# Whether to rescue a (Romanian) dog or not? Advice needed!



## MarleyL (Jul 25, 2016)

Hi there,

Hoping for a little insight / advice - we met a rescue dog yesterday from a Rescue Centre and fell in love with him - but turns out he is a Romanian Stray which we did not know until we'd actually taken him out for a walk and fell for his charms!

I'm concerned is background may cause particular problems, so I was really hoping to hear from people who did this & how they got on?

He is sweet natured, confident & has basic training. He was homed for 3 weeks, but it didn't work out due to him being aggressive towards other dogs & becoming a bit possessive with visitors. The shelter think that was due to lack of exercise and they say he NOT aggressive and would be a great first dog

With that in mind, we would of course start training & obedience classes start straight away to try help avoid any possessive / aggressive traits developing and help give him the best possible bonding experience with us too

But my concerns are there because they know nothing of his history.

Any guidance / experiences would be hugely appreciated 

Many thanks!


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## Canarie (Sep 4, 2013)

Hi,
I understand your concerns as you don't know dogs history.
Firstly,Iets look at it from the dogs point of view.Having no doubt had a horrendous life in Romania,a street dog possibly,fighting for scraps of food he is then taken to a rescue center where he feels safe and is warm and fed.He then moves again to another home.He is frightened,not sure what is going on and so reacts.This is so often the case and the dog returns to rescue center with a reputation and harder to rehome.Three weeks hardly seems long.I would have said the dog was overwhelmed by it all.It takes time.
I have a rescue dog.She was found straying the streets of London so no history.She was frightened initially,and still is of children.She tested the boundaries.She started to bite my 6ft plus son.I was naturally concerned and got a expert in.Essentially I was told my rescue was picking up on my sons nervousness.He was told to get more involved,feed her,take her for walks etc.Three years on and biggest wag of tail is for him.I admit there was a time when I rang my friend saying my rescue was too much for me.My friend listened.She said I would look back on the episode and see how far she has come.We have had her 3 years now.Yes,she can be manic,but,with time we have understood her needs which include 2 hours of walking a day.I know she has either not been socialised with children or had a bad experience with them which explains her nervousness of them.We make a point of not putting in that position.
It is a tough decision.Remember,at some point the Romanian dog belonged to someone.
I can't say whether you should adopt.But,remember not all dogs come into rescue with behaviour problems.
Would I adopt again?Absolutely.By adopting you are saving a dogs life and freeing up that dogs place for another dog to take.It is a very rewarding experience.
I would only repeat again,it does take time.
While we may never know the pain or struggles of a rescue dog the love they show is unlike any other.

Canarie


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

MarleyL said:


> Hi there,
> 
> Hoping for a little insight / advice - we met a rescue dog yesterday from a Rescue Centre and fell in love with him - but turns out he is a Romanian Stray which we did not know until we'd actually taken him out for a walk and fell for his charms!
> 
> ...


I have a lot of issues with dogs being sent here for adoption for very many reasons.

First of all there are plenty of home grown ones, we do not need to import them, I fail to understand why people are opting for this choice over and above "UK" dogs (please no ridiculous accusations of "racism")

Secondly they often come with health issues which are not immediately visible including this one

http://mrcvs.co.uk/en/news/14691/First-report-of-canine-ocular-thelaziosis

My main concern however is that most of these dogs are not really pets which have been given up but are more or less feral and as such can often have a lot of issues which again only become apparent once in a home (as opposed to a rescue centre).

One of these is the tendency to resource guard both from other dogs and people but the main one is the difficulty of keeping these dogs within 4 walls.

I see many, many posts of dogs which have been "lost" because the new owners have not grasped the fact that it may be some time before they can be let off a line IN THE HOUSE AND GARDEN let alone outside.

They have lived the life of a "traveller" rather than in one spot and these instincts and habits are very hard to break.

I would urge caution.


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

I wouldn't, personally.

Whilst I appreciate they deserve better than they have where they come from, I would prefer if changes were brought about in their home country. Education, neutering, welfare laws, etc.

They can require very knowledgeable and committed homes - I certainly wouldn't consider myself a suitable candidate for one tbh.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

While I'm very much of the belief that all dogs deserve a home, Rommies & other street dogs from abroad can come with a lot of baggage.

Many of them are lovely dogs, but many are also damaged, & there will be no traceable history.

He could be originally from a home or born on the streets, but often dogs as we see them here (almost exclusively as 'pets' indoors) will be different to how many Romanian families view dogs (working or guard dogs, often living their lives tethered ourside), so they may not be at all acclimatised to the confines of a home.

I'd also be very cautious of the rescue saying it's just 'lack of exercise' causing his issues, an experienced home may be able to get his issues in hand quite quickly but throwing a less experienced home at the deep end, so to speak, may result in the dog once again ending up back in rescue.


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

My friend has one that had obviously been a street dog. Lovely dog with humans but has reacted badly to horses, cows and sheep which has been addressed.
Kills and eats nearly anything small that moves, don't think that will ever be sorted
Is fearful to the point of reaction to all other unknown dogs, this is a work in progress

This dog has been here and cared for basically 24/7 for 18 months by an experienced owner and still is very much a work in progress

Not for a first time owner


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

And I wonder sometimes if it's really fair to keep a dog going that lives in a constant state of fear and anxiety?

If it's possible to live with the dog somewhere away from "life" maybe, but that's not usually possible.

Whilst nobody wants to give up on a healthy dog, physically they may be OK but mentally they may never be.


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## MarleyL (Jul 25, 2016)

Thanks fir your insight, reaffirmed what I thought to be honest but much appreciated!


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## Kimmikins (Apr 9, 2016)

I wouldn't say a European rescue is ever a good first dog. And I would be wary of them putting all issues down to a lack of exercise, that sounds like a bit of a cop out to me and something you can't possibly know unless you've seen big improvements through increased exercise.

Saying that, Sara is Bulgarian, an ex street dog for the first 6-7 months of her life. She was from a litter of 7 and she is the only survivor, and that's only because she was taken in after being hit by a car. She is, without a doubt, the most beautifully natured girl. Loving, gentle, playful and walks beautifully on a lead now. But that didn't come without a lot of work; she would fence jump, pulled horrendously on a lead and wasn't housetrained. Puppy classes (she was the biggest there!) and lots of reading up on ways to positively train her and she's much better, but still reactive occasionally.

Fidget is the total opposite, and still a possibility of what you might end up with. Fear issues, reactive, not lead trained and poorly socialised. Will resource guard when stressed.

There's just no way to guarantee which version of European you'll get...a Sara, or a Fidgey!

(As an aside, we rescued from abroad after being turned down by every rescue for 2 years because we both worked full time. Even though we are shift workers who rarely work the same shift, had funds for a dog walker and a support network etc etc. It was either buy a puppy, or rescue from abroad. And when Sara showed up on my news feed it was obviously fate!)


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## Onya McWoogie (Sep 16, 2016)

I am sorry but I totally disagree with all the above replies. Yes a lot of the Romanian rescue dogs have come from the streets but also there are hundreds who have been rounded up by the governments dog catchers each day and thrown into the public shelters, often never to get out alive. Those that are taken out by the rescuers have often been pets and so are very used to being in a home. They have found themselves either dumped or abandoned by people who no longer want the responsibility of them. I have rescued and rehomed Romanian dogs for several years and not once have I ever had an issue with them settling into loving homes here in UK. I work with Romanian rescuers that I trust to assess the dogs long before they travel here to me and so any potential issues can be identified before consideration is made as to whether to bring them over for re-homing. There are dozens of rescuers here in UK who specialise in bringing Romanian and other foreign dogs over who will be able to guide and advise you. Please don't be put off by the above posts. Talk to people who are involved in foreign rescue for an honest and reliable opinion.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

Onya McWoogie said:


> I am sorry but I totally disagree with all the above replies. Yes a lot of the Romanian rescue dogs have come from the streets but also there are hundreds who have been rounded up by the governments dog catchers each day and thrown into the public shelters, often never to get out alive. Those that are taken out by the rescuers have often been pets and so are very used to being in a home. They have found themselves either dumped or abandoned by people who no longer want the responsibility of them. I have rescued and rehomed Romanian dogs for several years and not once have I ever had an issue with them settling into loving homes here in UK. I work with Romanian rescuers that I trust to assess the dogs long before they travel here to me and so any potential issues can be identified before consideration is made as to whether to bring them over for re-homing. There are dozens of rescuers here in UK who specialise in bringing Romanian and other foreign dogs over who will be able to guide and advise you. Please don't be put off by the above posts. Talk to people who are involved in foreign rescue for an honest and reliable opinion.


I am involved in foreign rescue, I homecheck for various Romanian & other rescues, & have my own Romanian dogs so I do have first hand experience with these dogs & I stand by what I said- not every home is the right home for dogs that have lived their life on the streets, spent protracted length of time in a public shelter or suffered at the hands of cruel people in any number of ways.

You can disagree with me all you like but the reality is there are lot of very damaged dogs being brought over & we owe it to the dogs to make sure their potential adopters know what to expect, good as well as bad.

On top of this there are a fair few well intentioned but naive organisations & individuals who are placing these damaged dogs in homes with little or no dog experience, let alone experience with the complex issues some of the Rommies have.


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## Kimmikins (Apr 9, 2016)

Onya McWoogie said:


> I am sorry but I totally disagree with all the above replies. Yes a lot of the Romanian rescue dogs have come from the streets but also there are hundreds who have been rounded up by the governments dog catchers each day and thrown into the public shelters, often never to get out alive. Those that are taken out by the rescuers have often been pets and so are very used to being in a home. They have found themselves either dumped or abandoned by people who no longer want the responsibility of them. I have rescued and rehomed Romanian dogs for several years and not once have I ever had an issue with them settling into loving homes here in UK. I work with Romanian rescuers that I trust to assess the dogs long before they travel here to me and so any potential issues can be identified before consideration is made as to whether to bring them over for re-homing. There are dozens of rescuers here in UK who specialise in bringing Romanian and other foreign dogs over who will be able to guide and advise you. Please don't be put off by the above posts. Talk to people who are involved in foreign rescue for an honest and reliable opinion.


I have 2 European rescues, both took a lot of effort to get them to where they are today.

I know another lady who took Fidgey's travel partner and she also had issues.

Are these three the exception to the rule?


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

simplysardonic said:


> On top of this there are a fair few well intentioned but naive organisations & individuals who are placing these damaged dogs in homes with little or no dog experience, let alone experience with the complex issues some of the Rommies have.


Had one just last week. A lovely lady neighbour had recently lost her old Sheltie and was looking for another dog. She found a Podenco needing a home, bought over by a kindly sole who saves dogs one at a time.

I advised before she went to see, that the dog wouldn't be suitable for her as it was a powerful working dog with very strong instincts.
She went, fell in love at first sight and was sent home with dog, no home check and blatantly obvious that it wasn't a match made in heaven

A few days later a very stressed confused dog was sent back to the rescue lady because it had pulled it's new owner over


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

rona said:


> Had one just last week. A lovely lady neighbour had recently lost her old Sheltie and was looking for another dog. She found a Podenco needing a home, bought over by a kindly sole who saves dogs one at a time.
> 
> I advised before she went to see, that the dog wouldn't be suitable for her as it was a powerful working dog with very strong instincts.
> She went, fell in love at first sight and was sent home with dog, no home check and blatantly obvious that it wasn't a match made in heaven
> ...


Oh that's so very sad, for both the lady & the dog


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