# Rescue dogs from Romania and other countries?



## Archiesmummy (5 January 2013)

I was speaking to a lady today who was admiring my dogs and she said she had taken on a rescue dog that had come from Romania.  She said the charity brings a load of dogs over and finds them homes.

She is having a few problems, the dog barks (wtf) at strangers coming into the house and she doesn't know if she will keep him.  After having a lengthy chat she did say she was going to see a dog behaviourist and she wouldn't give up.  I hope not.

Do the powers that be not recognised the problem we have with dogs needing rescuing in the UK without adding to it?  Can someone help me understand.  I am so naive, I just didn't realise it went on.  No wonder our rescues are full to bursting point.

Its like the breeder I spoke to who imports from Lithuania.  I can guarantee its not to get good blood into the country, its a money making exercise.  Anyway, that is another story.  

Sometimes I am lost for words and just cannot understand our import policies.  Can someone help me to understand.


----------



## Dobiegirl (5 January 2013)

I was told (and I can give you the link if you like) our pounds and rescues are full of Staffys which people dont want, they want cute dogs so are providing these.


----------



## cremedemonthe (5 January 2013)

The dogs in pounds in Romania are often subjected to brutal horrific treatment and conditions, they die a terrible death, you cannot compare most UK pounds to Romanian ones, that is why people try to rescue them.


----------



## Archiesmummy (5 January 2013)

cremedemonthe said:



			The dogs in pounds in Romania are often subjected to brutal horrific treatment and conditions, they die a terrible death, you cannot compare most UK pounds to Romanian ones, that is why people try to rescue them.
		
Click to expand...

So the dogs here are left, often to be put to sleep?  To save their pain and suffering if they cannot home the Romanian dogs surely PTS should be considered.  We have our own problems on our doorstep to deal with.


----------



## Jools1234 (5 January 2013)

from what we are now seeing and hearing at the vets i work at most of the 'rescues' from Romania, Lithuania and the like are being breed in puppy farms, the rescues offer money for them to remove the dogs/puppies from appaling conditions, so by bringing street dogs over here to 'rescue' them from cruelty and neglect we have created a situation that has resulted in more animals suffering. the people who struggle to live in these countries are breeding puppies in terrible conditions to sell them for profit to be exported to the uk.

we have animals in this country that need homing, we need to stop fuelling the economy that supports puppy farming in EVERY country, until people stop buying they will not stop breeding


----------



## Dobiegirl (5 January 2013)

As I suggested on the fb page instead of bringing them over here people should be donating to fund shelters,spay and neutering as well as educating.


----------



## Archiesmummy (5 January 2013)

Dobiegirl said:



			As I suggested on the fb page instead of bringing them over here people should be donating to fund shelters,spay and neutering as well as educating.
		
Click to expand...

I would have thought this more useful and at the same time the dogs in our rescue's are homed.  Who is in charge of the importation?  Are they bonkers?


----------



## PoppyAnderson (5 January 2013)

Sounds very much like the situation that has arisen with rescue horses. The whole 'Franch' controversy.


----------



## cremedemonthe (5 January 2013)

Dobiegirl said:



			As I suggested on the fb page instead of bringing them over here people should be donating to fund shelters,spay and neutering as well as educating.
		
Click to expand...

Yes, this is what the rescue I help do, as you say education is the key then in theory the dogs out there wouldn't need rescueing from the rescue centres out there!
http://www.romaniaanimalaid.co.uk/


----------



## Dobiegirl (5 January 2013)

CMD that looks a good charity a lot of them are not, I donate to Egyptian horses, the money is spent paying for vet treatment, wormers etc but even if it wasnt so expensive I wouldnt donate if they were trying to get them over here.


----------



## Pendlehog (5 January 2013)

A lot of these poor foreign dogs are also legging it from their owners and going missing... lots of ex Romanian street dogs on Dogs Lost. How well equipped are they to cope here in reality?  What backup are these rescues offering? 
 Meanwhile hundreds of lovely young dogs gets the blue juice here in the UK every day. And no, they're not all staffies either.


----------



## cremedemonthe (5 January 2013)

Dobiegirl, yes there are bad ones out there and this seems to be the best one.
I make various items like muzzles, collars etc for various charities such as the Romanian one I have shown you but I do far more work for the UK charities. The best thing the charities can do though in any country is to educate the people that buy these dogs on a whim then as just as quickly discard them


----------



## Archiesmummy (5 January 2013)

The very thought of any animal suffering brings tears to my eyes. It is commendable for people such as cremedemonthe to try to eleviate some suffering and be so kind as to help all you can. 

However, education is paramount. I would sooner see the dogs put out of their misery and pts than shipped over here for a sometimes uncertain end. 

The lady said to me, her words, she wasn't sure if she could or would keep the dog. From what she was saying they wanted a little lap dog that sat in its bed and did nothing but she 'was smitten by her little lovely face'. No doubt this dog will end up in one of our rescues too. The dog doesn't understand a word she is saying, her words again, and some people will not put in the time and effort when homing a rescue dog, expecting a ready made perfect dog.

I am afraid we, as a nation, allowing the importation of these dogs, are failing the very dogs many are trying to help, IMO and are stoking the fires of nations who are not educated, who do not care and will continue to offload their problems onto us.

I hope, for the dogs's sake that someone, somewhere will bring their unecessary suffering to an end there, it is deplorable. It needs to be done there, not passed here.  Stop importation.


----------



## Amaranta (5 January 2013)

PoppyAnderson said:



			Sounds very much like the situation that has arisen with rescue horses. The whole 'Franch' controversy.
		
Click to expand...


I think you may be right, and I know for a fact that some of the same people are involved, the dogs are rescued 'for a fee'


----------



## Bearsmum (5 January 2013)

There was a thread about this a while ago  - I think in latest news - where one of the imports had been 'stolen' at services. I made the comment about how I felt it would be far better for the charities to deal as WHW do by educating the locals and would no longer support Hillside here in Norfolk who were involved in the trade.

Needless to say there were a few histerical individuals who thought they were perfectly entitled to come here despite the risk to our canine population.

JD


----------



## CorvusCorax (5 January 2013)

Agree with all the other points, but the argument always is, you're not a dog lover if you don't agree with saving all/any dogs, not matter what the bigger picture. Same as the Franch thing, and as mentioned, lots of the same people involved.
And sorry, a lot of it is ego driven. Far more exotic and heroic (and expensive) to rescue a Romanian street dog from being beheaded/burned alive/dragged through the streets by chains from a car (according to the PR) than popping to the local pound and getting a Staffie that's on it's sixth day of seven before being given the needle.


----------



## joeanne (5 January 2013)

Amaranta said:



			I think you may be right, and I know for a fact that some of the same people are involved, the dogs are rescued 'for a fee'
		
Click to expand...

Yep.....you can get far more people suckered into this one as they require far less than a horse....ergo far bigger revenue coming in.


----------



## misterjinglejay (6 January 2013)

At a fun dog show last year, I judged the 'best rescue' comp, and out of 20 plus dogs well over half were imported from Romania etc. I was shocked at the amount in just a little village show.


----------



## MurphysMinder (6 January 2013)

misterjinglejay said:



			At a fun dog show last year, I judged the 'best rescue' comp, and out of 20 plus dogs well over half were imported from Romania etc. I was shocked at the amount in just a little village show.
		
Click to expand...

Thats a frightening statistic.   This advice from the Welsh CVO was in our local paper yesterday, seems it is becoming a huge problem, and I fear it won't be too long before we have rabies in this country.

http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/environmentandcountryside/2013/130104buyingapet/?lang=en


----------



## Copperpot (6 January 2013)

I am a dog lover but I simply cannot support bringing in dogs from abroad when we have so many unwanted dogs in this country. 

Many maybe be staffy types but a hell of a lot aren't. 

Why add to the problem?! From what I've heard the rescue back up isn't great and some of these dogs may well end up in rescue kennels here. 

For the cost of importing one rescue dog from another country, how many dogs could be helped here for the same money?


----------



## Archiesmummy (6 January 2013)

So what can we do about it?  If someone has an idea can't we do it?


----------



## joeanne (6 January 2013)

With the pet passport scheme, I am not sure there is anything that CAN be done.
As long as the dog has a chip, a current rabies shot, the blood test and the six months time frame has passed, what they are doing is totally legal, if not ethical....


----------



## piebaldsparkle (6 January 2013)

Copperpot said:



			For the cost of importing one rescue dog from another country, how many dogs could be helped here for the same money?
		
Click to expand...

Ahhh but there isn't a big fat profit for those doing the importing then is there.........

Have to wonder what is also smuggled across with these dogs......

We have lax (non existant boarder controls from the EU), an lets face it port officials who can't even be bothere sto check dogs against passports (or check microchip), aren't going to search the ****** kennels/crates they are travelling in................


----------



## Jools1234 (6 January 2013)

joeanne said:



			With the pet passport scheme, I am not sure there is anything that CAN be done.
As long as the dog has a chip, a current rabies shot, the blood test and the six months time frame has passed, what they are doing is totally legal, if not ethical....
		
Click to expand...

they don't have to have a blood test anymore


----------



## meandmyself (6 January 2013)

PoppyAnderson said:



			Sounds very much like the situation that has arisen with rescue horses. The whole 'Franch' controversy.
		
Click to expand...

That's what I was going to say.


----------



## rachel3 (13 February 2015)

When we chose our rescue dogs we did not know where they were from. We chose 2 my daughter chose one and my son the other we chose more on character than anything else they chose separately. We did not go there wanting a collie or any other specific breed just a dog which had a personality that would fit in with our family. they chose 2 one each and fortunately they were already firm friends one a 4month old puppy severely underweight alsation cross the other 1 yr old alsation cross unrelated once we had chosen we asked for information and it turned out then that they were from Romainia,but because we wouldnt have chosen any of the others anyway we went for them it was too late. And as for the Staffy dogs they should be doing what Romainia should be doing to their dogs SPAYING them There are too many.


----------



## lindsayH (13 February 2015)

I remember the uproar when there was a cull of Romanian street dogs, there was a petition going round to stop it. I didn't make many friends when I suggested that it was actually probably a very good idea.

I'm a veterinary nurse and have a client who is involved in bringing in dogs from Cyprus. I told her my views on it and she said that the foreign dogs were just as worthy as British ones. I reminded her that over 7000 British dogs are PTS in rescues every year and for the money it costs to save one foreign one, she could probably save 4 British ones.

I totally agree that if people really want to help, they should support charities that neuter - they are out there.


----------



## PucciNPoni (13 February 2015)

Copperpot said:



			I am a dog lover but I simply cannot support bringing in dogs from abroad when we have so many unwanted dogs in this country. 

Many maybe be staffy types but a hell of a lot aren't. 

Why add to the problem?! From what I've heard the rescue back up isn't great and some of these dogs may well end up in rescue kennels here. 

For the cost of importing one rescue dog from another country, how many dogs could be helped here for the same money?
		
Click to expand...

I'm inclined to agree with you.  

There are some staggering expenses relating to the rescue of those nine standard poodles from Winchester.  I'm sure what was spent on the veterinary care for those nine could have rescued many Romanian dogs.  And yet I may be biased toward the breed but I feel happier trying to help those dogs from this country because it is close to home. 

And yet I groomed a little dog that was rescued from Serbia .  It was a lovely little thing, and she will make a lovely pet for someone.  But my heart is still breaking for those nine poodles.


----------



## varkie (13 February 2015)

It isn't quite as clear cut as some would like it to be/think it is.

There are a wide range of foreign rescues.  Some are undoubtedly very dodgy, and I doubt their honesty.  But there are also some genuine foreign rescues who see the suffering of dogs and want to do something to help.

Last year, we had been looking for a dog for some months.  The majority of dogs in rescues were either staffs, greyhounds, collies or terriers - none of which are the type of dog that suited our needs.  Many of the dogs offered were not considered rehomeable with children, other dogs, cats, stock or small animals (we have all of those).  A fair number of the charities would not rehome to us because we have a primary school age child - the fact that she is very animal-savvy was not taken into account.  We had looked at lots of charities and dogs, and not found a single one that suited us.  You might think that I am just very picky - I personally think I am just very committed to finding the right dog for our family, giving us the highest chance of success.

I had begun to think we wouldn't find a dog, and then I saw one listed in rescue.  She was in Cyprus, and she ticked all our boxes - tested successfully with everything, plus some extra things that were on an 'ideal' list, but which I never thought we'd actually find.  This particular charity is based in Cyprus, and they are very genuine - the amount you pay for a dog doesn't even cover their plane fair in.  The dogs are often put in foster before flying, to check them in family homes.  They are vaccinated, neutered, blood tested, etc.  It's a very ethical charity.  And I feel pretty good about our dog - she is amazing, absolutely amazing.  Everything I hoped for, and more.  She is a dog of a lifetime.  We have done all the things that you should of course, although I think I'm relatively dog savvy, we go to dog training, she did her puppy cert, and her bronze, and now we're working towards silver.  

It breaks my heart that so many dogs are PTS unwanted in this country.  And in other countries too.  The death of any unwanted dog is tragic, wherever it comes from.  I don't think any dog is more or less worthy, based on where it comes from.  As with horses, the problem we have are the low-end breeders who are churning out puppies from any animal that can breed to make a few quid - not caring about their future.  Those are the people that really need tackling on this issue.  They are the ones who are ensuring that rescues are full - and largely full of dogs that aren't necessarily suitable for most homes.


----------



## JulesRules (13 February 2015)

I have a Spanish Rescue Dog. We got her around 6 months ago after our old UK rescue boy died. 

Before getting Ava I probably would have agreed with many of the sentiments on here, but let me explain to you why we decided on a Spanish dog...

So after losing Spike, we were looking for a new Rescue dog. I have always had rescue dogs as I would rather give a dog with a difficult start a chance at a happy life and a safe home. I also don't want to pay big bucks for a pedigree dog or encourage hobby breeders who just do it for a bit of extra cash. 

We had a few specific requirements of our new dog which were:

* To be cat friendly. At the time we had an 18 year old cat. He was quite dog savvy having lived with dogs for much of his life, but at his ripe old age we didn't want to stress him anymore than we had to.
* To be child friendly. We don't have kids, but we do have neices and nephews that visit and stay from time to time. In particular our 3 little nieces loved our old dog as they don't have dogs at home and he was always extremely tolerant of their attentions. We wanted another dog that they could stroke and play with when they visit. 
* A dog that would suit our lifestyle. We are quite busy people, and while active we didn't want a dog that needed 6 mile walks twice a day to keep them sane. We also have a caravan so we didn't want anything too big that would take over the caravan ...
* Finally, having been a staffie owner previoulsy I wasn't keen on having another. Nothing wrong with the dogs, but I find people's attitude to them difficult. When walking my staffie people were always petrified of him and shouting at me to keep him under control when he wasn't anywhere near them or doing anything wrong. I found that quite stressful and never encountered anything like it with my JRT/Bassett cross

Anyway, despite being in contact with a number of local UK rescues, using a dog rescue forum and scouring the internet for a suitable UK dog, I just wasn't able to find one. Dog that's okay with cats - no problem but he's not to be around kids. Dog that likes kids - no worries but she will chase cats. Anyway, after a few weeks I found a local charity that as well as rehoming local dogs and rescuing through the pound, they work with small rescue in southern spain and bring some dogs back here for rehoming. There are a number of ex-pats out there who are horrified at the way that some of these dogs are treated and know that there are good loving homes in the UK. They give their time tirelessly and selflessly to try to help the dogs. 

Our dog is a gorgeous soft girl who was fab with our elderly cat until we recently lost him and we wouldn't be without her. 

I probably wouldn't have chosen to have a foreign dog as a first choice but I don't regret it for a moment.

I honestly think a bigger issue is all the hobby breeders on preloved trying to sell a litter of staff x pups for £200 a pop, when you know full well a lot of those dogs will end up in the pound in a year or so. I think breeding should be much more tightly controlled. 

I also think that some dogs are more suitable for rehoming than others. Being put to sleep isn't the worst thing that can happen to a dog and I honestly think that those dogs that are not really suitable for rehoming should be put to sleep humanely. 

Sorry if some of my views aren't popular, but I would rather have a dog that is suitable for my lifestyle form Spain, than one that is not from the UK.


----------



## JulesRules (13 February 2015)

Varkie - looks like we have had a very similar experience : -)


----------



## MurphysMinder (13 February 2015)

A friend has recently adopted a dog from Croatia, she arrives with her this weekend.  I was less than impressed when my friend told me, and still believe we should be worrying about dogs in rescues over here before bringing them in from abroad.  The rescue my friend is dealing with, AAFA, does seem to be one of the better ones,  the pup has been in a foster home, is fully vaccinated and passported and spends 48 hours in a holding kennel while Defra check all her documentation.


----------



## galaxy (13 February 2015)

I'm seeing dogs coming in from abroad all over the GSP fb page. I think this in mainly because there aren't msny GSPs in rescue in the UK (a good thing!) so people are looking elsewhere. However some of the people getting them are far from experienced at dealing with the behavioural issues they are experiencing... These dogs are dogs no longer wanted by hunters and discarded so totally unfamiliar to family life. Not easy dogs who are properly tested out by a rescue to see what type of home is required... I have also read of people taken dogs in as fosterers on a temporary basis and being lumbered with the dog and the rescues washing their hands.... Shocking.


----------



## {97702} (13 February 2015)

JulesRules said:



			ISorry if some of my views aren't popular, but I would rather have a dog that is suitable for my lifestyle form Spain, than one that is not from the UK.
		
Click to expand...

I fully appreciate that you made a very careful and considered choice when selecting your dog, but I do struggle with the idea that there wasn't an equally suitable one already here in the UK.  There undoubtedly was.....


----------



## ILuvCowparsely (13 February 2015)

Dobiegirl said:



			I was told (and I can give you the link if you like) our pounds and rescues are full of Staffys which people dont want, they want cute dogs so are providing these.
		
Click to expand...

When we went looking for our puppy, we tried all the rescue centers locally and beyond .......................  They were full (80%) of staffy types/ lurchers/ pitbull types and rotties  and JR.  Which no one wants..... more often than not people are looking for a family dog to be with children/ older people/ or have cats or other small furries. That is why our rescue centers are so full, its all the harder to home breeds.  Sometimes the only way you can get what you are looking for is to go further a field.


----------



## {97702} (13 February 2015)

HGA-12 said:



			When we went looking for our puppy, we tried all the rescue centers locally and beyond .......................  They were full (80%) of staffy types/ lurchers/ pitbull types and rotties  and JR.  Which no one wants..... more often than not people are looking for a family dog to be with children/ older people/ or have cats or other small furries. That is why our rescue centers are so full, its all the harder to home breeds.  Sometimes the only way you can get what you are looking for is to go further a field.
		
Click to expand...

My personal view is that the only way is to educate people more on how much of a family dog these breeds are   A lot of people seem to have pre-conceived ideas that the breeds are not "suitable" for them without ever finding out more about the breed or indeed about individual dogs


----------



## moppett (13 February 2015)

Lévrier;12810650 said:
			
		


			My personal view is that the only way is to educate people more on how much of a family dog these breeds are   A lot of people seem to have pre-conceived ideas that the breeds are not "suitable" for them without ever finding out more about the breed or indeed about individual dogs
		
Click to expand...

Greeat response Lévrier - i agree! I have sighthounds who if introduced correctly to furries are fine!


----------



## {97702} (13 February 2015)

moppett said:



			Greeat response Lévrier - i agree! I have sighthounds who if introduced correctly to furries are fine!
		
Click to expand...

Me too  Amy (greyhound x whippet) lived perfectly happy with cats when Cayla had her - not sure I would fully trust her now, 5 years later, but I'm quite sure she would learn very quickly


----------



## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (13 February 2015)

I'm with "Varkie" and others on here............

We're currently in the process of adopting a rescue dog.

Firstly let me explain that our last dog was a rescue, she was from a local charity who at that time hadn't got established - and frankly the follow-up was appalling, in a whole ten years of  having our lovely little girl, no-one from the rescue ever followed up to see if she was OK, or not. We were just left to our own devices basically.

She recently had to be PTS, and then we looked around for another dog. Having had (ten years previously) wasted time trailing out to the Blue Cross and filling out all their forms etc, and then they never got back to us, I've just been looking all around my local area and beyond, on-line, for another rescue. It needs to be OK living with a cat, and another dog. That's all. We've got our own place with ten acres of land and aren't away a lot, so one would have thought it was easy to find another dog???? Nope, not so.

There is NOTHING, just nothing that is remotely suitable. We cannot and dare not have anything which might not get on with our existing dog, or maul any of the cats (although appreciate that any dog will go for a cat until they are taught that this isn't acceptable and that things need time).

To cut a very long story short, the ONLY dog we've seen which is remotely suitable is a little dog - from................. Cyprus. She's been brought over here by a charity and has been living with a foster carer. We've seen her in their home living with other dogs, and a cat, plus guinea pigs, so we know that she CAN live with a cat, and currently we're going through the adoption process.

It wasn't that we didn't look hard enough for a dog here in the UK, coz we've been looking hard, every day, on-line, facebook etc etc., for the past three weeks!! One rescue society expected us to trail up to their place (over 2 hrs drive away) just to fill in the form!!! Whereas this could have been done on-line or in the post? And then when they had something suitable we could have travelled up........ but no, they have their policies and that's that!!! And before anyone says it, yes I do realise that they need to be very careful, but 2 hrs journey just to fill a form in BEFORE they'll let you go any further??

Anyway, we're hopefully getting our new little girl......... 

To my mind, anyway, a dog deserving a good home is a dog deserving a good home, irrespective of where in the world they are. Yes we would have chosen to adopt a dog from the local area and/or anywhere in the UK, but the dog we wanted just wasn't there when we were looking 

TBH a lot of dogs in rescues cannot ever hope to be rehomed due to behavioural difficulties. That is the reality, unfortunately.


----------



## windseywoo (13 February 2015)

I'm on the other side of the fence! Some may have read a post last year I did about losing my dog and my OH wanting another before I was ready.
Well we ended up with two dogs from Romania and to say at the time I wasn't very happy is an understatement. However the OH didn't know they were from Romania until after he'd paid for them and we received a magazine saying how they rescue the dogs from there. I would definitely rather have had a rescue from this country if at all and felt that in a way we had been slightly misled. We have had the dogs for nearly six months but man it feels longer, the one dog has only just started to let the OH near her so I had to do most of the initial handling, the other dog barks constantly at next door because they are always working in their garden (which I appreciate they are allowed to do) with power tools which upsets them, so we've fallen out with them!!! If we let the dogs off together their pack instinct kicks in, they run off together and have nearly got run over twice just in the last week (both times they'd escaped from places considered safe!!!) They've been very difficult to toilet train due to coming from Romania to kennels, have destroyed numerous carpets, curtains and blankets. We had a behaviourist come out to us from the kennels when we were having issues and his first words to the one dog were "oh hello you, I see you've found another home". He'd been to see her in Scotland because she'd attacked the owners other dog over food and they sent her back, yet the kennels never told us that. Now I know we could have had all these problems rehoming from here, but I feel that because they were pack mates and stray dogs in another country they are always going to be slightly wild. If they ever come across an injured animal then to be honest its toast. However if we do go on holiday they have a very nice passport with all they're jabs on.
What I'm trying to say is, yes I would prefer to rehome from here and I feel that rehoming from another country is only encouraging the people bringing them over; however we're stuck with them now as got too attached to them so here's hoping they will be sorted eventually. People shouldn't think its an easier way to get a dog.


----------



## CAYLA (13 February 2015)

Windseywoo I more often hear stories like yours. Very sad these dogs ending up in rescues who are not set up to deal with any issues the dogs may have "once saved" we as a rescue do not take foreign dogs we deal with far to many local dogs in need (we have ended up with them though) through people discarding of them when issues come to head semi feral) mostly. I honestly believe it's like the designer fad! It sounds better to say you have a "Romanian" rescue than a bog standard British discard. I'm sure it sounds impressive in the park. I find it hard to believe in the length and breadth of this country a rescue dog cannot be found suitable for need. Or like yourself people are not made aware the dogs where imported. Rather selfish and as CC said hero status comes with bringing them in but once in the rest is simply not so exciting as it involves dealing with distraught new owners and dogs in serious psychological distress if they are lucky enough not to end up in our wilderness when they escape. I respect those rescues far more who spay/castrate/ treat /save and educate within the country of issue (and plenty do) and not by shipping out on mass. Or assess more thoroughly to see weather these dogs are fit both mind and body to transport in this manner with little to no after support in most cases. The answer in the long term is not shipping them out for sure as already mentioned it's creating a little enterprise of its own.


----------



## windseywoo (13 February 2015)

Hi Cayla. I agree with you completely and I think its only because we've had rescue dogs (well found) that have had issues, that we haven't sent them back and to be fair at one stage it was almost me or the dogs. Our dogs don't look foreign and ok if someone asks we'll say, but in no way being proud of the fact (unless they're running off and we say they don't understand us!! They do.) As said bringing them over, is just creating a market for something that should be controlled in their country of origin.


----------



## echoncarrie (13 February 2015)

I have 2 Romanian boys. Both from kill 'shelters'. I also have 4 UK rescues. Mine are absolutely DELIGHTFUL. They have been through such a rough time (my first used to wet himself with pure fear). But they have learned to trust again, they run loose on my yard, and are absolutely no problem. I can see what people are saying. But these cost less than your designer cockapoodle, they NEEDED a home and by chance I came across them. No other charity would entertain me anyway, with 5 dogs already.. But I do have a large house with 20 acres..


----------



## Doormouse (13 February 2015)

I have a Cyprus rescue. He is an 18 month old min pin x and he is a star. I wanted a rescue dog and I hunted high and low in the UK but every time I found a dog that might be even half suitable I was immediately turned down because my daughter is only 3. I live on a farm, miles from a road, have owned dogs all my life and already have a cat and an elderly terrier. I would have considered myself a good home for a dog, but according to the UK rescues, I was completely unsuitable.

I rescued a dog from Cyprus, they were delighted to allow me to have him, he is everything I could have wanted, gentle with the elderly terrier, loves the cat, adores my daughter and in return we all adore him.

I would have gladly rescued an English dog but I don't fit the criteria despite being able to offer a good home. Maybe if the UK rescues took each case individually instead of a blanket set of rules they might have more success re homing the dogs.


----------



## ILuvCowparsely (13 February 2015)

Lévrier;12810650 said:
			
		


			My personal view is that the only way is to educate people more on how much of a family dog these breeds are   A lot of people seem to have pre-conceived ideas that the breeds are not "suitable" for them without ever finding out more about the breed or indeed about individual dogs
		
Click to expand...

They might make a good dog but for me personally I  do not like the look of them, and  would never consider one for our circumstances.


----------



## JulesRules (14 February 2015)

I think there are a number of issues here, only one of which is origin of the dog. 

I think suitability for re homing is a far bigger issue. I agree that foreign dogs that are not suitable for re homing should not be brought here, and maybe tighter regulation is needed. However, I also disagree with charities that "never put a healthy dog to sleep". I think it would be better to put to sleep those not suitable for re homing and concentrate on those that are - wherever they are from. 

As I mentioned before breeding should also be more tightly regulated as over breeding is the cause of many of these problems. 

And Cayla, while I have total respect for the work you do I totally disagree about a dog from abroad being more "fashionable ". I think it is much more about a supply of suitable dogs in this country,  some of which may be added to by the large rescues being over cautious in their re homing polices.


----------



## {97702} (14 February 2015)

HGA-12 said:



			They might make a good dog but for me personally I  do not like the look of them, and  would never consider one for our circumstances.
		
Click to expand...

 Not sure what breed you are referring to, as you mentioned a number of breeds in your OP - and that was what I was meaning in my reply


----------



## Dobiegirl (14 February 2015)

JulesRules said:



			". I think it is much more about a supply of suitable dogs in this country,  some of which may be added to by the large rescues being over cautious in their re homing polices.
		
Click to expand...


The dogs I see coming in from Romania are Collie xs, lurcher types,GSD xs and Lab xs, these dogs you can find all day long in an English rescue so why bring in a dog of the same type from abroad?


----------



## ILuvCowparsely (14 February 2015)

Lévrier;12811355 said:
			
		


			Not sure what breed you are referring to, as you mentioned a number of breeds in your OP - and that was what I was meaning in my reply
		
Click to expand...

I don't like the staffy or pitbull type, they do not appeal to us nor do a few other breeds.


----------



## ILuvCowparsely (14 February 2015)

Dobiegirl said:



			The dogs I see coming in from Romania are Collie xs, lurcher types,GSD xs and Lab xs, these dogs you can find all day long in an English rescue so why bring in a dog of the same type from abroad?
		
Click to expand...


Erm no you can't always!         we were looking for months for  a GSD/NI type -  the only GSD puppies we saw were already spoken for the others were not suitable for cats.   Its bloody hard finding a GSD in our area which will go with cats.   We saw NO Labradors in the 5 centers we tried.  All we saw were staff - lurcher -huskies( not to go with cats ) bull terriers and JR. 

 No labradors -red setters- wolf hounds -  collies etc etc.  So you have to go elsewhere to find them


----------



## Dobiegirl (14 February 2015)

The rescue I foster for has had quite an influx of Collies & Labs, have had GSDs in the past, where possible they are passed on to Breed rescues, if you want a specific breed  I would suggest breed rescues, some of these dogs as with all rescues are not on their web sites. If I wanted another Dobermann I wouldn't be looking at mixed rescue sites but breed rescue.

I dont think Ive ever seen a Wolf Hound in a rescue, red Setters hardly ever but again breed rescue would be my first choice.


----------



## Thriller (14 February 2015)

Dobiegirl said:



			As I suggested on the fb page instead of bringing them over here people should be donating to fund shelters,spay and neutering as well as educating.
		
Click to expand...

This a million times over. The money they waste bringing one dog here could help make 10 others have a better life in romania. But at the end of the day when there is too many dogs and not enough homes what is one to do? I'm probably a little harsh about it but honestly if its been in kennels over 6 months with no interest it should be pts. Kennels are not a place any dog should live for long term, they are not suited to it and i say this with experience. They survive but its not right.


----------



## allyp (15 February 2015)

Having worked in rescue for many years I have every breed and type be available for rehoming. Some breeds are unusual and you will probably have to put name on a waiting list. If you are looking for the perfect dog that's good with everything then there are loads over here - they tend to go quickly and often don't make it on to websites. It may take a little time and effort but there is a rescue dog over here waiting for, you don't need to import
I have friends who volunteer for foreign rescues and I understand given the awful circumstances some are kept and killed why they do what they do but! I would rather put money into education, neutering and humane pts. 
The dogs trust survey gave a figure of over 7000 dogs pts by councils last year. This does not include dogs pts by rescues (and not all only pts due to welfare or behaviour) or taken by owner to vet to be put down as they don't want it any more. 
In short if you want a dog, well done for getting a rescue dog but do please consider a uk dog first. Oh and staffies are brilliant! But I appreciate everyone has different tastes, I can't see me ever having a Labrador - although working with so many different dogs I do tend to consider the individual personality rather than the breed now I feel so maybe if the right one came along...


----------



## JulesRules (15 February 2015)

Just to clarify, when I said suitable dogs I was not talking about breed I was talking about temperament and also size. I  could find no small to medium dog in a UK rescue that was child friendly AND suitable to live with cats, so we resorted to a Spanish dog.


----------



## rachel3 (16 February 2015)

Disagree saw very few Collies lurcher type dogs in the rescue homes We went to they were filled with the staffy types and none fitted into the character for our family. we did not know where ours came from before choosing. The problem is world wide The only way we can solve our problem here the UK is Spaying not forcing family's wishing to adopt to have a breed they don't want.


----------



## MotherOfChickens (16 February 2015)

I've given up judging people based on where they rescue or what they rescue tbh (and I won't have another rescue dog, so am the lowest of the low). The Cypriot dogs I've seen over here have all been lovely wee things and all have sensible owners-a dog in need is a dog in need.


----------



## puppystitch (16 February 2015)

I have a foreign rescue - unintentionally! My husband and I were at the 'talking about logistics' stage of getting a dog but hadn't visited any rescues. It was always going to be a rescue as we've both had them before. In the meantime, a friend of ours was fostering a 'foreign' dog which we met and subsequently looked after for a short time. She was absolutely the opposite of the kind of dog we thought we would get but on her short stay with us she fitted in perfectly and we agreed to rehome her. The rescue she comes from actually imports very few dogs, only those they know will be easily rehomed - mostly they help to support shelters abroad. I'm a bit on the fence about it all as our little dog is brilliant and has been no trouble whatsoever, but I can also see the argument for supporting UK dogs first and foremost. 

The nub of it is, they are all dogs in need and as animal lovers that is hard to ignore regardless of borders. I don't really care where our dog came from, what I care about is that she fits in perfectly with our life and is now a happy, confident, well-mannered dog where once she was homeless and poorly treated. It was just a case of right-place, right-time for her. I actually rarely tell people that ours is a rescue from abroad precisely because I want to avoid this discussion!


----------



## allyp (21 February 2015)

As said, I'm not having a go at people with foreign rescues, I just want uk dogs to ne considered first
And no of course you don't have to have a breed you don't like but the small/cute/puppies/dogs that are good with everything go QUICK. You probably won't see them in the kennels or on the website, you have to register, keep in touch with rescues etc. Yes some work is involved but then that should be the case no matter where you get a dog from including a breeder
If want a specific breed, go to the breed rescue in first instance
Here are some of the breeds that we have had in our local Pound that went to tescue- these were dogs with no issues btw, its just more popular to have pedigree dogs now so more end unwanted: Labrador. (loads) poodle, bichon, Chihuahua, Pomeranian, spitz, German shepherd, collie, lurcher, dalmatian, shih tzus, lhasa apsos Tibetan terrier, English bulldog, pointer, spaniel -springer and cocker, every terrier breed you can think of and so on. I've recently got an unwanted St Bernard puppy off to rescue and have had puppies as young as 8 weeks looking for homes where people have got them without thinking
Currently Rehoming a kc registered weimaramer who's good with everything, ditto cute terrier x and yes a lovely staffie x. The first two will go quick, the staffie will take longer...
The dogs that are put to sleep in this country are not all staffies (poor poor staffies) or dogs with issues. Some pounds have so many dogs in they run out of room have first has to go no matter what - this includes puppies. 
We have humane pts in this country, we have rules regarding kennels and we don't have the numbers that they do even in countries like the USA but every year 1000s of dogs are destroyed because there is no room for them, I just have to keep saying that because I don't want it to be forgotten


----------



## rachel3 (21 February 2015)

We should be spaying our dogs in this country there are too many its a worldwide problem other countries should also be spaying. too many dog owners are saying they have to let the dog have the chance of breeding before spaying, others just don't and accidents happen. its not just about saying if a dog is born in a different country its their problem not ours what about the dog itself. yes countries should be responsible for their own borders but we should be all equally looking after the whole world too. people are too sentimental if an animal cant be helped mentally or physically it should be put down wherever it comes from the others should be spayed to bring world wide numbers down. What makes a Uk dog better than a dog from the rest of the world. We are all Earthlings animals and humans and should be judged on our own individual behaviour and not from where we come from I am a proud English Woman from way back in my ancestry and Also a proud Earthling and it is high time we as a planet started working together and realise that is down to the individual not where they come from.


----------



## Emsarr (21 February 2015)

As per usual, the UK is forgetting about its own and heading abroad. Happens all of the time with animals, be it dogs or horses. The amount of animals in the UK that need rescued/rehomed that are instead facing life in kennels because people feel sorry for the animals abroad. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the fact it happens and would love to help BUT charity starts at home, that needs to be remembered.


----------



## rachel3 (21 February 2015)

I do not think it is as simple as that I think people do not want the problem dogs and that is why they are in Kennels. As ally said people go looking for the puppies and pedigrees and non problem dogs if they can not find them they go on waiting lists to find them. the dogs that end up long term in Kennels are the ones no one has time for or of a type namely Staffys which someone has bred for the sake of breeding or accident. I for one do not have the time or experience for a problem dog so was looking for a x breed that fitted into our family we found two it was only afterwards that we discovered where they were from. We saw dogs which would not walk outside the kennels another that was so shy it didn't want to leave its kennel another that wouldn't stop barking I am sure someone could make these dogs better but I couldnt and I knew I would probably make things worse as I didn't have the time. we found 2 that wanted to know us play and keep up with us on walks and loved to learn. we could afford to buy pedigree dogs but decided to rescue and i actually prefer x breeds. I if we are honest with ourselves the Dogs that get left in rescues no one really wants that is why they go on searching putting their names down waiting for the one that fits their want puppy or pedigree. Therefore if you are going looking or putting your name on waiting list are you really rescuing an unwanted dog or are u just getting there before someone else?


----------

