Dog rescue centre dismisses us out of hand simply..................

[dark_castle1]

because we live in a flat above shops.

We lost our beloved Suzie almost two years ago now and are only just starting to think about another dog and thought lets register with a rescue centre and take it from there.

Anyway we went and explained we were not ready yet to rescue another dog but would like to register and have someone come and check out our home etc. As soon as we mentioned we lived in a flat above shops we were told no way would they allow us to rescue a dog. Literally one minute from our home is a massive piece of waste ground a dog can run around on, two minutes away is the beach which we told them about and still they would not let us register. We had Suzie 15 years before we had to let her go to play at Rainbow Bridge and we still have her son Benny who is now almost 13 and he has had two major operations which cost us a lot of money but our dogs were always treated like family and we would do anything for them.

Now we are dismissed out of hand as being unsuitable as dog owners ! Well all I can say is NO more donations to any rescue centres if that is the attitude they are adopting.

We would not entertain buying a pup that is advertised as we feel there are too many dogs in rescue centres needing a forever home.

Sorry for length of post but just needed to rant somewhere.

[****daisy****]

This makes me so cross, I have a friend involved with re-homing gorgeous 'oldies', they aren't so biased, let me know if you would her contact details x

[kiss*my*pixel]

Oh, that's so sad, Corgi! I can understand the Rescue Centres wondering about flats (for the obvious reasons that not all flats would be suitable), but they should come to visit your home and surroundings first and judge on the merits of a potential loving family, before making such a rash decision.

Yet pet shops are still allowed to sell unsuitable pets to families with very young children, regardless of the family or the home. This is the reason why so many animals end up in rescue centres in the first place. Bloomin' tragic

[10phizz]

Years ago we were also refused as we were not able to fence our property ....being a part of a farm who could ?

The couple in front of us were also refused because the mother worked part time and the dog would have been  "abandoned " for almost an hour on a couple of days a week.

I rang and spoke to someone above the officious woman and explained what she had said and he expressed horror and said that explained why they had so few re-homings.

When we returned she had been given different work away from members of the public..................seems she kept 3 GSD`s in a  high rise flat in the middle of the city !

Its certainly worth speaking to someone else............I wish I lived near the beach  instead of 74 miles away  !!

ps........we have had 6 or 7 dogs since then, Not one ran away !

[fionajohnston]

why not ask your vet he might know of some dogs needing a new home and he knows that you look after your pets

[borzoi369]

I keep hearing this sort of sad tale about rehoming places. I know they need rules and are trying to protect the dogs, but using common sense seems to have vanished completely. It annoys me that so many are stuck in kennels instead of being in a good home because of that attitude 😞

Small independent rescue places are usually more approachable & helpful imo - good luck in finding a new friend when you're ready 🙂

[alisonsvintagechicboutique]

Something similar happened to my friend when she wanted to get a rescue dog.  She was asked if she had a cat/cats and because she did most of the dogs were ruled out she was told.  This is to prevent the cat from being endangered.  

This is despite her cat living with her current dog for over 13 years.  And her dog had been the biggest and roughest of street dogs that she had rescued in Mexico and rehabilitated carefully by her and brought back to England.  She was so upset I can't tell you.  The last rescue we went to and they said the same my friend actually ran out of there crying her eyes out.  Nearly broke my heart to see that.  We had driven about 30 miles and she sobbed her heart out all the way home. I could not console her because I did not know how to make her feel better.  

In the end she ended up getting a puppy border collie from a breeder.  Its not what she wanted to do though she wanted to give a rescue dog a forever home.  Viktoria and her dog are besotted with each other as are her dog and her cat.    

It did make me think about the rescue rules but I figured withholding donations to the charities would only mean that the dogs end up with less.   

[dr-whos-assistant]

There are often dogs being rehomed on facebook if you look for your local pets for sale area, not the same I know but these dogs still need good homes.

I have been thinking about getting another dog but I know I would have trouble with a rescue centre due to me being a foster carer, have decided to just wait and see if fate brings one my way.

[dark_castle1]

Sorry Alison, but my philosophy now is if that Rescue Centres deem me to be unsuitable as a dog owner then I am deeming myself unsuitable to donate to them.

Why should I donate to them to keep a dog in the centre when I am more than willing to give a rescue dog a forever home and over many years proven to be not just suitable but also a caring dog owner.

[stampingpat]

Corgi, check out the rescues on Facebook. I found a lovely small rescue near me here. And we have adopted a little 8 year old dog. We have a cat and though he has been around some dogs has never lived with one. The little dog is really well trained and we are now in the process of trying to get the dog and cat used to each other. This is going to take time. And though we do have a small garden we do have lots of walking areas around here. One of the possible things that could have gone against us is that hubby has never had a dog before. But we went and met the dogs that were being kept in the ladies home with the other dogs. She makes sure each is neutered and charges for adoption as that helps her cover her costs of vet bills, vacinations, and food which to me is fair enough.  I did email another local rescue and got no response what so ever from them. 😞 So don't give up yet. There are others out there. I also have a friend who has adopted two dogs from Many Tears rescue. They are based in Wales, but I think they have dogs in foster homes all over the country. They do seem to have some problems some of them, but if you are really experienced and have lots of patience you can bring them round. 🙂 I would think a smaller dog would be okay for a flat as long as it has daily walks and exercise. I am really enjoying our new little dog. 🙂

[dark_castle1]

Pat, when we had the two dogs they were walked four times a day at least. First time at 0515 onto the waste ground to let them have a run around, then twice to the beach through the day and last thing at night 2200 another run around on the waste ground.

Plus because the backyard is secure they had the run of that being allowed in and out anytime they wanted. There are two doors to get into the yard, one a secure door entry system which visitors have to phone to get opened, self closing after entry then the next they can open themselves again self closing. The yard is enclosed by an 8 foot high red sandstone wall so unless the dog is Steve McQueen in disguise with a motor bike hidden somewhere in the yard I do not know about there is little chance of escape  :^O.

[chickengrandma-2008]

Perhaps you should live in a cardboard box on the streets.  Those people seem to have dogs ok.

It seems no one is allowed to think for themselves these days.  There are rules that have to be followed,  to the letter!!  If computer says no, there's nothing they can do.  My daughter wanted a cat once.  She lives in a bungalow in the country surrounded by fields. She already had one cat.  The rescue place wouldn't let them have one because they had a child under five years old.:O  They bought a kitten instead.

Keep looking corgi, there must be someone out there with a little bit of sense.  Good luck.:-D

[bankhaunter]

I have just been speaking to my daughter who does home checks for a rescue centre, she suggests you try other places, the one she supports takes all factors into account when assessing a possible home.

[guardpig]

When the kids were small we were passing a cat centre run by a national charity. Kids being kids we stopped despite having no intention of acquiring a cat. We were refused entry because i asked to look.  Before we could VIEW the cats we had to register, pay a deposit and have a home visit.  Apparently random viewers unsettled the cats!!!!!!!

Hmm one does wonder hopw many they rehomed.

[*pinx*]

Not all Rescues have blanket bans on flats (is a daft one if you ask me).  Whereabouts are you & what type of dog are you looking for?  I'll recommend some rescues to you 🙂

[stampingpat]

Well I will probably open my self up here for loads of abuse, but was this rescue one of the large ones that advertise on telly???  If it is the one I am thinking of, I would never donate a thing to them. They are totally rubbish where it comes to hedgehogs. Especially the call centre, although we all were hoping things might change with their new President, because of his stance on the badger cull. Maybe things just move slowly. But they are one of the richest charities around. Unlike the small individual rescue centres that have a no destroy policy. I would definately try a smaller rescue centre, they are actually alot of them run by ordinary folks who understand more about animals and humans than the bigger ones do. And they do it for the love of dogs.

  I think possibly there would be a dog just perfect for your situation and a smaller rescue would probably take a bit longer but they would be looking for the right dog for you. Also try the breed specific rescues. If you have had corgies in the past (ie your name), maybe see if there is a Corgi rescue. As they to me sound like a possible ideal dog for your situation. As does the little girl I have here. But she isn't going anywhere. Took me too long to get her. LOL

  I would keep trying. 🙂 I am sure that there are folks living in London who live in flats who have rescue dogs. I really think they should consider all possibilities and not lump everyone and everything together. You can have someone with loads of land and a nice house and they are totally rubbish with dogs.

[dark_castle1]

Pinx, we live on the south west coast of Scotland in a town called Ardrossan. We do not have a specific breed in mind but something on the smaller size as we always took (still take Benny) our dogs on holiday with us in the car to a static caravan in the North East. To be honest where we go our dogs went with us as they were not treated as pets but one of the family.

Pat ! how did you guess about the rescue centre ? Yes you are correct it was one that you see on telly and we thought we would be ok. Even had Benny with us because as I told Pinx, where we go our dog goes.

[dark_castle1]

Pat, saw pictures of the lovely dog you rescued and she is absolutely perfect. I showed my wife the pictures and she wants her so better not post your address or you could have ninja dognappers   😮  :^O. A smaller breed would be perfect for us and it would not need to be a corgi or even a specific breed, heinz 57 would do as long as it needed a forever home.

[fishpieface]

Corgi that's awful, honestly they should take everything into consideration before judging people.  Like others I would definately say go elsewhere, make enquiries as some rescue centres make it so hard for people to rescue an animal and give it the love and care it so deserves, it's a wonder they get anybody to fit their perfect criteria!

I understand they need to have some policies in place, but it's something for which a blanket policy isn't really any good, each family/prospective adoptee has to be considered individually.  I don't see why you shouldn't have a dog just because you live above shops in aflat, it's how prepared you are to love and care for a dog, and make any small changes to meet its needs that is more important, ie., maybe take for an extra walk (as you clearly do already) to counteract perhaps not having instantly accessible outdoor space. 

These people should be able to see providers of a kind, loving forever home when they meet them!

When we adopted our two cats from a rescue place, they asked all about us, our family etc, a little about where we lived but mostly about our experience with cats and how our children interacted with them.  They even allowed us to have the little ginger kitty who wasn't very well, provided we were willing and able to ensure he had his medicine and water administered by syringe.  I was very willing and able and that little not-very-well kitty who was probably only about six weeks old is now a lovely great 7 yr-old ginger cat, happy, secure and fun, as is our tabby one.  Both are happy and loved to bits.

Good luck Corgi, your little friend is out there somewhere, I'm sure you will find each other.

[ilove2patch]

Do try one of the smaller rescues Corgi. I am sure the perfect little dog is out there waiting for you to find him.