The Real Reason there are so many Dogs in Rescue in the UK
I started working with rescue dogs in 2003 and I've always kept my hand in. (I say I'm taking a step back but it never happens for very long!)
This is my personal opinion. We all love to demonise people who rehome their dogs, or worse abandon them. I still find those abhorrent in most cases BUT what I realised over time was that quite a lot of these people would be good homes IF they chose the right breed/dog for their lifestyle. It is a real lack of self education and/or the will to adapt if you do make a mistake and buy or adopt the wrong dog for your setup.
That is why I really push my Educational 121 Course to help people make the right choices. Let's be realistic, if you work full time, have young children and enjoy a lot of holidays a high drive or high maintenance dog like a Malinois or a Dobermann are not going to be suitable unless you commit to making some changes to your lifestyle...permanently.
I also have never judged people wanting to have dogs in flats. I personally found that the owners living in flats were very structured in making sure that the dogs were well exercised. However, back to the breed selection. If you live in a flat or a semi a Miniature Dachshund probably isn't the best bet as they LOVE to alert bark!
Another reason is the terribly strict rules that a lot of these rescue centres have. It must be very difficult to be seen to treat everyone fairly and that could be where the problems arise. Someone's set up on paper could sound all wrong, when in reality they would be a brilliant home (and vice versa).
