I have to admit that I ultimately feel…
I have to admit that I ultimately feel let down and unsupported by Dachshund Rescue UK, and I want to share my experience through this review.
My partner and I were looking for a companion for our dachshund, Woody. Rather than purchasing a puppy, we wanted to give a rescue dog a loving home, so we decided to approach a charity. We completed the adoption application form on the Dachshund Rescue UK website and were contacted very quickly by Di, within around 20 minutes of submitting it.
Di explained that she potentially had two suitable dogs for us and sent over their details. One of the dogs became unavailable, leaving Tyler as the option. My partner and I carefully read Tyler's profile and were happy to proceed with the adoption process based on the information provided.
There were a couple of things that initially struck me as unusual. For example:
Had anyone from the rescue actually met Tyler? The answer was no.
Were we allowed to visit Tyler before adoption? The answer was also no.
At the time, I found this surprising, but Tyler's profile sounded ideal, so we decided to proceed.
The adoption process involved several checks on us, including:
Two references
A home visit
We completed everything promptly and waited for arrangements to be made for Tyler's arrival.
The first few days were fantastic. Tyler appeared to be bonding well with both of us and generally seemed to be settling in. There were a few minor incidents, but nothing that caused concern.
However, things soon began to change.
Despite being told that Tyler was toilet trained, he has been regularly urinating and defecating inside the house. He barks whenever my partner or I leave the room, making it difficult to leave him alone even briefly. He has damaged possessions in our home and has also attacked our other dachshund.
As soon as these issues became apparent, I contacted Di to ask whether the people surrendering Tyler for adoption had been subjected to the same level of checks that adopters are required to undergo. To my surprise, I was told they had not.
I find this incredibly difficult to understand. Prospective adopters are thoroughly assessed, yet the information provided by those giving up a dog appears not to be independently verified. We are inviting a dog into our home, committing our time, energy, emotions, and finances, and relying on the information provided to make an informed decision.
I want to be clear that we absolutely adore Tyler, and none of this is his fault.
The only support we have been offered so far is a single session with a behaviourist, who has yet to contact us. Initially, I was told this would not happen until the end of July. Given the escalating issues and damage being caused within our home, I pushed for this to be brought forward.
Even so, I struggle to see how a single session will adequately address the challenges we are facing. If it doesn't, it remains unclear what support, if any, will be available afterwards.
The reality is that much of what we were told about Tyler has proven to be inaccurate, and it appears that this information was never properly verified before he was placed with us.
As a result, I feel deeply disappointed and let down by the process. The lack of due diligence has left us dealing with significant behavioural issues that we were neither informed about nor prepared for.
Most importantly, Tyler is the one who suffers when these situations arise. He deserved a process that accurately assessed his needs and circumstances, just as adopters are expected to meet rigorous standards.
Overall, this experience has been extremely disappointing. If ongoing behavioural support and training become necessary as a result of information that was not properly disclosed or verified, I will be seeking to recover those costs from Dachshund Rescue UK.
