A new discussion on rehoming

[Giselle]

I agree with Kay. I don't believe there are many *valid* reasons to rehome a dog. Of course, you can always rehome a dog to a better home, but, like you said, there will always be a better home than the one before. However, that's like trying to find perfection, which is like a glass ceiling, IMO.

Giselle would love a home with multiple greyhounds, miles of jogging, and daily visits to the dogpark, but I can't possibly provide that. Is it to her benefit to rehome her? Possibly. But the home who takes her in will most likely be unable to give a home to a much needier pup. I personally don't think that that's ethical. As long as the dog is happy, healthy, and well taken care of, I don't see a reason for rehoming.

In the case of the obedience dog who turned herding dog, I'm not sure if I would agree with that. It's clear that the dog loves herding, but I'm sure the dog would love companionship much more. This is why I don't agree with some breeders who purchase a dog in hopes of showing it and then rehoming it when they realize it can't be shown. Dogs are our lifetime responsibilities. Not breeding machines. Not obedience machines. They're ours for life. We owe it to them to provide love and stability.

[DrKym]

I agree that the original post got way off line, and this thread is much needed.
I assume that everyone here is here because we love our companions, that being said I may vent a bit, I apologize way upfront to any one I may offend.

I bred, showed, trained and loved Rotties for nearly 22 yrs. Made a name for myself and my kennel. Big Deal. I am in Foster/Rescue because I felt (please understand these are my feelings not an opinion or judgement) that I had inadvertenly helped with the overpopulation in shelters/rescues. Yes I had a contract, yes I kept up with pups etc. The fact remains some ppl drop out of sight. Divorce, re location, deaths etc. Were some of my babies in those shelters? I don't know.

I DO know that the babies I have here, mine and the fosters, have a chance.One that maybe I denied my own pups, or maybe their new owner did.

I firmly believe that as humans we want to be THE place for the dog we so love. Sad fact is maybe we aren't. It hurts to admit we aren't infallible. It hurts to think we aren't everything to them we promised to be, maybe they really cannot handle kids, maybe our husband really is allergic. Maybe the animal just really likes being anywhere but with us. We hear it in many posts..how many times have you seen pics with the caption this isn't my dog but she/he is here every day????

I believe that we all learn and grow by putting others (including those of other specie) ahead of our own needs and wants. No one has the right to judge another. We all have a right to our opinion, but those should be delivered with the same kindness and compassion that our companions have taught us. We should take a lesson from those we train. Forgiveness is easy, tolerance is key and in all things love what you do and love who you are with.

ok done.

Kym

[agilityk9trainer]

Obviously, you haven't worked with either unmotivated obedience dogs or highly driven herding dogs, or you wouldn't make that statement. Some herding dogs LIVE for herding. They care more about that than anything - including their people. It is the one thing in life that they adore.

I have a highly driven agility sheltie. He LIVES for agility, seriously. About two years ago, I injured myeslf quite badly. I was out of agility for a year. My agility sheltie went into deep depression. Normally a bouncy, spunky, barking dog with a huge, constant twinkle in his eyes, he became a sullen, depressed animal. He wouldn't sit by me like he normally does at night. He would just lay at the end of the sofa and look emptily off into the distance.

As much as I didn't (and don't) want to admit it, my companionship couldn't lift my dog's spirits. Games, toys, Kongs - all the things that usually make him happy - weren't working. He was in deep depression.

My solution was simple. I had my friends train and run Aslan at agility trials for me. I didn't rehome him, as I was going to return to agility in a year. Once he returned to the sport, his spirits immediately improved, and I had my dog back. If I were never to return to agility, I would have had a desperate choice on my hands.

Moral of the story: Working dogs LOVE their jobs. They can't live without their work. Giving a herding dog a herding lifestyle is a blessing. You're right. We OWE it to them to provide them what they need, and these working dogs NEED their work. Depriving them of it is nothing short of mental abuse. Those who have never owned such dogs understandably do not know the drive for work behind these animals. Those of us that have owned them understand it perfectly.


{QUOTE}
In the case of the obedience dog who turned herding dog, I'm not sure if I would agree with that. It's clear that the dog loves herding, but I'm sure the dog would love companionship much more. This is why I don't agree with some breeders who purchase a dog in hopes of showing it and then rehoming it when they realize it can't be shown. Dogs are our lifetime responsibilities. Not breeding machines. Not obedience machines. They're ours for life. We owe it to them to provide love and stability.[/QUOTE]

[cali]

much agreed K9, as a person involved in BCs I can say that without a doubt a dog that grew up working sheep or cattle or whatever will NOT be happy with just companianship. working dogs often live in kennels when not working, and they are not deprived of anything. if anything those dogs have the most fufilled lives of all, they LIVE to work, not because the handler wants him too, they live to work because they WANT too, give a BC thet works for a living the option of remaining a kennel dog that works every day or being a companion and they will choose the kennel every time.

[Twisterdog]

wolfsoul, excellent post. I agree with everything you said.

I have seen probably every possible scenario of re-homing in my decades of shelter, rescue and foster work. Sometimes it is for a valid reason, and sometimes it is for such a stupid, selfish reason that I have very much wanted to choke the person.

But, the fact of the matter is, if someone doesn't love, care about and want a dog, the dog is better off in a new home. If someone doesn't want their dog anymore because it got too big, doesn't match the new couch, whatever stupid, selfish reason it is ... the fact remains that those people no longer (if they ever did!) love and want the dog. That dog would be better off in a better home. I'm talking about a "perfect" home ... no home is perfect. Mine certainaly isn't. Dogs don't want perfection. Dogs want love, time and attention. If they aren't getting it where they are, they would be better off somewhere else, where they WILL get it. Better a dog is re-homed to someone who loves it and will give it the attention it needs, than spending the rest of its life tied up outside, alone, because it sheds on the couch, for example.

I have personally re-homed one dog. This doesn't include the dozens upon dozens of rescue and foster dogs, some of them long term, that I found homes for. Those dogs came into my home with the sole intent that I would find them a forever home. But, I re-homed a Siberian husky that I got with the intention of keeping. My sister talked/guilted me into taking the dog from friends of hers that were moving and couldn't/wouldn't take the dogs. My sister took one of the dogs, and wanted me to take the other. My sister and I had been on bad terms for years, and had only recently begun to cautiously mend fences between us. I didn't want to jeopardize that, I had room for another dog, he was a beautiful dog ... in short, I took him for all the WRONG reasons. He was never a good match for my household, for umpteen reasons. One of my customers had Sibes, loved the breed and had decades of experience with them. He had a dog sled, acres of land, etc. He mentioned one day he would love to get another Sibe. I mentioned I had one that wasn't thriving with me. It progressed from there. I gave him the dog. The dog lived out its natural life ... sixteen years ... blissfully happy with this man. Josey became his favorite dog, he told me. It was an almost perfect match.

No one is perfect. Things happens, mistakes are made, lives unravel. I certainly am not a proponent of willy-nilly rehoming on a whim. I have seen far, far too many homeless animals for that. But do I think re-homing is ALWAYS a bad thing? No.

[tikeyas_mom]

I somewhat agree.. I think BEFORE buy/adopt a dog, you should consider all of the positive and negitive scenarios that Could/might happen in the future.. A responsible dog owner should make sure they have a solution to all the problems that might arise BEFORE they even consider bringing a puppy/dog home..
Dogs arn't meant to be tossed around like used clothing, they need a stable pack mentality.. But there are some sinarios that do arise that are unavoidable, like when my mom and dad decided it was a good idea to add another Female Siberian Husky to our family a couple of years ago ( when we only had Tikeya). Our Malamute had gone to the rainbow bridge a year before, and they thought it would be nice to add another husky to the family, since we wern't greeving anymore.. '
They bought a red female sibe, thinking her and Tikeya would be best of friends... Well after Makiya went through her first heat, she became very agressive towards other dogs.. We got her spayed and she was still very agressive, Fighting with Tikeya any chance she got (Even in the house), at one point the two girls had $300.00 worth of damage between them, my family never had alot of money so we couldn't afford the constant vet bills from the girls scraping..
So my parent decided to rehome Makiya to some friends of ours.. We were all VERY sad to see her go, we all cried for months.. But she was safe, happy, and Tikeya was safe and happy as well.. We added Oscar (Male, shih tzu)to our family shortly after Makiya left.

Baby (Great dane) was rehomed to us when her owners couldnt bring her with them to Alberta.. Aparently a relitive had died, and they needed to move there.. they didnt want to sadate Baby on the plane, so we took her in.. I am so happy we ended up with her, but although they did not want to let her go, it was what was best for her... I think that somtimes crazy crap happens that you cant avoid it, and you need to find a new home for your pet...
BUT in the case of a dog getting tossed out because it wasnt a good enough at "it's job" is just like getting rid of a dog for chewing/peeing in the house/ not bringing you your paper... It's just uncalled for.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

I don't think rehoming is always bad either. My family had (what I think were) valid reasons in the past for rehoming, and friends and family agree. I don't agree with rehoming for petty reasons that would just take a bit of training (ex: the old "He jumps on people", "He shreds things", "He barks too much" excuses). But often I think rehoming possibly is for the best depending on the situation. I agree with many points made above, and I agree with almost everything you said, Jordan.

[applesmom]

Dogs that are carefully selected from reputable breeders for the purpose of competition and don't turn out to fulfill that promise, aren't the ones that wind up dumped in shelters and breed rescues. The overwhelming majority of rescue dogs come from careless pet owners who fail to spay and neuter their pets and BYB.

By the time it becomes apparent that a potential competition dog doesn't have what it takes; the owner has far too much emotional investment in that dog to just take it and dump it for someone else to worry about. The rehoming process is never taken lightly, is always handled personally and the prime concern is the welfare of the dog.

The ones to be upset with are the ones who purchase on impulse and dump on impulse.

[agilityk9trainer]

There was a huge discussion a few years back in the agility community about rehoming. Some of the World team level type trainers and instructors had rehomed dogs that weren't working out in agility. Many agility competitors rose up in arms over this. They felt you should show the dog you have, and not rehome dogs that weren't turning out to be agility prospects. Many people said they would boycott the seminars of these particular trainers.

Personally, I understand the need to rehome a dog that doesn't live up to it's competition promise. These dogs do come from reputable breeders. They are rehomed carefully and with great forethought. Some agility enthusiasts live in areas where they are limited on the number of dogs they can have. In order to do these people's jobs, they have to have agility dogs. Whether people like it or not, agility instructors reputations are tied directly to their dogs. When you have a retired dog at home, a dog in the sunset of his career, and you get a new dog that turns out to hate agility in a city that only allows three dogs - you're really between a rock and a hard place. Your livelihood depends on your dog's performance. In this instance, I can see rehoming the dog to a great pet home where it won't be subjected to the stresses of competition, which it doesn't like.

On the other shoe, I did hear a rumor that a Nationally known agility instructor was buying whole litters of BCs, and then keeping the one that turned out the best and rehoming the others. If this rumor is or was true, than this is definately wrong, and this trainer should rethink his/her philosophies.

I had a trainer who got a sheltie for agility. It had come from some great agility lines, but as it matured, it became apparent that the dog really didn't enjoy it's work. It was, however, a perfect pet sheltie. Sweet, calm, no-drive. Great for a pet home...not great at all for an agility home. The sheltie was rehomed to a family with children who loved that little dog. The dog was so happy. It was sweet to see. The trainer got a BC this is to this day tearing up the agility rings.

[Ginger's Mom]

I agree with many of the things Giselle and Tikeyas_mom have said, and they have probably said it better than I could. Of course a dog should be rehomed if it is abused, neglected, or otherwise in jeopardy. It should not be rehomed because it has become inconvenient to take care of the dogs needs. There are many things that can happen in a 15 year period that are unexpected and unpreventable, that makes a person unable to care for the pet that they love; in those cases the dog should be rehomed rather than put in jeopardy. The main point to remember when bringing a dog into the home is that you are now responsible for that animals health and well-being for maybe 15 years of longer, if you are not willing to make that commitment, don't bring the dog home.

[cloverfdx]

I believe that a dog is for life and not disposable. Having said that is the dog truly is not happy living in it's current home then rehoming would be better than a depressed dog.. after problems have been worked on.

One of my biggest 'hates' is people who think these precious souls can be thrown away and replaced by the next cute pup that comes along . We dont see many rehomings of sporting dogs here... i know a few dogs who were bought for Flyball but will never compete because of chasing problems but they are still loved and trained as much as their competing 'siblings'.

[borzoimom]

I have only rehomed a dog once- that was a imported shepherd, that had no clue with children, I had a 5 year old, and also didn't act like a 'pack member' but rather spent the entire time trying to be the alpha- in a house that was already established. He went to live in a single dog home, and adored. ( I am sure people thought I was crazy for placing a fully trained adult healthy dog..)
Galina came here for training orginally- to see if I could do something with her. Galina was afraid of larger dogs- actually most of the Borzois regardless of size. She only played with the whippets, and when too big to do that safely anymore, the breeder started looking at options. Had she not been drop dead beautiful, she would have been spayed immediatly, without trying.. Her favorite previous game at the other house was " dodge the borzoi"... Bringing her here- with a owner constantly at home, only one other female Femka that was spayed and smaller, and of course- having her brother- the one she use to play with all the time as a puppy, made a world of good for her. She went from leash trained, but would drop to the ground around another borzoi or bigger dog- to a big show off in the ring. I credit some of it to my positive show training ( I teach the dogs- they are God in the ring! Everything is JUST BEAUTIFUL in movements), but also- quite frankly- I believe she came out of her shell so quick because of her brother Zubin. Zubin isnt afraid of a thing- NOTHING- and no one or no dog is a 'stranger' to him..
I have 2 out of 4 dogs that were the product of being rehomed- Femka and Galina.. ( Femkas story will break your heart!). Galina however- as a result of working with her, training her, and mostly letting her figure out - another big dog is FUN(!!)- I got the benefit of a beautiful show bitch, and silly companion..
I am not sure if we had gotten to the end of that first month with Galina- had there not been obvious improvement what would have happened- would she have stayed still or not- it never got to that point. I actually rather doubt she would of, as I was thinking about this last night on applesmom question. The main reason she stayed is that she is such a perfect playmate for Zubin. Femka is starting to show her age- and Zubin is so much bigger than little Femka. Typical young male puppy- with lots of " Bravado" - Femka and Zubin do not play that much- not like Zubin and Galina-. And Galina starts the games more than Zubin.
One more thing here- I obviously had shepherds for a very long time- and at least half were committed for police work etc. However- although it was hard to see them go when they entered into training- although they were my pups- my approach was more like " fostering a seeing eye dog". They had a job to do, and I was proud my dogs could do it. In a state where Malinois are used more than shepherds for this type of work- to me it was pride to put the shepherd back into the fields they use to excell at. Did I cry when my 8month-12 month old left for their " career"- yes- was I proud- MORE SO!