Visiting a staffy in rescue...what to look for?

Hi all,

Husband and I are travelling 5 hours for what we hope is the perfect dog for us. It is so important that we have a dog safe with cats, other dogs (at least outside of the home), children (not ours right now and well behaved ones!), good in the car/travelling distances, and okay to be left for up to 4 hours. So as you can imagine, taken a while to find a doggy who ticks those boxes. We were also specifically looking for a Staffy because a)their breed characteristics are what we are looking for in a dog and b) the dire situation in rescues for them.


So basically we have one day, but I am thinking (with agreement of rescue) to then go back in fortnight time and re-visit and *then* take him home if all is 100% as don't want to rush into decision just because of the distance. That would be unfair on all concerned, especially him.

So I need to know...what and how do I go check for in the rescue?

- They have cats around so will check his reaction to them (owner has cats in her house so may ask if we can see what he is like in her house with them - he has gone in many times before apparently - just because of how important it is he is good with cats in the home, as my mum has one).
- Check reaction to other dogs when he is both on and off the lead
- Check his re-call which is apparently perfect (cherry on the cake!)
- Check other commands (I am happy to work on this more at home)
- Check how he is in the car/being left in the car (not for long, just 5 mins in a shop etc - will highlight any signs of seperation disorder?)
- Take him for a walk outside the premises (may stay in a dog friendly B&B to see how he is there?)
- Play with toys (to look for any signs of possesiveness etc)
- Hopefully see him being fed - see how he is around his food for reason above.
- Check overall health...ears/eyes/weight/coat/pads/poop etc.


This is our first time, so please correct or add to this! Previously we have rehomed Greyhounds and the process if unique there.

We adopted Rocky from a rescue centre 3 years ago. Before we bought him home we made 3 other visits to see him, the first time we saw him and put a reserve on him and took him for a short walk. The second time we visited we just saw him but couldn't take him for a walk as he had just had The Op. We then visited again to take him for another walk. The last visit was to bring him home.

In between our visits to see him we had a home visit from a volunteer member of the rescue centre to check our home was suitable for him.

I would never leave any dog in a car not even for 5 minutes.

I'm sure it will go OK, try to relax when you take him for a walk as he will pick up on any of your nervous behaviour.

Not all rescue centres will let you let him off the lead when you walk him, RSPCA didn't let us and rules were to keep away from other dogs just in case, although their volunteer walkers tended to walk in groups with the dogs. They should have already assessed him with children, other dogs and cats with the results in his info pack.

i think you have covered pretty much everything there charlotte but if the dog does fall down on any of these points please remember that staffies are a very intelligent and very adaptable breed and they may be things that can be worked on over time and with patience. we rescued a staffie from the rspca 20 months ago and although it was an impulse act at the time (silly really) we have never regreted it for a second. tessa was 3 years old at the time and was my 4th staffie in my life (i paid a fortune for the other 3) and had a couple of issues such as seperation anxiety and aggresive behaviour to other dogs.
nearly 2 years later and with a lot of hard work she is really friendly with other dogs and left alone for up to 6 hours a day with no problems at all snd has turned out to be the best dog i have ever had.
take a chance on this dog and with time and patience and hard work the rewards will be massive.
good luck

Thanks everyone.  

We wouldn't let him out of sight with the car...it is just the only way I think we can assess how he is being left essentially on his own.  

The rescue are fine with letting him off the lead etc. Have gone over most things with them. The trouble is actually...they have basically not had him on a lead for around a year much at all as he is so good off apparently - and they don't need to walk much near traffic etc. So I need to see how he is by the roads.  I'm hoping his lead manners are okay (well, workable).  I know he tugs slightly on the end of his lead when on but I can work with that, no issue there. But they really want us to test him out, thankfully they want to ensure he is 100% right for us before he comes back as we do.  I personally didn't get this from the Dogs Trust who basically wanted to give us a dog and we had to try everything *after* adoption!

I won't dismiss him on anything small. The only thing I cannot compromise on is how he is with cats and he must not be any kind of aggressive with respectful children (he won't be around disrespectful children as I will not allow it - I don't believe in pushing dogs to their patience limits). We do want kids eventually and I do not want to be one of those people who has to return a dog when we have children, so he must be okaya round them.  Our kids will be brought up as I was, do not approach the dog unless they approach you, don't tease, don't overwhelm them, not left alone together etc. I also would struggle if he was not good with other dogs, we live in an area with a high dog population, and I do not drive. We have amazing dog walking places on our door step - dogs are usually off lead and friendly, so really would be stressful to have a dog aggressive dog around here...but minor issues can be worked on.

If all the rescue has said is true still when he is settled in a home; there shouldn't be any of the above problems anyway

I definitely won't dismiss him if he needs work on commands, a bit of a foodie etc.  But there are some things which would make him incompatible with us and it would be really unfair to ignore these, get him, and he has to be returned/something bad happens...especially as a Staffy, if anything bad happens you know what people would be like.

Charlotte4219 wrote:Thanks everyone.  

We wouldn't let him out of sight with the car...it is just the only way I think we can assess how he is being left essentially on his own.  

Could they not just pop him into a room on his own and see what he does, leaving him in a car just sounds a bit irresponsible on their part really. Surely they would have an interview room or similar they could use for a few minutes ??

Hope everything goes well, shame you didn't get the support you wanted from Dogs Trust, I got Ledger from them (Shrewsbury) and they couldn't have been more helpful he wasn't out on show because he was massively stressed by the being in a cage we were matched off the intro questionnaire and interrogation from the staff, they also suggested we arrange for my parents to bring their dog along to check compatibility as they would obviously spend time together.

jshrew wrote:Hope everything goes well, shame you didn't get the support you wanted from Dogs Trust, I got Ledger from them (Shrewsbury) and they couldn't have been more helpful he wasn't out on show because he was massively stressed by the being in a cage we were matched off the intro questionnaire and interrogation from the staff, they also suggested we arrange for my parents to bring their dog along to check compatibility as they would obviously spend time together.

We were looking at a Rotti x Staffy who was a stray so no history but was being really promising in her commands etc. Since I need a dog good with cats etc. I asked if there was any way to arrange checks before hand - as her whole description was basically okay with dogs in kennels but otherwise can't gurantee a thing when it came down to it. They said no, I'd have to adopt and go around testing her myself...if it doesn't work out they will take her back. But I was very uncomfortable to do that as if anything went wrong then it would be at a detriment to her, her breed(s) and the world of rescue (people wrongly seem to think puppies = safe bet/less hassle). They weren't happy I wanted to muzzle her to cat and kid test her...but that seemed sensible to do with a dog with no history.

I feel for her as she will struggle to get a home with no history and them not really trying to build up her profile .

I hope everything goes well for you and the dog soon finds a loving home

Charlotte4219 wrote:

We were looking at a Rotti x Staffy who was a stray so no history but was being really promising in her commands etc.   Since I need a dog good with cats etc. I asked if there was any way to arrange checks before hand - as her whole description was basically okay with dogs in kennels but otherwise can't gurantee a thing when it came down to it.  They said no, I'd have to adopt and go around testing her myself...if it doesn't work out they will take her back.  But I was very uncomfortable to do that as if anything went wrong then it would be at a detriment to her, her breed(s) and the world of rescue (people wrongly seem to think puppies = safe bet/less hassle).  They weren't happy I wanted to muzzle her to cat and kid test her...but that seemed sensible to do with a dog with no history.

I feel for her as she will struggle to get a home with no history and them not really trying to build up her profile .

That's a shame Ledger had no history apart from the previous recent attempt to rehome him so hopefully she will find a place. Had never really considered the cat issue but guess the bonus is some of the private rescue centers round here also take cats and the profiles list if they are being tested together. Dogs trust is I guess as it says on the tin and exclusively doggy

How did it go? x

It fell through

Really gutted. He was not as expected from what I'd discussed with the other rescue. I always expected him to jump up, go a bit hyper etc. as they said he was boisterious i.e. he would possibly knock our furniture over in clumsyness - that was their example.

But because I had explained about visiting children etc. I didn't realise their definition of boisterious meant jumping up *and* grabbing on quite hard. He was grabbing my scarf/our sleeves etc and holding on. We ignored this behaviour but he would not let up, had no interest in listening to the lady. He was not being aggressive, justquite dominant/playful...but he didn't know his own strengh.

I know kennels bring out the worse in dogs, but it was quite concerning behaviour as I can't expect him not to get excited when we have vistors and from the way he was grabbing I'd be really concerned having him do that around children (or even non-doggy adults).

He also ran and grabbed some shed liner and was tearing at that and she said 'that's what he'll do to your home' :S. That was quite an odd comment considering our conversations previous.

I have a feeling the rescue are not too happy that we declined, but I was SO excited and convinced he was the one that it says a lot that I could not bring myself to take him. I could not sleep the night before for excitement. But I am no going to be irresponsible and bring a dog home that I do not think matches us. Imagine if he did jump and nip a childs face? It would put the breed and rescues back miles. I am very experienced with dogs, I had a neurotic fear aggressive rotti x alsation and I felt less intimidated/uncertain by her.

Wow, I would be fuming!! How can they so openly lie to you when you're travelling such a long way to meet a dog that they knew had to be spot on? Don't worry if they're unhappy with you, that's their problem for not telling the truth.

I've worked in rescue centres for years, and you're right that kennels can bring out more excitable behaviour due to pent up energy, but personally, I wouldn't even consider rehome a bull breed that has problems with hard mouthing and bite inhabition to a home with cats and small children. Or a dog that is so overly boisterous and stressy and clearly needs training to a home that will often be disrupted by going from home to home. Biscuit is a very calm bitch, and despite a year long kennel stay she would still greet very calmly and never put her teeth on you; just wiggled around at your feet faster than usual! She's fantastic with children and purrs like a cat whilst staying completely still for them to pet her, this is a girl from a domestic violence background who came in with cigarette burns on her legs and mastitis. Where abouts are you in the England?

Sorry it didn't work out for you. It sounds like the rescue centre you visited weren't very helpful or supportive   

Ohh dear Charlotte, so sorry to hear that it didn't work out for you. It almost sounds like they don't want to re home him, how odd.

We are in Surrey but regulary in Essex and occassionally in Devon.


We are seriously considering going back to visit the dog at Dogs Trust - it has made us realise just how responsive and lovely she was there.  She has no history with cats though and that is an issue *but* my MIL is down the road from the rescue so could take her out for the day (if we pass a home check with them they said thats fine) and see her reaction to them in the garden.  It's a possibility.  It's not ideal but will give us an idea on her initial reaction.

I have also sent a home check form to Rescue Remedies.

Kathy - that is exactly what we thought.

I know of an excellent rescue centre that I previously worked at in Devon, they test with cats and dogs in centre too and are fully vetted before rehoming! If you're looking for a staffy they would welcome you with open arms, not many people do want to rehome them. There are pros and cons with every centre, I know of awful incidents and excellent incidents with the dogs trust, rpsca and many other centres, but if you know yourself what you're looking for that helps too.

Sounds brilliant. Do you have a name or website I could browse?

Of course, it's Little Valley Animal Shelter, Exeter. They don't have much in for rehoming at the moment as they've been overun with cruelty cases waiting to go through the courts, but they often transfer bull breeds from other centres or have them on their waiting list. If you go on to the dogs for rehoming page and give their dog mobile number a call, explain what you're looking for they should be able to help you out! Would you consider taking in a bitch rather than a dog? They can often be a little calmer

I can also recommend "Devon Dog Behaviour Rehab & Rehome" (you can find them on facebook) Ruth Owen who runs this is a behaviourist who is excellent with bull breeds, I'm fostering from her at the moment and she often sets people up with dogs to suit them, she's had some really lovely little staffords in there and they're mixed with other dogs daily if they're safe to.

Thanks so much! Will definitely take a look and get in contact shortly. It is also helpful to know of a behaviourist as could do with some advice regarding the cats. Dogs Trust have their own booklet that I have but more advice the better.

Thanks again

No problem Good luck!

P.S Ruth does have a little english bull terrier x staffordshire crossbreed in at the moment called Kato who is an absolute little gem, such a sweetie and so wiggly! He's lived with young children, a rabbit and mixes with dogs daily and is sociable, though doesn't know all of the rules and needs to learn how to play.

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t49063-kato-ebt-x-staffordshire-bull-terrier-14-months-devon-england

This is him x

Ah rubbish, I'm sorry it didn't go well, good luck with your search xx

Sorry it didn't go well hope you find your perfect baby soon   

So sorry it did not work out but you did the right thing and you will find the right dog for your family

Thank you! Had so many people say I should just go get a puppy today...no way!

Our dog is out there...seen this little girl tonight:

http://www.rspcaessex.org.uk/jessie11611.html

Says children aged 8+ would she be OK with your children ?

We don't have children, just visiting ones who are 9years+.

However eventually we would like children in about 4-5 years, I just know most rescues say 8+ to be extra careful because most children quite frankly are not dog davvy. What are your thoughts on this?

I know I was bought up around a child hating JRT, but because I was bought up correctly we never had any issues and she learnt to love me! I am constantly being encourage for this reason though to get a puppy and mold them, but it goes against my strong beliefs of 'Dont breed or buy whilst rescue animals die'

I would also always rescue   

Give them a call and see what they say, I guess there's no harm in just asking

Would Mabel be suitable for you:

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t50125-mabel-staffie-x-ridgeback-2yrs-north-yorkshire#bottom

Aww so sorry it didn't work out. Hope you find your fur baby soon