Getting a rescue dog, what to consider?

Question

I am thinking about getting another dog from our local Boxer rescue. I have a 7mo old male Boxer right now, and would love for him to have a companion.

I have never had a dog from a rescue before. What things should I take into consideration that I may not have thought about?

One thing to note, the rescue I am talking with currently has all of the dogs in foster homes. (not sure if that influences different responses or advice)

Answer 1

I'm more concerned about the Rescue.

Ask them about vetting. Make sure the dog has been completely vetted, all vax done, wormed, etc. You want this all in writing. Reputable rescues don't adopt out fertile dogs.

What is the policy for returning dogs? Personally I take dogs back with a full refund for 30 days. I also stand behind my dogs for the life of them. You can call or email me any time about one of my dogs that you adopted from us.

My dogs are all temperment tested. This means that we don't adopt out dogs that bite or are dangerous. Ask if this dog is housebroken or at least crate trained.

Crickette is wrong. Most dogs end up in rescue through no fault of their own.

Answer 2

Adopting a dog from a rescue is not really all that different from getting a dog as a puppy. Most rescue dogs will require some training on your part, but an adult rescue usually won't require as much training as an 8 week old puppy.

The vast majority of dogs in rescue end up there because of behavioral problems. About 99% of the time the behavioral problems were 100% preventable with some training from the owners but the owners were either too ignorant or too lazy to prevent the problem or to deal with it once it had surfaced. And most of these behavioral problems are not all that difficult to correct with a little time and patience. The most common behavioral problems you will see with rescued dogs are jumping up on people, pulling on leash, and shyness or fearfulness around unfamiliar situations, people, and surroundings. For the most part, rescues (and especially breed specific rescues who keep all of their dogs in foster homes) have evaluated their dogs for behavioral problems. Dogs with severe behavioral problems are usually not put up for adoption. Also, rescues who use foster homes usually get their dogs at least started on basic obedience training and manners so while you will still have to keep up the training once you bring the dog home you are rarely starting from scratch and the dog should know at least one or two simple commands.

If you are considering a very young dog (less than 2 years old) then you should consider starting an emergency vet fund if you don't have one already. Dogs in rescue often don't have a pedigree and you usually don't have any way of knowing what health issues may have been inherited from their parents. Many health issues don't show up until a dog has hit maturity, so adopting a puppy from a rescue instead of from a reputable breeder means you're shooting in the dark as far as health. Older dogs may also have health surprises but they are less likely than puppies to surprise you with something really big (like dysplasia or epilepsy or megaesophogas).

An adult rescue dog is also unlikely to surprise you with temperament issues. While it is true that you can't undo their past, it is also true that what you see is, generally, what you get. If you adopted a two or three year old boxer who was happy and outgoing and loved everyone...well that's the kind of dog you're going to have in a year or two. Most breed-specific rescues will test their dogs to see how they do around people, kids, cats and other small animals, and dogs. This way both the rescue and potential adopters have a good idea of what the dog's personality is like and if they will fit in with a certain family or not.

Answer 3

In response to the comment, "Sadly, most dogs that end up in rescue are there due to a temperament, personality or medical problem that their owner just did not want to deal with. " - THIS IS UNTRUE.

The vast majority of dogs are in rescue due to no fault of their own. The most common reasons our breed rescue takes in dogs: new baby, divorce, moving, not enough time for dog, new spouse, allergies, dog got too big, etc.

One of the wonderful things about breed rescue group is that the dog is fostered in volunteers' homes, so an accurate gage of their behavior and temperament can be obtained.

The other great thing about rescue is that they're going to be completely honest and up front with a potential adopter. They want what is best for the dog, which means the best possible match of dogs and new homes.

To address the original question of what to consider when adopting a rescue dog, just make sure to work with a responsible rescue group. Are they a well established group? They should be interested in the type of home you can provide for the dog and make a concerted effort to screen your home. The dog in question should be spayed/neutered (or adopted on a contract that mandates proof of spay/neuter by a certain date).

Ask for references, even call other rescues (of same breed) in neighboring states for reputation checks if you have any worries. Sadly, there are some people that pose as a rescue in order to sell dogs, so don't blindly trust all rescues.

A responsible rescue group will guide you through the process of finding the best match for your home, so I wouldn't worry about that aspect.

Rescue is a wonderful way to obtain a new companion.

Bev

Answer 4

What a great idea! And great for your dog! Most rescue groups who have their dogs in foster care can do a great job matching up a dog with your lifestyle and current dog. The advantages of a dog in foster care over shelter care are numerous. First, the dog is much less stressed-shelter environments are loud and scary for any animal, even if they get attention. Potty trained dogs often forget their manners in a shelter, because they are being housed in a kennel environment, while foster dogs are in homes where there are rules. Dogs in foster homes get love, attention, play time, socialization, often better food and vet care as well. The result is a dog with fewer issues than a shelter dog, and any "baggage" has been identified by the foster parents and will be communicated to the adoptive parent. Foster parents usually spend a lot of time making sure the dog gets the absolute right home, so there is no going back and forth, which can be devastating to a dogs emotions. My rescue group actively removes dogs from shelters and puts them in foster care just to make them more adoptable. Good luck with your endeavor-I am sure you will find a great dog!

Answer 5

I have read most of the responses regarding your question and there is some good advice. There is also some answers that I would question. First, the statement about most dogs ending up in rescue because of behavior or temprament issues is not true. While that is the case for many of the dogs in rescue orgs, many of the other dogs are there because of changing family situations such as loss of a job, moving, new child, owner death, etc. I am on the board of our local humane society and we get a lot of owner surrenders as a result of the above. Many of the purebred type of dogs get surrendered to rescue orgs as a result. There are some of the rescue dogs that end up as rescues because of behavior issues. HOWEVER most of the GOOD rescue organizations will take steps to socialize the dog, and and will advise you if there are any issues with dog aggression, food aggression, cats, children, etc. Make sure you ask about all of these things. AND be patient. We got a golden retriever from a rescue org to be a playmate with our existing golden. They were like the sorority princess and the out of control frat boy for the first couple of months...but in a few short months with proper training he was the perfect pet and still is.

I also serve as a volunteer for the local golden retriever rescue and have had 4 dogs in my home over the last year. All of them, with one exception had some issues that I was able to resolve prior to adoptiing them out. One of them was an absolute perfect dog that I had for two days and hated to give up!

Enjoy and good luck!

Answer 6

A lot depends on what the dog went through before it went to the rescue. Some are very nervous and shy to start with. Some are worried around women and not men to start with or good with women and not men They may take a little while to adjust to their new homes, but all dogs do.

All have been resocialized before they are put up for adoption and all are ready to ake wonderful pets before they are up for adoption.

The foster home or shelter makes a record of how the dog is around adults, p[eople, other dogs etc so as you know what to expect.

Answer 7

I think the question is about you, not the dog. How well do you understand dog behavior? Have you trained dogs to be reliable in all the basic commands? Have you had a dog with any behavior problems in the past that you were able to correct? If you answered yes to all question then you have nothing to worry about. Getting a dog from a shelter or rescue means you have a higher chance of getting a dog with some baggage. So, you need to be able to handle that with a minimum of fuss.

Answer 8

Congrats in advance :P.
Um a few things like:
-Will the dog you get and the one you own now get along?
-Does it have food aggression, cage aggression, aggression towards kids? I know my dog has food aggression depending on what it is, so you have to be careful.
-When you first see the dog is there some sort of connection between you two?
-Does the dog like males(human and dog), some dogs are weary around certain people.
-Does it have any physical problems?
-Was it abused(dogs who are abused take alot more to get to trust you, but it's worth it in the end.)
-How is the rescue center you go to? Is it clean, do the kennels look clean and are the animals treated fairly?
If you have any other questions you can email me I'll try my best to help you out.

Answer 9

it truthfully relies upon on your motives for paying for yet another canines. in case you at the instant are not fascinated in getting a purebred and have not have been given any plans to tutor, compete, or in any different case, a rescue canines is only as solid as the different canines. i could recommend a rescue as unfavorable to a look after, as you will get extra history on a canines who's in foster care. whilst bringing a sparkling grownup canines into the mixture, it somewhat is critical have some help from the rescue team that should assist you whilst demanding circumstances pop up. domestic dogs are a discomfort contained in the a** and require a lot of paintings for the 1st 365 days of their lives. i've got no longer finished a doggy in 13 years and in no way will returned. they're additionally lots extra costly with each and every of the vetting a doggy desires contained in the 1st 365 days.

Answer 10

I got my dog at a rescue place and he is great. You might want to consider where he has been rescued from because if he was abused he might act differntly towards people. also where tthey found the puppy because his enviorment might change his exercise need. Also i know its a boxer place but make sure you know that bother parents were boxer or at least know what they were maybe so that you know what kind of problems to expect such as my dog is part german shepard so he has bad hips and knees.