Questions and Answers About PNUK, Our Dogs, Our Service and Other Information

 

Do we have Charitable Status and why have we Registered?

Poodle Network UK (PNUK) is Registered with the Charities Commission and our Charity Number is 1163333.

PNUK wanted our donors and supporters to have the absolute certainty that 100% of their donations goes to the care & continued welfare of the Poodles and the founding Trustees wanted to ensure no individual or volunteer benefited from the donations we received; our registration ensures this. 

It is a UK legal requirement that an organisation receiving over £5000 in donations registers as a charity; if you do not register as a charity then your legal standing in the UK is that of a business as the UK & HMRC does not legally recognise terms like not for profit or non-profit making. If you are legally a business then all business legislation including HMRC Employment legislation applies; this includes minimum wages as businesses cannot have unpaid volunteers. 

 

What Poodles do you Rescue?

We rescue ALL Poodle sizes: toy, miniature and standard; whatever their condition, issues and medical needs.

 

How are our fosterers chosen?

Each fosterer is required to complete a comprehensive assessment about their knowledge and experience with Poodles and their traits, behaviour and training and must pass a thorough home check before being approved as a fosterer.  If you would like to be a fosterer, please contact the trustees.

 

What assessments do the dogs go through?

We ask previous owners to complete an assessment form about the dog they are turning over to our care; we expect this to be an honest assessment about the dog but have no way to verify the information.  We take all poodles (except dangerous dogs which fall under the Dangerous Doga Act 1991 & updates) no matter what their needs; the assessment is needed so we can find the correct fosterer and home which is best suited to the dog. Fosterers complete a thorough assessment of the dog and any issues and prepare the dogs to be rehomed.  When needed we have behaviourists who work with the fosterers to develop rehabilitation programs.

 

How are homes chosen?

Anyone wishing to adopt one of our Poodles is asked to complete an Application form and we match our dogs as closely as possible to the home we think will suit them.  Dogs are not allocated in the order people apply or that the dog comes into us.  All applications are thoroughly vetted and it is a requirement that a comprehensive home check is completed before a dog is placed with a new family.

We look at the age of the poodle, temperament, activity level and many other factors before offering a poodle to what we consider to be the best home.

Poodles are very sociable, active, intelligent animals, they need companionship and stimulus, and do not like to be left alone, this is also considered in our homes.

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What happens when the dog is in its new home?

Each dog has a human volunteer buddy who is there for the owners to discuss problems and issues with; the sooner problems are raised with us the easier they are to deal with; before they become ingrained.  Some dogs settle immediately, some dogs take time.  It is essential that new carers realise that the dog is frightened and very uncertain; it has to get to know you and learn to trust you and this can sometimes take weeks or months depending on what the dog has gone through previously.  The dog needs to be allowed space and time to settle with positive enforcement of the good behaviour. We do not condone punishment of bad behaviour.  Although we try to resolve issues whilst the dog is in foster, this work must be ongoing in the new home. You must remember that what other people have seen as acceptable behaviour you may not and a dog needs to gently adjust to your expectations.

Dogs must never be let off lead for at least the first 4 weeks of the poodle coming to you and only then if you are 100% certain of their recall.

 

Do I need to attend training with my rescue poodle?

Poodles need stimulus and training, we expect all carers to provide our dogs with the necessary training to allow them to become a wonderful, well socialised member of their home and community.  It is a possibility that corrective behavioural training may be needed as many rescue dogs have issues which they need to ‘unlearn’.  We expect our carers to provide our poodles with any training they may need.  Agility training is also an ideal way to keep your poodle active, put their energy to good use and allow them to use their intelligence, however this must be age appropriate to the dog.  If you have issues after your become a carer we will happily work with you on them; the sooner you tell us the easier this will be.  Our volunteers have a wealth of experience which they are happy to share with you.

 

Do I need to groom my dog?

Poodles need daily grooming, ideally with a slicker brush and they must be clipped every 4 to 6 weeks to keep their coats in tip top condition.  You need to factor the cost of grooming into having a poodle as the costs for this can vary substantially; it is essential you find a caring groomer who will look after your pet and not frighten them as it is a lengthy process which they need to get used to. Grooming daily allows them to get used to being handled, feel round all their feet, so they are used to this when they go to the groomers or the vets.  This also allows you to quickly notice changes and potential issues with your dogs skin, feet and pads. 

Poodles nails, particularly dew claws may need regular trimming, this can usually be done when they are groomed, however occasionally it may be necessary for a vet to do this.

 

Do I need to clean their teeth?

Teeth cleaning regularly is recommended particularly with smaller poodles as their teeth can quickly accumulate tartar and decay.  Cleaning their teeth allows them to get used to having their faces handled and teeth looked at which causes less problems at the vets & groomers.

 

Walking, Exercise & Training

The amount of walking and exercise is dependent on the size, age and energy levels of the poodle.

When the poodle comes to live in your home, please consider some of these dogs have possibly never left their homes or been on leads.  Harnesses and anti pull face harnesses may be needed whilst you train them to walk nicely on leads. Please gradually build up the amount of exercise you undertake as some of our dogs may need time for their muscles to develop, if they have not had much exercise before they come to you. Please ensure you have water for the dog if needed.

Do not let the poodle off the lead for at least 4 weeks and until you are 100% certain they have perfect recall to you, some may never be able to be let off their leads and many areas do not allow this.  Lead length may be specified if a dog control order is in force.

When in a public place your dog must wear a collar with an identity tag stating the dogs name, your name, your phone number and address, it is a criminal offence if a dog does not wear this.

It is also an offence not to clean up after your dog.

General obedience training classes are often needed for rescue dogs and many of our dogs need dog and human socialisation. Your dog needs to be a valued member of society and be well behaved and not cause a nuisance to others, obedience and other classes are the best way to achieve this. By taking one of our dogs you are agreeing to undertake whatever training the dogs needs to reach its true potential. We cannot guarantee the temperament of any of the dogs, we can only go off the dogs’ history given to us by the previous owner and our foster carers experience of the dog.

 

Dog Identity & The Law

In a public place your dog must wear a collar with an identity tag stating the dogs name, your name, your phone number and address, it is a criminal offence if a dog does not wear this.

All dogs must be microchipped and the details on the microchip databases must be kept up to date. It is the legal carer’s responsibility to ensure the information is correct and updated. A copy of your carer contract can be supplied with the form to show you have a legal right to have the chip changed to you.  The database companies usually charge a fee to change the chip registration to you. Petlog have an online chip checking service with usually tells you which company the chip is registered with.

You must comply with all local and national regulations relating to owning a dog, this includes the Dogs Act 1871, The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, Animal Welfare Act 2006, Local Dog Control Orders, Public Spaces Protection Orders (from the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005), the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which covers issues like barking. There may be other legislation which may be applicable and these can be updated and you must be aware of and comply with any changes.

Section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 applies to every single dog in England & Wales, no matter whether it is a pure bred dog, cross or a mongrel and regardless of its size; it is applicable now even in your own home and garden and you must consider this, it is not just about biting, jumping up and scratching someone, it can be used if someone is frightened of the way your dog behaves.

Some local councils have bye laws about lead length and type, extendable leads are often not allowed and should never be used near roads.  Many require dog bags to be carried with you and you must always clean up after your dog. 

 

Medical Treatment / Health Testing

All our poodles must receive regular checks and any medical treatment they may need and the carer must provide this.  Please factor the possible costs into offering a home to a poodle.  Please consider insuring your poodle with a reputable insurer to allow for any unexpected illnesses.  As medical research has advanced, the costs of treatment have substantially increased.  An MRI and xrays may be well over £1000 each.

Please research thoroughly known breed medical issues as we do not have the pedigrees for most of our poodles, we have no way of knowing if the dogs we rehome have come from parents who have been health tested or not.  It is a possibility that the poodle you have may develop these issues. We also cannot guarantee the dog you receive is 100% Poodle.

Vaccinations – we do not advise that our dogs must receive annual vaccinations, titer testing annually to test antibody levels is also acceptable as are nosodes.  Please consider your insurance requirements, kennel requirements & passport legislation and please research all options to allow you to make an informed decision for the health of your poodle.  We rarely receive vaccination information with our dogs; if you choose to have the poodle vaccinated, it is at your expense. 

Fleas, worming and ticks: we expect you to ensure our dogs remain free of these, regular grooming allows you to quickly notice fleas and ticks which must be removed immediately. Please research the treatments on offer from your vets before making a decision on which products to use.

5 weeks free insurance is available with all dogs leaving us regardless of age, which is subject to Agria’s Terms & Conditions.  You must give written permission to accept the insurance as we have to have in writing permission to pass your details onto them under the Data Protection Act; and until we receive the original carer contract giving us permission we cannot activate this.

Under GDPR we need the previous owners’ permission to access a dogs veterinary records; not all owners are willing to give us permission or provide the information.  If we do gain access we can only provide the information directly to your vet, not to yourselves as we have a duty to protect the previous owners details.

In the event a dog has a lifelong medical condition before leaving us we will contribute to the medication costs for the condition.  If a dog develops a lifelong condition after the first 2 weeks of the free insurance then the medical costs will be your responsibility.

 

Feeding & Water

All our poodles must have continuous access to water and be provided with food daily.  We advise grain free foods are used for our dogs or for tinned food Butchers Tripe and/or Chappie.  There are numerous independent food reviews and research on the internet.  If you are cooking food for your dog please research the foods dogs should not be given eg onion, garlic in large quantities, grapes, raisins, chocolate, artificial sweeteners etc.  A balanced raw diet is also acceptable and there are many groups on Facebook to assist with this should you choose it.  (Oodles of Raw Fed Poodles is a group run by Lynne Abley Burton, one of our Patrons).

 

Donations

Donations to Poodle Network UK are based on the age, size and needs of the dog.  The funds go towards the veterinary costs, transport, and food for foster dogs which we as a charity incur as a whole.  Donations are not specific to the costs incurred for the dog you receive.  Whilst some dogs may not need veterinary care, others can incur bills for dentals and neutering in excess of £750.  We also pay some or all of the medication costs of dogs leaving us with lifelong medical conditions (if a dog develops a lifelong condition after the free insurance has expired after leaving us, then the medication costs will be your responsibility). All our volunteers are unpaid.  We pay transporters 25p a mile which is less than the HMRC rates of 40p.

Donations on receiving your dog are not refundable should you change your mind and/or return the dog to us.

 

Fundraising

We have a weekly auction via our fundraising page on facebook of donated items to raise money towards the costs of our poodles.  

Other fundraising events are run through out the year.  Without these funds we could not provide the medical needs for our poodles as the average donations receive fall far short of our veterinary costs alone.

New fundraising ideas and volunteers are always welcome.

 

GDPR

We take our responsibilities regarding data protection seriously even though we are not required to be registered.  The only third parties we divulge information to are the chip companies and Agria Insurance with your permission and when we are legally required to do so.  We have a data protection policy which is available on request.

 

Advice & Assistance

Our volunteers are available to give Poodle friendly advice, we would rather work with people on issues than rehome their dog.  Poodles are exceptionally intelligent, fun loving, people dogs. We are used to dealing with many common and uncommon issues.   This advice is available to anyone, not just to carers of our Poodles.  The earlier problems are worked on, the easier they are to solve before they become ingrained.  It takes far longer to unlearn a behaviour and relearn a new one.  Please remember when becoming a carer that a poodle may have to unlearn behaviours from their previous home and relearn your routines and expectations of them.  This can take a while; providing your Poodle with the correct training will allow your Poodle to become the pet you want; but this will take time and perseverance and as a carer we expect you to put in the work necessary and take the Poodle to training classes if needed.

 

Spaying, Neutering and Breeding

Our poodles must never be used for breeding, they are spayed or neutered before they leave us.  Poodles should not be spayed or neutered until their growth plates have closed.

 

Pedigrees

All our poodles are pets going to pet homes.  They must not be used as models for grooming parlours or for showing.  They do not come with pedigrees and under no circumstances will anyone be given information relating to their pedigrees.  On the very rare occasion we receive their pedigree as a poodle comes into us it will be destroyed and there are no exceptions to this.

 

Ownership of the Poodles

Poodle Network UK requires regular updates on all dogs we rehome until their death.  In the event you can no longer care for our poodle for whatever reason then you or your family/executor of your estate must contact us using the details on the website and arrange for the Poodle to be returned to our care.  In the event of your death we must be informed and the ownership immediately reverts back to Poodle Network UK.  If you have left details of a person you wish to look after the poodle, we will home check them and the care will transfer to the person in accordance with your wishes if the relevant forms and the home check are completed to our satisfaction.  If we deem the person unsuitable, then the dog must be returned to us.

If we have a proven reason to believe any of our dogs are not being cared for correctly they must be returned to us.

 

Keeping us informed about yourself and our Poodles

We like to receive updates and pictures on all our Poodles.  Please ensure any changes to your contact details are notified to us immediately.  We will keep in contact with all our carers to ensure the continued welfare of our Poodles and we are always available if carers have any issues or need to speak to us.