Adoption

[Violet Turner]

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Good Evening Everyone! My friend is looking at upgrading her family, they already have one dog and they’re thinking of adopting a little sister or brother for their beloved Monty. They have checked the websites of the most popular shelters, but she wants me to ask about your experience first before going into the process. Has anyone been through this process? Which are the best shelters and what shall they expect in terms of process and requirements? I have obviously been through the rehoming process but not for a long time in this country. Many Thanks

 

[JudyN]

Where abouts (roughly) do they live, and what type/size of dog do they want? If I was looking for a rescue I would want one ideally where the dogs were fostered out rather than kennels. I'd also want one that wouldn't necessarily let me have the dog that first caught my eye, that offered back-up support if I had any issues, and would take the dog back if it didn't work out.

 

[Violet Turner]

Where abouts (roughly) do they live, and what type/size of dog do they want? If I was looking for a rescue I would want one ideally where the dogs were fostered out rather than kennels. I'd also want one that wouldn't necessarily let me have the dog that first caught my eye, that offered back-up support if I had any issues, and would take the dog back if it didn't work out.

They don't mind what size as their dog is a Labrador, they rescued the lab and are looking to get another rescue

 

[arealhuman]

We adopted Jimmy from a centre in west Wales. The process went like this:

• Found them online, did a bit of research (e.g. Facebook posts, etc.) to see if they were genuine. We only chose this centre as it had dogs we like the look of (I mean in terms of temperament too), a few others I contacted had dogs listed but they had gone.
• Phoned them up. Made it very clear we were first time dog owners and wanted a dog suitable for our us. They asked about our circumstances.
• We were invited to visit, which we did, to view the dogs they had in their shelter. We were shown a few dogs that they thought were suitable for us, one was a stand out - chocolate brown, with bright green eyes and very pretty with MASSIVE radar ears. We were allowed to take dogs we liked on a walk. Said we'd think about it and drove home.
• After taking about a week to think it over, I wanted this dog, but my wife wasn't so keen, so we decided not to go ahead and advised the centre. They were fine with this.
• Kept in contact with centre who sometime later advised us of another dog that might be suitable for us. We were sent pictures and feedback from his foster carers.
• Went to the centre again, saw the dog in question and a few others, fell in love with him but we promised ourselves not to act on impulse. Said we'd think about it. A short time later we phoned them up and said we'd like to go for it, and we had him on a four week foster to adopt basis (i.e. if it didn't work out, they would take him back).
• They did a home visit with some local volunteers to see that our house/garden was suitable.
• The centre arranged for this dog - Jimmy - to be brought to us as we'd already made several trips to them (around 3 hours each way).
• Dog arrived, four weeks passed and we adopted him! Paid the adoption fee, which was reduced due to us paying vets bills for a minor ailment (a hotspot IIRC).

Some things to be aware of:

• The dog should arrived chipped, new owners will need to pay a small fee (around £15 I think) to have their details registered.
• Some centres don't seem to have brilliant admin processes which was the case with us.
• We had a big vet bill not long after having Jimmy as he had to have a split tooth removed. I could've followed this up with the centre but chose not to.
• We paid out a small fortune (four figures!) in training. Be prepared to do the same with a dog that has a distressed history.

Any regrets? Absolutely none whatsoever. Our life has been massively enriched and I like to think that I've done some good by helping a dog that suffered abuse at the hands of humans. I would do it again.

My advice would be to research first and ensure the centre can provide backup in case you need it. Good luck!

 

[Violet Turner]

Hi, my name is Hui, student from IACT College, Malaysia. I am currently working on a UK Dogs' Project, and I would like to get some information and understand the behavior from you guys (if you don't mind).

Okay well I'm happy but your better asking @Josie