Naieve Maybe But Could Do With Knowing

[mister_potato_head]

We're planning on looking,  once the garden is fully secured after hearing about houdini's re-incarnation as the cocker spaniel breed,  for a cocker,  pretty flexible on age, colour or type (working/show),  in the central england we live bang in the middle and happy to travel reasonable distance.

Should we start looking if we can home the day after or we're guessing there is a process which takes a month or so,  do we become approved and then go on a waiting list, I know it sounds vain but after hearing and looking at cockers we would have a bit broad of a criteria,  under 4 so has plenty of energy for now and for next few years,  ideally orange roan (  bracken's younger brother ideal),  and a little boy (but not sure why).  What are the differneces between boys and girls.

Read the post about contacting local rescue and there's one very nearby 10-15miles in Chesterfield,  but could do with being a little informed about when we should approach them and what we should be asking for as don't want to get in touch too early or indeed too late.

[Hurtwood Dogs]

I'd say that you should register an interest as soon as possible.. it could take a long time for the right dog to come along and if one does come up very quickly and you're not ready you can always say no.

It might be worth you contacting the cocker spaniel club also as sometimes breeders hear of dogs they've bred coming up for re-homing for various reasons - that's also how I got my re-homed dog.

Boys and girls are both lots of fun! I've had two boys and one girl and they're all wonderful and all very different with individual personalities. It's not really possible to say 'this is what boys are like and this is what girls are like' although there is a feeling that boys can be more straight forward than their lady friends.. I love my lady dog though and she's FAB at communicating with me and incredibly loyal.... but that may be because she isn't a cocker

Hannah x

[Winnie]

From my experience, the rescue centres vary a bit. Battersea tend to do home checks first, and people who have been checked already are given priority on new dogs. Winnie had just been returned for sale when I first visited, and I was told that she might already have gone by the time the home check had been done because spaniels are very popular. Luckily this was not the case, I was checked very quickly, and she was reserved for me until I could go back for the proper meet&greet session with her.
Other rescue centres wait until you are seriously interested in a particular dog before doing the home check.

I suggest you contact the local rescue centres and see what their procedure is, so that you are not disappointed if the right dog comes along and you are not already registered/approved. Also, depending on what you consider a 'reasonable distance' to travel, keep an eye on these threads as you might find the one you are looking for online, but just have to go a bit further than planned to collect them!

[CarolineL]

As well as the dog, I would also research the rescue - some don't homecheck at all and if they don't homecheck it should be a cause for concern. I'd also have a look round the rescue and make sure you are comfortable with the conditions the animals are kept in.

www.dogpages.org.uk is a good place to start when looking for a rescue dog

Cx

[PennyB]

I'm going to move this to general discussion as you're actaully looking just yet just asking for general advice

[emilyjw]

I've fostered three dogs for a rescue. In each case the home check was done first before the people met the dog. Two couples came down and took the dog straight back with them, with the third dog the couple came down twice before they took her away on the third trip.

I think you will find all rescues work slightly differently. I would register your interest with a few different rescues and see what they say. Some will take your details down and if a suitable dog comes in will contact you, others don't.

From what I have seen lots of cockers, especially the younger ones, seem to go quickly. It's worth looking on dogpages and this section reguarly to see if there is anyone suitable.