Do You Ever Wonder Why

[sandgrubber]

I don't understand. Rehoming is not always cruel . .. and putting a dog in kennels for a month while you go on holiday may create more separation anxiety than placing a dog in a new, loving home. Dogs have poor sense of time, so a few weeks seems like forever. They are pretty adaptive. Despite fabled 'loyalty', many dogs (my experience is mostly with Labradors) change loyalties very rapidly if the new home provides for their physical and social/psychological needs. Jeez, if you take a hard stand on 'rehoming is cruel', it would be better for greyhound breeders to pts than rehome, and I doubt anyone in DOL would take that stance. Someone else mentioned breeders . . . what about the very common practice of 'running a pup on' . .. and rehoming it if it doesn't make show standards or have good-enough hip or elbow scores?

As for people who have no reason other than they no longer wanted a dog . . . their dogs probably didn't have the happiest of home lives, or the best prospects for getting their needs met in coming years, so rehoming may be a kindness.

People shouldn't take dog ownership lightly, and breeders shouldn't sell to people who take dog ownership lightly. But I don't see it as 'until death do us part'.

[poochmad]

Speaking as someone who has rehomed dogs due to relocation (i.e. moving from a house to a flat for a 'once in a life' opportunity), we made sure that the three dogs were rehomed to the best families; people who sent us photos and letters letting us know how the dogs were going until I asked them to stop as it was too heart breaking. The dogs we have now are with us forever and we will never again displace our dogs for a job...

Circumstances change and sometimes you do have to make that hard decision.

What I hate to see are ads where people say that they are rehoming the dog because they don't have time for it anymore...and I really hate seeing elderly dogs being rehomed, I can't help but think they are doing that as the hard times are coming, i.e. meds, etc.

[Snout Girl]

When I was pregnant with my first my GSD was 3 yrs old and I still can't believe the number of people that assumed I would re-home him.

Yes.

Some time ago, I talked to a person who worked the phones & on reception for a large welfare shelter. She said one of the

most common requests, was someone wanting to surrender their dog because the wife/partner had become pregnant. When the shelter person asked. 'Has your dog ever behaved in any way that would give you cause for worry?', the answer was invariably, 'No, but we don't want to take any chances!'.

There's actually classes run by the Brisbane City Council to help people deal with keeping their pet while being pregnant & having a new baby. AWL Qld also has similar training classes and material.

OT- but does anyone know if any similar courses are run in Melbourne? There is no danger we will give our pets away when we decide to have children, but a course may offer some tips and advice to make the transition smoother

[Kirty]

Snout girl, Cosmolo provides a course for dog owners who are having a baby (I think its called when Fido meets Freddy or something like that). Google 'underdog training' and its on her website.

[TessiesTracey]

I too have travelled to Qld from the UK. I brought my two dogs with me. I wouldn't have come if I couldn't have brought them with me. However, my family and I were lucky enough to have the funds at that time to be able to do so.

IF we ever had to go back (and there is certainly no intention to!!!), I wouldn't travel without the dogs. It might mean (circumstances permitting) waiting until we could afford to transport the dogs back, but by hook or by crook, they'd still be coming with us as they're part of the family.

I had a pretty good experience with the quarantine shelter in Sydney, didn't have a problem with them. One of my dogs was over 7 years old, so she was a bit of a worry. Believe me the thought of the pair of them on a plane for 24 hours threw me into complete wracks of guilt and worry.

But, thankfully, they came through ok and are now really settled.

I've also worked at a rescue shelter here, and I have to say that the two biggest reasons for people surrendering their pets was either due to relocation (mostly NOT overseas) or a new baby.

I found it very difficult to comprehend. Really, really difficult to comprehend actually BUT what I had to tell myself was 'they're not YOU Trace, just because their circumstances are different and they've made a decision you wouldn't, you can't really be judgemental'.

Don't get me wrong, there were some unsavoury so-and-so's and after talking 'in depth' with them, you kinda knew that the 'excuse' was pretty much bulldust, but as sandgrubber has said, rehoming isn't always cruel, and often a lot of these pets were better off.

We also had the genuine peeps who truly truly broke their hearts having to rehome their pets, and these guys are the one's I really felt for.

Because as I've said, even though I've chosen and been lucky enough to have my dogs with me on both sides of the world, I wouldn't ever, ever want to have a decision such as rehoming a pet thrust upon me.

[OSoSwift]

I rehomed my inlaws JRT. He came to us as we live onthe same farm and he knew us. It really wasn't working an we believed he would be happier in thr right home. We found the perfect home for him as an only dog instead of one of three. We still se his new owner, he has a great life and is adored and I believe he has a better life than he would have here. Not to mention he decided to hunt down my cats and had to wear a basket muzzle when running around to ensure their safety, although he did still chase and stress them. In his situation re-homing was the best thing for him. It would have been selfish and not in his best interests to stay with us

[mita]

OT- but does anyone know if any similar courses are run in Melbourne? There is no danger we will give our pets away when we decide to have children, but a course may offer some tips and advice to make the transition smoother

Scroll down for the logo for the AWL Qld's Pregnant Paws Program. They may have some printed material which they'd make available.

http://www.awlqld.com.au/community-education.html#Pregnant%20Paws%20Program

But Kirty's right with her advice about Cosmolo offering such a course in Victoria.

[mita]

Here's a current call for help from ACD Rescue. Who've been approached by a genuine couple posted overseas for 12 months.

And who made plans for their two ACDs to be cared for, in that time. Now 6 weeks before leaving, those arrangements fell apart. ACD Rescue has asked for any ideas that might help these people who dearly want to keep their dogs.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/221350-long-term-care-for-two-acds/

[Miss Danni]

One of my boys came back to me at 10 months because his family transferred back to the UK and decided not to take him.

They had investigated it, as they knew the quarantine requirements and had obtained a quote for transport. I think what happened really was two-fold: (1) I dont think they were moving back to the UK for work, despite what they said - I think that the family had broken up, and (2) they had a home to put him into here, and that went ok for 2 weeks, then the people that had taken him gave him back, only days before the family was due to fly out. It was then an emergency situation and we had no choice but to take him ourselves.

We did offer to do all of the quarantine protocols and keep him until they found somewhere to live and, in fact, we guaranteed them not to re-home him for 30 days in case they wanted to have him sent over, but once we picked him up we never heard from them again. That was over 2 1/2 years ago.

But let me say, it was meant to be that he came back. I never wanted to sell him in the first place. After he came back, we put him through all of the breed improvement schemes, he joined our show team, and last year sired a lovely litter for us. He belongs with me.

Sometimes you really cant get to the truth of a matter and can only deal with it on face value.

[spoilt lab lives here]

When I worked in a boarding kennel we had 2 cats that had been in for over 12 months. Their owners had come over from France and had a place in Melbourne which didnt allow cats. They were trying to get a place in the same state at least but it was taking a long time. In the meantime the cats were boarding. Lucky they were really nice cats who adjust and took it all in their stride.

If I moved overseas my animals would come with.

[collie angel]

When my parents moved over here from NZ we brought our collie with us i asked dad the other day why and he said he was part of our family and us kids would never forgive him if he didn't...

i would sell everything i possibly could just to take my animals with me....but if that was not enough i would not be going...but i know that is easer said than done in some cases we are all human and most of us do the best we can...10 grand is alot of money if you don't have it in the first place i hope im never in that situation.