What you should consider when rehome or adopting
Buying a rehoming dog or adopting comes with many benefits for you as an owner and it also gives the dog a safe home to come to. There are many different reasons why someone relocates their dog with a change in family situation or living arrangements being two of the most common reasons. In some EU countries there is also a high population of homeless dogs and there are several organisations working to provide homes for these dogs in Sweden.
When buying a relocation dog or adopting, there are a few things you should consider:
Find out the facts about the dog
In order to create the best possible conditions for the dog and you as the owner, you should find out the facts about the dog. This is to avoid unpredictable situations. Examples of questions you can ask previous owners or transferees are the following:
Is the dog healthy?
How does it get on with other dogs?
Is the dog afraid of anything?
Is it housebroken?
What is the reason for the relocation?
Insurance
The dog does not need to have a veterinary examination to be insured with us. However, what may be useful to know is that the insurance does not cover injuries/diseases that have occurred within the last 24 months. Because of this, it is extra important that you are aware of your dog's health when you take it over. If you are taking over a dog that is insured with Lassie, both the previous owner and you will need to contact us to confirm that the insurance will be transferred to you.
Registering a change of ownership
You must register your dog with the Swedish Board of Agriculture before it is 4 months old. If you buy a dog older than 3 months, you must register it within 4 weeks. If you buy a dog that is already marked and registered, you must notify the new owner within 4 weeks. You will need to have access to the previous owner's identity number and the dog's ID number to register the change.
Adopting a dog from abroad
If you adopt a dog from abroad, you need to follow the Swedish Board of Agriculture's rules on importing dogs. Here You can find information on what applies to bringing a dog home to Sweden in the section "Adopting a dog". To take out insurance for an imported dog with us, you will need to wait until the dog arrives in Sweden and you will also need a Swedish identity number. You can buy insurance from us without a veterinary certificate, the waiting period is then 14 days for illness. For accidents it applies immediately. The insurance does not cover illness caused by parasites and/or illness caused by infection that the dog brought with it when it was brought to Sweden. The insurance does not cover injury and/or problems that the dog brought with it when it was brought to Sweden.
Give your new family member time
Remember that it can take time for your dog to get used to its new surroundings and to its new owners, and patience is important - especially if the dog is coming here from another country and has had an unsafe life in the past.