Dog Rescue and Rehoming organisations
However, it is important that you check out the rescue organisation before taking on a dog. There is a good reason for this.
When taking on a dog, please do consider taking on a rescue dog. Giving a dog a furever home is so rewarding, especially if you take one on who has some issues to be addressed. Re-homing dogs happens for a wide range of reasons, including the owners going into hospital, being too ill to care for the dog any more, death, as well as having to move home due to personal circumstances.
A number of the dog rescue organisations in Dorset actually buy pups and ex breeding dogs from Irish puppy farms and back yard breeders, and then sell them on to the unsuspecting public in Dorset. These pups and ex breeding dogs are usually sold with the promise of vaccinations, neutering or spaying, chipping and of being healthy. In reality, the dogs are quite often sick and are either not vaccinated, or too sick for the vaccination to have taken effect. There are numerous stories of pups being brought from these organisations and then being ill for many months. Some dogs never make it, and despite a small fortune being spent on vet fees by the rescuer on their new dog, the dog simply dies. Every organisation that brings dogs over from Ireland appears to have Charity status.
This culture of bringing dogs over from Ireland is not just a Dorset thing, and there are rescue organisations across the United Kingdom bringing these dogs in.
Unfortunately, they use the human nature in people to buy their dogs. The "I saw this dog and just had to save it from them" is why these people keep bringing dogs in. The sale of these dog is not to help bring more dog over, but is to fund the life style of the organisers.
The Dogs Trust carry out a survey every year of how many unwanted dogs are put down each year across the UK. Some seven thousand dogs are put down each year solely due to there being too many dogs in the country.
Click on this line for more information at the Dogs Trust website
Some people ask "But what would happen to those poor Irish dogs if these organisations didn't rescue them. The fact is that many of these dogs are being breed in puppy farms and back yards for the sole purpose of being sold to these so called rescue charities. So please do research your chosen rescue rehome organisation charity before even looking at their dogs.
All the talk about unwanted dogs in Ireland - and do UK Rescue organisations buy dogs from Irish puppy farms.
I emailed the Dog's Trust and asked how their neutering project was going in Ireland. I had this response from the
Irish office. These figures are just for Ireland and do not include the UK.
"Hello Mark,
Thank you for your email. Dogs Trust has been neutering approx 12,000 dogs each year since 2005 for people on benefits.
Since Dogs Trust opened a rehoming centre in November 2009 we also neuter all the dogs in our centre so an additional 1,000 approx since then too.
Dogs Trust is very committed to neutering in order to reduce the volume of unwanted litters. Dogs Trust does not receive any Government funding so our work is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Irish public.
I hope that helps and if you need any further information please let me know.
Kind regards, Kathrina."
That is a lot of neutered dog
Please do not let the above information put you off rescuing or rehoming a dog. Going out and buying a puppy based on the belief that you will not have the problems connected with a rehomed dog is a false belief A lot of the dogs sold in adverts in the local paper and on puppy buying websites are often from puppy farms, back yard breeders, and dog dealers. Whilst you might think that you are getting a good health dog, you probably aren't. Do please research the breed of the dog that you would like for healthy conditions before even looking at any adverts on line.
The best way to take on a rescue dog is to contact the welfare and rehoming section of the national breed club of the dog breed that you want to take on
Both of my rescue dogs came through the UK Cavalier club's welfare service.
Both were bought from Welsh puppy farms after members of the public searched on-line for a puppy. Once the buyers had recognised their mistake in taking on the pups, they both spoke to their vets - who put them in touch with the cavalier breed welfare service.
The buying of these two pups from the two Welsh puppy farms by the unknowing public did nothing more than encourage the puppy farm breeders to breed more dogs for money :-(
Now please visit the Puppy Love Campaign website to learn about puppy sales