If you have adopted a shelter dog, where did you find it and what was your experience?

My wifes sister has a bull terrier from the pound. Obedient, knows commands well was a teen when bought. It’s the luck of the draw + how patient you are with training. Do it! Rescue a pup/doggy. They love to greet :3

And then there was Maggie.

Two days before Maggie would be put to sleep. She was at a shelter in my city. She was a puppy that had paws the size of grapefruits. Wife and daughter bought her and brought her home.

She is now 8 months old and weighes 80 pounds. She will topout at 120 pounds easy.

We named her Maggie for reasons unknown. She is a big clumpsy elephant. Her white eye lashes make her a standout.

She is registered, spayed and has all her shots.

Are we disappointed? No, now if only I could teach her not to eat my car.

Our new dog from the pound cost us around a grande due to the fact that she ruined our carpets. She was not “potty trained” and has been leaving us little surprises around the house since we got her. That was 4 years ago now.

Despite the annoyance, she has held up her end of the bargain and I’m still glad we got her. Even if she’s a turd.

Our Buddy is a pound puppy. We got him when he was 8. He was already trained and very loving. The only thing is that he barks too much and we just haven’t figured out in four years how to quiet him down when someone comes over. We’ve tried everything except shock collars. Other than that he has been a wonderful dog.

Our Micro was a Westie that we had for 13 years. I got him from my vet, who was treating him, then was going to put him up for adoption. He had been badly beaten, malnourished and abused, but was indeed housebroken and had a great disposition. He was a feisty guy, ran the household and was one of my faves… Because of the previous abuse, he took a lot of training to get him back, but was worth it. The vet was very honest with me about the problems I was likely to have.
I don’t know if this was any help…........

I’ve had 3 rescue dogs in the last few years. All were wonderful animals and already housebroken. The rescue place had analyzed the dogs and told me of their quirks and personalities. They were spot on with two of the dogs. The third dog was more than I could control and had to take him back. Apparently he needed an “alpha” person to control him and that wasn’t me. I would love to have another dog right now, but with my situation being so precarious, I’ll have to wait.
The only thing I would ask you is what you will be doing with the dog while you travel? Have you thought about that yet?

Every mutt rescue dog I have known is THE BEST DOG EVER!!

The pure breds not so much.

@JilltheTooth Talking to the vet is a great idea. My vets know me well from Prince.

@chyna It would either be with my brother-in-law or boarding at the vet’s; both of which I’ve done in the past. However, it is an expense and a constraint.

So far, I am just thinking about it but it is a positive thing to ponder.

I do feel I would need a low-key “mush dog” who is house-broken.

My ex and I adopted both a cat and dog from the Humane Society. The only issue that we had was that the cat had an upper respiratory infection and the dog had kennel cough. We didn’t know it until we got home. Both were treated; fast-forward 10 years later and we now have senior pets living the life of Riley! ((the dog is actually named Rily :) My ex has her)).

I am not sure if you have much spare time, and would be interested in volunteering a few hours a week at your local shelter. I am talking about dog walking. Does your shelter have a dog walking program set up for volunteers? Maybe something that you could look into. That’s how we got Riley. We used to walk the dogs (with a bunch of volunteers) on Sundays. A few hours. Karen (my ex) took Riley out often and we both bonded with the pooch. She was a bit crazy (Squirrel!!), lovable and had the goofiest, sweetest look on her face.

I know that you love to get out for walks (exercise) and this way, you can spend time with a pooch and see if they’re right for you!

Riley

@Jude Our local SPCA is a big operation. I applied to dog walk and never heard back; then winter came. Maybe I will pursue it come Spring; it is a good idea.

@janbb – my local SPCA in Ohio was a big/good operation, too.
They offered training classes along with my adoption and I took them with my puppy (adopted at about 5 mo. old) and was very pleased. Good places do tend to try to match the animal with the lifestyle and owner..and as long as you can find people to care for your dog when you travel don’t worry about that.
I have a good friend who travels nearly every week and she has a dog “nanny” (a college student who is also her dog walker and cares for her dogs when she’s out-of-town). If you can find a reputable teenager or college student you trust you can hire them to watch your dog when you travel.

Where I live now does not have an SPCA so we’ve gotten 2 dogs from a local rescue organization. They also did a good job of placing animals and would gladly take them back and re-place them if they needed a “better fit” with another family. They also had a roster of people who provided foster care for dogs—so if you’re unsure about formally adopting you could always try signing up to foster dogs..and see how that goes.

I second @jaytkay‘s endorsement of mutts (mixed breed dogs).. I find them to be healthier and without the common ailments (hip dysplasia, etc) of other pure bred dogs. All 3 of the rescue dogs I’ve adopted are mixes of dogs that most people wouldn’t accept (one was half Chow Chow – and apparently in Florida you can’t get homeowners insurance if your dog is part Chow..our current dog is part Pit Bull and is a huge black dog no one else would adopt) and all 3 dogs came from past abuse.
All 3 have been wonderful family pets. (Although my first dog was a bit neurotic her entire life and never lost her fear of seeing a rolled up newspaper. Apparently she was hit with a rolled up paper pre-rescue and despite my having adopted her at just 4 mo. old—she remembered that abuse.)

Mt family got a great dog from the County animal shelter. He was large, black on top, tan on the bottom with long hair. At night, my dad would let him out to roam the neighborhood. One time he came home with a loaf of bread in his mouth, We called him bread dog after that and gave him pieces of bread for treats.

He was affectionate, obedient, and a great dog.

My rescue dog didnt know how to play with toys or balls. I went to somerset to get him. I looked at 3 dogs and he came up and kissed me.

I looked at petfinders. Good luck!

Shelter animals and rescued strays are the best pets. I personally think it’s crazy that anyone would actually spend tons of money on a specific breed of dog. Isn’t the whole point just to love them? We used to have a dog and a cat and both were strays and free. We got them when we lived in Taiwan and my parents were feeling guilty about having to move without our dog (he was sent to live with my grandmother). We got our cat first—I named him “Mao” which is cat in Mandarin—and we got him from a vet when he was a tiny kitten. He and his sister were rescued from the streets and had been given their shots and were both fixed. Somehow my mom heard about them and we had originally intended to pick them both up, but when we got there only the male was left—and Lord we knew why, he was screaming his head off! Had that cat for about fourteen years, from when I was in first grade until I was a Sophomore in college. He slept with me every single night, and always made sure his opinion was heard every damn day.

We got our dog from a school group (also in Taiwan) who rescued stray animals and also took them to be vaccinated. They then let them be adopted for free at school fairs and such. Our dog, Cinnamon, was a puppy when we got her. My sister picked her out. She was the only blonde puppy in a litter of all black. She also was sneezing and had mange. And that’s the one my sister picked. Thirteen years later and we still have that dog. She’s old and grumpy though. And isn’t quite right in the head, though that’s not because she was a stray.

Mao was a huge tabby and Cinnamon is a mutt. I would recommend a shelter pet.

Okay I will speak for the pure breds first, the major advantage is that you know pretty much what you are getting. The size, tempearment, coat length, grooming requirements, potential health problems, etc. You can adopt an adult from a breed specific rescue. Often breed specific rescues are much more stringent in their temperament testing than your local SPCA. SPCAs do much good, but I often think they try to move animals so as to avoid putting them to sleep, thus animals who have problems or are not yet ready for adoption are pushed onto unsuspecting folks. Breed specific rescues will interview you and determine if you and the dog are matched, they don’t want to get the dog back because of incompatibility. You are again saving a life, just from a different source.

Now for mutts or SPCA type rescues. 2 of the 3 dogs I have owned since moving to Australia have been rescued from the pound. Both were on death row with limited time left. Both were wonderful dogs, but I am a dog trainer, I know what I am looking at and am not swayed by cuteness or emotional attachment.

So both are good but if you go the SPCA or similar association route, take your time, sit with the dog and observe its behavior, its interaction with other dogs and people. You don’t want one that is too shy (could become a fear biter) or to rambunctious because they can drive you crazy. Just use common sense. And I think you are smart to be looking for an adult, pups are cute but as demanding as a baby.

Dogs are the best friend you will ever have. I literally cannot imagine living without one so I think you should definitely get one! Keep us posted.

About ten years ago, we rescued Lilly – a terrier mix mutt – from the SPCA. She was almost a year old. Her foster family had brought her to the local PetSmart store to show her off. She was cute and scruffly looking and calm. Love at first sight and so we took her home.

The “calm” part was actually a symptom. We soon learned that Lilly was a little ill when we got her… which isn’t unusual for pound puppies that get shuffled around a lot. But she quickly got better with us and became quite spunky and energetic and fun.

As it turns out, Lilly is also the smartest dog I’ve ever had, too. (In violation of local ordinance) we regularly walk her without a leash and she responds instantly and intelligently to voice commands. She’ll even heel within sight of other dogs or cats that are out.

So yes, rescue a dog and don’t fear the mutts!

Just make sure you do have enough time to spend with them. All dogs need regular play and exercise with you. They’re not always cheap or easy… but are definitely worth every minute of time and every penny of expense.

@robmandu She’s so adorable!

I’m pretty sure @janbb already knows how to ,raise a dog, she seems to be asking about aquiring one from one of those places.

As @JilltheTooth says, I have owned dogs and know what it entails. I was asking about people’s experiences with rescues or shelters. My Prince was a purebred Cocker but I “rescued” him from a family who had to give him up.

I got my Staffy, Zara from Battersea Dogs Home. I didn’t set out to adopt a dog, I just went for a look around and when I got to Zara’s cage my first thought was “what an ugly little dog”. However, when I tried to walk away she did a strange little whine and then reached her two front paws as far out of bars as she could. I stroked her for a bit (even though all the signs around the building ask you not to stroke the dogs as they can’t be held responsible for any bites etc!) and tried to walk away again but she still wasn’t having any of it. Then another couple showed her some attention and I watched to see if she would do her strange little pleading with them as they walked away. She didn’t. I took her home a week later. I have heard it said, so many times, that animals choose their owners rather than the other way round but I didn’t quite believe it until I got Zara. By the way, I think she is the most beautiful dog in the world now.

@JilltheTooth, and I’m sure both you and @janbb are aware that other people who are considering getting a dog might also someday read this discussion. So, a little friendly reminder of the responsibility involved should be something we all reinforce with each other.

Well, chastised am I.

After moving into a house with a doggy door, I was anxious to adopt a dog. I went to the Humane Society for my first dog. She had separation anxiety, so I went searching for a brother or sister to keep her company while I was at work. I tried out several no-kill shelters, and Petsmart. I spent 6 weekends before finding the right dog. You know by how the react with you if they are the right fit.

In searching I found more older dogs than puppies. And they came in all sizes.

Good luck!

I never understand this distaste or dislike of pure bred dogs. To me, it reeks of reverse snobbism. Any dog, pure or mutt can be the best, sweetest and smartest or the opposite. I have handled miserable, sickly and unpleasant mutts, there is no guarantee that just because it is of indeterminate origin it is going to be a wonderful dog.

@janbb – As I recall you are in Jersey, if you are interested in a large, thinking, sensible dog, you might consider a senior akita. You can go anywhere with your akita and not worry about people bothering you. A sane one is the best dog you could ever own, an poorly bred one is a nightmare. There is an organization called Arwny who rescues, evaluates and places (with great care and consideration) akitas who need a home. If you like independent, intelligent, thinking dogs who read your mind, have a look at their website. And if you want to know more about akitas in general, just give a google, they are Japanese originally, probably relatives of the dingo, and truly amazing dogs, but not for beginners, push overs or people who are not as smart as they are!

Thanks @rooeytoo but I think that would probably be too much dog for me. My last one was one was a sweet, dumb Cocker Spaniel. I’m looking for small, calm and loving.

@janbb : After spending 11 years with a wild Magyar nut-case (Zup) I have seriously considered a Clumber Spaniel as my next dog… :-D I get it.

Speaking of breeds, anyone have experience with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel? My cousin has one and that is a possibility.

I know a bunch (not personal experience, sorry) and they are all lovely, and my friends are all so hooked that they’ll never have anything else. Bright, sweet, a bit goofy, I’ve never heard a single bad thing about them!

@JilltheTooth It would be the right size for me; I like their looks and my cousin’s is a sweetheart.

That whole “tuck up under the arm” portable thing is very appealing. I liked that about our Westie.

I have heard that if they are not well-bred they can have brains too big for their heads which can cause seizures.

The only ones that I know have come from reputable breeders, which is what I would recommend anyway, even with the rescues. Usually the local breed club will sponsor a rescue group, and really keep an eye on the ones that go through. it behooves them to promote responsible ownership and breeding.

Aha – was wondering if I could combine getting a well-bred one with rescuing an adult!

@janbb – google cav rescue groups, I am sure you will find one. They are prone to eye and skin problems I know. There may be other problems I am not aware of. But nature wise, I have never met one that wasn’t sweet and loving. English cocker spaniels are also an excellent choice, just slightly larger than a cav. If you need help finding a rescue group, let me know, I am sure I can assist.

Thanks @rooeytoo I should be able to find a rescue group. Was also thinking of asking my cousin’s breeder if they know of an adult that needs a new home.

Any update on the canine acquisition front?

I’m taking it slowly because I’m not sure if I’m ready for the responsibility of nurturing something right now – although I sure would like the licks!

Everyone needs licks!