I,m New!!
Hi everyone, i'm currently on the LRRSE waiting list for a rescue Labby and i cant wait! We had our home check and are just waiting for that all important phone call. No doubt when we get our dog i'll be on here asking you all for your advice. Unless we get a saint of course!!! :D

Hi there Welcome and good luck - hope you don't have to wait too long. If you have any general rescue dog queries, just fire away :D

Hi Elaine, thanks for your offer of help. There is one thing i was wondering about...... I look after my parents dogs if they go away or out for the day, when we get our rescue would it be better to let him or her settle in b4 meeting them or introduce them quite quickly? Thanks again for your help.

When we introduced our rescue Lab Willow to our old gal Bess, we took them straight out for a walk rather then bring Willow into \"Bessie's\" space. That way, they could have a good sniff and run around together on neutral ground and Bess could get to know Willow a little before any crossing into her territory! It may be best to have some lovely walks all out together before you bring them all under one roof - it usually only takes a couple of walks before dogs know each other's smells! In all that open space - things are far more equal. Good luck with getting a rescue - it's hard work but soooo worth it!

Hello Keiras and welcome to our friendly site. Sue x

I agree with B&Y that it's always best to introduce dogs in a netural place, away from home territory, so that no-one feels the need to be possessive or to guard anything. A walk is a great idea. What is likely to happen will depend on the individual dogs and their personalities. Normally, I would veer towards introducing them straight away, and seeing how they get on. Not all dogs like each other - just as not all people do! - so it would be best to know if they are going to be bosom buddies or sworn enemies :roll: But it would be helpful to know more. What sort of dog are you hoping to get? And what age, breed, sex is your parents' dog? How is he/she usually with other dogs?

Hi, my parents two dogs are both cocker spaniel bitches, they are 9 years old and are used to being around other dogs. They are both pretty uninterested in other dogs usually and dont get involved! If a another dog gets a bit pushy they will have a bit of a growl but they are not aggressive. I have said i do not mind if my rescue is a dog or a bitch. Im pretty sure there wont be a problem but i want to make sure i go the right way about it. Thanks for being so friendly and helpfull everyone!! :D

Are you after an older Dog or a Pup-theres some beautiful pups on the web site and some lovely looking older dogs.Hope you get one soon.

Hi again Unfortunately, there's no magic formula that will guarantee 'x' outcome or 'y' outcome, so it's really about being sensible and sensitive to the dogs' feelings. If circumstances allow, you could try introducing them before you actually adopt your new dog home eg if it is in kennels, maybe you could take it for a walk nearby and have a brief, happy encounter with the cockers - even just a walk-past with no sniffing. I would ask your coordinator and/or the kennel staff what they think because they will hopefully have seen how the dog has been behaving generally. Remember, your new dog will be in strange circumstances - out with a new person, perhaps staying in stressful kennels and that might not show you the true picture. Just to give an example, I once walked a dog I was about to foster out from kennels the day before I was due to take him to my home. As we returned to the kennels, he saw a horse in a field, and pulled on the lead barking frantically at it. I thought 'hmm - I've got 3 horses at home!' Next day, I took the dog home - and he was absolutely fine with my horses. For a start, he wasn't on a lead, and also he wasn't just about to be walked back into the kennels - which at the time had been emitting a truly dreadful din of barking dogs. So in those less stressful circumstances he was perfectly calm and happy. If the new dog comes straight to your home and there hasn't been an opportunity to introduce them, I would probably give him or her a few days at least to settle and then introduce the dogs on a walk. How quickly I would do it, would depend on the dog and its personality. Rather than give loads of hypothetical situations, it would probably be best if you ask again when you know more about your adoption :) It is great that you are giving these things such careful consideration :D

Hi, im hoping to get something between 6months and 2 years. Ive seen the dogs on the site and they are all lovely. Ive spoken to Sue and she'll let me know when a doggy that may suit us comes along as we have a 2half year old daughter. Elaine! 3 horses too! How do u cope?! Ive got a 33 year old horse that ive had for 19 yrs. His name is Black Jack. He's doing really well considering his age! How old are yours?

I have 3 dogs, 3 horses and 3 cats...and no spare time! Luckily my husband is the real horse fanatic and mainly looks after the horses - I get the other 6 animals :lol: 33 is a fantastic age for a horse. Mine is an Irish cob who is about 10. The others are my husband's - an Irish Draught x TB and a warmblood, both about 10 too. This is my boy Edward Are you not tempted by the puppies on the website? :D

Wow. Edward is a lovely boy! I am tempted by the puppies but i do like the idea of giving a dog a home who has lost their home for whatever reason. I know the puppies need homes too but it must be so upsetting for the older dogs. Im gonna have to learn how to post pictures on here arent i!! :)

Elaine, i'm in love and i'm not even a horse person! What a soft lovely looking face he has, he is absolutely beautiful.

Thanks Sue - wow u were up early this morning! Ed is yet another mummy's boy in the family :lol: . I was thinking of buying a horse some years ago when he arrived at the stables where my OH was keeping his horse. He'd been bought a horse sale in ireland and transported over to be sold on - and was totally and utterly terrified. Ed has bright blue eyes, which is pretty unusual. Everyone was laughing at him and calling him 'Damian the devil horse' because of his eyes and he was hiding in the corner of his box. He was considerably smaller and more cart-horsey than I'd wanted - but this poor little chap needed some love....when I gave him a stroke he licked me :P That was it! These days he has bags of personality. he strokes the end of my nose with his lips and sometimes tries to follow me right into the house to get an apple. I've known 'proper' competitive riders look down their nose at him and dismiss him as more of a pet ( I'm not a very serious rider, just a happy hacker). But I wouldn't swap my blue eyed boy for anything :D

Oh Elaine he's lovely, and yet another four legged Irish success story :P