I’ve rescued, adopted, and taken in rehomed dogs but Reia is my first foreign rescue so I thought I would share my story about what happened when I adopted a Romanian rescue dog.
Well yes, she was a foster but yes I “failed” as such!! But we don’t use the failure word here, she is a happy rehomed dog.
So another Tails from HQ for you, I would love to hear your Tails.
Meet Reia
This is Reia, she is a “rommie”, a Romanian street dog, so yes she was literally wandering the streets in Romania, before being caught and put into a local pound.
She then was handed over to Broken Paws Second Chances.
While in Romania, Reia’s story and pictures were shared, she had a home reserved and was brought over from Romania to join her new family. But then had a few problems settling in, so was moved back to the rescue.
So a few homes and a few problems later, I saw her story and decided that we would “foster” her for a few weeks.
How romanian rescues can differ from other dogs
This is a bit of a trick question for me as I do not wholely believe there is a difference, as in all dogs are individuals, and should be treated as such. Many UK rescue dogs, dogs from breeders, and others have issues also.
But there is a trend that many Romanian rescues, do struggle with interaction with male humans.
This is probably due to the system in which they are kept is that there is one big open kennel with many dogs in, a few male staff that throws a bowl of food in, so very little positive interaction.
Reia has been fab outside with people but has shown a bit of wariness in the house, we have been working hard on this, getting people to meet her outside before coming inside, dis-engagement games, and more amazing tips and games from All To Play For Dog Trainers
But please ditch the labels, not all (insert breed) do (insert behaviour)
Please work with the dog in front of you.
Is a Romanian Rescue Dog For You?
No two dogs are the same, please stop labeling them! You can buy a pedigree puppy and have problems! But yes be prepared to have extra time, patience, and love with any rescue but… it is repaid when you see them so happy.
Reia has responded fab to the one2one training, I didn’t think she would do well in a traditional class environment. I thought the distractions of everything else would dilute her learning, and would not be what she needed.
And then we had a sample of a small group class, and she was a superstar. I do stand by it was the small group that worked so well, and would highly recommend you look for these and ask before starting a class how big the group will be.
At home, she is a fab dog, loves me, never had a reaction to me, loves the other dogs, on walks she has a few reactions to cyclists, but really happy on walks to meet other dogs and their owners, especially when she gets to run around, cuddles, food, or all!
The work with visitors is great, I even left her (!!) and the others for a well-deserved weekend away. My trusted friend looked after them in my house, so as not to cause more upheaval, and Reia was great, and I could relax knowing she was in good hands, and at home, not kennels.
Reia is a foody so quite easy to distract, well or was at first!! Now madam only likes her favourites! Sausage slices, turkey breast, and crunchy liver are the ones for her!!
She used to love the cheese biscuits like the spaniels, but those do not cut it anymore!!
Reia reminds me to switch up those rewards and kept it exciting!
Other experiences Reia has encounted
Hopefully, you can tell by the pictures, that Reia has been groomed, and had a haircut.
She is a double-coated breed meant to live in cold conditions but due to the neglect of grooming she needed a good cut and wash.
I am very lucky to know a fabulous groomer that took time, patience and was great with Reia.
At this point I knew I couldn’t let Reia go, she had settled so well with us, and was growing in love and character, that I asked to adopt her.
This is not to but anyone off fostering it is an amazing step in the rehoming of dogs, and can really help them get a new, stable home.
Then the second Romanian rescue dog arrived!
We had the call, could we please, take a dog just for a few nights….
Aramis unfortunately had a very similar story to Reia.
He was a very small puppy when he left Romania, he had a home lined up, but didn’t settle.
He got moved around a few homes and had a few problems, so yes I took Aramis in as an emergency foster but he could not stay!!
Six dogs are very much more than enough, as much as I did fall in love with him, I had to let him go to a new home.
That said I wanted the right home for him, he was a lively young dog, with some bad habits! Bin raiding, counter surfing, jumping up, chasing small furries to name a few!!
I wanted someone to understand him, and he found a great home that would do just that!!
Luckily he’s not far away so I have seen him since he left me, and I will meet up with him again.
If you enjoyed Reia story drop us a message in the comment below, we love to hear about your dog/dogs.Do you have a story to share with us?
Maybe how your dog joined your family, a tail about a holiday or getaway, or something funny your dog has done?
We want to hear them!! mail us on [email protected] or message us on our socials
