Why do many rescues not rehome with young children?

I know they have to cover themselves to a certain extent and don't want to say a dog is safe and then something happen, but it really annoys me because I think alot of the time it's because they are forceful natured or jump up or something, because I really don't believe that most of the staffies they have are at risk of mauling people, and when they talk about the breed they always say about it being good with the little ones, which I know is very true anyway but why put it on their own websites and them refuse to home their dogs with young children? Or why can't it be based on who re-homes the dog? because although they aren't all going to be happy around little ones, some would be fine and for experienced staffie owners who can control dogs and their children, why is it such a problem?

I think they're generally worried that a dog may be too strong, or the child may not be old enough to know how to deal with a dog. Don't forget, that if they rehome a dog with a young child & then that dog causes harm to the child in some way, the rescue would be considered to blame.

I agree with you, that they should consider all cases according to individual merit, but I suppose rules are rules.

I was told that although they can speak for the temperament of the dog based on what they and the behavourists gather when working with the dog and looking at the history, they can't guarantee that a young child will not accidentally play too rough and scare or hurt the dog, or that parents will not leave the dog and young child unattended. I know what you mean though, it seems a shame not to base it on more individual circumstances. Some rescues may do it differently I think it's always worth folks getting in touch with them even if they think they may say no

I guess so, just makes me sad I am moving to a bigger place soon and am on the lookout for a female to complete my family, would like to rescue really. I grew up with staffies and I know what I can and can't deal with. I found a few that can be with children but no cats or other dogs frustrating, I guess some people are irresponsible too and maybe the rescues fear their dogs would not be settled in forever homes if they was less careful and there would be incidents. It's a shame for true dog lovers though, especially as there are so many staffies desperate for homes and there are people who could really make the dogs happy in a forever home but they aren't allowed them due tor rescue policies

PygmyParrot wrote:I was told that although they can speak for the temperament of the dog based on what they and the behavourists gather when working with the dog and looking at the history, they can't guarantee that a young child will not accidentally play too rough and scare or hurt the dog, or that parents will not leave the dog and young child unattended. I know what you mean though, it seems a shame not to base it on more individual circumstances. Some rescues may do it differently I think it's always worth folks getting in touch with them even if they think they may say no

Yeah maybe I should call and explain my situation and my history with staffies, maybe they could suggest me someone

You never know, and you're right with staffs in particular when there are such high numbers of them in rescue it's so sad. We were lucky with Dexter, he lived with cats and very young kids - the one year old apparently used to pull herself up to try and learn to walk using Dexters back! and he stood there like a typical staffie just patiently and quiet. I love these dogs so much, I still keep counting my blessings that I have one as part of the family seems unbelievable to me. I hope you get somewhere with your enquiries, definitely has to be worth a shot.

I guess sometimes they are just over cautious which they have a right to be as they would be accountable if something was to happen to a very young child.

PygmyParrot wrote:You never know, and you're right with staffs in particular when there are such high numbers of them in rescue it's so sad. We were lucky with Dexter, he lived with cats and very young kids - the one year old apparently used to pull herself up to try and learn to walk using Dexters back! and he stood there like a typical staffie just patiently and quiet. I love these dogs so much, I still keep counting my blessings that I have one as part of the family seems unbelievable to me. I hope you get somewhere with your enquiries, definitely has to be worth a shot.

Yeah I will defo start ringing them, I know they are the nicest dogs ever I love them so much, I'd hate life without these wonderful dogs!

kathytake2 wrote:I guess sometimes they are just over cautious which they have a right to be as they would be accountable if something was to happen to a very young child.

I know just a shame cos there are a lot of nice loving homes out there who could offer a home to a rescue staffie instead of them never finding one

At least you know you can certainly rehome in future if they did refuse you now, we have already said we will adopt more when the children are older and the house is quieter (who wants quiet anyway?! ) My youngest is four though so not quite a teeny toddler now, how old is your child/children?

Because many dogs are very playful, boisterous and can be over-the-top, which obviously can be risky with kids. I do think instead of it just being a "no" they could rehome dogs with young kids based on the dog itself. Anyone with kids can get a puppy and just keep a close eye on them, so it'd be the same with a rescue dog.

PygmyParrot wrote:At least you know you can certainly rehome in future if they did refuse you now, we have already said we will adopt more when the children are older and the house is quieter (who wants quiet anyway?! ) My youngest is four though so not quite a teeny toddler now, how old is your child/children?

Yeah, that's true. I will defo be having more dogs when my children grow up, my eldest is three in November and my Youngest has just turned one. I like to keep busy

ANattyRat wrote:Because many dogs are very playful, boisterous and can be over-the-top, which obviously can be risky with kids. I do think instead of it just being a "no" they could rehome dogs with young kids based on the dog itself. Anyone with kids can get a puppy and just keep a close eye on them, so it'd be the same with a rescue dog.

This is the thing, because if you have the time to watch them all and continue the dog's training to suit your family, things could go well, and a lot of these people end up going to back yard breeders instead

not that i'm knockin the rescues though I know at the end of the day they just only want decent homes and although I would be one, they don't know me

I'm sure they see it the way we do, but their hands are tied and they do have to be cautious. Thank goodness they exist though eh!

laurenjuby89 wrote:I know they have to cover themselves to a certain extent and don't want to say a dog is safe and then something happen, but it really annoys me because I think alot of the time it's because they are forceful natured or jump up or something, because I really don't believe that most of the staffies they have are at risk of mauling people, and when they talk about the breed they always say about it being good with the little ones, which I know is very true anyway but why put it on their own websites and them refuse to home their dogs with young children? Or why can't it be based on who re-homes the dog? because although they aren't all going to be happy around little ones, some would be fine and for experienced staffie owners who can control dogs and their children, why is it such a problem?

If I home a dog to you and it jumps up and knocks your kid over, who then ends up in hospital with a fractured skull, YOU might say: "Fair's fair, it is a dog afterall."

MANY people wouldn't, and would be off to the solicitors in search of a no-win no-fee agreement.

The solicitors would have it spun round in no time at all: high energy breed, powerful breed, unpredictable, rescue should have known better.......

The days where people need to apply common sense and have some onus of responsibility on themselves has gone - now, you need to pretend you're as thick as **** and are the victim.

Look at people who lied about their earnings to get a huge mortgage and now can't pay it - the mortgage advisors are being hauled over the coals at a rate of many cases per week at the moment: "Well, you (the advisor) should have done more checks.... these people are first time buyers.... they weren't to know.... you failed in your duty of care...."

Play dumb, put your hand out, wait for a no-win no-fee agreement and... bosh... what have you got to lose? Really?

I've just come back from an eight hour stint at the rescue I foster for. For some of that time we had a quite heated debate about rehoming... not cat friendly, bouncy, dog aggressive, not house trained, not good with males, not good with females, not good with small dogs.... and so on.

All of that can be managed, or overcome, if the adopters are savvy, responsible people.

And they might be.

But when it goes wrong, they'll play thick and pick up the phone.

And it is frustrating.
Many calls come in for the staffies I foster and nine times out of 10, the family sounds good, knows dogs well, has experience of the breed, but also has kids.

When I ask if they can categorically confirm that the dog will NEVER be left alone with their kids they say: "No. Why? Why are you asking that? Isn't the dog ok?"

Yes, the dog is a great dog - but I can't control what happens when your kid pulls its poorly ear, or jams a pencil up its butt.

The dog will get the blame.

Working dog wrote:Yes, the dog is a great dog - but I can't control what happens when your kid pulls its poorly ear, or jams a pencil up its butt.

The dog will get the blame.

That is pretty much what was explained to me, children are so much more unpredictable than dogs too!

i guess some of the time the rescue never knows the full history of the dogs they have in their care,what if a dog was teased/pulled about by a child and that made the dog anxious around children,best to be safe than sorry.

The majority of the dog's that we take in are stray dogs with unknown backgrounds.. and I've lost count of the times that I've been handling a dog for a number of days unaware when the police turn up and say that it's mauled a child or a person and we're completely unaware because the dog "seems" fine with us. Of course the dog could have been provoked but you never know what their triggers are until they happen! A dog was rehomed from a centre not long ago and lived very happily for a number of months until a certain noise was made on the television and he flipped out and attacked his elderly owner.. luckily it was a small dog!

It's a huge risk to take taking in a stray dog with children in the home, although the majority of the time it's training the kids and not the dog, it's not true that "it's never the dog, always the owner" as sadly dogs are so inbred these days and people are breeding for the wrong reasons a large amount of the time, some dogs just aren't mentally stable. We do re-home dogs with older children if the dogs are proven to be completely bombproof during their stay with us or we know the background of the dog and they have lived happily with children previously, but even then a family pushed and pushed for us to re-home a GSD to them, we did, he scratched their child in excitement and now they're trying to sue the charity...

When I rescued Ledger one of the other staffies had been returned as it had bit the 12 year old daughter who persistently climbed into the dog basket while he was sleeping!

Just walking in the park or around P@H kids have appeared from around corners and poked at Ledger or try to grab his lead/ears/tail (if only I could boot the kids!) luckily he is calm and it is one off but if that was happening on a daily basis behind the sofa or when mom/dad is in another room. I would snap! And yes it can happen with any dog but the strength and bite characteristics of some dogs has to be considered

I am a great believer that if you work together with an organization you will indeed find a perfect dog, but you don't just walk in and pick one.

I have heard so many knock backs, kids/garden/flat/rented/full time worker, you can work around it but you have to be devoted and almost prove yourself, its for the best of the dog, and yes takes more time than buying a puppy but is well worth it, never let written rules stop you. You can rescue if you are determined Xx And I know it shouldn't be hard, and its not, really Xx

I can understand this now, surprises me how people expect dogs to be like robots and also that someone would try to sue a charity, sick really but to be honest I should have thought of this and shouldn't be surprised, I know some dogs couldn't be re-homed with children anyway but for the ones who could but now can't because of people like this, it's just such a shame! Words can't describe the love I have for staffords and how strongly I feel about the situation they have found themselves in, I know giving one rescue dog a home wont change the situation, but it will change life for that dog, and maybe I will not be able to rescue until my children grow up, but I will one day, although hopefully I will find the right rescue staffie for my family sooner if I look harder like janey has said and I hope I do, but I think that I need to find a way of doing something more for the breed in the time being, I don't know what yet and it will probably be when my little ones start school, but I think I need to cos it gets me down so much

You're clearly a person with a big heart.

Sadly, the ease with which legal action can be brought in the UK now is causing some major problems - and there's a chance that legislation is about to be tightened up further still, which could result in the deaths of many more rescue dogs.

It is a legal minefield.

If I think back 30 years ago, when I was a kid, dogs came in various flavours - the nice ones, the horrible ones, the ones that were ok until you tried to steal their bone, and the old sad ones.

Our whole street had dogs, which lived in the driveways and not the back gardens on sunny days.

As kids, if we got bitten or growled at, it was our fault if we'd been annoying the dog - I used to rope a mate into a game where we'd try to steal a labrador's daily bone for a laugh (but give it back to him later).

I got bitten.

It was my fault.

Back in the early 80s, that was the end of that - idiot kid did idiot thing.

Today, there'd be a lawsuit, even though I was trespassing and being a fool.

Self-accountability has gone - it's all about everyone else being in the wrong.

Working dog wrote:You're clearly a person with a big heart.

Sadly, the ease with which legal action can be brought in the UK now is causing some major problems - and there's a chance that legislation is about to be tightened up further still, which could result in the deaths of many more rescue dogs.

It is a legal minefield.

If I think back 30 years ago, when I was a kid, dogs came in various flavours - the nice ones, the horrible ones, the ones that were ok until you tried to steal their bone, and the old sad ones.

Our whole street had dogs, which lived in the driveways and not the back gardens on sunny days.

As kids, if we got bitten or growled at, it was our fault if we'd been annoying the dog - I used to rope a mate into a game where we'd try to steal a labrador's daily bone for a laugh (but give it back to him later).

I got bitten.

It was my fault.

Back in the early 80s, that was the end of that - idiot kid did idiot thing.

Today, there'd be a lawsuit, even though I was trespassing and being a fool.

Self-accountability has gone - it's all about everyone else being in the wrong.

Good post, mate. Years ago nobody thought of suing, you just said "what did you do to make the dog bite you?" & the dog's owner would say "Sorry, let me give you a plaster!"

Keep trying lovely, we had a lovely staff come in a few months ago that had grown up with toddlers around the house, was only handed over because the people were emigrating so in a situation like that we would be happy to re-home with youngsters. If you call a few rescues and explain your situation, I'm sure they would be happy to contact you if a suitable candidate did arrive, especially with your experience!! Good luck

Working dog wrote:Our whole street had dogs, which lived in the driveways and not the back gardens on sunny days.

As kids, if we got bitten or growled at, it was our fault if we'd been annoying the dog - I used to rope a mate into a game where we'd try to steal a labrador's daily bone for a laugh (but give it back to him later).

I got bitten.

It was my fault.

Back in the early 80s, that was the end of that - idiot kid did idiot thing.

Today, there'd be a lawsuit, even though I was trespassing and being a fool.

Self-accountability has gone - it's all about everyone else being in the wrong.

I was bitten twice as a child, once for touching a sleeping dog on a very hot day, stupid me - but I learned from that one and NO lawsuit, in fact me and the dog (r.i.p Patch you old devil) remained best of friends, the second time was a very old dog and I stroked him without asking the owner, so again just one of those things. I will be honest, and hopefully not shock anyone but if my kids did not listen to what we have told them about how to be with Dexter (or indeed any dog) and they poked, prodded or annoyed him and he nipped them through no fault of his own I would NOT rehome him, I would not ring the rescue shouting the odds I would hit myself in the head for not supervising, give the kids a damn good lecture and then work on it not happening again. We have not once left our 7 or 4 year old with Dex unsupervised, and he is in the rescues words 'bombproof' with kids - but it would be on my head if anything happened, not the rescues, not Dexters, and not my childrens as such. I wish more people would take some responsibility, and use their common sense like we bloody used to with dogs. Nearly every kid I knew had been bitten or at least snapped at for playing silly beggars, but our parents would tell us it was our own fault not call judge judy!

That's my little rant, it gets me down because people like yourself Lauren know what you are doing and so want to adopt, and I really hope you can especially as you have all that experience and such a love for staffies.

Rach, that was another very good post.

Thanks Caryll, I feel so strongly about it as it was a completely different world when I was growing up as I'm sure it was for many of us on here. I agree with you about the plaster thing too! I had my bites washed and a bit of tcp and a plaster then back outside to get on with it, with a firm lesson in my head about respecting a dogs personal space. Hence why if my kids caused a bite themselves I would not rehome, unless someone wanted one of the kids that is... Imagine that!! phoning the rescue "Yes hello my dog has bitten my child because he poked him in the eye can you rehome him? Oh no not the dog...my child!"

There have been a few times in the past..............*sigh, kids!*

Thank-you everyone, I will definitely be calling the rescues and explaining myself, and I am prepared to wait too, so sad how people have become, all they care about is money and seem to forget that animals have feelings just like people do! I really hope things change for the staffie one day, must be one of the most undeserving breeds this could happen to, although I don't believe any breed deserves to be picked on because of what breed or type it is. My children will always know how to treat animals, we are all big dog lovers in my house, and I have my Rocco here to keep me busy in the mean time, he will love a friend around when she comes

We did rehome a staffy cross to a family with a young one today - after seeing that they were pretty clued up about dogs and children (I grilled them for about 30 minutes, then the rescue owner did the same).

That, and his temperament in kennels and on foster, and the fact he seemed to get on very well with their resident dog when out on a walk.

So, it can be done. Just not very often.

Many rescues don't rehome were there are young children because the parents can't control the children. I used to work for a rescue who let someone with a 3 year old daughter have a dog, this was an adult dog that had lived with children. This little girl was supposed to be good with dogs.

They had the dog less than a week when they asked if we could take the dog back, they couldn't stop their daughter from attacking the dog. Personnally I would have got rid of the child and kept the dog.

Small children will often poke a dog in the eyes, ears and nose, many parents think dogs should take this from a small child and are shocked when told they should train their child as well as the dog. They let their little horrors poke and jump all over the dog then when the dog retaliates they want him pts.

Rescues have this policy to protect the dog not the children, I used to take the phone callls from people wanting dogs ad was verbally abused many times because of the ruling but when dealing with people like that I suspect the ruling is right.

http://www.dogs4adoption.co.uk/animals-4-adoption/dogs-4-adoption

Working with this kennels at the moment as they've taken some of our overflow dogs.. noticed a little staffie called Flake that's good with dogs, cats and kids!! Not sure how young the children can be but if you're willing to travel (and they'll rehome out of their area) i'd give them a call! He looks lovely

Rachel33 wrote:http://www.dogs4adoption.co.uk/animals-4-adoption/dogs-4-adoption

Working with this kennels at the moment as they've taken some of our overflow dogs.. noticed a little staffie called Flake that's good with dogs, cats and kids!! Not sure how young the children can be but if you're willing to travel (and they'll rehome out of their area) i'd give them a call! He looks lovely

Aw he is really sweet, I'm going to show my husband this evening and call them, but does anyone have experience of having 2 males? or is it something I shouldn't do? I was assuming I could only get a bitch considering they are staffies?

i havent read all the post in this topic, but i will answer the first post lol. i think its because they dont always know what the dogs background is and it may not be used to kids, and we all know staffys are "bad dogs"