So many dogs..................

It seems never ending at the mo, people ringing, emailing , texting, PM-ing that they desperately NEED to find another home for their (invariably teenage hoolie) Lurcher as they “can’t cope with him any more and they’ve tried EVERYTHING!!! “

These are the pups bought from back yard breeders during lockdown when folk thought it would be lovely to have a puppy while they were stuck at home……which means the pups were also stuck at home - no puppy classes, very little social interaction with other dogs etc etc. People got a Lurcher pup because they were relatively cheap compared to the thousands of pounds being asked for pedigree dogs during Covid…. because they’re “lovely family dogs”, “sleep around the house all day” “are good with other dogs”…. only if they’ve had training and exercise, they’re not born to be sociable, lazy snoozers :(

And just WHY should anyone else want to take on an almost fully grown dog with behavioural issues, that’s probably not been neutered (so will cost £££ to do) when they could get “this year’s model”of a pup with none of those hang-ups installed in it yet? Yes a “home in the countryside” sounds wonderful, but guess what….they’re very few and far between!! A dog that lives in a rural environment has to be better behaved than an urban one anyway as it has to be livestock friendly as well and sociable with other dogs / people.!

Our kennels is pretty rammed with antisocial, badly trained young dogs at the mo and overflowing into our house, which my family are heartily sick of. We can’t go out to a shop without someone staying downstairs with the dogs to stop the anxious barking. We can’t watch any tv programs (or adverts) with animals (even cartoon ones!) or the exocet Saluki x hurls herself at the tv which is above the fire and sets all the other dogs off barking! We can’t have visitors (could be a plus point!) and going away for a couple of days is like planning a military manoeuvre.

Yes we work with these dogs and try to rehabilitate them but it would be so much easier if the original owners had done the basic training principles and they wouldn’t have to languish in kennels taking up space that we desperately need for other dogs to come in, causing a bottle neck. We need foster homes willing to take on these young dogs and work with them, get them socialised, teach them manners etc etc………. please if you can help, get in touch : kaye@lurcherlink.org

Lucky Jim has now found a lovely home