Adopting a dog

Our dogs are either in foster in UK or still abroad - usually in public shelters.

If you are interested in one of our UK foster dogs, you can speak to the fosterer, by prior arrangement and, if you live close enough, you can visit before deciding if the dog is right for you.

If it is a non-UK dog you are keen on, you unfortunately won't be able to meet the dog beforehand, but we will give you as many details about the dog as we can. Feel free to ask us questions too! All of our adopted dogs first spend some time (usually 1-2 weeks) in one of our foster homes for further assessment and basic health check. Our appraisal of the dog will be honest as the information we have as we would hate for the match to fail, it's both upsetting for you and the dog. We won't rehome dogs that have shown signs of aggression and all are health-checked before travel, any obvious eye ailments will be treated and the dog will be vaccinated and chipped. Adult dogs will be neutered - if you adopt a puppy, you will need to get them neutered after adoption at your own cost.

Please note: We do not rehome our dogs to families with children under 10 years old. Most of the dogs are blind or partially sighted and have lived on the streets or in a shelter for some time. They are unassessed with children so, for the sake of the child and the dog, we must put their welfare first. If you have visiting children, we need to know, but it won't preclude you from adopting. We would expect you to take the usual precautions as with any dog - do not leave a dog and child together unsupervised.

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Home visit

After you have completed the pre-adoption form we will arrange a home check. We use video link, FaceTime, WhatsApp video, Zoom, Messenger as our first choice of how to conduct the home check. We will contact you within a few days with a decision.

The home check is necessary to ensure that you and the dog are a perfect match for each other and that you understand the needs of a blind dog. It is not intended to be a test of your credentials as a potential dog owner so please don't worry! We will look at the areas of your home the dog will spend time in, do you have a garden - is it fully fenced and safe for a blind dog? How many hours do you work - do you have arrangements in place if you need to be out more than, say, four hours? Where will the dog sleep etc. All BDRUK dogs must live inside - most will have spent their entire lives outside and will crave the security of a warm, cosy bed. Ideally we would like all members of the household (and all pets!) to be present at the home visit to be sure that you are all in agreement.

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Paperwork and adoption fee

Most people pass the home visit with flying colours. Once we have had the report from the home visitor, we contact you to confirm that you wish to go ahead. Your chosen dog is then booked onto the transport - by road from most places in Europe, or by air. It can take a month or so for the dog to arrive, so you will need to be patient - very difficult we know! The dog will then spend up to two weeks in one of our foster homes to be further assessed and have a basic vet check.

We will send you an adoption pack which contains an adoption contract. Please sign it and return it to us. We ask you to read our adoption conditions carefully before signing. One of our conditions is that, if things don't work out between you and the dog, we must have the dog back.

We do ask that adopters give the dog plenty of time to settle (weeks rather than days) and do their utmost to work through any problems which might crop up. These dogs have probably never lived in a house, or been for a walk on a lead, so patience and a sensible approach to them is essential. Please think carefully about whether you are prepared to work on any minor problems, before adopting. We can help by suggesting a behaviourist and offer advice as experienced owners of partially sighted and blind dogs.

If you do need to return the dog, please be aware that we need time to find an alternative (foster) home as we try not to use kennels as this will unsettle the dog further. We ask that you keep your dog until we have found the right place.

There is an adoption fee to pay before the dog arrives (details in the adoption pack). Rest assured that every penny of the money is spent on making sure the dog is cared for, any ailments addressed and arrives safely into the UK. Transportation alone costs upwards of £200. We also send the dog's rescuer money for the passport and help with any medical expenses incurred and necessary tests to enter the UK and pay for the dog to spend 48 hours in mini-quarantine on arrival.

Once the contract and fee have been received, the only thing that remains is to wait for the big day when your dog arrives!

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Congratulations!

When your dog has arrived safely we can add you to our owners' group on Facebook (if you have an account). Here you can 'meet' other owners, ask advice and post pictures and information.

We hope that you will find adopting a dog from us a very satisfying and rewarding experience. We have lots of beautiful, intelligent dogs who are desperate for a loving home and very eager to please! We are always on hand to support you through your journey with your new friend and hope you will keep in touch with updates and pictures. It makes the time spent on rehoming so worthwhile - there's never a dry eye at BDRUK when we see a dog thriving in their new home and finally being able to put their past life behind them.

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