A lot of people ask me how they can get a rescue dog or puppy so here are some ideas to get you started.
First of all, try your local canile or council dog pound. If you are not sure, contact your comune or ASL and ask them where your local canile is located. You may also be able to find them online if you Google, for example : “canile municipale, Arezzo” . You will need to go along in person to see the dogs, so make sure you know the opening hours as not all of them open on weekdays.
Ask your local vet or pet shop and also look at any small ads they have posted thereon their noticeboards. Most will have adverts for dogs and puppies looking for homes. Some shopping centres and bars also have ads posted, so look at those too.
Get a copy of your local free ads newspaper. These have different names in different areas. here in Arezzo our local free ads paper is called Piazza Grande, but yours may be known by another name, ask your newsagent. (ask for “un giornale con piccoli annunci gratuiti”) Look at the pets section (Animali) . Pets being given away often say “regalasi” or “regalo”, which means free. you may also see a phrase such as “cerca padrone” or “cerca casa” (looking for an owner/ home).
Ask in your bar, corner shop or your neighbours. There is usually someone who knows of dogs or puppies needing a good home.
Go online. This is how I got our two most recent dogs, Gassie the Setter and Mana’ the mongrel. There are numerous websites and Facebook pages for animals looking for homes. Here is a link to some of the most popular dog adoption websites.
You can also Google your requirements or some keywords or phrases, for example: “regalo cane piccola taglia Firenze.” (free small dog Florence.) I usually add the date to the Google search so you get recent ads. If you reply to an internet pet appeal website or Facebook page it is always best to phone if possible as not everyone, even rescuers desperate to rehome dogs, replies to emails believe it or not.