Rehoming a dog with a known history of having bitten someone, without warning the adopters/fosterers of that history, would lead to the rescue being prosecuted - be interesting to see if the RSPCA are treated the way they treat others (I can't read the article, perhaps it says).
People rehome dogs for the most trivial of reasons (don't match the decor, can't be bothered to walk it, it chews things), but also for the saddest reasons - losing a home, family splits, domestic abuse, owner dies. These dogs all end up in rescue and don't deserve to be written off as unsuitable to be in a home just because they find themselves homeless (I know that's not what you meant, Dove, but just to be clear). We have always had rescue dogs, because I will not support those who breed dogs, even though I love to have them. I know that seems very inconsistent, but I am convinced there are enough dogs for the number of people able to care for them, without breeding thousands more to support an appetite for a fashionable breed. One of ours is a dog who was passed from home to home as he got too big and boisterous, one is a waste product of the betting industry's cruelty and carelessness.
There are dogs who can't be safely rehomed, but they are fairly few. Most of the badly behaved ones have just not been taught how to behave well and can be cared for safely. It's negligence to let any dog just run around off lead anywhere it choses and shout 'it's OK, he's friendly' at a stranger in the far distance who is being menaced by a dog who doesn't know what's expected of him and is making up his own rules.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I agree @raisingirl … and I’ve had dogs from re-homing charities, pedigree dogs from breeders, and the progeny of a ‘chance meeting between a dachshund belonging to a friend and a Jack Russell … and I’ve loved them all.
But I am an experienced dog owner and when I had dogs I had large gardens and access to my own meadows and woodland for exercise. Although we would love a dog now we know that we don’t have the right lifestyle or sufficient space for the sort of dog we prefer.
We watch large dogs with loads of energy being walked past here in the mornings and evenings and know that it’s unlikely they’re really getting enough exercise … ours were out and about being busy with us all day … that’s what most dogs need … even the little fluffy ones need to be with someone and kept occupied for a lot of the time, otherwise they suffer from the canine equivalent of separation anxiety and stress … leading to difficult behaviours causing trouble for dog and owner alike.
I’m afraid a large proportion of folk with dogs nowadays haven’t got the foggiest of what a dog really needs … 😢
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
We no longer have a dog but the one we did have was a rescue from the local police kennels. He was with us for 14 years, travelled thru Europe with us ( the 6 month quarrantine on our return to the UK cost a small fortune but at least it was close by so we could visit him on a regular basis until his release ). I can still remember paying the license fee - 7 shillings and sixpence - every year. I agree with the comments made by both @raisingirl and @Dovefromabove - the breeding and selling of dogs appears to have little or no regulation and little responsibility seems to be attached to breeders, sellers and, of course, owners. The only other thing I feel worth pointing out is that a similar issue arises with many pets - a case of let's get a "pet" and then realising the pet needs attention/time/specialist care, etc.
Our local cuurent problem is that a person has moved into the area owning 9 dogs, none of which wear collars, none are neutered and are allowed to get out and roam the roads and fields. 3 of the dogs are the main culprits, all lurchers, which are sight hounds so will hunt. They have bitten a number of dogs. In a couple of cases the attacked dogs showed no sign of injury until a few days later when a puncture wound became infected. One dog almost died. A fourth dog has only one thought in its head, to mount any dog it can get near, male, female, entire or neutered, he doesn't care. The owner has been spoken to by the police, RSPCA, and dog warden to no effect yet. I understand the owner was in court yesterday but I have no idea why. Fingers crossed it was about the dogs. One of the lurchers is supposed to have had a litter of 10 puppies, from a brother and sister cross. How irresponsible is that! At the moment people are posting on Facebook, reporting dogs running loose on roads etc. and the owner just says thanks I will go and get them.
As has already been said, most of the people up in arms are dog owners who own well behaved dogs. I have had my own dog, off lead in the park with 15 other local dogs, all off lead and not one squabble or argument. They enjoy meeting up and definitely have their own special buddies. My own dog has a female admirer who does everything she can to let him know just how much she fancies him. Sadly the feeling is not mutual, both are neutered anyway. I suppose hope springs eternal! I have always had rescue dogs and only had one which I had to ask the RSPCA to take back because it nipped my 4 yrs old, in front of me, for no reason. It eventually went to an elderly couple where it was as happy as Larry. I was accused of not giving the dog a chance but I felt it was too much of a risk to keep a dog which might have an issue with small children, the dog would be stressed and you cannot watch small children every second.
I know a lot of well meaning people spend a lot of money bringing dogs into this country to rehome from desperate situations abroad but I feel this should be stopped until there are no dogs, born in this country needing rehoming. It is true that a lot of people take on a pet without realizing how much they cost to keep, feed etc ., and how much time they need for exercise, grooming etc. A trot around a garden is not enough to keep most dogs healthy and happy.
Posts
People rehome dogs for the most trivial of reasons (don't match the decor, can't be bothered to walk it, it chews things), but also for the saddest reasons - losing a home, family splits, domestic abuse, owner dies. These dogs all end up in rescue and don't deserve to be written off as unsuitable to be in a home just because they find themselves homeless (I know that's not what you meant, Dove, but just to be clear). We have always had rescue dogs, because I will not support those who breed dogs, even though I love to have them. I know that seems very inconsistent, but I am convinced there are enough dogs for the number of people able to care for them, without breeding thousands more to support an appetite for a fashionable breed. One of ours is a dog who was passed from home to home as he got too big and boisterous, one is a waste product of the betting industry's cruelty and carelessness.
There are dogs who can't be safely rehomed, but they are fairly few. Most of the badly behaved ones have just not been taught how to behave well and can be cared for safely. It's negligence to let any dog just run around off lead anywhere it choses and shout 'it's OK, he's friendly' at a stranger in the far distance who is being menaced by a dog who doesn't know what's expected of him and is making up his own rules.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I agree with the comments made by both @raisingirl and @Dovefromabove - the breeding and selling of dogs appears to have little or no regulation and little responsibility seems to be attached to breeders, sellers and, of course, owners.
The only other thing I feel worth pointing out is that a similar issue arises with many pets - a case of let's get a "pet" and then realising the pet needs attention/time/specialist care, etc.
At the moment people are posting on Facebook, reporting dogs running loose on roads etc. and the owner just says thanks I will go and get them.
As has already been said, most of the people up in arms are dog owners who own well behaved dogs. I have had my own dog, off lead in the park with 15 other local dogs, all off lead and not one squabble or argument. They enjoy meeting up and definitely have their own special buddies.
My own dog has a female admirer who does everything she can to let him know just how much she fancies him. Sadly the feeling is not mutual, both are neutered anyway. I suppose hope springs eternal!
I have always had rescue dogs and only had one which I had to ask the RSPCA to take back because it nipped my 4 yrs old, in front of me, for no reason. It eventually went to an elderly couple where it was as happy as Larry. I was accused of not giving the dog a chance but I felt it was too much of a risk to keep a dog which might have an issue with small children, the dog would be stressed and you cannot watch small children every second.
I know a lot of well meaning people spend a lot of money bringing dogs into this country to rehome from desperate situations abroad but I feel this should be stopped until there are no dogs, born in this country needing rehoming.
It is true that a lot of people take on a pet without realizing how much they cost to keep, feed etc ., and how much time they need for exercise, grooming etc. A trot around a garden is not enough to keep most dogs healthy and happy.