fallen for. I’d like some advice on the rescue that’s bringing her over from Romania, just to avoid any nasty surprises. It’s an organisation called Stea, based in Alsace; can anyone confirm (or otherwise) if they’re a reputable rescue? Thanks in advance – it’s not easy to find the right info, but we’ve totally melted for this dog and we’re really hoping with all our hearts that it’s not a scam...

I adopted a dog through a rescue charity and it’s been nothing but joy! I walk her off-lead. She was 6 or 7 years old and yet we’ve had no issues with house-training or her behaviour... Even though she’s a huge cuddle-monster, she’s fine being left alone; she doesn’t bark or wreck the house. She doesn’t try to run away despite the garden being open, and she absolutely dotes on my cat. Basically, zero faults. I’m saying all this for anyone who might be hesitating. It’s been a wonderful experience and I’m getting a second one soon....👋 Can you see the dog beforehand? Because if, for example, she arrives at the other end of the country and it just doesn't click at all, what happens then? Thanks

I adopted a dog through a rescue charity and it’s been absolute bliss! I walk her off-lead now. She was already 6 or 7 years old, yet we’ve had no issues at all with house-training or her manners... Despite being a real cuddle-bug, she’s happy to be left on her own; she doesn’t bark and isn’t at all destructive. She never tries to wander off even though the garden is open, and she’s so sweet with my cat. Honestly, she’s faultless. I’m sharing this for anyone who might be in two minds about adopting. It’s been a wonderful experience and we’re getting a second one very soon....👋

Hi there, I’m not sure if it’s too late to reply, but I adopted my girl about a year and a half ago through a rescue charity that saves dogs from France and Romania. Ours was abandoned in Romania in a cardboard box along with her four sisters. She’s fine with other dogs, but she hasn't really had the chance to meet any cats yet as I’m allergic and no one I know has one, so I can't really say how she’d react. I do know that rabbits, birds, and other small furries are definitely prey to her. She was very skittish when we first got her (at 4 months old). She took to me in just a day because I spent all my time with her—she followed me everywhere! Men, however, were a different story. It took her over a month to stop being afraid of my partner, even though he was doing everything he could to make her feel comfortable. Once that bond was formed, though, she’s been stuck to us like glue! She’s very protective of us. On the other hand, she’s still wary of strangers. She’s not aggressive at all—never bared her teeth or anything like that—but she backs away so they can’t stroke her. She only lets children pet her; I think it’s a height thing, she must be scared of "big people". Only the people she sees regularly can touch or play with her, just like any other dog, really! We’re trying to work on it by taking her out as much as possible, walking in places where we know there’ll be other people, but we don’t want to push her too hard either. She’s also terrified of noise. The hoover, a broom falling over, the lawnmower, loud planes, the coffee machine... basically anything that makes a bit too much noise. We reckon she must have been traumatised by something, but we’ll never know what. Actually, when we went to pick her up from the rescue, she was the only scared pup who kept trying to climb up high. My partner went straight for her; we just clicked with her. Even though her sisters looked just like her, she was the one. We were holding her before finalising the adoption and when my partner put her back down, all the other dogs at the shelter jumped on her, biting her legs and ears. Without a second thought, my partner scooped her back up and said, "She’s the one we want!" We haven’t let her go since! Otherwise, she’s a total sweetheart, full of energy and with so much love to give. She’s a happy little soul now and I think—I hope—we’ve managed to make her life a wonderful one! If you’ve taken the plunge, let me know! It would be great to swap stories about life with a little Romanian rescue.

Mimi (a shepherd cross) has been part of our lives since summer 2014, and she’s been an absolute joy. She was rescued from Bucharest when she was about 2 or 3 years old. I collected her from her foster home, where they’d already checked how she got on with other animals. She’s great with other dogs and cats. However, rabbits and chickens are definitely off-limits – she sees them as prey. She also flushes out wildlife when we’re out in the woods, and her recall is still very hit-and-miss, despite three years of dog training. 😔 Other than that, she’s a total sweetheart and I can take her anywhere. She absolutely loves the car. No major health issues to report. She’s just allergic to beef, so she’s on a fish-based diet. We had a bit of a tricky patch at the start because she’d sometimes refuse to go out. It took me a while to realise she was actually scared of clouds! An overcast or perfectly clear sky was fine, but as soon as a cloud appeared, it was a case of "I’m staying indoors". That lasted for a few weeks and then she got over it (except for hot air balloons!). It was the same with the broom. She’d cower and flatten herself to the floor the moment I brought it out. It’s pretty obvious she’d been chased or beaten in the past. These days, they’re still not exactly best friends, but she doesn't freeze up anymore – she just moves to another room. 😉 We’re so lucky that our paths crossed. 😋

Personally, I know some dogs are a bit skittish coming from there, but that’s all. They’ll be a puppy just like any other ;) I can’t recommend rescuing a pooch enough!