[Kitchen Cottage]

Ray is my foster dog.... he is BIG. BLIND, BULGARIAN and older..... He is a massive bulldog type but has a really sweet nature.... Ray is a DOOFUS!

I have 17 days off at Christmas and my aim is to bring Ray into the house.... he has lived on a chain for 8 years, lived in a shelter for a year, lived on a balcony and lived in my kennel..... but he's never lived in a house.

This isn't a long solution because my other dogs (especially my other blind Bulgarian) won't allow him and I'll have to "zone" the house first.... but I would like to try and get him into the house because I am having no luck with rehoming (seriously, who WOULDN'T want a blind Bulgarian old staffie type? ) and I want to make him more homeable. 

Seriously,  I know he sounds WTAF!!! but he is a really lovely dog.

Any hints on how to bring a BIG STRONG EXCITABLE DOOFUS into the house and have some furniture left? 

[Caroline1]

I can tell it is coming from a good place but if it is not long term and your other dog will be put out, is it really a good idea? I have fostered dogs before and any change takes time to adjust especially with the older dogs and I wonder if it would be more stressful than helpful as it is such a big change. You are obviously in the best position to tell, my only advice is slowly and gradually so they know they are safe and able to cope. I imagine toilet training will also be a consideration. Good luck.

[Kitchen Cottage]

Without him being used to being in a house.... he is almost rehomable.  He is a challenge now,  but he lasted one hour with his former foster and as I was RBU I got him here.  I have to house socialise him. 

 

[doganjo]

If I were to take on a dog like that (which I wouldn't because I am not magnanimous like you)  I would accept that he has issues and be prepared to house train him.

I think you are living in cloud cuckoo land if you think there are people out there that would take him on when there are so many young dogs and puppies about to be thrown out on the streets!

"A dog is for Christmas then after you've had fun with it you get rid because it's a liability."

We should put out efforts into stopping random and prolific breeding of unwanted dogs.

[Kitchen Cottage]

Well, actually I suspect the one issue I won't have is housetraining.  All my former kennel dogs (except brain damaged Denzel)  have been very clean in the house from day one.  Amazing but true.

I do foster for BDRUK and for Oldies, so all the dogs I have here.... and have moved on, have been older and had some form of disability.  They are harder to home but there is certainly hope for him.  With blindies and older dogs, there usual group is with very kind people, people with disabled children (several have gone to families with autistic children) and older people who would previously have thought their dog owning days were passed.

I don't care how long Ray is here..... and Denzel never found a forever home (but he was unhomeable being deaf/blind/brain damaged and eventually had to be put to sleep because he deteriorated through stroke after he came here) but 29 other disabled/older/hard to home dogs have passed through these gates in the last 7 years.... so in cloud cuckoo land there are homes (you do have to try hard though!) ..xx

[mojocafa]

Well done you for trying, good luck

[SallyintNorth]

You have one enormous heart there, KC 

I wish you the very best of luck with finding Ray a loving home in which to end his days

[SallyintNorth]

And sorry to hear that you had to have Denzel pts.  It's wonderful that he had a period of enjoying cuddles and feeling loved before he went.   

[Marches Farmer]

Can you set up a penned area just inside an external door, so that he can go in and out at will but get used to the smells and sounds of the house?

[SallyintNorth]

RBU 

 

[Kitchen Cottage]

RBU = Rescue Back Up.  Someone who will take the dog if adoption or fostering fails.  You can't properly rehome without it.  xxx

[SallyintNorth]

Thanks x

[Old Shep]

As you are the RBU then you are the one with the knowledge surely?  All Eastern European rescue dogs need to make the transition from chain dogs to inside living dogs, so of course if you are the designated RBU then you have that knowledge along with lots of other rehabilitation skills?  If you don't then obviously the Rescue that you support will have the knowledge to answer your question?


 

[Kitchen Cottage]

As you are the RBU then you are the one with the knowledge surely?  All Eastern European rescue dogs need to make the transition from chain dogs to inside living dogs, so of course if you are the designated RBU then you have that knowledge along with lots of other rehabilitation skills?  If you don't then obviously the Rescue that you support will have the knowledge to answer your question?


 

What a sarcastic response! 

5 of the dogs I have had have transitioned to indoor dogs with no issues.  The issue with Ray is he is a doofus and a big one at that.  Very excitable.

I am RBU for Blind Dog Rescue UK as in I am the reserve foster in the case of failure.  Funnily enough, there aren't long lists of fosters available.

Do I have sufficient expertise to do the (unpaid and entirely voluntary) job?  Well,  I have a lot of experience of blind dogs but am I an expert? no.

If you think you need special expertise to foster, as opposed to normal knowledge of dogs.... it's going to be a short foster list.

[Old Shep]

I have been involved in rescue and fostered for years now, mine wasn't an uninformed comment.  Generally the term RBU is used as the rescue which is backing up the fosterer, the rescue hopefully consisting of the trustees of the charity concerned along with a behaviourist, co-ordinators, admins, transporters etc.  I was genuinely confused by your post asking on a small holding forum about advice on this dog if you yourself are RBU. So I understand now that you are part of the team which gives RBU to the fosterers. What advice do Blind Dog Rescue UK give?

Personally my advice would be not to put a target date on transferring him to the house, and if you have lots of people coming round he would be better left in his comfort zone.

I have known so many rackets and scams being run as rescues for Romanian & Bulgarian dogs, in addition to naïve but well meaning rescuers who get the dogs to the UK then can't give proper RBU then another rescue has to bail them out, that I can get a little cynical.  That said there's a fair few dodgy rescues in the Uk too