Forum Rescue Dogs

[Oven Gloves]

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Sparky (nearest the camera) and Skip on a recent torch run.

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Skip left and Sparky right (and my manky foot).

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[that_fjell_guy]

Some lovely doggy (...andcatty!?) stories here!! If I ever get a dog I promise to get a rescue one! Honest!

[Longdogs]

Hooray, Oven Gloves is picking up the cat on monday!

(Pedwar will be pleased, he can go back to p***ing on the bathmat)

[Stagger]

Hooray, Oven Gloves is picking up the cat on monday!

(Pedwar will be pleased, he can go back to p***ing on the bathmat)

I hope you've not been letting him do it on the cat?
Your a star for this re homing Longdogs. Well done Ovengloves too.
Credit too ya both.

[sore legs]

Totally agree with Stagger - Well Done Longdogs for your persistance with the rehoming stuff - people like you deserve medals for that. Having read your '2012 summary' - very good running stats but I was shocked by the numbers that were involved with the putting down of healthy animals - May I ask why so many have had to be dealt with by you / your practice - do they have the contract for dealing with the unwanteds up north / UK? - I am shocked and disgusted (not at you / your practice) at the number and I have been wondering ever since your post. If you cannot say for any reason I totally understand - not in the theme of the thread I know.

[sore legs]

Right then, after my depressing question above time for a quick ditti on my two beloved dogs in my avatar.

I have always wanted a boarder collie since my early years having watched many sheep dogs whilst on holiday etc but was never allowed one as a kid. My wife knew I loved BCs and did a bit of research on them ie looking through the local papers without my knowing. She found an advert 'free to a good home' for an ex working dog, in Longtown, near Hereford. She spoke to the owner and then next time when son visited (aged about 9) just dropped into the conversation 'Jonathon do you want a dog', I nearly chocked on my coffee. Anyway, we went to see this farmer and I fell in love with Rob (black and white one), scruffy, covered in mud, lived outside all his life, never been on a lead or in a car. So we took him home - he finished up fitting on the Sunday evening and the farmer swore he had never seen him fit before, he fitted on Monday morning and then the vets said he was epiletic. Apparently BCs can become epiletic around the age of 5, he was 5 and the farmer would not have known if he was always kept outside and it would account for why he had stopped working the sheep. Anyway - he was my boy and it did not matter, a very low amount of medication kept him ok and he has only fitted about 4 times in 7 years so is now off his medication. He is the fluffyest BC going and just loves attention and cuddles, he had just passed his assessment as a 'Patter Dog' (to be allowed into hospitals / homes etc to visit to cheer the old and children up) when my wife found out she was pregnant so he never actually did this. He now has artritus so I stopped running him about 4 years ago.

The second dog was a complete surprise to me - I just walked in from work (with Rob as he always went with me) and found a bundle of puppy running in from the garden. I flew off the handle but Tess (tri coloured merle) stayed - Keily saw to that - Rob was not impressed and spent the first 2 weeks constantly growling at her. Keily had picked her up from a cattle farmer who wanted rid as she was too timid and scared to work. She was hard to train and really tested my patience at times but she is now 5 1/2 and her and Rob are thick as thieves together.

I must admit that Tess has added a total different aspect to Robs life that we never saw. He was a total 'one man, one dog', never strayed more than 10 yards from us and his life was to please us and focus on us doing exactly everything that was asked. Now that Tess is here, his aim is to focus on her (to my annoyance) but with her arrival it really has added so much more to his life and is totally happy. I have now also stopped running with Tess as she seems to have a persistant injury to her rear leg that the vets can not deal with - only intermittant but I dont want to cause her pain and discomfort later on in life.

Not rescue stories from compounds in the slightest, but taken from farmers who advertised them as they were no longer wanted all the same.

In the future when we require another dog, I will certainly look for a rescue dog that is slightly older in years to give them a happy time for the latter part of their life.

[Longdogs]

Hi Sore Legs, i love your collie stories, shame about the epilepsy- it is common in BCs. Any unwanted dog counts as 'rescue' to me, i prefer to use the word rehomed, as it doesn't falsely polarise the dog population. A dog is a dog, with the sum of its temperament and experiences, wherever it has come from.

To answer your question, my workplace don't usually directly do destruction of unwanted pets, i've been rather obsessed and researching this subject for a while from other colleagues and various sources. I work in an emergency clinic so this is rarely an emergency, except i've had quite a few brought in by police for humane destruction which have bitten children badly.. usually completely predictably and totally at the fault of the owner! There's no point trying to rehome these as there are so many that haven't bitten people to rehome first. Having said that the Dogs Trust do a terrific job with the dogs considered 'unrehomable' where they live in secure compounds as a social group with experienced handlers and get all the care they need in complete safety.

A cat update: he has decided its ok to eat and scoffed a load of grub, now miaowing to get out of the bathroom! Dogs one side of door, cat on other... thank heavens for Oven Gloves.

[Oven Gloves]

I'm glad the cat seems to be coming out of his shell Longdogs. He'll not have to be timid in our madhouse :w00t:

[sore legs]

Having said that the Dogs Trust do a terrific job with the dogs considered 'unrehomable' where they live in secure compounds as a social group with experienced handlers and get all the care they need in complete safety.

Thanks for details Longdogs, I think I understand a little better. We support the Dogs Trust monthly as they never destroy dogs.

[Longdogs]

Thanks for details Longdogs, I think I understand a little better. We support the Dogs Trust monthly as they never destroy dogs.

That's good to hear.. i think they're great. I haven't got round to making a will, but i'll leave what i've got to them (not much!).

Having said i don't do too much of the killing personally (except the euthanasia of severely ill).. it really concerns me the effect on human mental health on those who do have to get rid of surplus dogs. It's not really considered enough in my opinion.. i know i couldn't do it and stay sane (well some would say i'm not sane now!). You can at least argue that dead dogs don't suffer. I find it hard enough having to treat people's expensive pedigree pets knowing what i do know..