Why Rescue – Find Your Local Dog Rescue
So … you’re here because you’re thinking about rescuing a dog in need and giving it a second chance, forever home and you’re looking for a list of your local rescue centres so that you can start your search for the perfect dog.
First of all can we say a huge thanks – it’s absolutely brilliant that you are thinking about adopting rather than buying as there are too many dogs in need out there right now.
Owning a dog can bring you so much pleasure and a faithful lifelong companion who takes you exactly how you are and doesn’t judge! It can change your life for the better in so many ways which is why you’ll find so many UK households that home a dog. A few interesting facts:
UK Dog Rescue Facts
It’s estimated that …
- Almost 25% of households have at least one dog as a pet.
- The average number of dogs homed by these families is 1.3 per household.
- That means there are just under 9 million dogs living in the UK right now.
- Almost 50,000 dogs are abandoned or dumped each year.
- Another 60,000 are lost, rescued and reclaimed by their owners each year.
- A perfectly healthy dog is put down every two hours by agencies who are struggling to cope with numbers of rescue dogs.
So, araound 50,000 dogs are heartlessly abandoned each year. But don’t forget that a dog could also be in need of a new home for other reasons too – death or illness of their owner, a house move into a property where dogs are not permitted, changes in circumstances etc.
Whatever the reason it’s never the dogs fault that they find themselves on the street or in a pound or rescue centre and it doesn’t make them bad dogs.
Why Home A Rescue Dog?
Take it from me, as someone who has always adopted, they make amazing companions and it’s just so rewarding watching them change from shy, nervous and confused animals to loyal, trusting and loving companions. Just look at these two:
This is our beautiful 10 year old Cocker Spaniel. We rescued him when he was just 6 months old by which time he had already been taken away from his mother far to early as a result of a police raid on the puppy farm he was born into. He went on to be rescued by a family who clearly didn’t look after him well and dumped him back at the rescue centre after they split up. He arrived at the rescue as we were actually there hoping to find a Cocker Spaniel (hence the name).
Naturally, he was very nervous of people and confused but he quickly settled and has become an absolutely amazing companion.
We’ve now had him 7 1/2 years and he know’s he’s here to stay now but is still nervous of strangers which is understandable. Whilst he’s come on in leaps and bounds e’ll probably never quite get over this anxiety.
When he joined our family we also had an old Golden Retriever / Collie cross (also a rescue) who really helped him settle in but we sadly lost him to old age a year or so after.
A year or so after this loss we decided to adopt a second dog and, after much discussion (it’s really important to get the right dog for your circumstances) we decided to “downsize” and get a smaller companion for him … and an incredibly cute ruby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel entered our lives. She was 16 months old when we got her and came from a family whose circumstances had changed and selflessly made the difficult decision to give her up to give her a better life.
We’ve had her 8 years now. She’s a fantastic little dog and, most importantly, her and both dogs inseparable, they get on so very well and are good for each other.
Both dogs came pretty much house trained – there were a few little accidents as they got into their new routines but that come with owning any dog. Both were in need of basic training and that was good fun and a great way to bond.
Why anyone would think about buying a puppy is beyond me when there are so many dogs like out two desperate for that second chance.
Dog Rescue Directory
So, now that we’ve hopefully convinced you to take the rescue route how can this website help?
Every time we were looking to adopt a rescue dog we found it very difficult to find a single list of all the dog rescues near to us. Lots of Google searches, searching forums and Facebook. The big rescues are easy to find but there are hundreds of smaller organisations that may not have a website and may work with foster homes rather than kennels and so there may be many many more dogs available in your area than you realise … and that’s why I set up this website.
We’re growing and intend to develop into THE definitive directory of UK dog rescue centres. It’s completely free to advertise, we do not charge a single penny, we do this to help link rescuers to those who have a home to offer.
Find Your Local Dog Rescue
There are three ways to use our search to find your local dog rescue:
- Move the map and zoom in to your local area and click on the arrows to read the info about each rescue centre
- Enter your postcode into the search box and select the option “Dog Rescue Centres (All Breeds)”. you can also open the advanced search and select the radius you are prepared to travel. This will then bring up details of all your local dog rescues sorted by distance.
- If you are looking for a specific breed select this option and again insert your postcode and it will bring up a list of breed specific dog rescues organised by distance.
When you open up the details of any particular rescue centre you will be able to read a short description and make contact with them. Opening times are displayed, there’s a phone number, email address, website address and links to their social media (Twitter & Facebook). As we develop we will be introducing other feature too.
Feedback
Don’t forget, leave your feedback and comments too – always appreciated.
Finally, if you have any comments or suggestions for us please please get in contact – you can either use the contact form or drop us an email to : jcs@dogrescuedirectory.co.uk
Thanks for your visit today – we hope we are able to help.