For Better or Worse, Richer or Poorer………………………

Adopting a rescue dog is just like getting married – are you ready to commit for life?

Before applying to adopt a rescue dog, the whole family needs to be 100% sure that they are ready for a life-long commitment. If even one member of the family is unsure that they can provide the time, love and work involved then the adoption becomes much more likely to be unsuccessful. Everyone involved needs to be sure that this is the right moment for a new family member to be introduced and that everyone has considered how the dog will impact upon their individual circumstances both now and in the future.

Identifying your own needs as a family is the first step to successfully adopting a rescue dog. It is vital that every element of your current situation is explored within the family prior to applying for adoption and, if any concerns are apparent, however small, these are discussed with the charity. Consider how the dog will impact upon the lives of your children, older family members, neighbours or other pets. Ask yourselves whether the time spent outside the family home either at work or with leisure pursuits will mean the dog is left for long periods of time. Who is going to get up early to walk the dog and will you be too tired for an ‘after work’ walk. What happens to the dog when you go on holiday or for a weekend away?

Please always let us know straight away if you have a cat, even a one that lives outdoors as not all of our dogs are cat friendly.

It is worth trying to envisage the problems that having a dependant pet may cause to your existing routines and how you will plan to overcome them. For example many dogs want to sleep on the bed with you at night, and may cry and whine if left downstairs alone – have you got the time, patience and energy to retrain the dog out of such behaviours?

Once as a family you fully understand your own requirements, these can be used to identify which dog(s) may be the most suitable to join your family. In the excitement of choosing and going through the adoption process it is sometimes forgotten that each dog has individual traits which is moulded by their breed, their age and their past experience. There will never be the ideal, ‘ready-made’ dog but with a little prior consideration you should be able to find your ‘potentially perfect’ companion.

Please think very carefully before considering adopting a dog.

If you have young children, then in most cases we will only rehome a dog that is in a foster home and living with or regular meeting up with children.

You are always welcome to telephone the foster parents for a chat about the dog they have in their care - they will always give you an honest answer to any questions you may have.

If you have adopted a dog from one of our foster homes it is unreasonable to expect the dog to behave in exactly the same way in your home, as it did in the foster home, from the start. The dog still needs time to settle in and you need to be patient until such a time as the dog is content to be with you.

If you are unable to keep the dog, the dog must be returned to KGR.   Please do not expect to call us at 9pm at night demanding we take the dog back immediately. We are all volunteers and work, fitting the charity into our spare time. We use private boarding kennels and have to respect their opening hours. We will allocate the next kennel or foster space available to you, but it will be your responsibility to keep the dog safe until such a time and then to transport the dog to wherever that place may be. We do not return the donation fee.

If you have a cat, please read the greyhounds and cats thread to make sure you are prepared to spend time cat training your new dog, before embarking on the adoption process.  We do not in general rehome to families with both young children and cats, unless we know the dog is 100% cat friendly.