# Returning a rescue dog



## rose

My daughter rescued a lovely young bitch from Croatia via a uk website.
She obviously never met her before she collected her. She is very lively clever and playful, gets on great with the resident dog - but she constantly chases her 3 cats. The cats are terrified and sit on the shed crying. My daughter has decided the new dog Tilly really needs to be rehomed without cats. My daughter did ask what would happen if there was a problem with her other pets and was assured that as the dog was small and cute would have no problem being rehomed. She has rung and emailed several times but nothing is happening. They said they would relist her but she isn't on the website, there is a facebook page and they are always listing new dogs that need homes but have never even mentioned her. I realise the dogs in shelters in Croatia are more urgent but it is quite urgent for the cats as Tilly actually had one by the leg as it was climbing the fence in a bid to get away (although I'm pretty sure she wasn't trying to hurt the cat)
Any suggestions? It's such a shame because she is a real cutie really.


----------



## nickmcmechan

Perhaps another option is to train the dog not to chase the cats?

How to Cure a Cat-Chasing Dog | Karen Pryor Clicker Training

How can you,give the cats a safe space? Can you use dog stair gates? Or similar?

Perhaps fencing could control the dogs freedom in the garden?


----------



## Cleo38

This is precisley the reason I am not in favor of dogs being bought over then ending up filling spaces in UK rescues.

I would not let any rescue dog alone or unsupervised with the cats until I was sure the dog has settled in to his/her new environment & I was confident was no danger to the cats. Training dogs not to chase cats is not impossible if managed to correctly.

If this were me I would keep the dog on a lead in the house to prevent any chasing, make sure the cats have plenty of escape routes, maybe invest in a crate so the dog can be contained at times.

Sorry to be harsh but what did your daughter expect, them all to get on imeediately? It is very rare that it works like that

There are so many expectations put on dogs far too early when they get to new hiomes. Settling in can take weeks or sometimes months & alot of people have to out in alot of work regarding training & managing various dogs//cats in the house.


----------



## Tails and Trails

Cleo38 said:


> This is precisley the reason I am not in favor of dogs being bought over then ending up filling spaces in UK rescues.
> 
> I would not let any rescue dog alone or unsupervised with the cats until I was sure the dog has settled in to his/her new environment & I was confident was no danger to the cats. Training dogs not to chase cats is not impossible if managed to correctly.
> 
> If this were me I would keep the dog on a lead in the house to prevent any chasing, make sure the cats have plenty of escape routes, maybe invest in a crate so the dog can be contained at times.
> 
> Sorry to be harsh but what did your daughter expect, them all to get on imeediately? It is very rare that it works like that
> 
> There are so many expectations put on dogs far too early when they get to new hiomes. Settling in can take weeks or sometimes months & alot of people have to out in alot of work regarding training & managing various dogs//cats in the house.


quite.

it really pisses me off when rescues home without prior checks, assessments, and introductions/meet and greets.

why should the existing pets in the home, or children, or visitors, etc, be chanced like this?


----------



## rose

Thank you for all your comments. My daughter works full time so very difficult to manage day to day. She took a week off when she first got her as knew it needed to be slow introductions, she is a lovely bouncy happy dog who thinks the cats are fair game for chasing. The more they run the more she chases. The problem is the cats are staying away so no opportunity to try and train her. She would make a lovely pet for someone without cats who likes long walks.
I realise the rescue wouldn't have known if she was ok with cats, but now we now she isn't they aren't interested in trying to rehome her. My daughter paid £250 adoption fee for her so they could rehome her without further costs and the adopter would pay no fee.


----------



## Cleo38

I work full time yet managed each of my dogs (I have 3) with my cats  

My first rescue dog there were never issues (I was very lucky), the second rescue dog we had to be very careful but gets on great with the cats now. The older dogs & cats are left unsupervised whilst I am at work. My puppy is never left alone with the cats & never gets an opportunity to chase them as I want him to learn the cats are not toys

Why can't they be separated in the day? Am struggling to understand how it is thought that they would all get along after only a week. These dogs are usually street dogs & therefore have no experience of living in homes.

Alot of dogs have to be managed during this period, it is not unusual. If your daughter ensures the dog is on a lead at ALL times then the dog cannot practise the behaviour of chasing the cats. She can also train the dog to be happy in s crate for the times she needs to be getting on with other things.

I really do feel it is so unfair of these dogs to be expected to instantly fit in to an environment, most dogs require effort to be out in to help them adjust to their new homes. 

if the new dog is kept under control the cats will return & learn to relax as they won't be chased (as the dog will not be able to) .....

Some people here could give some excellent advise on how to manage this but if your daughter does not want to put the work then she will have to find a suitable rescue place for the dog ...... so sad


----------



## simplysardonic

Like Cleo38 says, there is no 'quick fix' for this sort of problem.

I do think given enough time, patience & planning that it can be made to work, if she's a great dog in all other respects then it seems a shame not to persevere.


----------



## Cleo38

Even when dogs are described as 'good with cats' it still doesn't mean they woill settle instasntly in to a new home & not annoy/chase the cats who live there, management & training will still be required.

It can be such a stressful experience for all the animals involved so ongoing management is vital


----------



## SusieRainbow

My second dog was very up for chasing the cat , I don't think she'd had any real contact. Luckily my cat , an old lady of 15 , has the confidence to stand her ground and not run , so Reena get's no satisfaction from her. When she has tried to chase her I find a sharp 'NO' and taking her straight back inside works.
I agree they need a lot more than a week's socialisation with cats and with suitable management , safety gates, a high safe place for the cats , plenty of supervision , it should be manageable. 
My cat is currently sleeping on the kitchen table , maybe not ideal from the hygiene point of view , but she feels safe and relaxed and Reena is getting used to her presence in a non- confrontational way.


----------



## rose

I agree with everything everyone has said. My daughter did adopt her with Rose tinted glasses, just wanted to provide a safe home for her. I have an ex breeder cavalier who was so withdrawn and frightened of her own shadow that my daughter thought the new dog would be slightly withdrawn also and nervous of new things but she is the opposite, you would never believe how outgoing she is, un afraid of nothing. My daughter did adopt her with the best intentions, but tilly is better suited to home with people at home all day, no small pets and the time to put in hours of exercise and training. My daughter has had a year of unsuccessful IVF and I think taking a new dog on was more to do with that. She has had her for 3 weeks.


----------



## Cleo38

So she is basically not willing to put any effort in to addressing this common problem then?

As I said, I work full time yet can still manage to train & exercise 3 dogs (mostly seperately) as I am committed to them. I get up early, work through my lunch hour, etc because I chose to have them & do my best to meet their needs. 

So sad that this poor dog wasn't give a proper chance


----------



## StormyThai

It has taken me over a year for both my cat and dog to feel comfortable around each other, and even now they are not left unsupervised.

To expect everyone to just get on after a week, with an ex street dog at that is just asking for failure :nonod:

I would give details as to how I achieved stopping an avid cat and small furry chaser from chasing, but going by the responses it will be a waste of my time


----------



## Tails and Trails

rose said:


> My daughter paid £250 adoption fee for her so they could rehome her without further costs and the adopter would pay no fee.


i dont understand this sentence.

which rescue is it?

the rescue would have known if she was or wasnt good with cats if they had been responsible and took her to your house for a homecheck before you decided to adopt her


----------



## Rafa

Tails and Trails said:


> i dont understand this sentence.
> 
> which rescue is it?
> 
> the rescue would have known if she was or wasnt good with cats if they had been responsible and took her to your house for a homecheck before you decided to adopt her


Have you read the whole thread?

This little dog came from Croatia.


----------



## lilythepink

I hope your daughter can work something out so the dog, cats and herself can find a happy medium.

I have 4 dogs and several cats. Some cats are feral and semi feral and the others are strictly house cats.

Its been interesting...but finally got through to all dogs one at a time not to chase. It can be done and I am sure there are plenty people on here willing to give good sound advice on how to achieve this. There are some professional dog people on here too...maybe they could help?


----------



## Tails and Trails

Sweety said:


> Have you read the whole thread?
> 
> This little dog came from Croatia.


yes................


----------



## lilythepink

I would have thought a rescue would have been more interested too in one of their rescues. Sounds a bit dodgy really if you can't get hold of them.

There is a local "rescue" not far from where I live that I heard bad things about....like just getting dogs, charging a high "adoption" fee and not really going into much detail..but I think the SSPCA were looking into them.


----------



## rose

Cleo38 said:


> So she is basically not willing to put any effort in to addressing this common problem then?
> 
> As I said, I work full time yet can still manage to train & exercise 3 dogs (mostly seperately) as I am committed to them. I get up early, work through my lunch hour, etc because I chose to have them & do my best to meet their needs.
> 
> So sad that this poor dog wasn't give a proper chance


Perhaps my daughter has given up too early, but at the end of the day as I said she went into the adoption not realising how much work she would have to put in. She has admitted it was a mistake, and has asked the rescue to find a more suitable home. surely that is more responsible than keeping her but no one in the house being happy. I have had private messages to tell me I would get no sympathy for giving up on a dog. It's the first animal any of my family has given up, at least we have given her a chance to be rehomed now she is safe in the uk.


----------



## Cleo38

rose said:


> Perhaps my daughter has given up too early, but at the end of the day as I said she went into the adoption not realising how much work she would have to put in. She has admitted it was a mistake, and has asked the rescue to find a more suitable home. surely that is more responsible than keeping her but no one in the house being happy. I have had private messages to tell me I would get no sympathy for giving up on a dog. It's the first animal any of my family has given up, at least we have given her a chance to be rehomed now she is safe in the uk.


I don't agree with nasty pm's at all & it's your daughter who is giving her dog up, not you.

If she is determind that she no longer wants the dog then returning her to the rescue is the best idea. B

But .... I hope she does learn from this experience, all dogs take time to settle in, some longer than others. As I said before, even dogs who are said to be good with cats still need to be managed & settle in amongst the resident cats & this will take longer than a week.

Today has been the first day that my puppy has been really good around my cats ... or should I say my cats have been good around him ... it's been the cats chasing the puppy here  but I would still not leave them together unsupervised, my pup is always put away from the cats when I am not here.

Really hope it works out for the dog & she gets a good home


----------



## StormyThai

Cleo38 said:


> I don't agree with nasty pm's at all & it's your daughter who is giving her dog up, not you.
> 
> If she is determind that she no longer wants the dog then returning her to the rescue is the best idea. B
> 
> But .... I hope she does learn from this experience, all dogs take time to settle in, some longer than others. As I said before, even dogs who are said to be good with cats still need to be managed & settle in amongst the resident cats & this will take longer than a week.
> 
> Today has been the first day that my puppy has been really good around my cats ... or should I say my cats have been good around him ... it's been the cats chasing the puppy here  but I would still not leave them together unsupervised, my pup is always put away from the cats when I am not here.
> 
> Really hope it works out for the dog & she gets a good home


I can only echo that really. Personally I think it would be more responsible for your daughter to step up to the plate rather than giving up after 3 weeks.

BUT if your daughter is dead set on rehoming then maybe phone a few local rescues to help out as the original "rescue" has decided to ignore. If you explain that you can keep the dog whilst they assess and look for a home they may be able to help and it saves taking up another kennel.


----------



## Old Shep

There is such a glut of dogs needing rehomed. 

I would like to know how this goes.


----------



## Nitas mum

It's a long, slow and painful process! It's taken over a year for me to be able to leave the dog gates open in the house. The dog will generally stay laying down when the cats wander through but once in a blue moon she still thinks she wants to play with them!

Upstairs has always been out of bounds for the dog (giant breed so no stairs due to her joints) so the cats know they are safe up there.

They are never in the garden at the same time. The dog's impulse control out there is not reliable. The cats seem to know not to run in the house, but outside is a different matter. They also know when the dog is in the garden so don't tend to come out at the same time - and I'm not going to force them to as its not fair to do so just to try and train the dog. So, outside time is a split household here - pnot ideal, but am more than happy juggling this.

Just bear in mind that it can take a loooooooong time to get to this stage. It's not always easy, and your cats may never end up curled in front of the fire sleeping with the dog. But if you're willing to put the time into managing things,then it can work.

The important thing to remember is that cats are all about territory - if they were there first then it's about ensuring that they still feel safe on their "patch". You can't just expect them to be happy about a smelly canine wandering all over their turf, trying to sniff their butt, chasing them and initiating play. Their environment has to be managed and you have to put A LOT of effort into training them to stay down and ignore the cats when they pass through.

Wishing them all good luck.


----------



## rose

The rescue have now taken tilly to a foster carer and she was put on the facebook page. The same day she was reserved pending a home check which was approved. She is going to live on the Isle of Man with an older couple who have several bigger dogs who they do agility with. This will be perfect for tilly, and no cats!! There was a lot of tears shed over this decision as she is a super little dog. I'm sure she will be amazing as an agility dog!
The cats are all back in now, the one who was pulling her fur out has stopped. Toby (the resident dog) will miss her I'm sure as they did play well together.


----------

