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Welfare & Rehoming
As co-ordinator for the LCGB, I HELP TO
REHOME ALL Leos whether from club members or non members.
Most
come from very difficult circumstances including, marital
breakdowns, downsizing of accommodation, moving to rented
properties and returning to full time work to name just a few.
It is
not normally the fault of the dog, most of the rehomes
are of very sound temperaments, something we can be proud of
in our breed.
Owners are asked to complete a questionnaire, giving as much
information as they can about their dog, the questions are
simple but can give us a good insight into the dogs needs,
including health, behaviour and training needs and likes and
dislikes. One of the questions asked is has the breeder been
informed and its amazing how many people are reluctant to even
say who the breeder was. Maybe this is because of
embarrassment or of feeling a failure. We have to remain non
judgemental in any issues discussed, after all our priority is
for the dogs well being. Home from home is a less traumatic
way of rehoming for the dog but sometimes dogs have to be
brought into kennels for an interim period or for assessment
of needs. Donations from new owners help finance this.
Prospective new owners also complete a questionnaire which
helps us when matching the right dog for the right home, home
checking is also carried out in situations where a reference
from a leo person is not available. We have to make sure that
the need is for a Leo and not just for a dog.
The
amount of Leos we have helped rehome has been overwhelming but
with the breed expanding in number and the amount of puppies
being born I suppose sadly we have to expect this.
Other
areas covered by welfare are Health, Education and Research
and of course reports of cruelty, puppy farms, dogs left in
distressing conditions with no human contact. This is NOT what
we want for our breed, they were originally bred as companion
dogs and thrive on human company, they do not enjoy solitary
confinement.
Relevant forms mentioned in this brief
report can be downloaded from
www.leonbergerclub.org.uk
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