Rescuing a dog

over the past few months my views on dogs have changed.

im not now necessarily set from getting a young puppy from a breeder, and find myself looking at rescue sites.

i know it may never be an option, because of how asbo has shown me how he is with other larger dogs, but id like to think it could be, and i find myself looking at jack russels, staffy/staffy x and lurcher types.

i think its because showing isnt such a big thing for me anymore (dont get me wrong i love doing it with asbo, but its not top on the list for my hobbies right now) and the breeds im around the most are the ones i mentioned above.

my only issue would be finding a rescue as it seems there are some quite strict policies. like all other dogs must be neutered, but mine arent, and wont be either. or being out for more than 4 hours, i work longer than that, however the dogs can come to work with me.

those of you with rescue dogs, did you find it hard going through certain rescues, how did you choose your rescue dog, or did they choose you? did you have something in mind and it just went out of the window? what age was your dog when you got them, and how many issues did you have to work through? just being nosy really

I got Axel from Greyhound Gap and I found their policies to be in line with my own thinking. I don't know about current dogs needing to be neutered as Axel is my first dog.
I was home checked and working full time wasn't an issue for them, they take each family on a case-by-case basis. They have lurchers of various sizes as well as Greyhounds. They're the only rescue I've had dealings with so can't comment on any others.
Axel was 3 when he came to us, we didn't really have any issues, his toilet training was 99% there, he hadn't lived in a house but settled quickly and the rescue were there for backup no matter what the problem
Good luck in finding your rescue

I know it is generalising but Staffy's and Jacks can be quite bolshy so it would take a trial with Daphnie and Asbo to make sure they are compatible in the home before you take one on, you were very lucky with your last rehome and your mum falling in love with him, but Staffy's are soooo much harder to rehome if it didn't work, also aren't lurchers quite tall too?

no i know i know, rescues may never be an option for me. my logic behind lurchers is they are like greyhounds and quite laid back, which is what asbo would need. i dont think its the size issue, he has a huge lurcher friend boy who he gets on with because they are similar personalities. im going to start taking asbo to work, and out on the hunt with me and see how he does.

Rescues vary in how they allow people to take dogs home , I had no proper homecheck and on reflection they were glad to get rid of a dog if anyone showed an interest, it worked for Tom because I would never have given up on him and taken him back , 3 years on he has responded well to training and the rescue have never ever contacted me to check if he had settled or not , that was a bit disappointing ,but I was a bit naive at the time, Bella was from RGT and the support has been excellent although she has been a much easier dog to rescue than Tom due to her placid laid back nature. Tom also 'chose' Bella ,having walked him with many greys before she became 'the chosen one !'
Good Luck and hopefully you will give a dog its forever home , the rewards are fabulous.

I`ve dealt with a lot of Rescues -mostly small ones. Some experiences have been good, some could have been better. Each one has been very different in policy and procedure.
Once you understand that they are there for the dogs, not for you, most of these rules swim into focus, I think.
My dogs have been a mixture. The most difficult dog I ever had came from a breeder as a puppy.

Re Lurchers I'd say SOME can be laid back.

Off the top of my head.

Office Lurcher is now pretty chilled, but a bit of a bully.

Moor lurcher likes tearing after my lad and batting him around the head with her paws. Her "Puppy" pass has long expired.

Saluki Cross boy 1: Sweetie but hunts.
Saluki Cross boy 2: Psycho. Also hunts.

Working girl: pretty chilled at 3 but had huge personality clash with one of the terriers so was always separate.

Psycho boy is fine on walks with my lad - better than the office Lurcher. Other than larger dogs he doesn't like the look of, he's very polite - but if there's an opposite of chilled - he's it.

I think it depends totally on the cross involved and the dog itself. I know Lurchers who are equally as lazy and laid back as Axel, and others who are live wires and never settle, as well as several inbetween. What about getting an actual Greyhound? Females aren't massive and if you get a compatible one could tick all your boxes

I have had "rehomes" rather than rescues.

My first GSD came from my local police dog training school. She had been passed from pillar to post before being donated to the police. She didn't make it through their rigorous assessment process and then went on their list to rehome. I had had my name on the list for a while (as well as looking at various general rescues in the area). The police didn't do a homecheck, but asked a few questions about the type of home I offered and my experience etc. They gave me some advice about what not to do with her and then she was mine.

She was hard work. I was inexperienced really and she had fear aggression with strangers and other dogs and was a bugg*r for chasing livestock. However, she was the perfect dog in the house, was my very first "personal" dog and I loved her to bits. She taught me a lot.



My second rehome was my border collie, Rip. His owner, a shepherd, had died suddenly and he, along with six or seven other collies from the same farm, were up for rehoming. I wasn't looking for another dog, but my sheepdog trainer was rehoming these dogs and when I saw Rip I just fell in love and knew I wanted him. After agreeing with my landlord that it was ok for me to have another dog, I took Rip on. Considering he had only lived with a shepherd from birth and never lived in a house (as far as I know) he fitted in with me and my gang as though he has always been with us. Whereas Sharna, my GSD, was a nightmare dog at times, Rip is a perfect dog He never messed in the house, never chased a thing, got on well with my other dogs, likes people and was well trained/behaved from day one.



So there is more than one way of getting an older dog to suit your circumstances

If you do go down the rescue route, I think that smaller, breed rescues are more open to looking at individual cases, rather than having a lot of blanket policies, but that is not always the case.