In this four part blog series, we're going to explore how a prospective adopter can go about choosing a Romanian rescue dog or an overseas rescue dog (from another overseas country within the EU).
We acknowledge that there are alot of UK charities & non-profits who offer Romanian or overseas rescue dogs for adoption, which adds an extra layer of complexity to the task of choosing.
So, in parts 1 & 2 of this part-work, we're going to focus on the legalities, research, & homework involved in helping you to choose the best rescue to adopt from.
In this part, part 1, we're going to concentrate on the legalities. In part 2, we're going to focus on what other checks you should be making before choosing to adopt from a rescue organisation.
We recommend that you read all FOUR parts of this part-work BEFORE you choose any rescue organisations to adopt from, or choose a new dog to adopt.
You might be thinking that choosing a new dog should be relatively straightforward - you go online, look & choose! Well... yes & no!
We believe it's a bit more involved than that, & there is a degree of 'buyer beware', even in overseas dog adoptions.
Let me present an analogy to you now, one that most of you will be able to relate to. Stick with me, all will become clear...
So, house selling & house buying...
When selling your house, you look for the best Estate Agent by doing some research & comparison. You research such things as their performance indicators, pricing structure, reviews, etc. You also pick a Conveyancing Solicitor in a similar way.
When you go to buy a house, you spend a lot of time looking through houses on various websites; some you will actually physically view. The houses that interest you the most might also be based on geographical closeness to such amenities as schools, shops, doctors & public transport, as well as closeness to work or local job opportunities, &/or based on such aspects as local crime statistics or local flood likelihood data, etc.
You might also be interested in things, such as when the wiring was renewed & what, if any, work will be required throughout the house. Most people will opt for a specialist survey before purchase. The list goes on...
Ok, so where am I going with all of this?!
Well, think about all the research & the processes you go through in selling &/or buying a house.
We think the process is similar for adopting a Romanian or overseas rescue dog, particularly, as most of the time, you won't get to meet the dog first. That is, unless you opt for a rescue organisation who allows that, where a dog is already in the UK waiting for their forever home.
So, let's take this step by step now...
It's very easy to fall in love with a dog online, but there are many very practical things to consider first.
First, you will find many charities & non-profits (& even individuals) who rescue & rehome Romanian & overseas rescue dogs to the UK. You can even directly rescue yourself but for the purpose of this blog, I will assume you intend to rescue from a UK based charity or non-profit organisation.
Also, for the purpose of this blog, I will generically refer to these UK based charities & non-profits as 'rescues'.
Most of these rescues will operate with a UK base, with the dogs being kept in a Romanian based shelter or with a Romanian based individual - both whom we will refer to as the 'foster' (which is the term most widely used for this by such rescues).
Before even looking at any dogs, I suggest you choose a rescue or shortlist down to a few - paying particular attention to this blog together with part 2 of this blog; which should help you to choose.
Personally, my choice of rescue would be based upon such things as their registration, Approved Importer status, their adherence to the EU’s Balai Regulations & following the Pet Travel regulations, what tests & treatments they have given their dogs, what tests & treatments they will give the dogs again shortly before travel (as some should be repeated) what vaccinations they have had & when, & as much medical & other history as you can get (mindful that this information may be limited to the time in rescue). We will cover tests, treatments & vaccinations in more detail in part 3 of this blog.
Before we explore the additional personal checks you can make in part 2 of this blog, let's talk about the actual legalities involved; after all it is very easy for anyone to set up social media channels, so it warrants a cautious approach.
In order for a U.K. rescue to be properly accountable for the money they raise, the rescues need to be registered as one of the following:
🐕 A registered charity ‘CIO’ (governed by the Charity Commission).
🐕 A registered company (registered with Companies House).
🐕 A registered community interest group (registered with Office of the Regulator of CICs).
🐕 A registered community benefit society (governed by the Financial Conduct Authority).
🐕 A registered trust (registered with the Trust Registration Service).
So, we advise you to check that a rescue is registered BEFORE you shortlist them, & before you do your own additional checks, as laid out in part 2 of this blog.
You might be wondering how you can check their registration.
To verify a rescue's status & that they are operating correctly under the regulations of their registering body, you can refer to the following websites & governing bodies:
🐶 To check a rescue who is a registered charity ‘CIO’, please see:
🐶 To check a rescue who is a registered company, please see:
🐶 To check a rescue who is registered as a community interest group, please see:
🐶 To check a rescue who is registered as a community benefit society, please see:
🐶 To check a rescue who is a registered trust, please see:
Although our blogs focus primarily on UK based rescues (charities & non-profits) we want to touch briefly on rescues operating from outside of the UK (but also within the EU). You are still able to check that they hold a registration to an appropriate governing body. For example, you can ask if they are registered as a company or as an NGO (non-governmental organisation). In Romania, for example, they may be an ‘Association’ or ‘Foundation’ & you can ask for their certification of that. You can also check their registration here:
Now that we've covered registration, let's highlight the issue of insurance for those of you who might be considering the foster of a dog or foster with a view to adopt. Here, a lot depends on how a rescue is registered & regulated, but it would be wise to double check the rescue's insurance first.
Specifically, in the case of fostering a dog, making sure insurance is in place is vitally important in case of an accident or incident. Although we don’t like to think of it, should an incident occur where the dog causes harm or damage to a person or their property, it will be you, as the person in control of the dog, that is liable.
Making sure the rescue provides insurance that covers you & that liability is so very important. This insurance provision is usually known as third party liability insurance.
Now that we've covered registration & insurance, let's look at the relatively new Approved Importer status.
So.... To commercially import dogs, cats & ferrets into Great Britain (England, Scotland & Wales) from Belarus, Poland, Romania or Ukraine, a rescue MUST have Approved Importer status.
For the purpose of this section, rescue is considered as a commercial activity. Therefore all dogs, cats & ferrets originating in these countries must be imported by an organisation who meets the requirements of APHA’s approval status. (APHA stands for The Animal and Plant Health Agency which is an executive agency of DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs).
To find out more about Approved Importer status, please see:
You should be aware that some rescues have been known to circumvent this requirement by using another rescue to import their animals under their Approved Importer status, or via their transporter’s Approved Importer status.
Whilst there may be some legitimate reasons for doing this, it is always very worthwhile checking out why they are choosing to do this, if this proves to be the case, & what the implications are for their liability for the dog after they have arrived in the UK.
Personally, I would opt to use a rescue who has their own Approved Importer status. But this blog is all about you & your dog, & making your own best informed decisions, so that decision is yours to make.
The next thing to consider is, does the rescue import their dogs under the EU’s Balai Regulations (which still applies even though we've left the EU) & follow the Pet Travel regulations for Rabies, Microchipping & Tapeworm.
If you are rehoming or fostering a dog for a rescue & it is coming from the EU, there are strict rules that the rescue must follow. The dog is considered a commercial import & therefore the procedures for Balai compliance & Pet Travel MUST be followed.
The guidance is extensive, but it is important that everyone accepting a Romanian or overseas dog (from within the EU) into their home understands this, or they sadly risk their dog being seized. You also risk being prosecuted & landed with a hefty fine. For guidance on this, please see:
**** Some additional advice for after you have chosen & opted to adopt a Romanian dog: It is important to check that your new arrival has been entered onto the IPAFFS database (which stands for the Import of Products, Animals, Food & Feed System); & that the IPAFFS notification has been approved by APHA. Without this, your dog is not being brought into the UK legally. You can ask the rescue for your new dog's IPAFFS approval number & check this with APHA directly. ****
**** A final note of caution regarding dogs potentially originating from outside of the EU: The importation of dogs from outside of the EU is very complex & costly compared to their EU counterparts. There has been the occasional report of rescues that have tried to circumvent this by importing a dog via an EU country, & saying the dog has originated there.
Please see part 2 of this blog where we discuss the importance of doing your own additional homework. This is just one example of why this is so important. ****
**** PLEASE NOTE: To our knowledge, all information provided here is current as of the publication date, which is the 2nd July 2023, & is provided strictly as a GUIDELINE. Our primary focus here is on Romanian rescue dogs.
We have done our best to include as much relevant information as possible, but we cannot be held responsible for any errors or inaccuracies found here or via the website links provided, or indeed any accidentally missed information.
We advise you to consult with the individual rescue, the relevant registration bodies listed, APHA, DEFRA, &/or the UK Government website - to ensure the most up-to-date, relevant & accurate information.
We also recommend that you conduct your own additional research.
This blog is purely provided as a general guidance & advice resource & we don't profess to be experts in this area. We apologise in advance for any errors or inaccuracies found here or any accidental missed information. ****
Please feel free to post in the comments section below, should you feel we have missed off any important information that other new adopters might find useful. We welcome your comments & feedback.
🐕 Please now read part 2 of this series of blogs... 🐕
🐶 Thank you for stopping by. 😊 Please remember to pop back for more or subscribe & we will notify you when new articles are published.
We endeavour to produce a new blog article every month. As you can tell, we like to be as thorough as possible. 😉
🐶 We hope you are finding our website both informative & useful, & we hope you are enjoying reading 📚 our blog articles as much as we enjoy writing ✍️ them.
Our website is completely free for anyone to view & access. 🥰 However, it is not free for us to run, unfortunately.
Should you like to send us a little gift to express your gratitude, then we would gratefully receive it towards the costs associated with running our website. 🤩
You can send us £1, a few pounds, or however much you would like to give, to our PayPal account here:
If you see us as 'friends & family,' please do feel free to select this option.
📣 Another way to support us is via our affiliate link to the following online courses & webinars (which you can study anytime, at your own pace)...
Here is our unique link to 'The Dogs Point of View' website:
These reasonably priced courses & webinars start from just £25 (& some are even FREE, no catch 😱🥰) & are specifically tailored towards Romanian & Overseas rescue dogs, however some of these courses might also prove useful & relevant for U.K. rescue dogs too, so well worth a look.
You can even join the training & support group where you will be able to access ALL online courses & webinars for FREE, 100's of step-by-step teaching guides, progressive training plans, optional weekly zoom calls, & get qualified trainer support & advice whenever you need it for as little as £27 per month! 😃
Some topics covered include:
🐶 fearfulness & social shyness,
🐶 prey drive,
🐶 building calmness & confidence,
🐶 techniques to rebalance & calm,
🐶 reactivity on walks,
🐶 reactivity with visitors,
🐶 the quirky nature of Romanian dogs,
🐶 how to set yourself up for a successful adoption.
The course & webinar content has been carefully constructed by Meesh Masters, who is an Holistic Canine Behaviour Consultant specialising in working with Romanian & Overseas rescue dogs. 'The Dogs Point of View' is committed to following the latest scientifically proven fear free methods.
Thank you so much for being here & for supporting Patchwork Paws U.K. 🐶
We always welcome your feedback, so please feel free to leave us a comment or email us. 🥰
📣 Please remember to always choose no harm, fear free, force free & non-aversive training methods based on mutual respect, trust & positive reinforcement. Please always consider that a behaviour that YOU might find undesirable might be quite normal behaviour to your dog, the behaviour might be motivated by a past trauma/fear, or it might be motivated by your dog's emotional response to something. Always treat your dog with love, patience, empathy, understanding & kindness - even if they do have toileting accidents or if they chew your favourite slippers. 📣🙏
📍 The dog behaviour & training world is largely unregulated here in the U.K. & not all are equal. Please do your homework & always choose a behaviourist or trainer carefully. Look at the methods of training they use & the stance they choose to adopt. Always check their qualifications, accreditations & references/feedback carefully. 📍
🐶 Pictured here are our gorgeous girls, Rubee & the late & great Lily.
Lily, the darker coloured dog, suffered with severe Epilepsy. 🙏
Rubee was rescued off the streets of Romania with one puppy in tow. He has also been rehomed in the U.K. Lily was rescued from a public shelter in Romania. 💕
Absolutely fabulous writing ✍️from the heart ❤️. Well done.