Check they have ownership of dog and you meet it before you adopt- do not expect any support if you are a novice.
I adopted a dog through this company and honestly it has been nothing but problem after problem.
I tried to speak about my concerns with the CEO and other members of staff and was dismissed, ignored and left for long periods of time without being kept in the loop.
I was told my dog would be sent with everything he needed- he was sent with a broken crate- scraps of material which once were toys many moons ago and a harness and collar which cut his skin.
I was told he was once called another name and thought nothing of it at the time- but having since learnt that the company had no legal ownership of my dog and therefore it was illegal to sell him to me- I cant help but wonder if in fact he was rescused or just stolen.
I don't doubt he was neglected- but the state he came to me in was most certainly neglectful too.
He was underweight, had clearly never had a health check as was needing urgent surgery- due to have a retained testicle which was causing issues regulating temperature and 12x more likely to cause cancer- a simple health check at any point in his life would have identified this. I was told he'd come from a crack den and had never been for a walk prior to coming to his foster "care" however 3 visits to the vets have confirmed it is very unlikely he did go for walks due to the fact everytime he does walk- his paws bleed- because they arent used to the grounds wear and tear on them.. the harness they provided also didnt fit&cut his skin which is another indicator hed never been walked. He is now recieving proper care and treatment and awaiting training but I find it disgusting that you can rescue a dog and not legally be able to, nor have any idea of the state the dog was in health wise.
He was "sold" to me, a single mum of 3, 5 and under- as a lovely dog, which he is, and fully assessed with children. However, it would take 5 minutes in a room for anyone with common sense to realise he is unsuitable around children due to his excitement and his lack spatial awareness around babies and young children. On a lead theres no way a single mum of 3 would "be fine" with his level of pulling and determination!
I was told id be sent down with training tips, full information on him& the microchip info- i recieved nothing. I asked for a call from someone and stated some concerns i had around his separation anxiety (which I was not told about at all), disruptive behaviour causing damage to my door, fence and ripping baby gates out the wall, also issues with not being "toilet trained" despite being assured he was- he clawed my walls to strips. I was ignored or fobbed off.. my baby was hurt x3 and I had zero advice, assurance or support so I asked for him to be collected. I was told he would be- but nothing was confirmed this went on for a few days. In that time, not knowing how long I'd have him for until they found a solution- I did a lot of research& spoke to a legitimate charity (these said they were a not for profit charity on the phone however this is untrue) i was able to speak to a behaviourist&find solutions +discuss my concerns with people who cared about the dogs welfare- which clearly a "rescue" who lied about his suitability,needs&neglected to see the health issues he had- did not.
The CEO dawn then got back to me to tell me he would be collected- I said i felt let down by them but had found support &wanted to keep him. she told me very aggressively it wasn't an option- it got to gone 11pm and I relented because I didnt know any better at the time. The morning came and me and my children said goodbye to him before school run and id arranged someone to be there to let him go- 4 hrs before I got a text to say he would not be collected. I was furious- having been told "I cannot mess with a dogs life" the night before but I seemed to be the only one actually trying to do what was best for the dog!
I took him to the vets, got some advice and spoke to the microchip company- I explained id been told over a month before that it was being signed over but grew suspicious when I kept being given an array of excuses. They ran a check and confirmed that the dog was never in the name of the company- nor any of its staff- in fact he was never owned by anyone at all!
I text theCEO directly to tell her this and she continued to lie- a recurring theme- telling me she had reported his chip as stolen and reported me to the police! I rang the chip company again and confirmed the situation and they have assured me it is not possible for them to report the dog stolen as in fact they have never had ownership over him and legally they cannot sell a dog without ownership &providing microchip no- health records/vaccines/treatments or docs.
Over £1k later he is getting to where he needs to be- but it is no thanks to this "company" at all. Formal complaint and neglect report in process.