Newly rescued dogs going missing

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Daytona
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue May 15, 2012 12:16 pm

Newly rescued dogs going missing

Post by Daytona »

When I'm out and about, I keep my eyes open for lost dogs in the area and have become concerned by a recent upsurge in newly rescued dogs going missing. This year, of the 10 dogs that have gone missing, 4 were recent rescues, 3 of which came from outside the UK (Cyprus, Spain Romania) one of those was found, one was killed in an RTA and one is still loose, but with sightings in the area 3 months on.

I think that there may be a developing problem with foreign rescues. My fear is that, in their desperation to get as many dogs as possible out of bad situations, irresponsible rehoming is occurring, with little or no behavioural input.

I wonder if some of the dogs may have been semi feral.

What advice would you give to rescues and adopters of these foreign dogs ?
Last edited by Daytona on Sat Mar 04, 2017 9:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
JudyN
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Re: Newly rescued dogs going missing

Post by JudyN »

Where to start..... :?:

The rescues must take a lot more responsibility. Some of these dogs arrive in the country absolutely traumatised and are then passed on to completely unsuitable adopters. Many of the dogs are complete wrecks and will never be able to live a happy life even if rehomed to some with a lot of experience - I know of one from Romania which took three people armed with long-handled grabbers to get into a crate, and was then left in that crate for five days even though there was no firm offer of a foster home in the UK. The person who eventually fostered him is getting almost nowhere - the rescue is now making noises about having him put down, but she also knows that (as she's very active in animal rescues) she would receive a load of abuse and ostracism from others she works with. It's a complete mess.

Sorry - that's my own little rant.

So, first - only bring over dogs who are clearly suitable. Euthanasia is often the BEST option for some of these dogs. Then assess the dogs properly when they arrive and only rehome if you are almost certain it will work out.

And adopters should be made aware that the dog may never have had the experience of a close positive relationship, so it will take far longer to build a relationship of trust where the dog actually wants to be close to the human. This dog's instincts are telling it to do a runner, get away from from people, and look after itself. It may be weeks before they can even make eye contact with the dog or give it treats but most owners won't realise that the dog is shut down and terrified. In fact most owners don't even recognise when a 'normal' dog is unhappy with people touching it in certain ways such as patting its head so the dog won't have a chance of learning that its owners will keep it safe.

And then, of course, is the obvious - given the above, don't let your dog off lead unless in an enclosed space until you KNOW it will come back.
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Nettle
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Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:40 pm

Re: Newly rescued dogs going missing

Post by Nettle »

I agree with every word. Most of these dogs should have one good meal and then euthanasia when they are first taken off the streets. Not only are they often unfixable, the trauma of being brought over here pushes many over the edge. And we really do not want them loose because of the risks to people, other dogs and livestock, and also we don't know what diseases and parasites they might be bringing in.

The people who unwittingly take them on could offer a good home to a normal dog, so it's a home lost too. Those who can deal with them either don't want to, or have enough dogs of their own.
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