Above all, anyone thinking about rehoming their Cocker Spaniel should remember that the dog is your responsibility. You picked that pup, you brought him/her to your home, you made those choices. That little pup had no say in those choices, they trust you and if you really can’t keep him/her anymore, he/she still depends on you to do what’s best for his/her future. It takes a lot of time and effort to find him/her the right home.

 

The first thing to do is decide if you really need to give up your Cocker Spaniel. Sometimes, people are so desperate that they really think the only option is to surrender the dog, but in some cases there are other options, talking it through with someone from a group like CSRA can help with this. We have contacts and resources that you don’t have, and experience with managing many health and behavioural problems in Cocker Spaniels. We may present you with options that you hadn’t known existed before you talked to us. We are happy to come to you to discuss any concerns/issues that you are having with your dog, and guide you toward making the right decision for both you and the dog.

 

In some cases, surrendering really is the only option. Owners circumstances can change for many reasons, and often owners are heartbroken at having to surrender their Cocker Spaniel, but they genuinely have no other option. This is where we come in.

 

CSRA is very particular with how we select both our foster carers and our adopters. We are not a shelter. This means that the Cocker Spaniel lives in a home environment with a foster carer, usually with other pets. During their time in foster care, we assess the dog, and if they have any health or behaviour problems we work with them to overcome this. Often we can overcome behavioural issues ourselves as our carers are very experienced, but sometimes we need to call in reinforcements. We will do everything we possibly can, to ensure the dogs in our care get everything they need and leave no stone unturned when it comes to health or behavioural management.

 

There is no limit on the time that the dogs can stay with us, every dog is different and comes from different circumstances. It takes as long as it takes, and no dog is ever moved on before they are ready.

 

When a dog is ready, they are listed for adoption, and interested parties must complete an application. References are checked, home checks are conducted, meet and greets are held. Once we are satisfied that everything is ok with the application the adoption is finalised.

 

We don’t have trial periods as such, and this is because we are the dogs backup plan for life. We will always take one of our dogs back, at any time, for any reason should the need arise. It doesn’t matter if it’s two weeks or two years after adoption–they always have a bed with CSRA.

 

For more information on the surrender process, please contact us at info@csra.org.au