Re. dog adoption

[purple 10]

We lost our beloved dog to cancer last year.Recently our thoughts have been to get another.As I have never adopted from a rescue centre before I would like some pointers to what's expected of potential owners.

And, is it feasible to adopt a kitten at the same time?

Edited October 17, 2016 by purple

[nichola2 10]

Check out Rain Rescue

 

They do an amazing job rescuing dogs and cats

[Skink 10]

We adopted a German Shepherd earlier this year and went though a lot of rescue and rehome charities

 

Folks like the RSPCA and Dogs Trust will want to see your garden and discuss things with you - we had to spend a small fortune on temporary security panels to get a 6 foot high barrier but they would do all the neutering etc in the adoption costs. Some dogs seem to come with a bit of history, others not

 

There are a world of breed specific charities worth a look too - these are good if you know what you are looking for in terms of temperment as well as breed. Our dog came straight from another family, rather than kennels, and we knew a fair bit of the history, diet etc. The charity (UK German Shepherd Angels) have also been there for advice and support ever since - which I think is what the good rescues do too

 

Good luck

Edited October 17, 2016 by Skink

[Jackie2141 10]

Check out Rain Rescue

 

They do an amazing job rescuing dogs and cats

 

I would also recommend Rain Rescue. I got the dog in my avatar from them and he has turned out to be a beautiful dog

[Autumn1 10]

Hi, we adopted our Bichon Frise from Angels small paws dog rescue (East midlands). That have lots of small and medium sized dogs.

They generally look, of course for a loving home, fenced off garden, where you will. Walk the dog, who lives in your home, resident children an other pets. Where will the dog sleep? How long will the dog generally be left on his own for?

The above mentioned rescue is on facebook and here is the link for their web site

.http://angelssmallpawsdogrescue.co.uk

[purple 10]

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

I've looked on various websites but it just makes you sad you cant take them all :sad:

[L_rainrescue 10]

Hi, I work at Rain Rescue ... really pleased to see you considering a rescue dog. All rescue have different adoption fees / processes.

 

My biggest piece of advice is always base your decision on temperament and how the dog will fit in to your home and lifestyle rather than looks - we try and do all our rehoming on a match making basis at Rain Rescue - finding the right dog for the right home. We have no blanket rules as such as each adopter and dog is and individual. Our fee is generally £200 and this includes health check, vaccinations, neutering, microchipping, flea and worming, collar, lead, ID disk and 4 weeks insurance.

 

Hope that helps - Lauren

[katkin 10]

Good luck with adopting a dog and cat, I hope you find the purrfect match!

 

If you're wanting to adopt a kitten at around the same time, I would want to check out the temperament of the dog in advance to make sure that you're going to get one that is comfortable around cats (you don't always get the back history with rescue dogs).

 

Our rescued dobermann Jesse was untested but the rescue had been told she had some experience of living with other pets so we took a chance (only because we'd previously owned a dobe from a pup and had a good understanding of that breed).

 

If possible, ask the rescue if they can cat test your preferred dog.

 

I'd suggest investing in some dog or baby gates (try freecycle, usually someone getting rid) so that you can deter a dog from chasing the cat or kitten until they get used to one another. Try keeping the dog on a long line and gradually introduce the cat, give them separate feeding and sleeping areas so that they are not forced to be together all of the time (and to give the cat a chance to eat, cat food is always more interesting to a dog). We never leave Jesse with a new cat in the first couple of weeks and are even more careful with kittens - Minnie the Norwegian forest cat was 4 months old when we got her and we made sure that she and Jesse were not left alone in the same room for the first month until we could be confident that the 2 would be safe together. We've recently introduced a rescued Maine Coon, a Moggie and an Oriental and she is so used to our cats now that she automatically assumed they were the ones that we USED to own (we lost our first Maine coon and oriental in July)

 

Some breeds (perhaps some of the terriers) can be more inclined to want to chase cats, so acclimatising them together might be difficult or not possible - having said that I'm sure other owners could tell you they have had successes.

 

We have a houseful of mogs and the dog and various other critters. By being careful about letting them be together and apart, we have (usually) a happy home. Jesse still forgets herself at times and tries to give chase, but they are all used to her now and the braver ones will give her a clout if she tries anything. Cats and dogs CAN live together, provided they are properly introduced and given the space to escape when things get a bit much.

Edited October 19, 2016 by katkin