Surrendering a Dog
I don’t live in Scotland. Are you able to take a dog from elsewhere?
I’m afraid we cannot help individuals outside Scotland.
I have a Staffie cross. Are you able to help?
Sometimes. We accept that with some crosses, we are not always the best rescue to help. We do staffies so if the dominant breed is staffie, we may be able to help.
My dog has behaviour issues and I need to find him another home
Only in very rare situations can we assist immediately with a Staffie. We do not have kennels and emergency foster homes are few and far between. We are not an emergency service and would rather work with you to help find a new home for your dog.
Staffies with behaviour issues cost the rescue a lot of time and money. We don’t always have the ability to assist and usually this is down to whether we can afford the help the Staffie requires. Please understand that we do try our best to assist and dogs we can’t help frequently cause a lot of sleepless nights for us.
I can no longer care for my Staffie. What do I do?
Please complete the form giving as much information as you can. Please be honest – we respect this much more. Someone will be in touch as soon as possible and we will request that you send photos.
What is the process for giving up a dog to SSBTR?
- Complete the form giving as much information as possible. Once we have this form, an SSBTR member will be in touch to request you send in photos
- Once the information you have provided and the photos have been reviewed by the Committee, a decision will be taken to proceed to the next stage
- An SSBTR member will visit you to carry out a dog assessment. This may include going for a walk.
- Once the assessment paperwork is returned, the Committee will take a decision on whether or not SSBTR will accept the dog into the rescue’s care. You will be informed of our decision.
- SSBTR will look for an appropriate home for your Staffie and we will be in touch once we have found a potential home
- SSBTR expect you to retain the Staffie until such time as there is an appropriate placement for him/her.
Am I able to find out where my dog is going to keep in touch with the new family?
No. We will usually give you some general information about the new family but we ask that you respect their privacy. We won’t share your details with the new family either. The rescue is more than happy to give you updates on how the Staffie is but only if you request this – we will not contact you unless you ask.
Be reassured that an SSBTR Staffie is an SSBTR Staffie for life – if anything were to go wrong in the new home, the Staffie would have to be returned to our care.
Adoption
Why can’t I see any dogs available for adoption on your website or Facebook page?
The Committee have taken a decision NOT to advertise dogs at present. This is because we find that people see the photo rather than read what the Staffie needs. Certain colours and ages attract more attention and this is not helpful when shortlisting. We find the process of matching our dogs to families much more time efficient and easier all round. Only in urgent situations would we advertise a dog.
Can I meet a dog that I am matched to?
This depends on the dog’s location and situation. If you have an existing dog, we would expect you to travel for introductory meets. Usually the information we provide should be enough for you to make an informed decision around whether or not you can give our dog what it needs
What is your adoption fee?
Our adoption fee is £200. We cover bills for a vet check and neutering, vaccinations and microchipping of all Staffies coming into our care who require this. The Staffie will go on to its forever home with a new harness and lead. We ask our Staffies are kept on this ‘Cosy Dogs’ style of harness after adoption. We are a charity and as such, we do not profit from rehoming dogs – if we haven’t neutered, vaccinated or chipped your Staffie, be assured, your money has helped cover vet bills for another Staffie in need.
I don’t live in Scotland. Can I still Staffie a dog from you?
I’m afraid not. We are a registered charity in Scotland only and cannot operate outside Scotland. We can signpost you to rescues near you though.
What is the process for adopting a Staffie?
- We ask that you complete an application form
- Once received this is reviewed, we will note your requirements and situation and file
- When dogs come in, we check the relevant files for potential homes then shortlist
- Once we have shortlisted, someone will be in touch to arrange a homecheck
- Once the homecheck is completed, the Committee members agree which home is most appropriate
- You will be contacted to discuss the details of the specific Staffie looking for a home
- Once agreed, we will arrange and adoption and we ask that you pay the fee in advance
- If we decide you aren’t suitable for one of our Staffies, we will let you know the reasons for this
I have an SSBTR Staffie and can no longer look after the dog
Any SSBTR Staffie MUST be returned to our care if you are unable to care for the dog for any reason. You cannot under any circumstances rehome the dog yourself.
If you have family who are interested in taking over the care of the dog, please let us know and we will carry out a homecheck to satisfy ourselves that the dog will get the best care. We need to know our dogs are safe and well cared for.
Do you rehome with children and babies?
We have no issue with this at all and do not apply blanket policies. Some Staffies need to be rehomed with children or younger kids.
We do, however, expect children to be well trained around our Staffies and our dogs should never be left alone with children. We need you to tell us how you will keep our Staffie safe from children and create a safe child-free space where our Staffie can escape to. Staffies are known as the Nanny Dog for a reason but we do expect our Staffies to be respected by any child coming into contact with them and that the Staffie will not be subject to mistreatment by kids at any point.
Do you rehome to people in flats?
Yes. Many of our dogs live happily in flats
Do you rehome to people who work full-time?
Yes – the Trustees all work full time and have dogs! We do want to know what arrangements you will make if the dog is to be left alone for any longer than 3-4 hours
Why do you homecheck me?
We need to know you are who you say you are and that you can provide the best care for our Staffies. We are also looking to see if you will work with our dogs to give them a permanent home with you and not return them if there are any issues. Our dog’s resettlement is paramount to us – Staffies struggle with change so we do not want any rehoming to fail. This is a long-term commitment and we want to make sure you take this responsibility seriously.
I applied for a dog months ago and I still don’t have one
Our first and foremost priority is our Staffies. We are a rescue and assess the needs of a dog above your desire for a dog. If we haven’t been in touch, its’ because a suitable dog has not become available. Please do understand that almost all of our dogs come with baggage.
How long will you hold my application on file?
For one year then we will remove your application. This is usually because we have not matched you to a dog. Feel free to reapply but please consider what you are looking for in a dog. The older dogs (3+) have much fewer applications and its extremely rare for anyone to apply to us for an elderly dog (8+).
Fostering
Why do you favour homes without other dogs, cats or children?
Simply because our foster dogs usually have baggage and have very specific needs. It’s no reflection on you, it’s just we may not know enough about the dog and we cannot take any risks.
What support will you give me as a fosterer?
As much or as little as you require. With the younger dogs, we ask that you alert us immediately to any issues. We also ask, as a requirement of fostering, that you work with a behaviourist or trainer if required to deal with any issues.
We do expect you to complete foster information forms to give us as much information about the dog as possible on an ongoing basis. We will usually share information about a prospective home with you and ask your opinion on the prospective adopter. This may include telephone calls to the potential new owner if you are comfortable with this.
In relation to older dogs, please just keep us updated – we love our oldies and want to know how they are doing.
For foster dogs, we cover all vet bills, and anything else you find the dog requires.
If I foster and decide that I want to keep the dog with me, what happens?
Welcome to the failed foster club! Usually this isn’t an issue but please consider that if you’ve had a lovely foster experience, the best thing is to allow the dog to be rehomed to a permanent home, dust yourself off and prepare for the next one! Fosterers are like gold dust.
If you adopt, it is much harder for us to place another foster dog with you which means we lose you as a fosterer. This part is hard as we know only too well how hard it is to foster and see a dog blossom then go off to its new home but please do consider that you have the ability to save lots of dogs by continuing fostering for us. We can’t tell you how much we love our fosterers!
Fostering an oldie
We think oldies are fabulous and always wonder why people don’t apply for oldies! We do cover vet bills in some circumstances for older dogs.
Becoming an SSBTR member
Please get in touch if you want to become a member of SSBTR. This entitles you to attend and vote at Annual General Meetings. It also entitles you to stand for election to the Board of Trustees.
Becoming a volunteer
I am looking for work experience or to volunteer by walking dogs
I’m afraid we aren’t able to accommodate work experience. We have no kennels so you will not be able to walk any of our dogs.
I’d like to help the rescue raise find/homecheck/move dogs/admin etc
Please complete the volunteer application and we will be in touch!
Contacting SSBTR
I need to speak to someone by phone
Unfortunately we no longer give out phone numbers. This is because we had calls at all hours of the day and night and we all work full-time, have families and dogs! Please email, send us a message via ‘Contact Us’ page or a Facebook message with details of your query and we will respond as soon as possible.
If you require assistance in an emergency, please call SSPCA on 03000 999 999
SSBTR Finances
If you wish to see our accounts, or wish to query any aspect of the rescues finances, please get in touch by emailing ssbtr1975@hotmail.com
SSBTR do not tolerate any abuse of our Trustees or volunteers and will pass on any incidences to the relevant authorities and may share this with other rescues.
