Dog adoption...
Discussion
Folks,
My mum is 71, still very active and lives in the countryside. Decent garden and now retired so bags of time. Experienced with dogs.
She cannot, for love nor money, get anywhere with finding a dog to adopt. Currently has one older Labrador who probably doesn’t have more than a year or two left and is desperate to not be completely dogless.
Basically, she’s an ideal candidate but cannot seem to get anywhere finding a dog to adopt. Any that she does find have flurries of replies and the rescues seem to be insanely difficult to get... submit a 10 page application along with the other 100 prospective owners and we might get back to you.
Any tips at all?
My mum is 71, still very active and lives in the countryside. Decent garden and now retired so bags of time. Experienced with dogs.
She cannot, for love nor money, get anywhere with finding a dog to adopt. Currently has one older Labrador who probably doesn’t have more than a year or two left and is desperate to not be completely dogless.
Basically, she’s an ideal candidate but cannot seem to get anywhere finding a dog to adopt. Any that she does find have flurries of replies and the rescues seem to be insanely difficult to get... submit a 10 page application along with the other 100 prospective owners and we might get back to you.
Any tips at all?
We got one from ABLDR. They do do some checks, but don't require your life story. We got a puppy back in July. I've posted pictures elsewhere on here.
https://abldr.org.uk
https://abldr.org.uk
GT03ROB said:
We got one from ABLDR. They do do some checks, but don't require your life story. We got a puppy back in July. I've posted pictures elsewhere on here.
https://abldr.org.uk
Thanks, what’s the process... everything is all a bit remote at the moment, you need IMO to go and see which dogs you gel with.https://abldr.org.uk
We’re in Somerset. I’ve told her I will drive her to wherever the dogs are but it’s currently a no go!
carreauchompeur said:
GT03ROB said:
We got one from ABLDR. They do do some checks, but don't require your life story. We got a puppy back in July. I've posted pictures elsewhere on here.
https://abldr.org.uk
Thanks, what’s the process... everything is all a bit remote at the moment, you need IMO to go and see which dogs you gel with.https://abldr.org.uk
We’re in Somerset. I’ve told her I will drive her to wherever the dogs are but it’s currently a no go!
They will check your property. They did ours remotely, as we have 4ft stock proof fencing all round they were happy.
They will get all the shots/microchipping done in Romania. They require you to commit to proper training & pet insurance.
What you don't get is the chance to meet the dog. Which if that is key for you would be an obstacle. With a puppy this was less of an issue. All I can say is the girl we got has a lovely temperament & is perfect.
Ok thanks, definitely food for thought. I think probably an older dog would be more suitable...
She’s a bit wary of some of the overseas charities. I’ve seen a few that seem really dodgy, run by ‘characters’ so it’s difficult to know. She gets very emotional about the whole affair so I’m trying to keep her on an even keel!
She’s a bit wary of some of the overseas charities. I’ve seen a few that seem really dodgy, run by ‘characters’ so it’s difficult to know. She gets very emotional about the whole affair so I’m trying to keep her on an even keel!
carreauchompeur said:
Thanks, what’s the process... everything is all a bit remote at the moment, you need IMO to go and see which dogs you gel with.
We’re in Somerset. I’ve told her I will drive her to wherever the dogs are but it’s currently a no go!
We got our latest from here.......not sure what the situation is like at the moment though.We’re in Somerset. I’ve told her I will drive her to wherever the dogs are but it’s currently a no go!
https://www.nawt.org.uk/rehoming/dogs
eta sorry looks like the site in Street, Somerset is closed.
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 4th January 11:27
I carry out homechecks occasionally for a breed-specific rescue, and whilst not meaning to be blunt or morbid at all, I think perhaps it might help if, when you speak to any rescue organisations, you clarify what arrangements you'll have in place should the dog survive your Mum.
Although you might expect her to live to 90 and the dog to live another 10 years, clearly none of us know the actual answer to that question/equation, and whilst almost all rescues will state that the main preference is that the dog is returned to them if necessary, equally if they take an elderly dog back in then they will know that they'll probably need to keep it themselves or find a foster for it. There aren't many people who will take on an older dog with only a couple of years life expectancy (there are people who do, thankfully, but far less common than a standard rescue for obvious reasons).
I've recommended rehomers in their 80s before so it's by no means out of the question!
Although you might expect her to live to 90 and the dog to live another 10 years, clearly none of us know the actual answer to that question/equation, and whilst almost all rescues will state that the main preference is that the dog is returned to them if necessary, equally if they take an elderly dog back in then they will know that they'll probably need to keep it themselves or find a foster for it. There aren't many people who will take on an older dog with only a couple of years life expectancy (there are people who do, thankfully, but far less common than a standard rescue for obvious reasons).
I've recommended rehomers in their 80s before so it's by no means out of the question!
Crikey when I was younger in the 70's The local adds were full of Puppys and Kittens free to good homes.
All crossbreeds obviously.
Those were the days people let their Dogs out to roam in the mornings in 'Certain Areas'
People want £30-£40 for a Moggie now!
Shame about your Mum OP but I understand why older people are not favoured for animal adoption now.
All crossbreeds obviously.
Those were the days people let their Dogs out to roam in the mornings in 'Certain Areas'
People want £30-£40 for a Moggie now!
Shame about your Mum OP but I understand why older people are not favoured for animal adoption now.
I did some work for these people
https://www.k9focus.co.uk/
Looks well run, the owners are dedicated people
Based North Devon
ETA website says currently only rehoming in Devon and Cornwall, but if its ok with you Ill leave the post in the thread should others from the area be browsing.
https://www.k9focus.co.uk/
Looks well run, the owners are dedicated people
Based North Devon
ETA website says currently only rehoming in Devon and Cornwall, but if its ok with you Ill leave the post in the thread should others from the area be browsing.
Edited by bristolracer on Monday 4th January 13:12
We got my parents in law a dog from here:
http://pineridgedogsanctuary.org.uk/
The “large” organisations were worse than useless, these guys responded with “we’ve got A, B and C which sound like what you are after”. Parents in law went there, loved the first dog they saw, it loved them, they drove home with it. Apart from being a complete escape artist, it’s a lovely dog, an 8 year old Podenco.
Bit of a distance from where you are, but you’ll probably have something similar near you.
http://pineridgedogsanctuary.org.uk/
The “large” organisations were worse than useless, these guys responded with “we’ve got A, B and C which sound like what you are after”. Parents in law went there, loved the first dog they saw, it loved them, they drove home with it. Apart from being a complete escape artist, it’s a lovely dog, an 8 year old Podenco.
Bit of a distance from where you are, but you’ll probably have something similar near you.
Pothole said:
Greyhound trust?
Yes, I would recommend greyhound rescues, if she is willing to consider a grey or lurcher.Have you tried Holly Hedge, near Barrow Gurney? I adopted a couple of dogs from them before I moved to Wales, as did my parents. I don't know whether they are rehoming currently though.
There is also Many Tears (local to me now) who rehome all over the country and have dogs in foster homes all over the country too. We've had a couple from them too, and my parents - who were both in their 70s at the time - adopted a lovely lab from them. They do have a very long and detailed adoption questionnaire, though, and get a lot of applications. I believe they are also operating on a skeleton staff at the moment, so may not reply as quickly as you would like. As someone else has suggested, you do need to have plans in place when they ask (as they did) what would happen should one or both of them die. Unfortunately, that was irrelevant, because their gorgeous lab developed inoperable cancer after only 18 months. They have got another dog since, although we found her for them and she was a private rehoming.
I think you may struggle to find anywhere where you can go and 'browse' the dogs like the old days. Even before COVID-19, a number of rescues were moving away from this model, as it tends to stress the dogs out and some people focus on what a dog looks like rather than whether it is suitable for them. There is also a big shortage in rescue dogs generally, because a lot of people are selling their dogs due to the ridiculous prices they are currently able to ask.
Good luck to your mum.
Edited by moorx on Monday 4th January 18:26
Edited by moorx on Monday 4th January 18:27
OP - We got our rescue dog through Dogs Trust this summer ie in the thick of everyone looking to adopt. It’s just as you said ie reapply every time a dog comes in added to which we had no previous dog ownership experience to give us a leg up. I wanted to give up, my wife was persistent. But we (she!) got there. I think what swung it was:
- just sticking to 2-3 centres and building some dialogue with them.
- expressing interest in a breed that no one else seems interested in. In our case it was a Trailhound. Apparently they wrote ‘trailhound’ in big letters across the top of our general registration form and came straight to us as soon as one came in. In other words the ‘process’ is seemingly not followed. If they see an easy match of a dog they might otherwise struggle to home, they cut to the chase. Called us Thursday, asked us to send photos of the fences, video call Friday picked him up Saturday along with a vets voucher as there wasn’t even time for them to get him neutered!
I appreciate a trailhound may not be right for a 71 year old (he’s strong, photos on the Photos thread if you’re interested) but are there breeds she might consider that are less popular?
- just sticking to 2-3 centres and building some dialogue with them.
- expressing interest in a breed that no one else seems interested in. In our case it was a Trailhound. Apparently they wrote ‘trailhound’ in big letters across the top of our general registration form and came straight to us as soon as one came in. In other words the ‘process’ is seemingly not followed. If they see an easy match of a dog they might otherwise struggle to home, they cut to the chase. Called us Thursday, asked us to send photos of the fences, video call Friday picked him up Saturday along with a vets voucher as there wasn’t even time for them to get him neutered!
I appreciate a trailhound may not be right for a 71 year old (he’s strong, photos on the Photos thread if you’re interested) but are there breeds she might consider that are less popular?
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