Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My Husband and I recently adopted a dog who is 9 weeks old. We have a 7 1/2 yr. old Pug/Beagle mix at home as well. The original rescue site indicated that this dog was a pug mix. When we saw him we knew immediately that he was not. He looked as if he may have Lab, terrier, and other mixes, which we were ok with one we met him. We were also told that he wouldn't be bigger than 35-40 lbs. We were ok with that because we weren't looking for a dog larger than that being that our current dog is 21 lbs.
When I brought Scout to the Vet the next day she estimated that he would be around 75 lbs. and said that she usually predicts less than what they ultimately weigh.
We have now had him for four days and as much as I'm growing attached to him and him to me, we just aren't prepared for a dog this large.
I feel absolutely terrible just thinking about returning him to the rescue and am torn as to what to do. My Husband is as well.
Does anyone have any experience with returning dogs to rescues or have any advice to give otherwise? We are at a loss.
If you really don't want a 75-80 lb. dog, then take him back to the rescue now before you get attached to him and he to you. He is still a puppy so will likely be adopted out again fairly soon. Rescues are often making an educated guess-or their best guess- about a dog's breed and adult weight, and while they are often in the ballpark, given what your vet said it was way off.
If you decide to keep him, be prepared to deal with the large rambunctious juvenile dog that cute puppy will grow into. If you have any doubts about whether you want to deal with that then it is better to return him now while he is still a puppy and can find another home.
If you really don't want a 75-80 lb. dog, then take him back to the rescue now before you get attached to him and he to you. He is still a puppy so will likely be adopted out again fairly soon.
I agree -- the sooner the better, if you intend to return him to Rescue. You don't want to get attached to him, nor have him get too attached to you. It will just make the surrender that much harder. And as Twelvepaw says, the youngsters get adopted pretty quickly.
My Husband and I recently adopted a dog who is 9 weeks old. We have a 7 1/2 yr. old Pug/Beagle mix at home as well. The original rescue site indicated that this dog was a pug mix. When we saw him we knew immediately that he was not. He looked as if he may have Lab, terrier, and other mixes, which we were ok with one we met him. We were also told that he wouldn't be bigger than 35-40 lbs. We were ok with that because we weren't looking for a dog larger than that being that our current dog is 21 lbs.
When I brought Scout to the Vet the next day she estimated that he would be around 75 lbs. and said that she usually predicts less than what they ultimately weigh.
We have now had him for four days and as much as I'm growing attached to him and him to me, we just aren't prepared for a dog this large.
I feel absolutely terrible just thinking about returning him to the rescue and am torn as to what to do. My Husband is as well.
Does anyone have any experience with returning dogs to rescues or have any advice to give otherwise? We are at a loss.
I will attach a pic of Scout.
He is adorable! He deserves a good home and if it is not the right fit for you then do as the others have said and take Scout back as soon as possible.
Thanks guys! He is adorable! At 9 weeks we have already seen improvements and know he will be easily trained. He is very loveable and I'm sure that another family would love him as much as we have grown to. We will not wait on our decision as we are aware that the younger the better when it comes to being adopted out.
Thanks Twelvepaw, I was SHOCKED when the Vet told me this, I had no idea that he would be that large or as much as I thought he was cute would have never taken him in the first place.
He is adorable and will be handsome as an adult but I agree that if you are not looking for a large dog you should return him to the rescue asap. There is nothing wrong with returning a rescue dog, they are not always a good fit. At his age he will probably find his new home almost immediately so let not your heart be troubled.
imho, it is kindest to return a dog that is not a good fit as the dog then has a chance to find his perfect home. Thank you for being so responsible.
Aw, what a cute pup! I will say this - we used to have a 40 pound dog that passed away. He was a good size dog. We adopted another dog, that looked to be the same size - but it turns out he was 50 pounds, not 40. A little over a year ago we adopted another dog that totally looked to be the same size as the 50 pound dog. Nope. He's 62 pounds at his last appointment.
And yet all three dogs are the same *general* size - the first dog was longer, the second dog is just as long and tall, but a tad fatter, and the third dog is just plain all muscle and really solidly packed.
If you train the dog while he's a puppy, you can train him to avoid behaviors that might cause trouble as an older, bigger dog. Not jumping up on the humans is the most important - and easy enough to teach. At that point, size won't matter much.
If there is a good reason that you can't have a large dog, like maybe you are renters and rentals have size limits, then take him back immediately while he is still cute and little. Puppies have the best chance of finding a good home.
His feet don't look all that big and he appears to have a lot of beagle in him. Maybe he will grow up to be 70 pounds, but if he does, I'll be surprised.
If there isn't really a good reason why you can't have a larger dog, think about it really carefully. A nicely trained large dog makes an excellent companion.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thank you for being so responsible.
