Author Topic: Looking To Rehome Your Cocker ?  (Read 13191 times)

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Offline Colin

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Looking To Rehome Your Cocker ?
« on: December 02, 2008, 01:15:27 PM »
Occasionally a member may be finding things so difficult that they start to think that the only option left open to them is to rehome their Cocker; someone may be able to help, we've all been through difficult times and may be able to offer constructive advice. Even if the replies are just to offer an understanding ear or recommend seeking the help of a qualified behaviourist, this may be enough to make you re-consider and realise that there is still hope and perhaps things aren't so bad after all. If you have been told your dog suffers from 'rage syndrome', again please post on the forum for advice - this is extremely rare in Cockers these days and is often misdiagnosed, even by professionals ( vets etc) who don't always fully understand the condition.  If however you have posted on the forum, sought the hands-on advice of professionals but still feel that the best thing for you and your dog is to find a new home, hopefully this thread will be of some help on how to go about it.

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.

When looking for a new home for your dog the temptation can be to advertise in local newspapers or online - either as a way to recoup some money or to have some say over the dog's new home. This is fraught with danger for many reasons. Despite best intentions, it's just not possible for an individual to match the resources of a rescue centre and adequately homecheck and vet prospective new owners. Also, should anything go wrong in the new home there would be no backup help available and the dog could end up being advertised again and again, going to a succession of new homes. You may feel you have chosen the perfect home for your dog but realistically you can never be sure - after passing your dog on you will lose all control; if things don't work out it could end up anywhere, being passed from pillar to post... or even worse taken to a vet to be put to sleep. If your dog isn't neutered there is also the risk of it falling prey to unscrupulous breeders who scour such adverts on the lookout for cheap pedigree dogs to be used as breeding stock - sadly these people are adept at fooling people into handing their dogs over to them, they can be very convincing. There are also dog dealers disguising themselves as a "rescue services" who scour the free ads looking for dogs "free to a good home" and then offer to take any dog, even those with behavioural problems. These dogs are rapidly passed on again, usually in exchange for money to cover the dealer's "expenses".

In summary - seek the help of the dog's breeder first, if that fails please contact PennyB for help in finding a suitable rescue centre... and placing an advert in the local newspaper or one of the online sites is to be avoided at all costs.