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So Back in late 2020 my boyfriend and I finally decided to take the plunge and expand our family, after months and months of discussion on what breeds we liked and trying to meet in the middle due to clashing tastes (he was into Huskies and German shepherds and I liked Shih Tzhu’s and sausage dogs) we realised how expensive pure breeds were, and how much breeders were exploiting them for money. Some of the dogs we liked on sites such as pets4homes were way over the £1000 mark which was ridiculous. This is what led me into researching rescue dogs and charities - so that we could not only give a home to a dog that needs it, but also support a charity too rather than pay a breeder.
Charities in the UK
There are so many amazing local organisations in the UK such as paws2rescue, dogstrust and Battersea dogs trust. These charities sadly have a lot of dogs that are quite old, or are no longer able to be looked after by their owners due to ill health. I made sure to keep an eye on these sites for dogs up for adoption, but sadly we couldn’t find anything that suited our needs.
Charities in Romania
After further research, I then came across some charities abroad (I had no idea you could even adopt a dog from another country). I discovered that Romania in particular had a huge stray dog problem, due to a lack of neutering over there, not to mention the amount of dogs/puppies that got dumped in horrendous places because their owners didn’t want them anymore. A few of these amazing charities include No Boundaries Dog Rescue, Last Chance Romania and RACE Romania (which is where we ended up getting Benji from). These charities actively search for abandoned dogs on the streets (motorways, fields, rivers etc..) and also help to neuter and spay them too with the help of donations.
I immediately followed all of their pages on Facebook to keep up to date with new arrivals and dogs ready for adoption as I knew I 100% wanted to adopt a Romanian rescue. I would highly recommend doing this if you’re looking to adopt yourself, as most of them actually advertise on Facebook rather than their websites and are much more active there.
Finding Benji
A few weeks and failed applications later, I realised this wasn’t as simple as it sounded, as you’re ultimately against hundreds of other applicants after the same dog. I was almost re thinking my decision when a photo of a tiny 3 month old Benji appeared on my feed. I immediately had this overwhelming feeling that he was mine, and I just had to have him. He was the cutest little thing and the thought of him on the streets made my heart break.
His Mum was found by RACE back in September 2020, heavily pregnant and dashing around cars in the street. The charity brought her in and made her as comfortable as possible, and just a few days later she gave birth to 4 beautiful little pups. Luckily they weren’t born in the streets otherwise they may not of even survived.
Adoption process
After filling out a lengthy adoption form which asks questions such as where you live, details on your surroundings, garden and what you do for a living etc etc it was clear that they favoured secure houses with enclosed gardens. Luckily for me I have a secure house and garden and no reason for them to believe I wasn’t able to look after a dog. I think the fact that I work from home definitely helped too, but that’s not to say you won’t be accepted if you don’t. They just want the best for the dogs after all.
Then the waiting.. this wait felt like forever, and after someone else actually got Benji before me but backed out last minute, I was then contacted around a week later. I couldn’t believe my luck! After this I was asked to do a little interview (mine was via Facebook Messenger) and to send a video of my house and garden to confirm that I was 100% suitable. They then said everything was good and fine and asked me there and then if I wanted to adopt Benji. I was a mix of happy and scared emotions at the time, but I said yes, I would love to adopt Benji.
Transportation
When you adopt a puppy, they have to be at least 4 months old before they can travel, this is so that they can have all their vaccinations before they arrive. When they are ready, the method of transport is via a bus, named the ‘Happy Bus’ (adorable). Every few weeks the bus gets loaded (all safe and comfortable in pens, don’t worry) with dogs and they then make their 3 day journey to the UK driving through numerous countries and the euro tunnel. Benji was set to leave Romania on the Happy Bus on Boxing Day 2020 and arrive on the 29th December, which was just magical getting him at Christmas. They keep you updated on how the dogs are doing as well as when they’re going to arrive, as you can imagine they can’t tell you an accurate time until they actually enter the UK. Benji was delayed a day due to complications at the border due to Brexit at the time, but they eventually arrived on the 30th and we picked him up from a location in Manchester.
It felt a bit strange being handed a puppy out of a van on the side of the road, but as soon as Benji was in my arms I was so happy and relieved he was finally here, he was finally ours. The poor guy smelt so bad, and needed a wash as soon as he got in, but I couldn’t wait to look after this adorable ball of fluff.
I should also mention that you are given a dog passport as well as all your adoption and vaccination paperwork, not just literally given a dog and off you go.
Forever home
He was so giddy as soon as we got home, running up and down the living room, but after a bath and some food he eventually settled down for the night. There were a few accidents and I knew it was going to take some time, but I was so content, and was sure he was going to settle in perfectly. I couldn’t wait to watch him grow. The best Christmas ever.
1 year on and Benji is doing really well. He's grown into such a sweet, clever and funny little boy and we couldn't of asked for a better dog. Apart from being the greediest little thing he really is perfect. It's worth noting however that there are a lot of rescue dogs that will have issues such as anxiety, fear of people or other dogs and in some cases mild aggression. This is all part and parcel of adopting, and giving a dog a chance; a new lease of life. We were really lucky that Benji had no issues and is a well behaved dog, but it's not always the case with rescues.
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Please have a look at the rescue charities mentioned in both the UK and Romania if you’re looking to adopt, the feeling of rescuing a dog in need is unmatchable. There are so many unwanted dogs in need of loving homes.
Follow Benji’s journey over on Instagram @rescuingbenji
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