Returning a dog to adoption...feel bad...

[hiero2]

I wanted to add a point, and stress a different point.

Since I posted to this thread earlier this year, my dog, and buddy, passed away. And I got 2 new dogs, (and hopefully buddies) at a local rescue. They happen to be some sort of old collie mix - called an "English shepherd mix" by the rescue agency. Turns out that border collies, Aus shepherds, and English shepherds share a lot in common. Good old-fashioned farm collie genes.

That is the background. So, the point to add is that the personality of an adoption may be hard to judge in a "meet-and-greet" setting. A foster family who has had the dogs for a short period may not as good a judge of the dog's character as we would normally think. And, working collie types are more nuanced in their behavior than most other breeds. Far more nuanced.

Example: the two I adopted are a bro/sis adult (2.75 yrs of age) pair. In the meet-n-greet, they seem confident, mixed with a little nervousness. Pretty normal.

Turns out they are exceptionally afraid of "the new". We got them home, and the female acted like she was dieing for the first few days. Would not eat - completely lacking in vigor or energy. She had a relatively minor infection of some sort, about what we humans might look at as a 2 day flu. But the malaise was primarily unease because of change. I've watched these dogs since early August now, and I am confident this is the case. They do not like "new".

But I sensed nothing like that in the meet-n-greet. And the adoption agency had no idea of this, either. And this is just one of several personality traits we've discovered.

Conclusion: a dog can come home and be VERY different from what you thought you saw at the meet-n-greet. And, the adoption agency may not have seen this. Additionally, collie types are more complex and nuanced than lab or pittie or bird-dog types (pointers, retrievers). Never be afraid to take a dog back because it does not fit at your home. (My guys fit pretty well here, with a couple of rough spots. But we will work on those.)

Secondly. I did not emphasize enough that dogs are better than alarm systems. Alarm systems get ignored by the neighbors. Dogs less so. I won't pretend to understand the reasons why. What I have to say is that in my experience, burglaring types do not like dogs at all. Any dogs, any size (although bigger is better). But an alarm system they will get around. One way or another. If you put up a barred entry door, they will back their truck or car up to the door, attach chains, and jerk the whole door out. Pretty much any electric-based system will get ignored long enough they can shut it off. If they can't out-and-out just bypass the system by some method. Guard bars and similar security doors and windows can be ripped out of the framing. ALL security measures will slow a burglar down. But to stop a burglar, security bars for doors and windows have to be rooted in a solid frame (like metal or concrete).

Anyway, the point is, you can make your house more secure by using physical security measures: guard bars, alarm systems. This will help. But dogs are better. They help more.

Hopefully, this time, when I come back and re-read this in a month or two, I will feel that I properly made my point!

Cheers to all, and may you never get burgled or robbed.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Ref that other thread "is a dog a must have for you" or something to that effect.

I render no further comment.

[JanND]

Originally Posted by vvaldez413

Okay so before I get hate for this let me explain:
I am a mother of 2 kids one 7 and one 2, we have a Yorkie, I am a nurse and my husband works oil field so he isn't home for a while. I was working as a full time nurse, but I have now gotten a part time job. With that being said, I was wanting to get a bigger dog for a little more security while my husband is gone, and since I went part time I knew I was going to have more time for the dog. I went to adopt and found what said on the post for the adoption that the dog was kid friendly and dog friendly and over a year old, was trained to sit on command, very loving dog. So my kids and I actually met up with the lady who was the foster and met the dog too, she was very active and we met at a dog park, so the dog was more interested in playing than anything, which I didn't mind at all. The foster lady stated also in the post online that the dog was actually border collie mix, that was another huge reason I considered this dog. I had a collie and was the most loyal and loving dog ever. At the meeting we go to pet the dog, and she was good for the most part. So we agreed on adopting the following week after she got spayed. We took the dog home and everything was actually going well for the first couple of days...THEN..the first dog fight happened...I wasn't able to see which dog started it, but I assumed it would happen because of territory reasons, I separated the dogs, no skin was broken or anything. The next day both dogs ignored each other for the most part, and THEN it happened again, this time I saw that my Yorkie passed by the dog while she was chewing her bone and just looked her way and she lunged! What scared me the most is that my son was right next to them, I grabbed my son quickly and put him in the living room, and went to separate the dogs again. The finally today another fight, this time she did break skin on the Yorkie and a little blood was drawn. I take him to the vet tomorrow just to make sure everything is okay. I had texted the foster lady about all fights and she stated she never had that problem with her and her dogs she had. At meal times I do separate them and stand there until they are finished, but I've had to because she does try and eat the Yorkies food. Sadly, I don't want to take chances with my kids or my Yorkie anymore, I've only had her a week, but I do not want to take chances....HELP?! Any suggestions?

Take the dog back....Some adoptions fail. You cannot risk your children, or your dog. This dog sounds aggressive with food and possessions...it might be your child next.
Invest in an alarm system, that will help you feel more secure.
You tried. Don't let anyone tell you your cruel or uncaring. I might not have given it a 2nd or 3rd try.
ETA I see this thread is a few months old. I wonder if there is an update OP?