2) ROMANIAN / OVERSEAS RESCUE DOGS: Things to Consider & What to Expect, if You Want to Adopt a Romanian or Overseas Originating Rescue Dog.

One of the most commonest things I have read on social media is that a lot of new adopters feel that they haven't been properly prepared to adopt one of these special Romanian or overseas originating rescue dogs. This is realised soon after the new dog arrives & the new adopter finds themselves in a position where they struggle to cope. The first few days, weeks, & months are critical & sadly, many dogs do get 'returned' to rescue in this time. This is so very sad & disappointing for the adopters & dogs alike.

This is the basis for this weeks' blog because nobody wants to hand a dog back, & nobody wants to put a rescue dog through that.

So, in this weeks' blog, we intend to openly & honestly prepare the prospective adopter on the things they should consider before opting to adopt a Romanian rescue dog & what to expect when the dog arrives.

You might be wondering what makes us qualified to write this blog. Well, we've adopted 10 overseas rescue dogs in total over the years, to include 9 Romanian dogs. Plus we've also previously adopted UK rescues. We have adopted from several UK based charities & non-profits. Each dog adopted & each charity/non-profit we've dealt with, has provided their own unique learning experiences. With each experience, it became very obvious that preparation is everything, together with being mentally ready to do whatever it takes to make the adoption successful. We have never felt the need to give one of these special dogs back. Undeniably, some of our dogs have been more challenging than others, but we have stuck by them.

This post is absolutely NOT intended to put prospective adopters off adopting a Romanian rescue dog. We just hope to give prospective adopters the chance to consider if a Romanian rescue dog (or indeed any overseas originating rescue dog) is right for them & their circumstances first; whilst pre-emptively being realistic about what a prospective adopter can expect & the sort of commitment that is necessary. We hope that prospective adopters can make the right informed decision by considering this blog post.

If the prospective adopter is right for a Romanian rescue dog, then this blog will not put them off at all; instead, it will empower them & give them the added confidence to go ahead & adopt. This means the dog is more likely to go to the right home the first time round; which is surely the best outcome for both the adopter & the dog.

If you choose to adopt a Romanian rescue dog you should, quite literally, push all of your expectations of them to one side & expect nothing from them - at least not for the first 3 months or so (after a period of decompression, acclimatisation, & settling in - as determined by the individual dog). This is, however, just a general guideline as all dogs are different. Some dogs might need a longer period to decompress, acclimatise, & settle in. It is all in THEIR time, however long it takes!

This is one of the most important considerations when adopting a Romanian rescue dog. Are you happy to just let your new dog be for the first 3, maybe more, months, a timescale that THEY determine?

So, for example, even if your new dog arrives a bit smelly, after transport from Romania, you should be willing to leave any at home bathing or grooming for as long as it takes for you to earn the dogs trust, & for them to feel safe & comfortable enough to accept it. The same goes for such things as walking & the expectation of cuddles. You should be prepared to move at the dog's pace.

Where a dog has come off direct transport from Romania, you should expect that they might arrive feeling extremely tired & exhausted. They may also seem anxious, nervous, scared, fearful, shy &/or timid. Again, the prospective adopter should expect that their new dog could seem this way for up to 3 months or a bit longer; it just depends on the individual dog. They move at THEIR own pace & in THEIR own time. (I repeat that last part a lot because it's important to realise that we shouldn't be expecting the new dog to move at the pace we'd like - it's all in THEIR own time!)

It cannot be stated enough how different Romanian & overseas originating rescue dogs are to UK rescue dogs!

Romanian rescue dogs are the product of a whole different world before rescue. Most Romanian rescue dogs have been forced to live as strays on the streets at some point, live on a chain outside in their owners yard, &/or they have been captured by dog catchers & have had to survive in a brutually hard & hostile public shelter environment. These dogs have often been forced into survival mode at some point in their lives, &/or have been subjected to the most traumatic experiences imaginable, such as abuse, neglect &/or abandonment. Romania is a very hard place to live or, should I say, survive as a dog.

Understanding their potential background is so important as we must show them patience & understanding in all things.

Most of these dogs have never lived inside a home environment before (even if they have ever been previously owned) &, as such, might find all the new sights, smells, & noises in a home a bit overwhelming to start with.

These dogs are generally very adaptable as they've had to adapt to survive. Some of these dogs might arrive with 'baggage' but just need time to 'unpack', decompress, acclimatise, & settle - all at THEIR own pace & all in THEIR own time. I mention this again very deliberately to serve as a very important reminder that this is what you should expect.

Generally speaking, these dogs can make the most wonderful family pets with time, love, kindness, understanding, patience, support & some space - when they are given a chance.

You will need to build mutual trust & respect - which is earnt & not given. This aspect is just as important as allowing your new dog at least 3 months to decompress, acclimatise, & settle in.

Most Romanian dogs will need some degree of training, rehabilitation &/or behavioural work. So your choice in whether to adopt should be based on how willing you are to work with a dog, no matter what, over the course of a few to several months, maybe longer. It's a big commitment, which is often challenging & it may interfere with your lifestyle, but if you're willing, you will be rewarded with so much in return. The path is often a bumpy one to begin with, but the transformation, love, & loyalty will repay your hard work.

It's so important to understand all of this before committing to one of these special dogs.

It's important to make this decision with a realistic mindset & realistic expectations; understanding that you will very much need to start with a blank page - like writing a new book, from scratch, in collaboration with your new dog. You will be co-authors!

Before making any further decisions, I would also like to recommend that you review the following FREE resources provided by Meesh Masters, who specialises in Romanian & overseas originating rescue dogs. She is a qualified holistic dog trainer & behavioural consultant with a particular passion for these dogs.

1) Article: 'Recommended Do's & Dont's for Settling Your Newly Adopted Romanian Rescue Dog':

https://thedogspov.com/recommended-dos-donts-settling-romanian-rescue-dog/

Here you will find a wealth of useful information concerning the dog's arrival day, what you should do & avoid doing, what to expect in the first few weeks, how to structure the first few weeks to help your dog settle, possible problems you might encounter, & the equipment you will need to buy before the dog's arrival.

2) FREE webinar & accompanying pdf guide: 'Set Yourself Up for a Successful Adoption - A FREE Webinar for Romanian Rescue Adopters:'

https://www.thedogspointofview.com/?affiliate=nqTHUx

Simply use the menu to find, "free stuff" & then select, "set yourself up for a successful adoption webinar."

This resource is particularly important as, along with the article above, it will help you to decide whether a Romanian rescue dog is right for you & your circumstances or not, as well as prepare you for the arrival of your new dog. This webinar is honest & informative, based on much experience with these dogs. It is geared towards new adopters but may still be of interest to more experienced adopters, too.

Yes, this webinar is 2 hours long, but trust us, it will be 2 hours well spent; plus, it's completely free to view.

The free accompanying pdf guide is 23 pages long & contains lots of useful tips & guidance - great to read & refer back to.

3) FREE pre-recorded video podcast: 'Living with Romanian & Overseas Rescue Dogs - Video Podcasts:'

https://www.thedogspointofview.com/?affiliate=nqTHUx

Simply select, "online courses" & scroll down to the very bottom of the page where you'll find the course, "Living with Romanian & Overseas Rescue Dogs - Video Podcasts."

In this pre-recorded video podcast, Meesh Masters talks with adopters about their journeys with their Romanian & overseas originating rescue dogs & with a variety of canine professionals, who offer lots of helpful & practical tips, advice & information.

On a final note, as previously mentioned, we have had 10 overseas rescue dogs ourselves, to include several Romanian dogs, all with very different backgrounds; we believe that if a prospective adopter understands what to expect, or what NOT to expect, is fully prepared, committed, & willing to be patient, kind, & understanding - giving the dog as much time & space as THEY need, & at a pace of THEIR own choosing - then you would appear to be ready for one of these special dogs.

All of our overseas rescue dogs have transformed into the most wonderful, intelligent, funny, loving, loyal & quirky little characters (after their initial 3 - 8 months of decompression, acclimatisation & settling in). They are honestly worth every bit of time & effort you put in, & much, much more!

They are Patchwork Paws, Patchwork dogs, they are not perfect; but you can find the perfect in the imperfect, & you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

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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:

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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:

https://www.thedogspointofview.com/?affiliate=nqTHUx

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 is our beautiful girl Sophie, from Thailand. She was rescued from the illegal meat trade there. 🥰