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6 Year Old Bullmastiff Bitch


KathyM

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What kind of person would I be if I didn't thank Mel F for keeping trying to get Bullmastiff Welfare to watch out for a home for Dharma and Amy from Poor Little Pets in Keighley who is the only person other than me to publicise their need for a new home. A handful of people have offered to put Dharma and Sid on their websites but noone has actually done so as yet, we would appreciate it if people can at least spread the word for them. They might not be unhomable and on death row but they are two lovely dogs that need new homes ASAP and who aren't getting any rescue help at all. :mecry:

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Sorry to reply to myself yet again lol, but if anyone can tell me how to get a dog listed on Dog Blog that would be great. It has a link for people considering rehoming their pets but it's for help with behavioural problems.

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Hi Kathy,

 

Sorry I can't offer a home for Dharma however I will keep my eyes and ears open just in case I hear of any suitable and potential homes. Also just wanted to say I'm sorry you're not having much luck and feeling so frustrated but keeping my fingers crossed for you and sending lots of good luck vibes your way.flowers.gif

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Thank you ever so much, that's really kind of you. I'm afraid pain and an upsetting experience losing my legs this morning in the street made my frustration boil over and for that I am very embarrassed and ashamed. I have had a phone call this afternoon that might be the break Dharma needs. A lovely lady with a boerboel boy around the same age as Dharma is looking for a companion for him, she has lots of mastiffy experience and this sounds like an ideal opportunity. It feels a bit like a miracle after all this time but I'm not allowing myself to get my hopes up as it's really important that they meet and get on. I will update regularly on what stage it gets to if they get back in touch to arrange a visit. In the meantime anyone passing the word around is an angel. xx

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can you ask cinnamon trust about a volunteer walker just until you can rehome her? i walk for them they do have a few volunteers in hudds area.

 

Thanks - I have people who have offered help with walking Dharma temporarily. :flowers:

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Kathy, I'd suggest you reword your advert. Nothing in what you are saying is at all unreasonable, and a lot of it is standard to dogs from any good rescue but the way you've expressed it - you aren't really selling Dharma's good points very well, and it's all a bit negative. Some of this is stuff that I don't think you necessarily have to spell out in the initial advert (eg: if you are renting, you'll need to provide proof of landlord's permission), but could ask once the person contacts you.

 

Your current writeup seems to be mostly about 'things that aren't allowed' rather than explaining why someone who is a nice person that would offer a great home, should want to adopt Dharma. You've included no photos - support your information about Dharma by showing her with other dogs, kids, cats, whatever you can. Make her look adorable and adoptable: good photos get dogs adopted. If you can't take the photos, do you have a friend who can help? Make a video showing all the cute stuff she does and can do, if you can.

 

People are easily put off, particularly in the first 'shall we enquire?' stage, so you really need to sound as positive as possible to get them to contact you. For example, rather than what you've said about 'must live indoors' you could say something like 'Dharma is used to being part of a loving family, and needs an indoor home."

 

Rather than: "Dharma is housetrained but this does not mean she wants to sit alone all day while someone works. If someone is working full time we expect her to have a visitor/break through the day and preferably a neutered male canine companion."

 

What about " Dharma can cope with being left for a reasonable length of time, and might be suitable for a home with a working owner, if you could arrange for her to have a dog walker or a visit during the day (it would not really be fair to leave her all day without at least a loo break) and plenty of attention and exercise at other times. Ideally, Dharma would like a male dog companion to keep her company" or something along those lines.

 

There seem to be a sizeable number of people who prefer to go to a trusted rescue rather than adopt privately because they feel they 'know what they are getting' that way. As you have a rescue involved in promoting her, make that into a positive feature for her. Get them to write you something to say that Dharma is all that you say she is. Or get a reference from your vet and include it in your entry, with his/her name and address. That way adopters can have more confidence that your description of her is accurate.

 

I can completely understand why you might have phrased things this way: this must be a very difficult decision for you. But I do think your ad isn't really giving her her best chance.

 

When you've done that, put her on dogsblog. It gets far more traffic from people who are specifically looking to adopt a dog than any forum or facebook page or smaller rescue website is likely to. All the above info culled from experience with the Oldies Club. I'm afraid that we cannot list Dharma,as she is still under our age limit, but I hope this information is helpful.

Edited by cycas
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Cycas is (once again) making some very sensible and well thought out reasoning there.

I have to say I was a bit put off by the wording, even though I would never qualify as I dont have big dog experience and the house and garden are rather small.

It is well worthwhile continuing to interest Rescues. Big dogs can be found spaces.

My SO is running the famous Aslam ( hugest of the huge ) from Lancashire to Norwich today, so there are places about.

 

Keep the thread going , updates and pics; many of us are usually quiet but wishing you all of the best

Edited by lester
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While I agree partly with what you're saying cycas, I'm not looking at "selling" her, people need to sell themselves to me lol. If they are put off by that, then that's great because it fishes out unsuitable people, I don't intend to go chasing down any old home by begging, I'd rather put her down than beg unsuitable people to take her. I also really resent the idea of getting a rescue reference when there isn't one rescue that is helping her or backing up my homing, not even the one we adopted her through. So no, I won't be going getting a reference, I don't need to prove anything, the new owner does!

 

As for continuing to contact rescues, I have been doing for the last 3 months and I have yet to hear of one space, there are none (Aslan got a space because he was on death row, that's the only way to get Dharma a rescue space frankly as noone gets glory for homing a dog that isn't at risk of PTS). Pound dogs are the priority and not one rescue has offered any help. So I think it's fair to have given up hope on that one frankly. I'm a bit sick of hearing how great rescues are when I've plugged them for years and noone will even consider helping Dharma.

 

As for DogsBlog, still have no idea how to get her on it. If anyone would care to answer that, then that's great. Funny how she's "too old" for breed rescue to bother involving themselves but too young for Oldies Club. Poor thing seems to be too something for any rescue to help her. :wacko:

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absolutly agree kathy that new owners need to prove themselves to you, but making her sound as wonderful as she is in an advert is not "selling her". It's just making the right people see how beutiful and friendly she is. Just becuase a rescue may list a dogs good points and doesn't say every single thing that isn't allowed doesn't mean they won't do thorough home visits and check out new owners before it goes any further.

Photo's always get a better response as others have said, i mean realistically you could say she was any breed or cross you wanted if you're not putting a photo up people may be suspicious she is not what they are being told.

We know you wouldn't do that, but other people out there who may make the most wonderful owners don't know you.

I'm sure people on here would help out with home visits etc and even come get some photo's for you.

This is the e-mail address we use to update details on dogsblog, i'm sure if you e-mail them and explain you're wanting to list your dog for rehoming o the rescue section they will be able to help

[email protected]

 

good luck

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3 months isnt long , my Texas waited four years.

The thing is about Dogsblog is that it is a list of rescues, what you really want is Dogpages My link

It works better all around. There was recent case wher the sorted out a real problem collie and its owner,eventually.

I would leave this thread open though.

 

 

Actually Aslan was moved because he was being a bit norty at one rescue, so goes to another, he was "saved"a while ago and wasnt really under much threat of PTS, where he was.

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Hi gremlin22

 

Thanks ever so much for your advice. I have made an idiot of myself on here and really not done Dharma any favours so this thread can be locked now as she is my responsibility and will remain so and we will no longer be looking for a new home for her. I do fully understand and appreciate where cycas and you are coming from and fully agree, if I wasn't so selfishly upset over homing her out I would've thought before being so ungrateful and rude and as such I cannot expect nor ask for any future help. My stupidity and inadequacies as a dog owner (and mother!) have since been very clearly pointed out to me and I will not put my foot in it again.

 

I would genuinely appreciate it if a moderator would close this thread.

 

Thanks

 

Kathy

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Lester, I don't think you can have looked at dogsblog. It's not a list of rescues, it's a list of dogs. I'm pretty sure it has far more people wanting to adopt dogs looking at it than Dogpages, which is a forum which seems to have an enormous number of banned users, and unlike Dogsblog has no links with print publications and commercial partners to bring in extra visitors, so doesn't have that broad presence that comes with promotion and advertising.

 

I know for a fact that Dogsblog gets more adopters than the Oldies Club site, anyway, and I'd be surprised if it had fewer adopters (not visitors who want to chat about dogs, but people who actually want to adopt one) than any other UK resource, except possibly the Dogs Trust and RSPCA websites.

 

Kathy, I'm sorry Dharma falls between two stools in age terms, but I'm sure you can appreciate that Oldies must draw a line somewhere. I wish you and Dharma the best.

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