Tell me about adopting a dog from a rescue group.

In My Humble Opinion
1

When the Mr. and I get settled into a newer bigger house with a yard, we would like to eventually get a dog.

We really would like a boxer as they are good dogs that tend to be able to get along with cats (which we have four of).

I despise the idea of buying from a breeder when there are so many dogs that are in shelters and rescues.

I have been poking around on some Boxer rescue sites, and the applications they have for adoption seem pretty extensive, but somewhat reasonable, since they are trying to get these dogs into “forever homes”.

What kinds of things should I look for in a rescue group? What should I avoid? What kind of questions should we ask/expect to be asked?

2

My husband and I are active in a local pet rescue group, the Pet Adoption League. You can see the questionnaire that we use here.

Different groups have different requirements. Some are, I think, way too strict and unyielding on certain points, so if you enounter any flack with a certain group, it may be best to start over with another group.

Adoption fees are generally higher for young animals of recognizable breeds, but the fee is usually a bargain, considering the amount of veterinary care that it represents.

Bless you for not going the puppy-mill route.

3

All of the breeds have rescue organizations -check the internet, you are sure to find many good dogs needing a home. You are helping everyone when you adopt an animal-and the rescue people will make sure that you are a good match!

4

Be very careful about advice on mixed breeds when adopting from a rescue group. I had an unfortunate experience with a “Shar Pei-Mix” puppy that grew into very much a full grown American Pit Bull. Cute as anything, but eventually was problematic.

5

Yep do your homework and be able to recognize most common mixes on sight. I actually have a shar-pei cross from a rescue and she’s the light of our lives! You might want to consider adopting a young dog, think 6 months and up. They are already housetrained and are ready to bond. Yeah you miss the teeny weeny puppy stage, but get to skip all the carpet stains and gnawed laptops.

6

Well, first off, good on ya for going to a rescue! Both my dogs are rescues, as is my daughter’s dog–her dog and my Widget came from the same rescue, as a matter of fact. I also worked with a border collie rescue group a few years ago before I settled on adopting my Malemute, so I do have a bit of experience.

First off, please be aware that sometimes crazy people start rescues and just because they may love the animals does not mean they can’t be totally batshit insane. My daughter ran into one of those and it wasn’t pleasant. So the first thing to do before you give all your info over the internet on an adoption questionnaire is to have at least a bit of contact with the rescue people. They should be non-flaky about returning phone calls, answering email, and arranging for you to meet the dog. You should be able to go to their location to see the dog onsite in familiar circumstances if you wish and they should be forthcoming regarding information on the dog–habits, health/behavior issues, any training which has been given, etc. If you get a bad or weird vibe from the rescue person you might be better off taking a pass on their dog.

It’s not uncommon for the rescue to arrange a visit to your location before approving an adoption to establish that you haven’t been creative about describing such things as fences, other animals and children, size of yard, and so forth. They’re making sure you aren’t a crazy dog hoarder or running a fighting dog kennel or something else that might compromise the health and safety of the rescue dog they’re entrusting you with. Rescue dogs often have histories of abandonment, neglect or cruelty and it would be horrible to send them into another bad situation, so rescues quite often do check up on you.

If they make the recommendation that the dog not be placed in a home with other dogs, or cats, or small children, or men, please don’t allow your desire for the dog to tempt you into lying–they assess the dogs for behavioral problems and are making their recommendations based on their knowledge of the dog. Just because you’re in love with the dog doesn’t mean that it’s appropriate for you–your infatuation will probably end quite soon after the cat aggressive dog slaughters precious Fluffy that you casually neglected to mention in your application.

Most rescues are run by good people who take in the dogs nobody wants, rehab those who can be salvaged and see that they go to forever homes while taking on the responsibility to care forever for those who are too damaged to place. They take the time and effort to give the dogs socialization and training to make them better pets and more adoptable. Quite often they fall in love with the dogs but still have to give them up–Widget was one of those. The rescue couple were totally crazy about him but still gave him up for us and I have tremendous respect for them because I couldn’t give my baby up for anyone!

Rescues spend money to get the dogs medical care, get them up to date on shots and make sure they’re spayed/neutered. Quite a lot of these costs are out of pocket and the nominal placement fees they charge do not nearly reflect their costs. Bear this in mind and consider making an additional donation to any rescue group you find helpful and worthy–they’re doing the job nobody else wants to do.

After you take your dog home, please take some time to give periodic updates on your progress with your new family member and send pictures. The rescue people worry and fret about how “their babies” are doing in their new homes and it’s just simple kindness to ease the transition for them while letting them know they’ve made a big difference in your and your dog’s life. They can also be very helpful with advice if you’re having adjustment problems with your new pup.

Above all else, be patient and wait for “your” dog to show up. Don’t settle for one that seems to be close to what you’re looking for but not quite–I’ve found that the perfect dog comes along in its own time and you will know for sure when that one comes. It can take a while but it’s worth the wait–rescue dogs are the most rewarding because they know when they have it good and they tend to be the most loving, devoted critters imaginable. Good luck in your search, we’ll keep our fingers/paws crossed for you. Oh, and we’ll be expecting regular updates on your search, WITH pictures! Oh, don’t forget to check Petfinder.com, it’s the bomb!

7

Usually the dog has no problem (especially if it is introduced to the cats as a puppy). More likely it is the cats that will have issue with the dog.

I had two cats when we got our German Shepherd and to this day the cats want nothing to do with the dog. One is positively mean to the dog, the other is indifferent. The mean one and the dog have had a perpetual, low grade war going on pretty much forever. Neither has ever hurt the other but they will go out of their way to annoy each other. The indifferent cat just placidly watches it all and stays out of it (the dog will occasionally nose the placid cat and the cat usually just takes one paw and firmly but gently pushes the nose away and goes back to sleep…mean kitty will go ninja on the dog if she does that).

8

Good answer by Smartaleq. I work for a rescue group on Okinawa, and there are certainly a few nuts involved, but overall we do a great thing. I think breed-specific rescues really tend to know and love the breed they deal with, and will be able to give you very good information on the pet you’re looking at. Fostered animals are the best of both worlds, in my opinion. You get to save an animal, but you go into it knowing something about him, rather than just getting a dog with absolutely no idea of its history from the pound. Not that you can’t get amazing animals at the pound, but it is less of a gamble with a rescue group, who will take the dog back if things don’t go as expected. Good luck, and post pics when you get them!

9

I f you go with a rescue you can probably get a dog who has already been around cats and knows not to chase them.

10

My parents got a St. Bernard from the the local rescue league once. She was the sweetest dog anyone had ever met. You may have to be patient with a rescue dog. Ours was confined to a run for the first year of her life and we think the previous owners hit her; she flinched every time we used a fly swatter. It took us months to get her to look us in the eye.

The leagues will all tell you this, but if you adopt a purebred dog, you will not get the pedigree papers. They’ll give you the relevant information, especially medical info, but they typically have a policy of weeding out breeders by destroying the official AKC pedigree documents (if the rescue dog comes with any) and requiring the animal to be spayed/neutered.

And I second SmartAleq’s recommendation of writing back to the rescue league! The doggie foster parents are all in this because they adore the animals; they always want to know how the dog is doing. As with cat threads on the 'Dope, no update is complete without pictures. :slight_smile:

11

ASAKMOTSD, Acid Lamp, thanks for the heads up about the mixed breeds.

SmartAleq, thanks for all the information. I will probably call the rescue groups and talk to them first, since there isn’t a Boxer rescue (that I have found) here in Las Vegas.

Papers? I don’t need no stinkin’ papers! :slight_smile:

We loooove taking pictures of our animals, so sending picts and updates wouldn’t be an issue at all.

I know it will be a huge adjustment for our four cat beasts…They will probably hate us for bringing a dog home. There would be a lot of :dubious: from them.

I wouldn’t lie on the application about having cats.I also don’t have any problem with a house visit or the calling my vet to ask about my cats.

The rescue group pages that i have been looking at are Boxers and Buddies in Northern Nevada and Boxer Rescue L.A.. They list whether the dogs fair well with cats or not. Some are listed as unknown as their agreeability with cats.

It will still be a couple of months before we move, then give the cats time to adjust to the new place before tormenting them with a dog.

It will probably be closer to fall/winter before we would even be able to adopt a doggie, but I want to be able to have enough time to do the proper research so we can get the right dog from the right people.

12

As I said, don’t discount Petfinder–here’s a general search for boxers in Las Vegas, and look at this cute little girl!

Or maybe a boxer-beagle?

Awww, look at dat face!

There are a lot of rescues that don’t necessarily specialize in certain breeds but that nevertheless tend to acquire them more often–case in point is the rescue I got Widget from that just tends to have more stock dog crosses than anything else–border collies, Aussie shepherds, kelpies, cattle dogs, etc. Mixed with labs, quite often! I like herding dogs so they’re more likely to have dogs I’m interested in than the rescues that specialize in other types of dogs. Rescuers and fosterers have their dog breed preferences, too, so if you find a group that lists dogs of your type they’ll often keep their eyes open for a breed you favor. Petfinder is nice because they cross reference by breed so you’ll see all the dogs you favor in the area regardless of whether they’re with a breed rescue or no.

13

One thing to look for in rescues is - make sure they are well organized. Make sure they email you back regularly - they call when they say they will, and don’t make sudden changes from out of nowhere. Some rescues are a totally disorganized mess, and as a consequence, it’s a pain to deal with them.

14

I got my dog from a rescue. He is the best dog in the whole world and I’m not just saying that because everyone thinks their dog is the best dog in the whole world, really.

I started on petfinder.org. I found it a bit odd to pick a dog from a picture and description so I just contacted one of the local rescue groups on there and told them what I was up for.

In the end I talked to four independent rescue agencies each represented by an independent, slightly crazy, person. They each talked to me for hours. There is breed-specific (anti pit bull) legislation in this province so there are tons of (older) ones in rescue, and I told them I’d take one if they had one that was appropriate. The first lady tried to give me a little staffy with bad hips; I live up a very long and narrow staircase so I kept saying “that’s really not a good fit” but she wouldn’t hear of it. I can’t remember what happened next, but three rescue people later they said they had a beautiful small red-nose female that needed a home. So a different lady came to my house on a Friday to make sure I wasn’t breeding pit fighting dogs (or whatever). She stayed and yapped and stayed and yapped (dog rescue people seem to really, really like to talk … have patience … but it is good practice for when you too are a dog person and will talk forever about your own dog) and then went out for a smoke. Next thing I knew there was a knock on my door and there was another rescue guy with my huge male red-nose pit bull, they had brought him straight from being neutered because he didn’t have a foster home to go to. (If the home visit hadn’t worked out I don’t know what would have become of him … I guess at that point it was just a formality.) Anyway, they told me that the first lady I spoke to didn’t know that they had taken over my “case” and that she was somewhat crazy (yes, anyone who would expect me to carry a staffy up and down a flight of stairs three times a day for the rest of its life is not exactly all there …)

So it was all a bit strange. One of the rescue people came round after to meet him and she was scared of him and gave me some bad advice for handling him (i.e. after I’d had him for a couple of months, and he started trusting me, THEN I should start beating him … :rolleyes: ). Because of the BSL they were all very concerned with making sure I knew all the legislation, but later on we got into a hassle about it and the rescue people were beyond unhelpful and nearly ended my dog’s life through their idiocy (not that I’m still pissed off or anything).

But it’s been a year and a half now and I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that there is only one very minor thing I would change about this dog (he likes to lick people … gross … I think it’s a pit bull thing, all the ones I’ve seen love to give “kisses” … ugh). He was very well loved and well socialized before he ended up in the pound. I really couldn’t ask for anything more.

So to sum up my dog rescue experience: through blind luck, I got the best dog in the world from a posse of well-meaning idiots. If I had to do it again I don’t know what I’d do, I would never approach these people again and frankly I’m not too trusting of rescue folks after the weirdos I spoke to. But at this point I know a lot of folks (whose relationships with their dogs I greatly respect) into dog rescue stuff so I’d approach them for advice first. Do you know anyone into dogs - if not dog rescue folks, then trainers or walkers (or even people who spend a lot of time at the dog park)? They’d likely have knowledge of good local opportunities and hopefully know dog rescue people who are responsible and trustworthy.

15

I commend you on making the decision to get a rescue dog.

Like everyone else before me, I would definitely recommend putting in some time and research into the organizations. Also, make sure that you know of the habits/behavior of the rescue dog you’re getting. After being abused, many develop habits that are hard to break (understandibly). My friends got a dog that was sweet and wonderful to them, but just flat out terrified of new people. Whenever it got excited, it peed a little. Whenever it got scared, it peed a little. They were willing to put up with this to keep her, though. Try to get as much information about the dog as possible.

16

I have a question about the home visits. What if your home is what you’ve said it is and conforms to any requirements the rescue group lists on its website, but your housekeeping is not up to most people’s standards? Mine isn’t, to the point that letting anyone other than me, Mr. Neville, or people who are used to guys’ college dorm rooms in requires a fair bit of cleaning beforehand. Is a dog rescue group likely to ding me for having a messy house? I know the cat hair on the furniture probably won’t hurt me (might help- it’s quite clear that I put the comfort and happiness of my pets ahead of having nice furniture or clothes that don’t have pet hair on them), but will the general state of disorganization hurt me? The cat box is kept clean, but there are usually dishes in the sink and stuff out on the island in the kitchen- things like that. I’d like to consider adopting a rescue dog, but I’m quite nervous about the idea of them visiting my house.

17

Hon, I wouldn’t worry about this too much–these are people who rescue and foster dogs, sometimes LOTS of dogs! I’ve never been to a rescue that was spotless and spiffy–heck, the people I got Widget from live in a converted pole barn with a dirt floor! What they’re looking for is fences, size of yard, general conditions, other animals, do you have a car big enough to transport the dog you’re thinking of adopting, stuff like that. If they refused to let people have dogs based on clutter and general tidiness they’d have very few foster homes available in the first place and damned few placement homes. Shoot, I’d worry a bit about anyone who considers themselves to be a dog person who doesn’t have some mess around the house because they’d either be totally OCD or they don’t actually allow the dogs inside. :stuck_out_tongue:

18

My first experience with a rescue agency nearly had me running to the local puppy mill. I did NOT want to deal with them (they didn’t want to deal with me either). I’ve adopted a child with less judgemental prick-ness than I got from that rescue agency (in fact, adopting a child involved ZERO judgemental prick-ness). Yes, the dog will be kennelled while we go to work, no I’m not about to quit my job and become a stay at home mom for the dog. Yes, if the dog is aggressive around my children the dog will be returned to you - I have children, I’m not going to risk “retraining” an aggressive dog. These people were less interested in placing dogs in homes than complaining about how many dogs couldn’t find homes. You know, there would be far fewer puppy mills in the world if rescue agencies like this made it easier for people to get dogs.

The second agency was just interested in getting dogs into homes. Frankly, I could have been taking them for medical experiments or dog fighting - but I’d much rather work with a rescue group that is interested in getting as many dogs into homes as possible - and accepting the risk that some of those homes may be less than perfect - rather than one that is really more interested in judging people.

19

I work with ARPH (Australian Shepheard Rescue) as a foster home, and “OV” (other volunteer) I often do home visits. In all honesty I worry more about houses that are too clean. The prospect of adopting a dog to a home that returns him because of shedding or bringing mud into the house is worse that the idea of a dog living in a house with pet dust bunnies. That is as long as the dust bunnies are listed on the application, sputered and are UTD on all vet work.

20

Dust bunnies are cat toys that the cats can make for themselves.

I need to sputer my dust bunnies? Never knew that. Now it makes sense why there are so many of them.