shelter dogs?

Question

we were originally going to buy a purebreed dog from a qualified breeder. but the more i think about it, the more i would like to adopt a dog. but more than likely, adopting a dog will mean, its probably not pure bred and is older, which means, it may have come from a bad background. i have a 3 month old baby to consider. ya know? but you hear storys of adopted dogs being the best dogs...maybe cause they know your helping them, your saving their lives. maybe not to that extent, but i know dogs can sense things....anyway. anybody have storys of adopted animal shelter dogs, good or bad, that they would share with me...?

Answer 1

I will tell you this, and it is just my experience in adopting 4 mix-breed dogs, from various shelters. Our family has adopted the following mixed dogs:

A Rhodesian Ridgeback Mix
A Jack Russel Mix
A Mastiff Mix
A Husky Mix

All of them where taken into our home between 4 months and 2 years...

With any new dog, you have to make sure you are consistant. Do your research. If you can tell by looking at the pup what the dominant breed is, then look that dog up & really research the temperment. You will never know for sure what mixes you get at the pound, but there is usually one dominant breed, obvious when looking at the pup. Don't be in a hurry. If you found a pup in a cage at the kennel watch him interact with other daogs for a while, then ask to spend some time with it, that will help you assess their personality with other pets, as well as independantly.

We have always made arrangements with our vet to take the new dog in immediately before taking them home, when we adopt them...that way they can be evaluated. 3 of the 4 had kennel cough, which is easily treated. We also put them on worm preventative immediately.

We would not trade our mixed breeds for anything in the world. We did our research, made sure we could afford them, and had the time to cater to their needs in the first few weeks we brought them home...WE HAVE NO REGRETS!!!

I wish you the same luck we have had in adoptions. :-)

Answer 2

Okay, I've done the adoption thing 2 times. The first was a senior Shih-tzu mix, who was the sweetest little guy and I was able to give him 4 good happy years before he passed of old age.

Just this past summer, my hubby and I had decided we wanted to bring a 3rd dog into our home. The two that we have are very sweet and good with our children, but older and not interested in interacting with the kids. So we wanted a puppy that would grow up with the children. We brought home a large breed rescue and he was a really nice boy. Unfortunately, due to his size, he began to show signs of attempting to dominate our young children. We decided that tho he was still a great dog, he should be with a home where the children are older and old enuf to participate properly in his training. So he went back to the rescue. We did a lot with him in the month we had him, got him potty trained, walking well on a leash, crate trained and well mannered for indoor living (was kept outside in a kennel with foster mom). We passed on all the good points to foster mom and he was later successfully adopted out to another family. This guy was 3 1/2 months old when we got him, but I think the issue we had may not have been present had he been with us from 8 or 10 weeks on.

After this did not work out for us, we decided we wanted to pick a pure breed instead so that we could do our research and know exactly what we were getting into. We now have a Border Collie who has no dominance issue with my kids. Rescues are great dogs most of the time, just once in a while there is sometimes not a perfect match.

Answer 3

I was a volunteer dog walker at our local SPCA for two years and I had the honor of interacting with some of the sweetest, most gentle dogs ever!! I did adopt my dogs through there and I have had absolutely no regrets!! They are sweet babies...my golden retriever mix has even blocked me from physical hurt! He would rather take the hit than me (we had a crazy cocker spaniel...from a breeder and this dog would just go off for no reason). I have had NO problems from shelter dogs, which is more than I can say for my purebred!

These dogs end up at the shelter for numerous reasons, they aren't all strays. Some people move out of the area, some owners die, some dogs end up there as a product of divorce. Not all of them are older dogs...they are of all ages. There are many sad stories as to how they got there, but I do love to see the happy endings when these sweet babies find new families that will give them the love they so deserve! Your baby will be just as safe with a shelter dog as with a dog from a breeder. Ask at the shelter which dog they feel would be good with babies and small children. They will guide you in the right direction.

Bless you for considering adoption of these sweet dogs...you will not regret the decision should you take this route!

Answer 4

Purebred dogs aren't always nice and shelter dogs aren't always mean. You have to look at the dog and see if it will be good with you and your baby. I think adopting from a shelter is the right thing to do but if you want a purebred dog too there's nothing wrong with that. I have adopted a dog named Wilma and she was the sweetest dog ever. We bought Pandora from a breeder and she was just as sweet and loyal. Sometimes shelter dogs are mean and not good with people. Don't get those dogs because you feel bad for them. You don't want to risk it with you three month old. Shelter dogs might be terrified of men, thunder, women, or being alone for too long. If left alone in a thunder storm or something like that they can get very destructive and destroy your home. Don't blame them. Maybe they were left outside to die on a rainy night o they were left alone for a month. Ask the person in charge of the shelter about their personality and it they have any fears. If you are having trouble deciding, ask if you can take them outside to play. Getting a dog is one of the best choices you can make and will last for a long time. Make sure you choose wisely. Good luck!

Answer 5

I've been involved with dog rescue for many years. I also own 4 purebred dogs - 3 mini American Eskimos aged 6 to 3 and an Australian Shepherd (6 months). I have rescued many shelter dogs in my lifetime and I've had both good experiences and a few bad (the good definitely outweigh the bad). The first rescue that comes to mind is this chow mix that I saw on a website from Tennessee. There's a very high kill shelter down there and this little pup was less than 12 hours away from being gassed. There was just something about him that really grabbed me. I did a whole lot of emailing and calling and finally was able to find someone who lived in that area (I live in New England) who was willing to pay the $50 adoption fee and 'rescue' him for me, until I could arrange a pet transport to get him to me. By the time he was rescued from that horrible place, he'd had less than an hour to live. He is the best dog I've ever! He was so mellow and laid back, and just a gorgeous pleasure to be around. We did a puppy train all the way from Tennessee to CT - where volunteers drive about an hour and hand off the pup/dog to the next volunteer, etc., until he made it all the way here. Every single volunteer along the way emailed me that night to tell me how they almost kept him, because he was such a great little guy. A friend of mine adopted him from me and he lives like a king.

I've also had the bad experience where I rescued a border collie that was badly neglected and abused. She belonged to a friend of a friend of my brother. I consider myself pretty dog-savvy, but when I first met this dog, she attacked me, instantaneously. I then had to drive over an hour with her in my car, which was pretty nerve-wracking. She didn't attack me again, but that's not to say I wasn't afraid of her. And she hated the dogs I had here at the time, so I had to keep her separated from them. I contacted the border collie rescue is my area and they came out the next day to evaluate her. Ended up taking her on the spot and she now lives and works on a farm in Vermont...and is the happiest dog I've ever seen!

There's just no guarantee you'll get a dog that is great with children - whether it's a purebred or a shelter dog. Getting them as puppies does help. You might try contacting local area rescues, specific rescues to a particular breed that you're looking for. There's a rescue for every breed out there, and there are the puppy railroads that I talked about above (and it's all volunteer-based, which means you don't pay for it). There's an adoption fee regardless of if you go to your local shelter, or a rescue organization to help alleviate some of their costs (and believe me, they have a tremendous amount of costs). Try looking on www.petfinder.com for local shelters/rescues. Also, after Christmas the shelters and rescues are usually full to capacity, including a lot of purebred dogs that people got or gave as Christmas gifts, which is never a good idea.

Hope this helps and I wish you a happy and healthy life with your baby and any new furkid(s) you may adopt!

Answer 6

I have 2 shelter dogs, both adopted as puppies. They are 9 yrs old and 7 yrs old. They are both wonderful dogs, affectionate, well behaved and good with kids, strangers cats etc. I went with a co worker to adopt a poodle from the shelter that she had seen the day before. It had been neutered and had dental work that morning. Upon getting there, we were told the dog had tried to bite everyone that approached it. I work with dogs at a sanctuary and calmly sat and talked to the dog, and let it come towards me, then I slowly petted it, picked it up and carried it out. She called me yesterday to tell me it was doing great. It was happy, slept with her daughter and very well behaved. I wouldn't recommend this dog for someone with small children, but the point is, that the little guy was scared and did the only thing he could since he was in a cage and backed into the corner as far as he could go. I don't know where you live, but check out this site.

Answer 7

Paige,
I am going through the EXACT same dilemma I have a 3 year old, there are many breeds that are not good with small children. Purebred dogs are great, but CAN come with allot of problems and just because it says AKC doesn't mean that the dog is guaranteed to be healthy. There are many irresponsible breeders out there just looking for a quick buck. Petfinder.com is a great resource not only for adoptable pets but if you use their search engines you can eliminate dogs that are not good with small children. Good Luck with another addition to the family :)

P.S. I live in Massachusetts and another thing to consider is homeowners insurance will NOT cover you if you own
Rottweilers,Huskies, Malamutes, Shepard's, Dobermans, or Pit-bulls, I am not sure if this is the case in every state but you may want to check into it.

Answer 8

in the journey that they're a blend of a beagle and a pug - then they're what's sometimes called a Puggle. regrettably, those mutts are followed on the grounds that of this "twist" on being dressmaker and someone searching for a Puggle will undertake a Puggle. The humorous section is, some persons do not even understand what a Puggle is, they a twin of the idea of possessing a "vogue clothier dogs". The guard did no longer some thing improper, society has an unquenchable thirst for severe priced mutt mixes. And if a dogs is a mix which could be followed - I say - enable them use that % out and pray someone thinks they're adopting an severe priced clothier dogs. a million a lot less pooch on the guard in any case. On an element note, those who do note of what the mixes are can tell by technique of the % out if it is a combine they opt to undertake.

Answer 9

To be honest, most "qualified" breeders are nothing more than back yard breeders or puppy mills. Pet store puppies come from these non-reputable places.

Qualified reputable breeders have a waiting list for their litters, have titled dogs, and do not breed for money, but to better the breed.

Shelter dogs are great! They may not have papers, but papers really don't mean anything anymore. A lot of back yard breeders and puppy mills have "papered" dogs, but they are not dogs that should be bred.

Honestly, getting a dog from a "breeder" does not ensure quality. Because of ignorance and money hungry breeders, dogs are being produced with emotional, behavioral, and physical issues that can be costly to work with, and usually end up in these dogs being euthanized.

I have several rescues...and they are all wonderful. I wouldn't trade them for all the papers in the world...and you can get pure bred dogs at shelters, or look up a breed rescue in your area.

http://www.petfinder.com is a great place to start your search.

http://www.libertydogtraining.com

Answer 10

It is true mixed breeds, if you can't see obvious signs of what breed it is predominately or unless the owner told the shelter what mix it is, are a gamble. If you know it is mostly Beagle or Lab, it will most likely be fine with kids. But, if it turns out to be 1/2 Chow Chow & 1/2 Dalmation (2 breeds not reccomended for kids) you may have a problem. So, best to go for one that you can 'see' or be told is mostly a child-friendly breed. OR: go to www.akc.org & contact the closest breed rescue group of the breed of your choice. This way you are still giving a dog a 2nd chance at life, but know what breed (& breed personality) you are getting.

Also, most breed rescues (and some shelters: ask the ones you are checking) do evaluations on the dogs they take in to see if they like kids, cats, other dogs, etc. & can tell you what household situation would suit them best. Hope this helps!