Are you Rescue Ready?

Are you rescue ready? Please read before applying

Before applying, please make sure you've read up on the information on our website. 

Whilst we try our utmost to place the right dog with the right family, occasionally they do come back to us. 98% of the time, this is because the family that adopted weren't actually Rescue Ready. 

Uprooting these dogs can cause more upset not just for the dogs, but for the team as well. 

Before you put in an application please; 

1. Make sure you've spoken to EVERYONE in the household, including children, partners, parents etc and make sure that everyone is on board. If anyone has any niggles or doubts, now is not the best time to apply for a dog. 

2. Think about whether now is the best time for you and your family to adopt. Do you have the time to settle in a pup or nervous dog? Putting in an application because you saw a cute dog on Facebook is a recipe for disaster if things haven't been thought through. 

They are not here to entertain you whilst you're off work, or to please a child in the home etc. Please make sure that YOU can give the dogs what THEY need, not just for now, but forever! 

3. Think about whether you have the energy, space and funds to add a new member to your family. You will not want a dog the size of a Great Dane in your small 1 bedroom flat with no garden. Dogs can be expensive. You will have the cost of food for the next 10-15 years, as well as their equipment, vet bills and check ups, flea and worming etc. 

4. Make sure your garden, if you have one, is SAFE and SECURE and doesn't have any fencing down. The dog you're potentially interested in doesn't have the time to wait for you to fix your garden. They're looking for their new home ASAP. If you have especially low fencing, you are very unlikely to be paired with a bigger bouncier dog. Please consider whether you can add trellis or similar to extend the height. 

5. That you are ready to adopt a dog NOW. Not a month from now, not next weekend because this weekend you're going to the cinema. Our fosterers are not free dog boarders. Once you put in an application, you acknowledge that you could be potentially matched up with a dog a few days later. Therefore you will need to be ready to get everything you need and collect your dog as soon as possible. The adoption process isn't always quick. Sometimes there is a wait as we are matching the dogs to the best possible home, but if we think we have found a dog that could be a match for you, it can proceed very quickly. Please bare this in mind before applying. 

Can you care for a companion for the next 10-15 years? Do you have the time to ensure that you can settle them into the new home? Will you have to go to work the day after they arrive, leaving them confused and worried? Ideally you will have up to a week free to help them settle in. People seem to expect these dogs to slot nicely into a household after a few days of arriving. This isn't always the case. It can take these dogs time to decompress and learn that they can trust these new people. When they learn to trust, that's when they start to show their personality and cheekiness. This is when training will need to paramount. You will need to be patient and show understanding.

Do you have the time to give the energetic puppy two walks a day and train them? Are you willing to take the dog out every day, regardless of the weather?

Is your house and garden big enough to allow them their own space? Time away from the hustle and bustle of the household if they need it? 

Will the other animals in your home accept a new dog? Will you have to give the dog up if the other pets in the home do not get along with them? Are you okay with rehoming your cat/snake/hamster if the new dog doesn't get on? Think about this and try to put plans into place before bringing a new dog home. Can you move the rodent cage into an area the dog won't get into? Do you have space to keep the cat and dog separate if needed? Are you really going to replace one beloved pet with another? We don't condone this. Please think about these things before bringing a new dog into your home. There is no guarantee that any dog you bring into your home will get on with your specific cat/rabbits/fish, even if they've gotten on fine with the cats/rabbits/fish in the foster home.

Can you afford beds, bowls, leads, collars, the constant cost of food and treats, grooming, insurance/savings in case of pricey vet bills? These can pop up with no notice at all. 

Where will your dog go if you go on holiday? What plans will you have in place if you need to go into hospital? Do you have a vet you can get to? How will you get to a vets in an emergency? What about if this is in the early hours of the morning? 

Taking on a rescue dog is a big commitment - to care for a dog for its entire life - so please make sure that you have seriously thought through your decision before applying. Do you have the time to put in; settling and teaching the dog? Do you have safe space to allow them to thrive? Do you have the means to pay for this dog and its needs for its whole life - vet bills, food, items etc? 

We don't want to waste anyone's time; we won't beat around the bush – it can take these dogs time to settle into their new homes. A lot of these dogs have been through huge upheaval and they need to learn to trust again, to get into a new routine and to understand what is expected of them in their new home. 

However; if you are patient and put in the effort to train, understand their behaviour and seek help when needed, you will be rewarded with unconditional love and the knowledge that you have made life for that one dog a thousand times better!