Ready to adopt a new buddy

[Nicw]

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Hi everyone. After many years of working full time and renting we are delighted to now be in a perfect situation to adopt a young dog. My partner and I are self employed and enjoy walking and kayaking. We would like a little buddy to join us on our uk adventures. Our new friend would need to get on with other dogs as we have family members with dogs. Cats, not so important. Breed isnt too important either but we would like a medium sized friend, even a small lurcher. Not one of the bull breeds though thanks. Hope you can help! Looking in Kent/Norfolk/S Lincs/Cambs

 

[JudyN]

Are you willing to travel to find the right dog for you? The rescue organisation Lurcher Link is based in Yorkshire but is excellent. They know all their dogs very well, and several are fostered out so the dogs have lived in an experienced family home.

Southern Lurcher Rescue is closer to you but has recently become Southern Lurcher Lifeline and no longer 'rescues' dogs but funds dogs that it sponsors. However, they will still be aware of a lot of lurchers in need of home, so you might want to contact them. Their new forum/website, which is still being developed but does work, can be found here: Login Required | SouthernLurcherLifeline

I've only mentioned lurchers because they are my first love - others will have more suggestions!

 

[Nicw]

Really lovely of you to respond Judy thank you! We really love lurchers too but are pretty open minded, and yes willing to travel. I am consious though that rescue foundations will probably want to visit my home. Is this true and if so, is it worth looking too far afield?

 

[JudyN]

The rescues tend to have a network of people willing to do a home check, and will occasionally ask another rescue to do one, so don't let that put you off. I did one for Lurcher Link and I live on the south coast!

The home checkers don't make the decisions themselves, but just take down all the details such as height of fences, your working status (so how long the dog will be left alone for), why you want a lurcher and what traits you need (e.g. cat friendly), and pass them back to the rescue.

 

[Kayak]

I work loosely as a foster (as a favour to my friend, the lady who runs the rescue) for a
Dogue de bordeaux rescue, and from what I can gather rescues normally have volunteers across the country who home check potential adopters in their area.

 

[Nicw]

This is really useful info, thank you. It is good to know we can look further afield. Was watching the Frankie Boyle in Russia prog last night and was so sad to see so many unwanted dogs. We are more committed than ever to rehome a dog that needs help x

 

[JudyN]

Russia might be a bit far... Seriously, there's a lot of rescue dogs that have come in from abroad but many, maybe most, turn up with one hell of a lot of baggage to the extent that they have been permanently traumatised and can be unfixable.

 

[Mad Murphy]

Russia might be a bit far... Seriously, there's a lot of rescue dogs that have come in from abroad but many, maybe most, turn up with one hell of a lot of baggage to the extent that they have been permanently traumatised and can be unfixable.

This can be true although if you go through a good agency they will have the dogs in your country already in foster homes so that the fosters can give you loads more info about what the dog is and isnt like. My neighbour fosters dogs from Greece and my friend has two from Spain who are the most lovey dogs you can imagine. Agencies that let you pick online like a catalogue and just fly the dog over sight unseen are not really helping the dog or the adopter.

 

[merlina]

Best of luck in your search for the right companion. I'm a homechecker and have checked in my area for dogs of every breed and coming from virtually everywhere. The only thing to consider is the rescue will ask you to come and pick up the dog in person and if it's a long way it can involve an overnight stay. And although I have a rescue dog that has come from abroad if this is your first rescue I'd look in UK. (I took my boy from RSPCA who had had to pick him up from the person who brought him over initially and couldn't cope and wanted rid!). Every rescue I've helped has had really excellent knowledge of the dog they're rehoming, often having assessed them over some time. So you have a better chance of knowing the dog's nature. Also only deal with a good rescue that will take the dog back again if things go badly wrong.

 

[merlina]

Oh and I've just recommended here to someone else so maybe worth a look/visit.

Dog Rehoming | Snetterton | Dogs Trust

(They were after a terrier but if you scroll through all the dogs there are some lovely lurchers.)

 

[JudyN]

(They were after a terrier but if you scroll through all the dogs there are some lovely lurchers.)

Oh, just look at Cariad Dogs Trust - Cariad I'm a sucker for a scruffy lurcher

 

[merlina]

Yes I fancied her and of course, being Welsh, the fact that Cariad means 'darling'!

 

[Nicw]

Russia might be a bit far... Seriously, there's a lot of rescue dogs that have come in from abroad but many, maybe most, turn up with one hell of a lot of baggage to the extent that they have been permanently traumatised and can be unfixable.

Yes totally agree, I thought tht might be the case. So sad

 

[Nicw]

Best of luck in your search for the right companion. I'm a homechecker and have checked in my area for dogs of every breed and coming from virtually everywhere. The only thing to consider is the rescue will ask you to come and pick up the dog in person and if it's a long way it can involve an overnight stay. And although I have a rescue dog that has come from abroad if this is your first rescue I'd look in UK. (I took my boy from RSPCA who had had to pick him up from the person who brought him over initially and couldn't cope and wanted rid!). Every rescue I've helped has had really excellent knowledge of the dog they're rehoming, often having assessed them over some time. So you have a better chance of knowing the dog's nature. Also only deal with a good rescue that will take the dog back again if things go badly wrong.

Have wheels, can travel One question though - my main vehicle is a (very smart, new) transit van and when we dogsit for family they are perfectly happy for their dogs to sit in the middle seat between me and my partner. We use a seatbelt harness but do you have any thoughts on the pros/cons of dogs sitting in the cab instead of a back seat or cage in boot?

 

[Nicw]

Best of luck in your search for the right companion. I'm a homechecker and have checked in my area for dogs of every breed and coming from virtually everywhere. The only thing to consider is the rescue will ask you to come and pick up the dog in person and if it's a long way it can involve an overnight stay. And although I have a rescue dog that has come from abroad if this is your first rescue I'd look in UK. (I took my boy from RSPCA who had had to pick him up from the person who brought him over initially and couldn't cope and wanted rid!). Every rescue I've helped has had really excellent knowledge of the dog they're rehoming, often having assessed them over some time. So you have a better chance of knowing the dog's nature. Also only deal with a good rescue that will take the dog back again if things go badly wrong.

We are going to visit Canterbury Dogs Trust and Battersea at Brands Hatch next week. I will look up our local RSPCA too, thank you.

 

[Nicw]

Oh, just look at Cariad Dogs Trust - Cariad I'm a sucker for a scruffy lurcher

So gorgeous!

 

[arealhuman]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on looking to adopt/rescue a dog. About dogs in cab - as long as they're properly restrained/protected in the event of an accident and are not a distraction for the driver, I don't see an issue.

 

[Nicw]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on looking to adopt/rescue a dog. About dogs in cab - as long as they're properly restrained/protected in the event of an accident and are not a distraction for the driver, I don't see an issue.

Thank you, everyone seems very lovely on here! And thank you for the reassurance too. I have searched online in detail on this subject and there doesn't seem to be definitive legal guidance, apart from keep pet/passengers safe.

 

[JoanneF]

If a dog is properly restrained in a vehicle they are partly safe but if the airbag deploys they can be injured or even killed.

 

[Nicw]

If a dog is properly restrained in a vehicle they are partly safe but if the airbag deploys they can be injured or even killed.

Yes I thought that - there isn't an airbag for the centre seat but I will research further whether the L/R hand airbags could affect them. Maybe it would just be best to keep them in a cage one their own in the back and make frequent stops do you think?