Why no private rehomes?

[west]

Bit of a mild rant here... Why is there a policy that nobody can privately rehome their dog?  I know you have to guard against people selling dogs etc but I think people are happier to keep their dog until THEY find the correct home for it. We had a whippet that we had to rehome and there was no way that I would have let her go to a home I hadn't already vetted, especially not into rescue kennels.

Last year I tried to post up my sisters elderley cocker, Derek.  She was emigrating and could not justify the cost and stress of taking an elderley dog to Australia.  He was not suitable to be around children so we could not have taken him in. My post was removed and I was told that I was abusing the rules.  I was told to take him to a rescue.  When I did this, he was put down within days.  I was told that he had no chance of finding a home.  My sister has written a whole list of Derek's likes and dislikes, this had been thrown away as the rescue thought that they knew best and could sum the dog up with an evaluation.

Naturally we were a little upset by this...

I am not saying that COL are responsible nor that they could have found Derek a home.  However, why do you not provide the opportunity for loving owners to find homes for their dogs??

[ladylola]

To be honest  four of my six are rescue dogs, from a rescue center.

They give me lifetime back up and the dogs were assessed in foster homes to see what kind of home they needed.Some People do lie about their dogs when handing them into rescue. [not saying you did]
I would not have any back up at all if I had privately rehomed them, any problems would then be mine to deal with.

As for COL not allowing this I am not surprised. If things went wrong the backlash would fall on them. They can't vet people and this is not what this forum is for.
As with everything there are some rescue centers better than others. They should have told you they wouldn't be finding him a home and that they would pts    I'm so sorry about that.

[henryjack1dogs]

I just want to say - on reading your commnets I shed a tear for Derek, what a sad story.  That must of been heartbreaking!

I see where you are coming from on your point about private rehoming.  It is a shame.

All the best

[Colin]

 I'm sorry to hear about Derek.  

I'm not sure why you've started this thread though as you were never told that you were 'abusing' the site rules but were politely pointed in the direction of them and offered Penny's help should you need it.

As explained to West at the time, the reasons why we can't allow private rehomes to be done publicly though the board ( and why rehoming through a rescue is the best option) are included in this thread...

http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=52053.0

First port of call should be the dog's breeder ( if reputable) . Responsible breeders will always be there to help out and there's a good chance that they'll ask for the dog to be returned to them. If this isn't an option, then we recommend that the owner either contacts Cocker Rescue ( see HERE ) or places their dog with a rescue centre. The advantage of rescue is that a good centre will be able to assess the dog, vet any prospective new owner ( including a homecheck) and place the dog in a home where it has the best chance of going on to live a long, healthy and happy life. The rescue will also be on hand to offer backup and advice should the new owner require it, taking the dog back if need be. It's worth pointing out that dogs in rescue won't necessarily be kept in kennels until they are rehomed, many rescues use foster carers who would look after your dog in a home environment.

Unfortunately we don't have the resources on COL to allow private re homes to be done through this site ( and any such posts will be removed from the forum). We can't assess dogs, we can't vet prospective new owners and we can't provide backup should things go wrong. We therefore ask that anyone seeking to re home their Cocker does not post publicly on the board but contacts our rescue coordinator Penny B  (or one of the moderators) by private message for help. Penny has a wealth of experience, numerous contacts up and down the country and is only too willing to help any owner needing assistance in finding a rescue centre in which to place their dog for rehoming.

[Jane S]

I can't really add anything more to what Colin has already posted but would just like to say that when in the past (when the forum was very much smaller), we did occasionally allow private rehomes, it did not always end happily for dog or new owners. What would have happened if we had allowed you to advertise Derek on here and someone offered to have him but then found out when it was too late (after your sister had emigrated) that they could not cope with his behavioural issues (which you posted about on here before)? Your sister may well have made tremendous progress with Derek over the years she had had him but all that progress could easily have been undone in the confusion of having to move to a different home with different owners at his time of life. It is of course desperately sad that Derek was PTS but sometimes rescues have to make these very difficult decisions in the ultimate interests of the dogs in the care