Frequently Asked Questions about adopting a dog

To proceed with an adoption, you would need a homecheck and be able to pay a deposit of £150 that would reserve your chosen dog.

If the home check is successful, then we request £100 to secure your dog’s space on transport. The remainder of the adoption fee is £395 and this is payable no later than 1 week before the dog leaves Romania. The deposit isn't refunded if you simply change your mind but is refunded if you fail your home check for any reason.

Our adoption fee is £645 per dog.

In puppies up to 6 months:

• Microchip registered in your name

• Rabies vaccines;

• DHLPP (this is a combination vaccine shot that protects your dog from four different diseases: distemper with lepto, hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus;

• Kennel cough vaccine;

• Giardia test;

• Leishmaniasis test;

• Tape worm, flea and tick treatments;

• Passport;

• Complete care of your dog prior to adoption;

• Transport to your home.

All dogs over 6 months, as above plus:

• 4d test (tests for heartworm, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease);

• Brucellosis test (usually only performed on dogs 12m+)

• Neuter (unless too old or other medical reason not to undergo the procedure).

All the dogs are bought to the UK using a transport company specialising in live animals.

The vans used are completely kitted out with specialised cages. The vans have to conform to Defra standards and are awarded a licence after Inspection. All the vans have air-conditioning to ensure ventilation.

The journey takes around 48 hours with constant driving in shifts by up to three drivers. They travel through ARAD in Romania, which is where customs and animal exports are based. Then onwards through Hungary, Germany, Austria and France to Calais. At each border,the dogs are available for inspection by a vet and custom officers.

At Calais, there is a specific terminal for the transports. All inspections are made at this point, checking their passports and microchips as well as the condition of each and every animal. Once this is completed, the dogs travel by the Eurotunnel to Folkstone. Their journey on UK soil continues until your dog arrives at your front door.

We do not exclude people with other pets or children below a certain age. We ask you to complete a pre-adoption questionnaire and then we’ll consider your individual circumstances. If you can offer a loving home, we will try our best to match a specific dog to your family setup.

We recommend you do. Who knows what might happen in the future. No one has savings to cover a huge vet bill so having insurance will prevent unnecessary worries should something happen to your beloved pet. We can’t give you any financial advice but we do recommend you research pet insurancers thoroughly as many won’t always cover everything - always read the fine print when selecting a policy.

Unfortunately, there will always be situations and circumstances in our lives that are out of our control and may lead to having to rehome your beloved dog. If this were to happen, please contact us immediately so that we can assist in finding a new home for your dog. We pledged when you adopted to offer rescue back up (RBU), which means we will take the dog and find it a suitable foster home or adopter should you no longer being able to keep him or her. The rescue partners we work with will have their own RBU network and if you adopted through one of our partners you should contact them first.

If you have an O.U.R Dog Foundation rescue dog, you will need to contact us and we will speak to the rescues who offer us their RBU services. Although support may sometimes take a few days to arrange, you will receive the help you need.

First of all, you must take into account that some of these dogs are not used to living in a house and won't understand the house rules! Some will be quieter than others and some may come in like they've always lived there! It all depends on the dog and his history.

When your dog arrives, they could be in stress overload. Some will need at least a few days to get over what's happening to them, so please make these first few days very peaceful. If they are fearful when they arrive and don't wish to interact, then leave them to choose their space and don't keep encouraging them to make friends. Some like a crate to hide away in so just leave the door open for them.

They will come around in their own time but if you keep trying to make them do things you could increase their anxiety and make the process of them settling take much longer.

Many of you ask about changing a dog's name and in most cases, it should be nothing to worry about. Most of the dogs are given their names at the rescue; this is because they come into us with just a number. Therefore, it will not be familiar to the dog and they will soon adapt to your chosen name. Your dog's microchip will be changed to your details by the rescue.

Yes, once the dog arrives you must not take your dog out into public for the first 48 hours. This is called ‘traces’ and is a legal requirement by DEFRA. Sometimes DEFRA also conduct spot checks, just to check that everything is in order; they always phone first if they want to visit. It is nothing to worry about and just part of the process.

After the first 48 hours, we also recommend you do not rush to take your dog out for its first walk (although we know that you’ll want to!) It is not always necessary as each dog needs their own time to settle. Most adoptees won't be used to a lead or collar and may be fearful of their new accessories, so they may need time to learn to wear it and not see it as a threat.

For the most part, the dogs in Romania will never have had a good quality regular meal. They will have scavenged, eaten rubbish from bins or dumping grounds, stones and bones, rarely getting the goodness they need. Once they arrive in our foster shelters, they receive basic food. So we would encourage you to buy some chicken breast and have it ready to boil with rice, as well as a bland dog food.

Many of the expensive foods will be far too rich for a dog not used to it and could cause unnecessary problems. Many dogs will arrive and at first experience runny stool and sometimes a small amount of blood. It’s just the changes in environment and foods that usually cause this. So keeping a bland food to start with is much better for their digestive systems. You can slowly introduce different foods once they are settled.

We know not everyone will be in a place where they can offer an OUR dog either a permanent or temporary home, but there are many other ways that you can help our cause.

Any donations, no matter how small are always welcomed and should be made payable to:

• Account Number: 92722431

• Sort Code: 608371

• Account Name: O.U.R Dog Foundation C.I.C

Alternatively, just something as simple as sharing a post for us on Facebook or Instagram, could lead to on of our dogs finding the perfect home.

Thanks so much for your support.