I had Teg from someone I know. He wasn't planning on getting rid of him but he wasn't kept very well and I asked if I could have him.

I voted for option 10 which was the nearest to what happened.

I think it was fate that Dex and I found each other I had put up an ad on Gumtree, asking if anyone out there had a young male Lab or Lab X they needed to rehome.

One of the responses I got was from a very eager girl who actually worked for a London-based rescue. She was emailing me to beseech me NOT to use sites like Gumtree and instead to rescue (I was at the time also registered with Battersea, Dogs' Trust etc).

I emailed the rescue in question as, in all honesty, I thought it was a bit out of order for one of their team to be going around firing off emails that were unsolicited.

The girl who took my call was lovely and we ended up having a chat and she said she would look out for any Labs that came their way. I stayed in touch with her and several months later, I got an email to say that a very lively, 14 month yellow male Lab had just been rescued from the pound - could I go and meet him that very day...?

That was Dexter


So I owe a huge debt of thanks to both the women from the rescue

Can you include the Rescue Review Directory to your list Azz? I've over 2000 rescues listed! It took me over 18 months to collate all the information - a labour of love but now proving SOOOOOO useful to potential adopters and the rescues themselves. Thank you!

Feel free to write a Rescue Review about your experience. You just might encourage someone else to consider animal rescue adoption!

I voted Other as it was complicated with Rue! She was mentioned on an email list I'm on, after being spotted on The Oldies Club website.

Once I'd decided I was interested in her, someone on the list living locally to the shelter she was at, got her out and drove her down to me from Cheshire.

I think 11 applies, gsd rescue Scotland, who don't have kennels as such.maddie was picked for us, and she's perfect.

I'm "Other"

Simon was sort of, um, removed. A friend worked for a complete plonker who trained dogs as drugs dogs/thug dogs for working outside nightclubs. Part of her job was to visit rescues for ones which may be suitable. She got Simon from a rescue in the Midlands, but the bloke hated him, as he wasn't a pedigree and he was a complete wimp. He was stuck in a kennel all day, and when he barked he would go and bang on the bars. (Simon is incredibly sensitive to sound/loud noises ) Anyway, not long after she left, and took Simon with her. She had been in the army, and was going to try to get him in as a search dog, but she stopped at our house on the way, and he didn't get any further!

With Jake, my step daughter knew I was looking for a BC puppy. I was looking privately, as our garden isn't rescue friendly. OH went down to the midlands to stay with his brother for a week, and while he was there, my step daughter heard of a rescue BC puppy in Wales, through a friend who worked there. Her friend drove Jake up to the Midlands, and then OH brought him home.

Tara was brought in to the vet practice I worked at to be put to sleep, but instead we managed to get her signed over to the practice. This was over new year and we were going to be closed for 3 - 4 days, and the local rescue centre couldn't take her until January. I took her home 'temporarily' over new year, and the rest as they say is history

Thanks All!