Scooter

Please meet Scooter – our deaf saluki who has been around the block quite a bit.  He is nearly 3 years old and he has had a lot of chopping and changing in his short life.  He is now with us and looking for a new home.  We need a very specialist home for him – so we need you all to help us and share this post.

Since we have had Scooter we’ve taken him out and about. He’s fine with other breeds of dog. He is very laid back for a Saluki. Scooter is loving and affectionate and all the kennel staff love him and would take him home if they had room. A firm favourite.

Scooter is deaf – deaf dogs cannot hear you, so you have to behave differently around them.  You can’t just appear because he will not have heard you approaching – you cannot just touch him as you might startle him – you cannot shout commands at him – you have to sign them.  Add to the mix that he is a saluki drama queen – and you have a fabulous dog but you have to work with him – he cannot change for you.

With both the salukiness and the deafness he is a challenge – with the right owners he will be a dream.  He is super friendly, great to walk, good with other dogs and travels well (he has even been on holiday to Budapest during lockdown which is more than most of us managed).

Please do not apply unless you are 100% willing and able to follow the rules.  Taking him on because you feel sorry for him – then returning him, will just make matters worse.

He needs someone with experience of deaf dogs or someone with the common sense to understand him.  He has been let down so many times because of human error before he came to us – we do now want this cycle of abandonment to continue – he needs a home where he will stay for the rest of his days.

Can you please think very carefully, before adopting?   Dogs – even quiet greyhounds – are a huge responsibility and a lifestyle change.  If you have any health issues – please think very carefully and ensure you can look after the dog before applying.

Please also note you do need to be in a position to adopt before applying.  Once your home check is done, you need to collect your dog within 3 to 4 days.

It takes months before a dog will settle into your home and lifestyle – and you, as the human, must ensure it works.  We have become a very throw away society where it is easier to return a dog than to train a dog.  Most rescues are experiencing some people who just give up all too easily – as though they are just returning something to Amazon.  When people return a dog – they feel very guilty, so they create a lot of issues and extra work for our rescue.

We are, of course, not talking about the genuine cases – where you may have an illness, lost your job or have to move to somewhere you cannot take the dog – we are talking about just giving up in the 1st 6 months.

You may just think you are just returning the dog, and all is OK – but the disruption caused to that dog can be immense and can be very damaging for him.  The dog will have to go back into kennels (after being in a home) and a “returned” dog is a lot harder to rehome than other dogs.

Please also remember – we are all volunteers at KGR and we can only process so many applications in the time we have – if you give up and return your dog – someone else has missed out on having a dog because we spent our time on you.

We appreciate this sounds harsh – but for the sake of the dogs please think carefully.  We can provide full backup to help settle your dog into your life – but you have to be up for the challenge and be 100% onboard to help your dog settle into your home and life. You cannot expect the dog to just move into your home and for you to put no effort into making the relationship work.

Please remember the 3-3-3- rule

It is 3 days before your new dog can even start to relax (so overnight disruption, using the rug as a toilet etc)  3 weeks before he even realises he is staying so starts to learn your routine and 3 months before he starts to settle.