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I was thinking along the lines of the dog being an only-dog at home but when staying with the parents, having 2 other dogs eating.
Not an owner vs parents issue.
OK, gotcha. Yes, that would be something to watch for.
A previously abused dog may have some quirks, but so can any other dog when you adopt. Our pointer was previously shot (he still has pellets all across one side of his body), beaten (tooth split in half and improperly healed bone), and about 20 pounds underweight. It took a little time for him to warm up to us but he still has the same requirements as pretty much any other dog. He needs good food, a ton of exercise, positive training, etc.
You have gotten excellent advice and I wish you good luck. The dog has probably received some socialization where she is. We adopted Darcy, who is a Beagle mix, from our local shelter three years ago. She had been abused (broken front legs and broken tail), but the shelter did an excellent job with her. She had also been in numerous shelters throughout her life. I have found that she is probably the most loving dog that we have ever had. It seems like she appreciates a good home.
One thing that we did was put her in doggy daycare, and she gets lots of attention during the day. As a real shelter dog, she was used to being around lots of dogs and has the time of her life. While it is expensive, it has been well worth the money.
We have not found her to be noisy or vocal, but she is very smart. We think that is how she survived in different shelters.
Sadly, I wasn't approved for her or two other dogs I have applied for. I am upset because I know my references were never even contacted.
The only thing going against me is I'm single. I only apply for dogs with the description of "happy being only doggy" "good for single people" "calm in the house" etc. I would be able to devote just as much time if not more to couples who both work.
I'll keep trying but I'm actually growing fed up with rescues. I know several younger people in my situation who get denial after denial from rescues. It seems almost discriminatory when there are so many animals dying because they don't have homes, but there are people like myself and friends who could provide a good environment.
Oh well, I will still keep all of your advice close to my heart.
I'm sorry to hear you were turned down...again without having your references checked. I suggest you go directly to a shelter. There are some shelters which do no check of those willing to adopt (which is quite sad as some of those dogs are used for bait/fighting); there are some shelters which do little to no intake or observation and can provide almost no help in making a decision; and then there are other shelters that get to know the dogs, do some observations, have volunteers come in and walk/groom the animals, provide vet care, etc.
If you are serious about adopting a dog who may or may not have been abused or neglected, then a shelter is your next step. I can personally recommend a shelter near me as those in charge care about the animals - I'm heading up this coming week to walk some dogs. It's a high kill shelter which has not had a kill in almost a year due to the interest of those on staff. There's one medium size female, feist mix, with an injured leg - unfortunately there's no vet care. Shelter staff says she is friendly and the pics show it. Good home and a few bucks will take her home. There's also a beagle mix now. Any more dogs they pic up necessitates someone getting pts.
And, I can recommend an inexpensive place to sleep as it would be an overnight trip for you to come here from DC area.
I have adopted several abused dogs, and feel that socialization is the key to overcoming a bad experience, that being said, we had one dog, a small chi dog, she was fear aggressive around kids, but, we explained her special needs to the kids, and even a toddler understands, '' leave Mini alone''.
She lived with us for eight years. No issues with the kids, they left her alone.
I second going to a shelter. That's truly rescuing a dog. Dogs in shelters are one ones the "rescue" groups didn't "rescue." I'd focus on kill shelters that have been euthanizing dogs. It's great that there are some high kill shelters that haven't killed in a year. They're certainly doing something right. But obviously you want a high kill shelter that isn't doing as good of a job if you want to rescue a dog from euthanasia.
That sucks that they turned you down and didn't even check references. Both my dogs are from the shelter, so I'm biased, but I think it's a great place to get a pup.
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