Rescue pups

Has anyone ever had any experience with rescue dogs or cats?

I got my dog from mill farm rescue centre, hes been brilliant. I just wondered if anyone else had and if anyone has ever had small animals from a rescue centre.

We're thinking about getting guinea pigs...I'm trying to talk myself out of it still :D

2 cats, a young cat, a dog and a soon to be 8yr old little girl. I have my hands full as it is

 

Hi forget me not,I often peruse the many tears rescue website to see what dogs they have on there and it says that any dogs that have been used for breeding purposes should never be housed on their own because most of the time they have never been used to living in a house or mixing with other animals......

We took our dogs food over to the local rescue centre when we had to let her go and while we were there we went and had a look at what they had in.Most of them looked quiet elderly and one a rottie went mad at anyone that went near the pen,jumping up at the door and barking quiet aggressivly.It got a bit unnerving.:eek:

We rescued our dog when she was a four month old pup so didn't have as many mental scars as some dogs have.You are probably lucky in the one you have picked,but I have heard cases where people have had to take the dogs back to the rescue centre because they are so emotionally scarred there isn't a lot that can be doen for them:rolleyes:

I have two Guneia Pigs that I have taken on from a family in the village and they are constant eating machines.I prefer rabbits myself but I am still looking after these better than the life they used to have.They need a constant supply of food material that is rich in Vitamin C because they cannot manufacturor enough to meet their needs. You can buy the Vitamin C drops from pet shops to give them if you can't afford the constant supply of fresh veg.

I put mine out in their run on the lawn everyday when the weather is good and they make good lawn clippers and the manure they produce is good for the compost heap but they have to be cleaned out every few days and then there is the looking after them when you go away.

There are Guneia Pigs in rescue centres up and down the country with loads of Guneia Pigs because people don't realise the attention they need,though that is the same for any animal as well as humans

I definetly think you should think long and hard before taking on any pets that need a lot of care.Looking after a dog,cats and a child is demanding enough.Good Luck in whatever you decide to do

 

Hi,

I once adopted a German Shepherd from a rescue centre. She had been beaten, starved and tied up in a shed for the first 3 years of her life. I was told she was best suited to a home where some experience of dogs would be needed as she may have special needs. I was told she would need vets care for the rest of her life. I took one look at her, and she me and it was pretty much decided between us there and then. I had never had a dog of my own til then, and certainly never been in the same house as such a big one. She had ben in the centre for nearly a year and no one wanted that type of dog who had been abused-understandable really. When we were introduced, she was scared of me and I a bit of her, but after about 10 minutes she was all over me and I somehow just knew she would be a good dog. She was, she just needed love. She was called Tessa and I will have to get a scanner and upload a pic of her with my son who was at that time 3yrs old. They just adored each other. She is a much missed animal.

 

Aw lolipop - Tessa sounds lovely - good for you for giving her a chance x

 

The main thing to remember about rescue cases is that in order to end up in a rescue centre, they have usually had a traumatic experience of some sort, either abuse, neglect or abandonment.

Just as people can behave in unexpected ways after a trauma, so can animals.

If you are good with animals then there is usually no problem, but when you take on a rescued animal, you are also implicitly committing to its rehabilitation, and often you need to make a few more allowances than you otherwise would.

Years ago, I got a young border collie bitch that had been rescued from a farm. She had been mistreat in the most horrendous way. Apparently it was not unusual for the owner to give her a swift kick for no reason. When I got her and brought her home, she was terrified of everything and everyone. She wouldn't come into the house and would snap at you aggressively if she knew you were behind her but she couldn't see you (she didn't like the idea of people being behind her). She lived in our backyard for about a month before I could even entice her into the shed, then it was about two more months before she came into the house. My ritual was whenever I had spare time, I would just go out into the yard (and then the shed when she gained enough confidence to go in it), make enough noise that she would hear me coming so I didn't startle her, but not so much that I'd be intimidating, and then just sit there, often for hours, so that she gradually learned that I was no threat to her.

After a few months when her confidence grew, she made the most loyal animal I've ever known. She was so obedient, not out of fear but out of trust. When I walked her she rarely went on a lead, she would just stay by my side until I gave her the word to go and have a run, but her traumatic start never really left her totally. She didn't like it if someone she didn't know got to close to me. She wouldn't hurt anybody but the hairs would stand up and the lips would roll up just as a little warning, and while she had gained enough confidence to play fetch and tug of war, play fighting was out of the question, as she would just retreat in fear if you tried to wrestle her about.

Well, that's my story, rather longer than I'd meant to write, but there it is. The moral of the story is that rescue animals may have little behavioral quirks and unexpected reactions to the silliest things, because you don't always know what might invoke memories of whatever it is they were rescued from.

 

I am totally 'for' rescue. We had two rescue guinea pigs. They came initially from a horrendous 'visitor attraction' and were starved of even the basics. The dedicated rescue took them in (along with another 150!) and nursed tham back to good health. Emm was the scattiest piggy we had ever had, but she turned into the most entertaining, outgoing and charachter-ful piggy i've known! Unfortunately, 18months after we adopted her, she died from kidney failure (likely a direct result from her neglected beginnings).

As Kandy said, they are a lot of work. Mine are kept indoors, in a large two-storey pen, bedded on fleece and upstairs 'shavings',shredded paper and hay. They get a plateful of at least 5 different fresh veg a day, constant decent green hay and daily quality pellets. Take into account vets bills, not to mention time and effort, it is a pricey business, but I reckon if I was a guinea pig, this is the life I'd like to lead.

There is some good info out there, and some absolute rubbish! Thistle is the rescue I adopted our two from, might be worth a look at their site if you're serious about adopting piggies!

 

I love dogs but I am aware of my limitations and know that I could find a rescue dog difficult so I have always got my dogs at 7-10 weeks old. I support the dog re homing centres in other ways but I would hate to take on a dog and let it down.

My 2 guinea pigs were rescued - just hours before they were due to be put down because the child they had been bought for didn't feed them. 3 years on they are still very happy.

 

Ah, I'm so glad I started this thread now I'm such a fool/sap when it comes to animals. Its great to hear other peoples stories, but so sad at the same time. I dont know how anyone could knowingly mistreat animals.

When I first went to see the scruffy little mut from the emails, I took him a walk in one of the neighbouring farmers fields and I had a good look at him, trying to be sensible and looking for any signs of ill health and potential behavioural problems. It all went to pot when I sat down with him and looked into those big brown eyes. They seemed so full of pain. I couldnt leave him. He reminded me so much of my bearded collie I had as a child, which mixed with those sad eyes totally swung it for him. We took him home, gave him a bath (which made no difference at all) called dial a dog wash and that was that, he was home.

We took him from mill farm rescue centre when he was 15mths old, they rescued him from ireland, where (at the time, not sure if it still goes on) they were still putting dogs to sleep. He's a bichon/ cocker spaniel cross. Funny little thing but I'd never be without him. He thinks hes a cat and mother to my rescued kitten.

He had a habit of mouthing when we first got him, which unnerved me at first, but hes fine now. If he forgets, "hey" is all he needs and he remembers and stops. Now, if only I could get him to make coffee, stop pooping on my lawn and to close doors after him everything would be perfect...oh and stop harrassing the cats by sniffing them to death


And as for the guinea pigs, the rising cost of groceries in general let alone fresh veg is definately something to think about...I'll think about it for a bit longer. See how the garden shapes up and see if there will be room for a designated piggy area


This is the first picture I ever saw of him



After his first hair cut...




and how he is genrally..we prefer the scruffy pup look that we fell in love with even if he is a little overgrown here lol

 

Ahh, Lillipop, the German Shepherd is my favorite breed, had two wonderful ones who are in heaven now. And I still miss them. As far as rescues, you have to go in knowing there will be some work ahead of you. In reality owning any dog means there is work ahead of you to get the best out of the dog. Many humans don't put in the time to the dog and do not select the right breed for them thus the rescues.
If more humans researched the dog breed, the time to raise correctly and then to neuter/spay the dog there would be less rescue needs and less animal shelters and less animal cruelty. As far as cats go, since cats pretty much take care of themselves, the only thing really needed is to spay and neuter them. Good for you Lillipop that you saw a sweet spirit and took her in. I have been involved in cat rescue. I trap feral cats, and spay or neuter them, then release them. I provide shelter for them and food daily. But there are so many cats in general, my number is low, so I continue keeping them. Other rescue places are very high, they work hard at placing them. But they want good homes.

 

good for you

Whats your opinion on castrating dogs?

 

I think I said it in the prior statement. That dogs and cats should be spayed and neutered.
Further---for the general public who are not responsible breeders, who are just having dogs and cats for pets--they should be spayed and neutered. Dogs and cats that are pets really don't need to have babies. There are so many out there there are no need to make more.
And I don't see where it harms them for the long run, it makes them better, and live longer.

 

I'm a rescue dog


So am I

 

Hi there forget-me-not :D

I think cats should always be neutered or spayed, as for dogs - there are pro's and cons. Males: Castration will not have much effect on behaviour such as dominance and humping but can stop certain cancers from occuring.

Females - there is a risk of about 12% that the operation can leave them incontinent but the majority sail through it. Again it erradicates the appearance of certain cancers but will not affect unwanted behaviours such as dominance to animals or dominance to people.

Personally I would be far more likely to spay a bitch than neuter a male, bitches can be spayed from 5 months, males should really be done at 18 months if ever.

Both can be prone to putting on weight following the op but thats easily dealt with :D

Hope ya didn't mind me chipping in but this is right up my alley :D

 

I pray for the day when all animal shelters are empty and all cats and dogs are placed in loving homes.
When all rescue groups don't have to rescue anymore because all humans have become responsible breeders and selectors of the "right" dog/cat for them and their life style.
And I pray that all puppy mills are no more and the owners of them are made to do eternal community service and their pictures are posted as on the web as animal abusers.
I also pray that any well trained dog shown in a movie will have huge foot notes that say, this dog breed became this way because of 500 hours of training which continues on a daily basis. And "X" amount of money was spent on this dog monthly.

 

Amen to that Redstar :D