Dog rescues are the fullest they’ve ever been, and the flow of dogs doesn’t look set to ease off any time soon. But how have we ended up here, and why should you choose to adopt rather than buy a puppy?
The state of dog rescue in 2023
While I love training all kinds of dogs, one of my real passions is working with rescue dogs. I have volunteered with several rescue organisations in recent years, and it’s the same grim news across the board: rescues are full to bursting. According to the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes, 92% of its members have seen an increase in the number of calls to surrender a dog this year. Birmingham Dogs Home had to announce that it was at full capacity after receiving 700 requests for surrender in January alone. This leaves rescue centres in an impossible situation: they are being forced to turn dogs away, despite knowing that these dogs are likely to end up in the pound as a ‘stray’ the next day anyway. Or worse, that they will be taken to the vet and put to sleep, despite being perfectly fit and healthy.
So how have we ended up in this situation? It seems likely that a number of factors have coincided to produce the perfect storm in the world of rescue. Firstly, there was the surge in dog ownership during the pandemic, when around three million dogs joined UK households. After the national lockdowns were lifted, there was an avalanche of ‘pandemic pups’ being abandoned, sold on or surrendered to shelters. Many of them had developed more or less severe behavioural issues as a result of a lack of early socialisation. Added to this is the cost-of-living crisis, which has also resulted in steep increases in the price of dog food and vet fees. Finally, soaring demand for dogs during lockdown resulted in unscrupulous breeders churning out puppies without any regard for their health. Whether it’s French Bulldogs with allergies or Pugs who can’t breathe, owners often find themselves saddled with sky-high medical costs for the rest of their dog’s life.
Is it really 'too hard to adopt'?
Despite this, I have all too often seen some rather angry responses to the heartfelt messages on social media describing the plight of rescue centres. ‘I tried to adopt a dog,’ the people say, ‘but their adoption criteria are RIDICULOUS. They won’t let me have a dog because I have children/dogs/cats/ferrets/live in a one-bedroom apartment in the middle of a city! Maybe if you made it easier for people to adopt dogs your shelters wouldn’t be so full.’ I take issue with this on a number of grounds, not least the fact that I find it quite appalling that someone would take a pop at a charitable organisation that is trying its best in an awful situation. Indeed, there is growing evidence that mental health issues are on the rise in rescue, with imposter syndrome and compassion fatigue commonplace.
Having worked with rescue dogs myself I can tell you: these criteria are there for a reason. On the one hand, they are there for everyone’s safety. One of the shelters I volunteer for, Pawprints Dog Rescue in Rugby, mainly takes in dogs who have served their 7 days in the pound and have not been claimed. We have no history for these dogs, so all we have to go on is our assessment of their behaviour in kennels, which is often very different to how they would behave in a home. The rescue simply cannot, in good faith, allow many of these dogs (especially the larger ones) to live in a home with small children – it’s not worth the risk. What’s more, we test our dogs’ response to other dogs, so if we say they can’t live with another dog they REALLY can’t live with another dog.
The reality of adopting
It seems to me that there is a general misconception about rescue dogs; that they are just sad and scared and that all they need is some love and they’ll be ‘fixed’. Unfortunately, the reality is often a lot more complex than that. Yes, some of the dogs will happily blend into their new home provided they have a sofa to sleep on and two square meals a day (there’s nothing more joyful than seeing a photo of the first time a lurcher gets to sleep on a sofa). However, many of them come with very complex behavioural issues as a result of a lack of training, traumatic experiences in their previous home(s) or just bad breeding. It takes more than a bit of TLC to help these dogs: it takes time, patience, understanding and sometimes the professional help of a behaviourist.
Let me take the example of my first rescue dog, Lyra. I’m not going to lie, I was absolutely unprepared for the whirlwind that was Lyra; she turned my life upside down. On the first night, it quickly became apparent that she had pretty severe separation anxiety – she would bark and howl as soon as we left the room. I was exhausted, emotionally drained and wondered whether I’d made a terrible decision. Fortunately I don’t give up easily, and she’d already stolen my heart the moment I met her! It took nearly a year of hard work and training, but we got there in the end. Now I can leave her alone for a few hours as long as I prepare her properly and make sure she feels safe. For me, it was worth every minute; she will always be ‘that dog’, unforgettable and totally irreplaceable.
Sorry…aren’t you supposed to be convincing me to adopt not shop?!
I am indeed – but at the same time I accept that adopting isn’t for everyone. It’s incredibly hard work, but for me the pros outweigh the cons by far! For one thing, you already have a pretty good idea of the kind of dog you’re getting when you adopt an adult dog, as their personality is more or less fully formed. This allows you to select exactly the kind of dog that will suit your lifestyle, rather than buying a puppy who seems cute at first but quickly turns out to have needs that you just aren’t able to meet. For example, I want to be able to canicross with my dogs, so I adopted two who I already knew pulled on the lead – and both have turned out to be amazing canicrossers!
What’s more, there is no better reward than seeing a rescue dog flourish in your care. The first time they play with a toy, when they curl up next to you on the sofa snoring, the way their tail wags when you get their lead out to take them for a walk. As long as you are prepared to make some adjustments to accommodate your rescue dog, they will repay you tenfold. Besides, if you are struggling I’m here to help! If you book onto my Perfectly Imperfect Rescue Dogs package you benefit not only from my training skills, but also from my personal experience of rehoming dogs. So if you’re more convinced than ever that you’re ready to adopt, let’s take the leap together!