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There has been a lot of talk on another thread about how hard it is to adopt a dog through rescue. I thought it might help to give you a few ways to make the experience easier for you.
1. Do some reseach to understand what type of dog would best suit your lifestyle. Its always best to learn as much as you can. Some general information: Terriers dig and are high energy, Sporting Breeds need lots of exercise but are usually great family dogs, Toy Breeds are not generally well suited for families with small children but are a great choice for apartment living. These are all general facts that will help you to decide the TYPE of dog that fits your lifestyle.
2. Understand your limitations and whether you should reconsider adoption at this point: Are you away from home for long hours each day? Dogs need to potty and if they can't hold it...well...you know what is going to happen. If it happens on a regular basis its not healthy for you or the dog! Do you rent? If so will your Land Lord agree to you having a dog in writing? Rescue will ask to see the signed document and sometimes ask to speak with the Land Lord. Your Land Lord has a stake in this too since its their property. Is your back yard the size of a postage stamp? If so, as much as you love large breeds, they may not be a good choice for you at this time. Most importantly, can you really afford to have a dog? Dog food, vet expenses, toys, grooming, all of these add up quickly. If you are living pay check to pay check with nothing left over each pay period, you may want to wait. You might be able to hold yourself over for a few days on Ramen noodles but your dog can't!
3. Try to be flexable in what you want in a dog. If you go to rescue asking for too many very specific things, you will be waiting awhile. Going in saying "I want a purebred Chocolate Lab that is no more than 2 years old, is a female, doesn't weight over 65 pounds and is hunt trained" will have you waiting a long long time!
4. Finally I have to add just one of my own crusades. If at all possible PLEASE CONSIDER ADOPTING A SENIOR DOG. By senior I mean a dog that is over 6 years old. They are great choices for people that want a dog that needs very little training and has no or fewer vices. They bond just as strongly as any puppy and are the ones that are the most in need at any shelter or rescue.
Hope that this helped and good luck finding your next dog!
I want to echo the thought about adopting a senior.
My pug does NOT enjoy being around puppies and is not a playful boy. He likes his rest. So no young, playful dogs for us!
I adopted a senior chihuahua (she was anywhere from 7 to 10 years old) a year and a half ago. Her family just dumped her at the pound and hadn't seen to her medical needs. After an 'Extreme Makeover, Chihuahua Edition' at the vet, she has become the BEST dog. She LOVES going for walks, loves her tummy rubs and really enjoys her food. She's gained a pound and a half (she was very underweight when I got her) and is smiling all the time. Tassie is a fabulous dog and truly amazing when she pings around the kitchen like an electron when I'm getting her dinner ready!
Please remember most rescues are run by people with families and careers and responsibilities. We do this out of our love for these animals. We juggle more than the average person.
We can get confused about which adoption application you submitted for what dog or when we've got the appointment to meet you. We may ask you to answer the same question twice because we forgot to write down the answer.
And we may take more than a day or two to get back in touch with you. We're so busy.
And this love of ours that we try to squeeze time out for costs us a fortune. Personally, I lose literally thousands of dollars every year saving those lives. We survive soley on adoption fees and donations.
My adoption fees for example average $150. Included in that is feeding the dog while they're in my home. Currently I have 14 dogs in the house and we use about 15 pounds of food a day. I've had some for years. I've got one now that I've had for almost 5 years. I've got several others that are unadoptable, so I'll be supporting them their entire life.
I have to send them to a trainer if their issues are so severe I can't correct them. Fortunately I've only had to do this once but the trainer couldn't correct the issues either, so voila - forever foster dog.
I also have to cover all of the vet bills. Spay / neuter, heart worm test, monthly heart worm meds, flea and tick preventative, de-worming every 6 months at the very least, replacement sanding rolls for nail grinding (you'd be surprised how many you can go through with a house full of dogs and cats), and grooming. Not to mention I vaccinate and cover the costs for spay / neuter of local pets around me at my cost. The list goes on forever!
Last - ask questions. Many of them. The more you ask, the better I feel. I want to know this is something you're taking seriously and that you've put a lot of thought into it. So no matter how dumb you think the question may be, please ask!
Thanks Viral, for giving Tessie The Electron () a nice home. Wish more people wouldn't overlook the seniors. They do turn out to really tug at your heart strings.
4. Finally I have to add just one of my own crusades. If at all possible PLEASE CONSIDER ADOPTING A SENIOR DOG. By senior I mean a dog that is over 6 years old. They are great choices for people that want a dog that needs very little training and has no or fewer vices. They bond just as strongly as any puppy and are the ones that are the most in need at any shelter or rescue.
Hope that this helped and good luck finding your next dog!
My last two dogs have been seniors, and I wholeheartedly concur! They are so appreciative, and wonderful if you work and don't have time to train a puppy. For both adoptions, I took two days off after the weekend to get them well-settled in before going back to work, and fortunately, I work close to home and come home for lunch all the time, anyway.
My first senior dog was 9 when I adopted her, and lived to age 13. My current dog, who I got 18 months ago, was a stray turned into a shelter, then rescued by a rescue group; she's probably 10-13, we don't really know, but in the last year she has lost most of her hearing, so she's pretty old. Both dogs bonded to me right away and I feel no matter how long I had/have them, the time together is a real gift for us both!
Please remember most rescues are run by people with families and careers and responsibilities. We do this out of our love for these animals. We juggle more than the average person.
We can get confused about which adoption application you submitted for what dog or when we've got the appointment to meet you. We may ask you to answer the same question twice because we forgot to write down the answer.
And we may take more than a day or two to get back in touch with you. We're so busy.
And this love of ours that we try to squeeze time out for costs us a fortune. Personally, I lose literally thousands of dollars every year saving those lives. We survive soley on adoption fees and donations.
My adoption fees for example average $150. Included in that is feeding the dog while they're in my home. Currently I have 14 dogs in the house and we use about 15 pounds of food a day. I've had some for years. I've got one now that I've had for almost 5 years. I've got several others that are unadoptable, so I'll be supporting them their entire life.
I have to send them to a trainer if their issues are so severe I can't correct them. Fortunately I've only had to do this once but the trainer couldn't correct the issues either, so voila - forever foster dog.
I also have to cover all of the vet bills. Spay / neuter, heart worm test, monthly heart worm meds, flea and tick preventative, de-worming every 6 months at the very least, replacement sanding rolls for nail grinding (you'd be surprised how many you can go through with a house full of dogs and cats), and grooming. Not to mention I vaccinate and cover the costs for spay / neuter of local pets around me at my cost. The list goes on forever!
Last - ask questions. Many of them. The more you ask, the better I feel. I want to know this is something you're taking seriously and that you've put a lot of thought into it. So no matter how dumb you think the question may be, please ask!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wicked Felina
Thanks Viral, for giving Tessie The Electron () a nice home. Wish more people wouldn't overlook the seniors. They do turn out to really tug at your heart strings.
i was looking at almost-seniors myself when dave picked me..... really didn't want a puppy and those puppy issues........ he will be 1 next week, but is a VERY laid back, mellow boy......... unusual for his age.......
4. Finally I have to add just one of my own crusades. If at all possible PLEASE CONSIDER ADOPTING A SENIOR DOG. By senior I mean a dog that is over 6 years old. They are great choices for people that want a dog that needs very little training and has no or fewer vices. They bond just as strongly as any puppy and are the ones that are the most in need at any shelter or rescue.
Absolutely! I recently adopted a (estimated) 6 y/o dog from a local rescue. She eased into our little family with barely a bit of trouble! Having just lost my elderly dog to cancer I just didn't feel up to having a puppy. And, out of respect for our other senior dog, we felt it best to avoid a puppy. Sandy, our new dog, is a joy. She gets along great with Skeeter, is calm, is not destructive, and only had a couple of accidents before she got into the swing of things. I'd adopt another in a heart beat!
i adopted a borderline senior dog without knowing it - the rescue said she was 3, turns out she was more like 6...
she's an amazing dog. she'll spend all day running in the woods and chasing balls or spend all day sleeping on the couch, and she's just as happy either way (although she's starting to get a bit arthritic so she can't play as hard as she'd like anymore). and she came with manners and very few issues to work through.
i actually set out with a minimum age of 2, cause while puppies are fun to hang out with on a short term basis, i really didn't want the hassle that comes with a puppy. especially not for my first dog, when my husband is not a dog person (he thinks sadie is the best dog in the universe btw).
I adopt seniors only, and was pretty surprised to hear that "over six" is "senior." I mean *real seniors*!
But a dog of five or six is in the prime of adult life, not puppy/young-dog wild. Unless it's a giant breed, the dog has many, many healthy years.
My youngest right now are almost-nine, and maybe-nine. They are *very lively* and I shudder to think of having them much younger. In fact, I did have the youngest one when he was three, and he was wild. (All of my dogs were younger then. Now I only adopt and prefer, oh, 8+).
Even if I didn't prefer very senior dogs, and I realize a lot of people don't want to have them for relatively shorter times, I certainly think of a dog of six or under as a prime adult, not a senior.
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By senior I mean a dog that is over 6 years old. They are great choices for people that want a dog that needs very little training and has no or fewer vices. They bond just as strongly as any puppy and are the ones that are the most in need at any shelter or rescue.
) a nice home. Wish more people wouldn't overlook the seniors. They do turn out to really tug at your heart strings.
