WHO ARE WE?
BRX Rescue is a UK-based rescue coordinated by Jemima Harrison and assisted by Mary Haines. It was set up as an offshoot to the Independent Flatcoat Rehoming breed rescue in order to help black retriever crosses who fall outside the remit of the breed rescue but who are no less deserving of a new home.
Jemima is a journalist/documentary film-maker who has owned dogs all her life and often makes films about them (including “Can Dogs Smell Cancer?” for the BBC in 2006, “Pedigree Dogs Exposed” for BBC1 n 2008 and its sequel, “Pedigree Dogs Exposed - Three Years On” in February 2012.
Mary has over 20 years’ experience in dog rescue and established Independent Flatcoated Retriever Rehoming - one of the two official breed rescues for flatcoats.
It is Jemima who mostly runs BRX Rescue. She has a very busy day-job so please be patient if it takes a while for us to get back to you. (Always feel free to nag though - by email preferably).
WHAT KIND OF HOMES DO WE LOOK FOR?
There is a waiting list for our dogs and we can afford to be fussy so please don’t be offended if you get the third degree! We look for loving homes with secure gardens where dogs are not regularly left for more than three hours at a time. We expect you to walk your dog every day in a location where they are safe to free-run, to be able to afford veterinary treatment should the need arise, and to commit to training classes if we suggest them (which we often do). It’s lovely to find homes where there is a already a dog for company, but every case is different and each situation will be judged individually.
We are happy to rehome to anywhere in the UK as long as it is possible to find someone to homecheck you and as long as you are willing to travel.
WILL WE REHOME TO YOU IF YOU’VE NEVER HAD A DOG BEFORE?
We prefer an experienced home, but will offer a dog to a first-time home if you can show the right level of commitment, have done your homework are happy to accept ongoing advice from us. It’s lovely to introduce the many joys of a rescue dog to first-time homes when it is appropriate .
WILL WE REHOME TO A FAMILY WITH VERY YOUNG CHILDREN?
Many rescues won’t but we specialise in retriever types and many of them are wonderful with children. If you are experienced dog owners and we know enough about a dog’s background to be sure they will be fine with your little ones, we will consider you.
ARE OUR DOGS CAT-TESTED?
Not as a matter of course. But if we know they are fine with cats - or we’re pretty sure they’re trainable - it is included in the description.
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM A RESCUE DOG?
Well first and foremost, a loving, loyal companion who will repay you a thousand times over! But dogs do end up in rescue for a reason - often because they have been neglected, abandoned or abused. And so some come with baggage. We are extremely careful about the dogs we take on to rehome. We pick those who have, at heart, great temperaments. Many are less than a year old, so usually bounce back quickly from a bad start. But there will be almost certainly be something... they may be nervous of men, they may steal food, their recall may not be great (and occasionally all three of these!). But don’t let us put you off too much: we are careful to place our dogs in the right home and we will take great care not to give you a dog that is beyond your abilities. For this reason, we make sure our descriptions are as honest as possible - warts and all.
WHAT IS OUR REHOMING PROCESS?
After you have contacted us to let us know you are interested in one of our dogs, we will ask you a lot of nosey questions to help us get a clear idea of your set-up. We keep a log of all those who express interest in a particular dog and when we feel we know enough about that dog to be able to choose the right type of home, we go through the applications and invite the home we think would be best to come and meet the dog. If both us and you feel it is a good match, we then homecheck you. If all goes well, the dog is yours!
If a home is travelling a very long way to meet a dog, we can sometimes arrange a homecheck beforehand so that you can take a dog back with you the same day if all goes well. However, if there are any doubts on either side, we will turn you down or suggest some thinking-time. Obviously, it’s important for everyone that it’s the right decision.
ARE ALL OUR DOGS SPAYED/NEUTERED?
This is a controversial issue, but the short answer is: no, not all of them. In practice, almost all our dogs are neutered as it is obviously the right thing to do. But the latest scientific evidence suggests that young dogs, especially, need their sex hormones to help them physically develop normally. It is also increasingly thought that neutering does NOT help with many behavioural problems and the jury is out regarding the health benefits. The dogs we are most likely to not neuter are the very young and/orvery submissive males.
And so, although most of our dogs are neutered, the very occasional one may not be for a variety of reasons. You are, of course, completely free to spay/neuter such a dog after adoption if it is your preference - and, indeed, we would normally recommend that you do so.
WHAT ABOUT VACCINATIONS, WORMING, FLEA-TREATMENT + MICROCHIPPING?
Yep, we do all that. All our dogs have a basic vet-check and are fully-vaccinated, wormed, flea-treated and microchipped. We use Avid microchips which allow for dual registration (to us and to you).
DO WE HAVE KENNELS?
No. We have access to excellent local boarding kennels when needed, but do not have kennels ourselves. Sometimes, we know enough about a dog and a prospective home to be able to place a dog directly into his or her new home (on, of course, a trial basis and only after very careful assessment). Mostly, however, this is not possible, so we use a network of experienced foster homes where a dog can be properly assessed in a home setting before being rehomed. We believe this is much kinder than keeping dogs in kennels.
We have foster homes across the UK, although most are in the south. And we are ALWAYS looking for more! If it’s something you would consider, please see our FOSTERING page for more info.
WHAT IF A REHOME DOESN’T WORK OUT?
We have a very low “return” rate (about 2 per cent) as we take a lot of time in choosing the right homes for our dogs, we are always available for advice and we will work with you to help with problems we think are resolvable. However, our commitment to our dogs is for life and so a dog can be returned at any time. If it’s within the first three months, we will refund the adoption fee in full. If it’s within the first six months, we will refund 50 per cent, and 25 per cent if it’s between 6 months and a year.
HOW IS THE RESCUE FUNDED?
The rescue depends entirely on donations with any shortfall being met by ourselves. Sometimes, we make a small profit out of an individual dog but often, the basic adoption fee does not cover our costs - hence why we say that it is a minimum. We don’t want to rule anyone out by making the fee too high but are always incredibly grateful if a new family is able to donate a bit extra. It really does all go to helping more dogs.
ARE THERE ANY BOOKS WE WOULD RECOMMEND TO ANYONE THINKING OF ADOPTING A RESCUE DOG?
We have found these interesting and informative (all available from Amazon)
“Train Your Dog Like A Pro” by Jean Donaldson (with training DVD)
“The Dog Listener” by Jan Fennell
“The Culture Clash” by Jean Donaldson
“Don’t Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training” by Karen Pryor (the founder of clicker training)
“It’s Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet” by Victoria Stilwell
“The Perfect Puppy” by Gwen Bailey
“Dog Secrets” and “Stop! How to Predatory Chasing in Dogs” by David Ryan.
If you have any other suggestions, please let us know!