Adopting a dog from a shelter in the UK

lifeandtimes

Hi,

I am looking into adopting a dog from a shelter.

Due to my partner and children who have allergies when it comes to pets we are looking for dogs who are "considered" to be hypoallergenic and are a small to medium size.

The shelters here don't really have any in the spectrum we are looking for so with that in mind we checked the UK and lots of shelters have dogs that will suit out family.

Has anyone here adopted a pet from the UK before?

I am aware of the pet passport, vaccines etc that are required before the pets can travel and it will take time for that to be completed.

I'm just asking if anyone has done it and how they found the experience?

Thanks

siblers

Are you sure the dog won't flare up their allergies? You could go to all the trouble of getting the dog but you could quickly realise that the dog is effecting your partner and children's allergies

lifeandtimes

siblers wrote: »

Are you sure the dog won't flare up their allergies? You could go to all the trouble of getting the dog but you could quickly realise that the dog is effecting your partner and children's allergies

My partner and I have done extended research and have even had her and the children around this breed of dog a couple of times with minimal issues so the research has paid off and we are happy to proceed with adopting this breed.

Thank you for your concern though

tk123

If it's because they're 'non-shed' be very careful. A friend has a labradoodle and more hair comes off him than my two retrievers combined! It depends on the individual dog. You could always until after Christmas and the rescues here will be full of doodles/non-shed dogs of all shapes and sizes bred for the Christmas market that have lost their appeal. You'd have the advantage that you could foster first and see how everyone gets on with their allergies.

What breed is it btw?

lifeandtimes

tk123 wrote: »

If it's because they're 'non-shed' be very careful. A friend has a labradoodle and more hair comes off him than my two retrievers combined! It depends on the individual dog. You could always until after Christmas and the rescues here will be full of doodles/non-shed dogs of all shapes and sizes bred for the Christmas market that have lost their appeal. You'd have the advantage that you could foster first and see how everyone gets on with their allergies.

What breed is it btw?

Hi

That's a good point, I will bring it up with my partner but we would be holding out in the hope some rehomed one and could miss out on the chance of adoption now.

The breed is a miniature schnazur.

We have been to an ikc breeder a few times and while we were happy to pay we felt in our heart we should look to adopt first and found a few in the UK.

While I appreciate everyone's input about our family etc I would like to hear if anyone has done it and if the same across any issues

njs030

lifeandtimes wrote: »

Hi

That's a good point, I will bring it up with my partner but we would be holding out in the hope some rehomed one and could miss out on the chance of adoption now.

The breed is a miniature schnazur.

We have been to an ikc breeder a few times and while we were happy to pay we felt in our heart we should look to adopt first and found a few in the UK.

While I appreciate everyone's input about our family etc I would like to hear if anyone has done it and if the same across any issues

One major issue will be if there's any problems and you need to return the dog to the rescue. It's a long way and you may have to wait until they have space to take him plus the cost of bringing him over.

There will always be dogs in rescue it's just a case of waiting, if it's important to you that you get one from rescue then wait a while and one will appear.. There's never a guarantee of no shed or no allergies from a dog though.

muddypaws

Sorry OP but I don't know any UK rescue that would rehome a dog to someone in RoI, as we send so many dogs over there for rehoming. The issue would be rescue back up if something went wrong.

Have you contacted the breed club here? Most of them have a welfare scheme, and so they may well have older dogs looking for homes.

Bells21

Op, I've just sent you a message there. Hope this helps.

DBB

OP, just checking, do you know there is a rescue that specialises in the breed you're looking for in Ireland? A friend of mine fosters for them
They're a lovely breed, I must say. Whilst I've come across a couple of narky ones, by and large they seem to be nice pets!

Bells21

I sent the OP the details via PM of that organisation. They do fantastic work. They are a fantastic dog, our Bella is just so full of personality and fun. Nice balance of energy and lap dog. She doesn't shed but the coat does need a good bit of maintenance.

august12

Could you pm the details to me please, am also interested in this breed and would rather an older dog as opposed to a pup. Thanks

lifeandtimes

DBB wrote: »

OP, just checking, do you know there is a rescue that specialises in the breed you're looking for in Ireland? A friend of mine fosters for them
They're a lovely breed, I must say. Whilst I've come across a couple of narky ones, by and large they seem to be nice pets!

I Have checked and although they seemed perfect for us,unfortunately they do not rehome these dogs in homes with children under 10.

The messaged me explaining and i fully understand why.

So we are back to contacting a UK based shelter to see if we can move forward with an adoption

em_cat

Not to be a party pooper here but are you aware that a there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog? The breeds and or breeders that advertise as such are misleading.

Your family members could very well be allergic to proteins that are present in the dogs saliva, urine, fur and or tears. Also are you aware that a dogs coat picks up pollen & dust?

I only know this because I suffer from animal allergies but it is very specific. It is a horrible nightmare when I come across an animal that sets it off. I can end up with a severe UTI that can last nearly 3 to 4 months and also b/c GPs are for the most part, not very knowledgeable about allergies, they can be very difficult to manage, especially in children.

In saying that, I do have a dog, but since we adopted it from a rescue here in Ireland we had the option to return it if for some reason if I began having issues.

Have you a backup if for some unfortunate reason you couldn’t keep the dog?

lifeandtimes

Hi,

As I've said we have done our research, we have tested our family with this breed of dog and everything is 100% where we want it.

We don't want to buy from a breeder as rescuing is better.

Can people please keep their opinions to themselves other than their own experiences regarding adopting a dog from a shelter in the UK

Thank you very much

lifeandtimes

em_cat wrote: »

Not to be a party pooper here but are you aware that a there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog?

Yes and if you Read my post correctly I put quotation marks to imply I know that but we have tested our family with this breed with no issues

tk123

lifeandtimes wrote: »

Yes and if you Read my post correctly I put quotation marks to imply I know that but we have tested our family with this breed with no issues

How many weeks did you live with the dog to test out of interest?

Knine

lifeandtimes wrote: »

Yes and if you Read my post correctly I put quotation marks to imply I know that but we have tested our family with this breed with no issues

Ha testing and living with a dog when you have allergies is not the same. I say that as someone who is allergic to dogs.

You would almost think there was no rescue dogs available in Ireland.

lifeandtimes

Again thank you everyone for your opinion but can people with experience please reply to my original question on my post?

I did not ask for any other input other than that.

Everyone trying to ask questions about the allergies of our family and anything outside of the original question please keep your opinion to yourself.

I have also contacted and had a lengthy discusion with the animal rescue pm'd to me but we do not meet their requirements.

For everyone who has actually had an input into my original op request I thank you

em_cat

I’m not against looking for a specific breed and I’m not expressing my opinion about adopting from the UK.

My issue is that having allergies to “pets” sends alarm bells ringing to someone who suffers from allergies. I’ve spent nearly 3 decades learning and dealing with my allergies, some which can kill me and some which just cause me to sound like I have a perpetual head cold.

There is nothing so miserable as having an uncontrollable allergeric reaction to a pet only to have to return it back to the rescue.

It wouldn’t be fair to the dog or your children.

Knine

To be honest you would not meet my requirements either if you were looking for a dog. Rescues or Breeders will do their best to make sure a home is permanent. Not even wanting to discuss the allergies because you had a few 'Tests' would be a huge red flag.

DBB

lifeandtimes wrote: »

Again thank you everyone for your opinion but can people with experience please reply to my original question on my post?

I did not ask for any other input other than that.

Everyone trying to ask questions about the allergies of our family and anything outside of the original question please keep your opinion to yourself.

OP, to be fair, discussion boards will tend to lead to tangents, simply because that's what discussion is.
If you are concerned about how a thread is going, taking matters into your own hands by dictating who's allowed say what is not on. Please report posts you have an issue with. If mods consider your complaint to be valid, we will take action.
Thanks,
DBB

lifeandtimes

DBB wrote: »

OP, to be fair, discussion boards will tend to lead to tangents, simply because that's what discussion is.
If you are concerned about how a thread is going, taking matters into your own hands by dictating who's allowed say what is not on. Please report posts you have an issue with. If mods consider your complaint to be valid, we will take action.
Thanks,
DBB

Hi,

I did report and no body did anything.

I've explained that we have tested our family, this was done over a number of weeks, 10 to be exact with this breed and we also have a family memeber who has this breed.

This is why we want to adopt this breed and not buy. We want to do the right thing by rescuing.

But obviously the do gooders can't take my word for what I've said my family and I have done to prepare for adopting this breed of dog and need to deviate from what I originally asked.

It has actually tainted the prospect of resuing a dog and I really feel let down by boards now.

Please close this thread as I am done and do not wish to discuss this any further

em_cat

Knine wrote: »

Ha testing and living with a dog when you have allergies is not the same. I say that as someone who is allergic to dogs.

You would almost think there was no rescue dogs available in Ireland.

No kidding, apparently I’m allergic to cats, however we only found out after having 4 strays when I was a child. I shudder in horror when I think of how much money was spent on a paediatric consultant specialising in allergy and respiratory illnesses so I could get allergy shots and monthly epi pens just so I didn’t have to give the cats away or end up in shock.

njs030

lifeandtimes wrote: »

Again thank you everyone for your opinion but can people with experience please reply to my original question on my post?

I did not ask for any other input other than that.

Everyone trying to ask questions about the allergies of our family and anything outside of the original question please keep your opinion to yourself.

I have also contacted and had a lengthy discusion with the animal rescue pm'd to me but we do not meet their requirements.

For everyone who has actually had an input into my original op request I thank you

Op quite a few people (with experience in rescue) have said the same thing which you've ignored.

You won't have any rescue back up if something goes wrong.
This means if if turns out your family is allergic (and it can take weeks or months to determine that not hours) you won't have anywhere to return the dog to.
Considering we send hundreds of dogs to the UK every year it would be ludicrous to home an English dog here for the sake of waiting a few months.
I highly doubt any reputable rescue in the UK will home a dog to you unless they can provide rescue back up over here.


Added to which in a few days it'll be December and again very few rescues will rehome close to Christmas.

I can't see why you won't wait until one is available here with proper rescue back up!

DBB

lifeandtimes wrote: »

Hi,

I did report and no body did anything.

There is no record of you having reported any posts in this forum.

But obviously the do gooders can't take my word for what I've said my family and I have done to prepare for adopting this breed of dog and need to deviate from what I originally asked.

It has actually tainted the prospect of resuing a dog and I really feel let down by boards now

I'll just cut through your hyperbole there op, your attitude throughout this thread has been deteriorating all the way through.
I'm closing the thread not because you've asked, but because (a) you're clearly not listening to what people are trying to tell you about how rescues work re requiring back-up for the dog, and (b) your attitude sucks.

Thanks,
DBB