Anytime it is in the best interest of the dog, it's appropriate. I think this statement pretty much covers all possibilities, loss of home, income, poor health, fighting among resident dogs, etc.

If you are having to rehome dogs every few months or years, you might want to think hard about that before adding another, though. It should be the last resort, and not a pattern of behavior.

This I can totally relate to, I cried my self to sleep night after night when we realised just how challenging Max's behaviour really was, not just towards other dogs but towards people as well. We stuck with him though and I am so pleased that we got through those really difficult times.

I remember it well Sheree and how devastated you were (and still are). What other option did you have though

To an extent Nic I really agree with you. I think we have all heard so many excuses for rehoming pets (st bernard that was too big, couple who had a baby who were told by non doggy people that it was bound to turn vicious towards the baby etc etc) that we can forget there are genuine reasons.

As some of you know, a couple of years ago Dave was made redundant and, despite his best efforts, was out of work for months. We were lucky, we got through it. The animals never went without though we cut back on a lot for us. We were offered help from my parents and I'd previously used my savings to pay a lot off our mortgage so it was lower than it would have been. Had we also had children to provide for, no offers of help from parents and a huge mortgage, maybe we wouldn't have been so lucky, we might have lost the house and been homeless with kids and dogs, a very desperate situation to be in

I completely agree with SB. Some people unfortunately have no choice. I always say I will never rehome Jake, and I will always try my hardest, whatever happens, not to... but, I don't know what the future holds, so while I hope to never be in that position, I can't say that with 100% certainty.

I know someone who got a dog, and they loved him dearly, but they were just not right for the dog. They rehomed him, and although it would have been best to not get the dog in the first place, they learnt a lesson. They will not, for the time being, get another dog and next time, they will make the decision, especially with the breed, much more carefully.

I know someone else who has a dog, and they are definitely not right for the dog, and it is something I struggle with. He needs a different home, and I wish he was rehomed.

I feel the same about someone I know. She has no bond with her dog, admits she doesn't even particularly like the dog and the dog doesn't seem at all happy but she has the stance that the dog is better off with her than with anyone else despite this. She would "rather die than rehome any of her dogs!" which I personally think is disgusting in this situation.

I think mostly agree, I wouldn't ever rehome Bruno now though, I know that sounds really selfish but if the worst happened and the only option was for Bruno to be rehomed for whatever reason then at 10 1/2 I would opt to get him PTS than have him be uprooted into a new environment at that age. I couldn't possibly trust wherever he went to with his dog issues and I think the kindest thing for him would be to let him go to the bridge.

Having said that the only way he would ever need to br in this position is if he hurt the kids, because everything else money issues etc I would sell everything else before contemplating and we would move in with inlaws etc if worst came to worst and we lost house for example.

It's the little thought that you get with the excuses in rescue that just break your heart and the ones that get handed in when they are old are just heartbreaking cos you know they are even less likely to get a new home!

Too many crap excuses have made me very cynical now even with the genuine ones

I think it is a horrible thing to see... With the dog I know, other dog owners comment on how happy and well he is doing... but, they only see him on walks, which he adores when he gets them, so he does seem happy then. I see it different in the house... To be fair to the owner, she loves him and does he best for him, but it isn't enough IMO (and most peoples opinion) and she shouldn't have got him. I do question if they have a 'bond' though.

While I'm not advocating rehoming a dog for stupid reasons sometimes a dog just isn't right for an owner and to make either yourself or the dog (or both of you!) unhappy because you don't believe in rehoming is absolutely ridiculous imo. I feel so terribly sad when I think of this dog, she could have a wondeful life with someone else but instead she's stuck with an owner who doesn't even like her let alone love her. She doesn't beat her and isn't purposely cruel to her, she just doesn't like the dog and it shows.

I have had to rehome twice and tbh, it was one of the reasons I had no plans on getting another dog.

Bonnie was my first dog, a x collie who we adopted from the local rescue. Beautiful, well behaved, fantastic temperament. I had my first child and she was wonderful with her. Let her pull on her tail, crawl around her feet etc, and I had no worries. However all that changed the day Raechel learned to stand up! Suddenly she was taller than Bonnie and she didn't react well to it. It started off with growling at her, something we thought would pass, but when my daughter started walking she started snarling and trying to lunge at her, and in all honesty I couldn't take the chance of her making contact. She was rehomed to a friend with no children and was very happy once more. After that we had no dogs for 7 years (although we had cats) as I just felt so guilty about Bonnie . Eventually hubby decided we should try again so we found Tia, an 8 week old spaniel x whippet, thinking that having older children, and from a young age would make all the difference. She was an extremely nervous, highly strung dog from the get go, although very loving and affectionate. She couldn't bear to be left alone AT ALL!! We tried animal behaviourists, medication, and nothing worked. Left alone in a room for more than 30 seconds, she would wee, a few minutes poo, and any longer than that furniture, walls, carpets etc were destroyed. She actually managed to create a hole big enough in the kitchen wall to escape into the hall. The neighbours were giving us hell because of her constant barking, whimpering when we had to go out. Crating made things worse, and after 3 years things finally got too much I rehomed her to a single lady who worked from home, and she was in her element. Constant attention, she wasn't left alone and because the lady could give her all the attention she needed and was able to work (over a year) in building up from 5 seconds of being left, she could eventually be left for short periods of time
Rehoming both of my girls took a lot out of me and I swore we wouldn't have any more, but Ranger was obviously meant to be here lol, and has slotted into the family beautifully. Sometimes rehoming has to happen and whilst not everyone may agree with someones reasoning, it's not an easy thing to do.