I thought that as many parents may consider getting a pet to complete their family; I would share my experience of adopting a dog from the “Dogs Trust”
When our beloved German Shepherd; Keira, died we were devastated. We got her back in 2006; from an extremely good breeder. Unfortunately in 2007 I suffered a Major Stroke, meaning that all dog duties fell upon my husband; whereas I had been the one to do it before.
My Husband; Alec, decided immediately after loosing Keira that he needed to get another dog, as soon as possible as he missed the walks. We looked into getting another German Shepherd; but then Alec thought that a small dog would be easier. He had owned a Jack Russell as a child, so decided to get another of these. He started looking on the dog’s trust website http://www.dogstrust.org.uk and then went to the page of our local re-homing centre in Ilfracombe. There he discovered lots of photos of dogs; of various shapes and sizes all looking for homes. He contacted the kennels and made arrangements for a visit. Once there he was introduced to several different breeds of dogs that he liked, but when he was shown two16 week old Jack Russell brothers; they stole his heart. He told the kennel maid that he would like to give one a home…but which one? One of the puppies, named Bob, had already been reserved; leaving Jake for us. The Dogs Trust asked for details of our veterinary surgeon, who gave such a good report about us that a home visit wasn’t needed and we were approved as suitable candidates.
Two weeks later we brought Jake home, we paid £100 for him; which included a yellow dog’s trust collar and lead and a voucher worth £75 to cover the cost of getting him neutered. He was also fully vaccinated and micro-chipped. He settled into his new home immediately; the only slight problem we encountered was that he wasn’t keen on our cat called “Socks” who wasn’t overly impressed either! We soon overcame this.
After about a month we received a phone call from the Dogs Trust to make sure that everything was going well for both ourselves and Jake; which it was.
We have had Jake in our lives for almost two years now, he is a wonderful little dog who is full of character. He has quite a fan club in our neighbourhood, being loved by adults, children and other dogs. We always say that he was the one who rescued us; rather than the other way around!
I would recommend using the Dogs Trust to anyone thinking of getting a dog; all of their dogs are temperament tested and health checked before given for adoption…so how can that not be good?
I think it’s the best way to get a dog as so many need a good home and the unlucky ones may have been waiting months if not years. The dogs trust make sure that the dog goes to a good caring home and keep a check on their progress which is brilliant. Problem will be managing to come home with one dog as you’ll fall in love with so many and they so want you to shoes them.
All our dogs have been from rescue centres and we are currently looking out for another to keep our current middle aged dog company. #TweensTeensBeyond
I host the #AnimalTales blog linky and would love you to link up this post if you wanted to.
I would love to link up, will look into it
What a fabulous scheme. This is a great share because often people can be unsure about where to get a family pet. At least this way, you are not only supporting a worthwhile cause but you also know the background which is very important when pets are coming into a family home. I hope you have lots of happy times with Jake. Thanks for sharing him on #TeensTweensBeyond. Very cute! Nicky
Oh it’s such an important thing the dog trust does! It’s so easy for animals to get in the wrong hands and this is a good step to make sure cruelty doesn’t happen! Jack is a cutie! Thank you for linking up to the #familyfunlinky
What a lovely, positive post. Many parents of tweens and teens think about getting a dog a the kids are old enough to help out and they can be a great way to diffuse those adolescent tensions! This is a great scheme. Thanks so much for linking up at #TweensTeensBeyond, we really value your support.
To give a dog a home from the dog trust is truly a wonderful thing. #familyfun
We’re hoping to get a dog when we move home. This is a great post, thank you. I’ll definitely be using dogs trust #TweensTeensBeyond
This is a great post and we love the picture of Jake. Those ears reminds us of Ziggy!
He’s adorable. We’re thinking about getting a rescue greyhound when we finally get round to buying a house! #adventurecalling
Dogs become such a big part of your family. Keira was beautiful and Jake is very cute. They just melt your heart.
I sponsor a dog at Dogs Trust. He’s a handsome old boy, and I love getting updates from him.
Thanks for linking up with #AdventureCalling
What a gorgeous dog! He is super cute and it’s great that you could give him such a good home. I hope you have many happy years together, Jake is one of the lucky ones. Thanks for sharing with us #AdventureCalling