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I think it depends on the dogs temperment more than size. If you have a big dog that is very playful or hyper then I could see that he could play too rough with a small dog. On the other hand I have an 80lb Lab/Shepherd mix that is the most gentlest dog in the world. He takes care of the baby kittens, he treats his 10lb Sheltie sister like she is a china doll(even tho she tries to play with him). It would be hard for the shelter to say no big dogs unless yours in really gentle with small dogs so I guess that have to put out the general guideline but it does cut down on the potential adopters.
And some rescues refuse to adopt out to people who are renters, or with small children, or without a completely fenced in yard. I think that if a rescue puts that much time, effort and money into saving their dogs, they have the right to set any rules they want.
Otherwise, there are enough dogs that need homes, so one just has to find the right rescue to work with.
And out of my pack of eight dogs, one is a miniature rat terrier. And he does get a little pushed around by all the other dogs. But he is a spunky fellow, so while I do look out for him (he's also blind), I am not too worried about him. My two labs are very mellow in temperament. Some of my younger terrier mixes will kiss him and push him around in a circle like a pinwheel until I make them stop.
Some of these rescued dogs might be shy or scared from abuse or having lost their original home. So being sent to a home with a much larger dog might be very stressful for them.
At the dog boarding place I work part time at, we have a separate yard for the smaller dogs. Tiny dogs and big dogs don't always mix well.
I've got 26 dogs in the house. Puppies to geriatrics. Chihuahuas to 100+ pound dogs, including pitbulls, GSDs, labs, etc.
We have our days. One dog will be grumpy about something and they'll have their tantrums. But we've never had any fight that's every had a dog injured, let alone killed. It's usually a very quick growl and nip - a warning to the other dog to leave them alone - but nothing more.
Having a home full of dogs of different ages and sizes doesn't mean something will wind up dead, anymore than having a dog and cat will result in a dead cat. As a matter of fact we've got 2 litters of kittens that our dog is nursing (we supplement feed) that are 1 and 2 weeks old. The dogs ignore them.
It's all in how well you are able to control your pack and how much experience you have. If I were no longer doing rescue and tried to adopt a small breed dog and had a single large breed in my house and was told I wasn't allowed, I'd be big time ticked. I know they do what they can to keep the dogs safe, but making blanket rules is stupid in any case.
and THERE is where the problem lies .... blanket rules.......
But... as long as the rescues are able to successfully place their dogs in a timely manner, there actually is no problem... for them.
Yes. If this system works well for them, then by all means. However, as Lateto mentioned, the blanket discrimination is not something that I think should be encouraged. As many posters have demonstrated, large and small dogs can live together in harmony, and one does not need to own a home with a huge back yard to provide a safe and loving home for a pet. Again, it comes down to responsible owners who have control over and love their animals (I LOVE Mrs1885's example, and I cannot imagine someone who is so successful with dogs being denied a chance to adopt). But as long as the shelter's adoptables are adopted--and successfully so--then good for them. I just wouldn't want such a practice to become commonplace given how many pets need homes and how a responsible pet owner cannot be determined by the size of his/her dog
Yes. If this system works well for them, then by all means. However, as Lateto mentioned, the blanket discrimination is not something that I think should be encouraged. As many posters have demonstrated, large and small dogs can live together in harmony, and one does not need to own a home with a huge back yard to provide a safe and loving home for a pet. Again, it comes down to responsible owners who have control over and love their animals (I LOVE Mrs1885's example, and I cannot imagine someone who is so successful with dogs being denied a chance to adopt). But as long as the shelter's adoptables are adopted--and successfully so--then good for them. I just wouldn't want such a practice to become commonplace given how many pets need homes and how a responsible pet owner cannot be determined by the size of his/her dog
But I don't see anyone protesting a rescue demanding that the prospective owners own their own house, have a fenced in yard, and have no small children. I'd say that a rescue not wanting a small dog to be joining a household with a larger dog already in it to be a more sensible firm rule to enforce than the other ones. I know many good dog owners who rent apartments and take their dogs on regular excursions to the local park for exercise.
And small dogs like Yorkies and Chi mixes have no problems being adopted. There are no excesses of small dogs needing good forever homes. Most of the unwanted dogs are the larger ones, and the pit mixes. And that's why I've traveled to TN and NC to adopt small dogs. In the Northeast, small dogs are very desirable. Especially since to get one from a rescue is much cheaper than buying one from a breeder.
But I don't see anyone protesting a rescue demanding that the prospective owners own their own house, have a fenced in yard, and have no small children. I'd say that a rescue not wanting a small dog to be joining a household with a larger dog already in it to be a more sensible firm rule to enforce than the other ones. I know many good dog owners who rent apartments and take their dogs on regular excursions to the local park for exercise.
And small dogs like Yorkies and Chi mixes have no problems being adopted. There are no excesses of small dogs needing good forever homes. Most of the unwanted dogs are the larger ones, and the pit mixes. And that's why I've traveled to TN and NC to adopt small dogs. In the Northeast, small dogs are very desirable. Especially since to get one from a rescue is much cheaper than buying one from a breeder.
Haha, that's b/c there hasn't been a thread about it If there were, I would certainly take issue with it, considering that I rent and own a GSD and adopted shelter cat.
As I said, if it works well for the shelter, then more power to them. At the end of the day, it is all about the dogs. As long as they are finding good forever homes, it is not a huge issue. However, I will reiterate that I don't like the idea of blanket discrimination, of any kind, b/c it isn't an accurate predictor of a responsible pet owner or forever home.
And small dogs like Yorkies and Chi mixes have no problems being adopted. There are no excesses of small dogs needing good forever homes.
I just pulled up over 1,400 Yorkie & Yorkie mixes available on petfinder in the NYC area. There is a huge excess of small dogs available in every area in the US - many at kill shelters!
And small dogs like Yorkies and Chi mixes have no problems being adopted. There are no excesses of small dogs needing good forever homes. Most of the unwanted dogs are the larger ones, and the pit mixes.
Are you aware of the chihuahua overpopulation problem in Los Angeles? It's gotten so bad, that they are exporting dogs to other states, in hopes of getting them homes. Small breeds are not immune to the overpopulation problem!
Well then, Keeper should adopt a Chi-mix directly from a CA municipal shelter and not a Chi rescue group. There are plenty of dogs listed on Petfinder that are currently in city and town run animal shelters, and not wards of a rescue group.
As I've posted before in other threads, I myself adopt directly from municipal animal shelters in the South in order to bypass getting grilled by the rescue groups in my area with their picky applications.
My boyfriend's family wanted to adopt a rescued Golden retriever, but the Golden rescues in FL were too picky with their application process, so they found a "used" Golden from an ad in a newspaper. And she was free. And she lived a wonderful and pampered lifestyle for the rest of her life.
But for many, adopting from a rescue group is more convenient and a better bet since they have taken in those dogs from a shelter, gotten them up-to-date with their meds, and also fostered them so as to evaluate their personality traits and being housebroken. And the rescue groups have a good network of transport if the dog is currently living out of state. And again... because of all the work and money that these rescue groups put into their dogs, they get to be very picky about who gets to adopt them. And tough if you don't like their rules and regulations. As they handle their rescued dogs, the people associated with these groups get emotional attached to them. They don't want to worry about their dogs after they find their forever homes. And with the rescue groups of tiny dogs, for whatever reasons, they have a big concern over their fur babies going to homes with bigger dogs.
Again, getting a dog directly from a city or town run shelter is much easier than getting one from a rescue. Municipal animal shelters and rescue groups are NOT the same and should not be confused with each other.
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