Rescue dog stories!

Big or little, young or old, I don't care!

I just want pics and stories or your rescue dogs

I am wanting a second dog when I move out (I am sure about 99% of you all know that now ) but things have happened (far too tricky to explain really) to make it seem a lot more real!

Now it won't be for about another 2 years, but by the looks of it I will definitely be able to get another dog when I move out, and I have decided I want to rescue!

I would prefer a younger dog, but to be honest I won't narrow down my options much at all.

Trying to stay open minded with breeds too!

Just wanting some stories and pics of your rescues

*bit excited*

Erm I've had a few... I shall start a the beginning and only put the ones on that I have had from an official rescue rather than just finding, unless anyone wants to hear about Bandit and Layla...

Scooby

Was rescued by his previous owners aged 2 years old, no history on him before that. Found himself in rescue aged 10 years after his owners divorced. He hated kennels and spent his first 24 hours curled up in a chair shaking, the first time I took him for a walk he crawled across the floor towards me and I had to put his lead on with my back turned. After that we were best friends but it meant he spent all day pacing and barking to get me to come see him. He had one failed rehoming where they took him for 24 hours and returned him for not settling After that I finally managed to get my parents to agree to let me bring him home! He caused havoc on a arrival but now he is a fab dog, with issues, but fab all the same.

On the sofa in his room while in rescue (note the sore on his nose from shoving it through the bars)



Sneaking him in the staff room on lunch breaks -



Shortly after he came home -



And now (4 years after coming home) -



Bob -

Came in to rescue aged 10 years with his best friend Ned (aged 16 years). He had been rescued by his previous family from an abusive home at 6 months old but they were having to go in to council housing that would not allow them to have dogs. Bob struggled with kennels and over bonded to me to the point that he couldn't be in his room when I was in as he would hurt himself trying to get out to get to me. He was only in rescue for 6 weeks but lost 2 kilos in weight. He wouldn't really let anyone else around him unless he had to but would let me do anything.

I only had him for 19 months and he truly broke my heart when he passed. Considering I took him on out of pity he turned out to be my heart dog and I miss him every day.

Ned went to live with a volunteer and they both saw one another regularly.

When in rescue -



Home with me -



Malcolm

I had watched Malcolm for months on the rescues website, constantly being over looked but unable to help. Then I lost two dogs in one week to cancer and I had a huge hole in my life. Shortly after I contacted the dog trainers and discussed Malc and his issues, which were many (lead ragging, mouthing and reactivity to name a few). He arrived in rescue around a year old after being removed from his family. He spent 6 months in kennels where, inspite of the staffs best efforts, he struggled to cope and his behaviour went down hill.

No one was interested in him until I came along, crazy lady that I am!

In rescue -





Shortly after coming home -



And now, 1 year on. -



I have fostered a few as well

There are so many little souls out there looking for a home, when you are able to rescue one you will find it hugely rewarding

Gosh, if you are excited now goodness only knows what you will be like in two years time

We have always had rescue dogs and have never regretted it, even though they do perhaps present more of a challenge sometimes than a well "produced" puppy from a breeder.

Our first one, Ben, was a two year old collie cross that we brought home from the Cheltenham Animal Shelter. He had already been rehomed once after being a stray, but the family brought him back with some nefarious excuse.
He did have some "issues" one or two of which stayed with him for the rest of his life, but was clean in the house from the very first night and was never destructive. I adored him, and he lived until he was 17.

Our second one, Bitz, was also a collie cross and was about six months old when we rehomed her from Teckels in Gloucestershire. She had been found roaming around a farm, and although we had been told it would be ten days before we could pick her up, in case anyone claimed her, they rang after three days and said we could pick her up the next day. We should have been suspicious She was the biggest nightmare out from day one in oh so many ways.......but I can tell you, I have never loved a dog more than I loved her, and when she was put to sleep some 14 years later she left an empty hole in my heart that is still there to this day.

Our third, and current dog is Jimmi, a Jack Russell, brought home from Dogs Trust nearly four years ago, and his age is probably somewhere in his teens. Goodness only knows what his story is, but he is the sweetest natured little thing and in most respects is a delight to live with. However, he can never be left home alone and he absolutely detests cats which has led to some problems!! He also has cost us a small fortune in vet bills, not that we begrudge him at all.

All in all, I would say that you can never be sure of what you are getting with a rescue

I don't have a digital pic of Ben as he was too long ago, but the following are Bitz, and then Jimmi

Well here is Baxter. Rescued by us almost two years ago. A fabulous boy full of character. Not good with other dogs. When we first got him he was very dandruffy and quite smelly. I've changed his diet completely and he's no dandruff. His tummy was very red - now that's all gone. He had a bald patch on his head where he scratched himself constantly under stress in kennels. He is incredibly intelligent and knows more commands than most humans! He is really quite challenging as I don't think he had a lot of human interaction as a puppy.

I just realised as I was looking through the photos just how much more engaged he is with us now than when he first came home. The third picture is the latest one - you can see he's fully focussed on me.





and my favourite

i have dave the border collie who will be ten this year, i adopted him when he was five. it was a private rehome and his main issue was children and generally being a nervous wee boy. it took me a while he has gradually settled down and can still be a wee bit odd with children but we manage. Best thing i ever did and hope he lasts a few more years yet! no use at uploading photos so apologies for that!

Bitkin - Haha I know! Though it's been in my head about getting a second dog for a long while, the fact it looks like it will happen when I buy a place is what's got me excited now!

Thank you everyone! Such amazing stories and pics!
All going well I should be able to work from home full time you see..... so plenty time for a rescue!

Only thing I will have to be careful of really is Alfie as he is quite small and I will be wanting a slightly larger dog

Who else?

Am waiting patiently too Loving this thread

The older members on here will probably remember my trails and tribulations with Bailey but for the newer members . . .

I got Bailey in 2007, I wasn't even looking for another dog as I already had 2 rescues

I was flicking through various sites looking for a friend for my mums dog and saw him, I just fell in love there and then, couldn't stop thinking about him so I rung up on Monday morning to ask about him, went to meet him on the Tuesday and I just knew he was mine He'd been taken in to the rescue after being badly beaten and starved, locked in a tiny yard for all his life. I took my 2 down to meet him on the Thursday and he took to them instantly, the rescue wouldn't let me take him until he'd been neutered tho so I had to wait a week.
He was 7 months old and quite big so when I got him home I couldn't get him out of the car boot tried allsorts food etc in the end I went indoors got Kiara and told her to jump into the car, as soon as Bailey realised who it was he happily followed her out of the car and into the house.
A few days of him being home I noticed some things that didn't add up so I took him off to the vets, ended up with a referral to a specialist who diagnosed him with Bi-lateral optical hyperplasia basically he was totally blind in one eye and 95% blind in the other

Fast forward a year and after dropping onto a good trainer and spending, hours at doggy aqua aerobics to build up his muscle and umpteen hours training, if you met him out and about you wouldn't know he was blind, he would walk perfectly to heel until we got to a wide open space, I'd shout Shoooo shooooo and off he'd go into mad zoomies
One day we were out walkies and my terrier x cross got set up[on by 2 GSD's that came out of some woods and jumped a fence to get to us, Bailey was on a lead but by god he was having none of it, he pulled me over, dragged me across the path and took on both of them dogs, no idea how put he pinned one to the floor on it's back by it's neck, he could quite easily have killed it but he just held it down, luckily the other GSD thought better of piling in, he held it until the 'owner' appeared and took control of them. That incident started his aggression towards other dogs that over the next couple of years gradually got worse, I tried loads of behaviourists and trainers but only a couple would see him, most said as he was blind it was useless I emailed, phoned and texted so many people about him but the couple who did see him gave me some things to try, he'd get better for a month or so then the aggression would come back even worse than before, other bits and bobs were going on with him too that I wasn't happy about, there was an incident with my OH's 9 yr old daughter, she was playing in the garden, running and squealing as kids do and Bailey shot outside, I, for no reason but I just felt scared so I screamed at the kid to stand still and shut up, as soon as she did Bailey seemed to calm down, I instructed the kid to walk slowly and quietly indoors which she did and I went out and approached Bailey, speaking calmly to him and he came running over tail wagging quite happy.
I took him to the vets about his behaviour, the vet examined him, did some tests and he said he was concerned he had a brain tumour so much so that he referred us to a specialist, while we were waiting for the appointment to come through my OH came home from work one evening, Bailey got over excited and attacked my OH, got hold of his arm, bit down and started shaking him, I had to run outside and pull his legs out from under him to put him on the floor before he did some major damage. I decided there and then I just couldn't take the chance, he was so big and powerful and it really brought to light how bad it could've been had I not been on the ball the week before with my OH's daughter, I phoned the vets again and spoke to them, I asked how sure they were about the tumour and explained what had happened, the vets said he was pretty sure so I took him in for his last trip anywhere
It broke my heart, he was my once in a lifetime dog and even though we had so many problems I don't regret for a second ever having owned him and I would do it all again in a heart beat for one of his flobbery kisses and special hugs, he taught me so much and despite the circumstanes we had many laughs
Here he is my Baby Boy Bailey, a Wolfhound x Retriever or as was decided on here a Golden Wolliver

When I first got him


A few months later


After his new 'do


All of us together


Hug Time (I'm 5'8" !!)

Oh my days - you've set me off now ...sniff sniff. What a beautiful dog he was.

RIP Bailey and run free.