You may want to go for a virtual walk in the woods while your here.
Just click on the player below. It's 30 minutes of tranquility in a time of stress.

Coronavirus statement. SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19)

Current situation regarding our activities in the UK
This information will be updated if the situation changes.

Adoption is proceeding as it was pre-covid but until further notice people wishing us to take in a dog will have to deliver it to us in Yorkshire.
We are assessing dogs we take in, primarily for aggression towards people and dogs. If a dog fails our assessments we will not be able to take it.

We are restricting applications to homes in rural locations where there are no children under 8 years of age  and an adult is at home for most of the time to offer the dog companionship. Dogs are social animals and rely on the company of humans for their mental health.
If all adults are working all day or on shifts or temporarily working from home we are sorry but we could not accept that application.

Dogs we are taking in are unsuited to urban or suburban homes so we are only placing dogs in homes in rural environments.
Rural is defined as farms, smallholdings and homes in the countryside or homes on the edge of small, quiet villages that are not on main roads or part of larger housing estates and where background levels of human activity are not persistent or conspicuous.

Our office opens from 2pm to 5pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Our advice line opens from 2pm to 4 pm on Thursdays for help with training or behavioural issues

-----------------------------------

If you have an Aggressive Dog you want us to take in:-

We are sorry but we are no longer able to take in dogs with any form of aggression, either towards people, other dogs or animals.
People do not apply to rescue organisations to adopt an aggressive dog so we cannot re-home them.
If a dog is being rehomed because it is thought it may pose a risk to its owner, their family, their children, others it may meet or animals it comes into contact with it is easy to understand why no one else would want to adopt it and take on that risk.

Some dogs are loving and obedient most of the time with a good nature and only occasionally become aggressive. This is often a worse scenario. A dog with unpredictable aggression can be a higher risk than a dog that is known to be aggressive all the time.

It is a common belief that rehabilitation could make a difference and permanently cure a dogs aggression.
Rehabilitation of an aggressive dog can take a long time and the behavioural modification program needed to achieve success does not just stop at the point the dog ceases to display it's aggressive behaviour.
Whoever takes on such a dog would have to understand the triggers behind it's aggression and continue to employ the same behavioural modification program indefinitely to ensure the dog does not regress. Not many people will willingly take on this work and responsibility.

The Dangerous Dogs Act defines a dog as dangerous if: "On any occasion on which there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that it will injure any person, whether or not it actually does so".
In short this means that a dog is classed as dangerous if someone believes it may attack them and cause injury. It does not have to do so, just appear that it may do so. If a dog displays this behaviour it is classed as 'dangerous' within the definition of the law.
A dog that is dangerously out of control and attacks someone (or another animal) will make it's owner, keeper or handler liable to be sued for compensation under civil law and criminally responsible for the dogs actions if a human is frightened or injured. This offence carries potentially severe consequences if a criminal prosecution is brought against them. People do not want to take on this potential liability.

Dogs with aggression have the best chance of a good life if they stay where they are and are rehabilitated by people they know in an environment they are used to. If they are passed on, stress will add to their problem. We are happy to advise in these situations but cannot take such dogs in.

If you ask us to take on your dog, we will not be able to do so if it has any form of aggression.
If you try to hide this it will become apparent when the dog is given a pre-admission assessment when you bring it to us and on the basis that aggression is noted we would refuse to take the dog into our care. You would have to take it back home with you.

Please close this window when you have finished - our main website should still be open in the background