Rescuing a 5 yr old female lab?

Question

I have 2 small kids (6 months old and 4 yrs old) and am trying to find a good furry kid to add to the brood. The local lab rescue called and has a 5 yr old female yellow lab who they say is very laid back and shows no signs of aggressions. What do you think? What are our chances of bringing her into our home and all of the kids, skin and furry, getting along well together? Just curious since we're adoping an adult and not a pup - what are people's experience with adult dogs and children?

Answer 1

Any reputable rescue group will have tested the dog with kids prior to contacting you. They'll also want to have a meeting between your family and the dog to see how it goes.

Don’t be taken in by the thinking that you have to have a puppy so that it will bond to you. Once a rescue dog knows that it’s staying, it will bond to you just as strongly as a puppy, if not more so.

Just a few reasons for adopting an adult dog instead of a puppy include:

A puppy could grow to be larger than expected
With an adult, you already know how big the dog is and whether it’s too big for your home

A puppy will need to be housebroken
An adult is often already housebroken and crate trained

A puppy will go through that destructive stage
An adult will have already outgrown those destructive tendencies

Having a puppy is a lot of work. An adult dog is often much easier to integrate into the household. Most of our dogs lived in a home before they ended up in rescue, so they can easily adapt to the hustle and bustle of a home and pick up on the household routine quickly.

Answer 2

Well, usually a rescue org is very good at evaluating the dog and being honest with the adoptive families since they don't want the dog returned or the liability of a child being injured. Chances are if they feel the dog is good with children you will be fine.
Just be sure to supervise all interaction with the dog and kids until you are absolutely certain about the dog and its behavior with children. It is also a good idea to educate your kids on proper behavior around dog, ie: no tail pulling, no hitting, no ear pulling, no eye poking, no toy throwing, etc.
Labs are generally laid back and gentle and should do great with kids. Older dogs are also good with kids because they have experienced more and are less easily startled than puppies or young adults.

Answer 3

with going with an adult lab you should have nothing to worry about. the ones telling you that an adult is not good with jumpy kids have never had a lab.

Labs are the best when it comes to a pet for kids. because they very laid back. they are also very protective over children even the ones that have been abused.

I would only worry if it were a pup. because you can not get them to start calming down untill they are at least 1 year. then it takes a couple years to turn them into calm well trained dogs.

good luck. I do think that this dog would be a very good pet for you and your children.

Answer 4

Labs are the best, are very adaptable and versatile. Not to mention very friendly and fun loving. I grew up in a house with 6 kids and all our lives we were adopting dogs and bring them home. we never had a problem. Even now I do dog rescue and foster work and many of the dogs are fine going into homes with kids. I have 2 Labs. my male I raised around kids but my female I rescued. She is great with kids and there are amny in and out of my house. Ask the rescue group if they could bring her over or your family goes and meets her all together. You should get a pretty good idea from her behavior how she will be. There are some breeds I would never recommend it but Labs are generally very friendly and love everyone and everything.

Answer 5

Adult dogs are best with small children because they usually have gone through all the puppy phases and just want to be loved. I really think this dog will be a great addition to you family. Try bringing your kids to see her and see how they react. Another plus is that female tend to be more laid back she will probably sleep with your kids all day and just want some love. I have a Friend who has a lab and you could do anything to her pull her ears or what ever lol and she would not move. They are amazing pets and I really suggest this dog for your family. Good Luck :)

Answer 6

There is no way you can generalize by breed, or by age.and be 100 percent accurate Talk about your concerns with the rescue, and the foster family of the lab. Ask if you can bring your kids to spend some time with the lab. Watch carefully and see what you think. When you get home, always monitor your children with the dog until you are sure of appropriate behavior on both sides. I think it is wonderful that you are thinking rescue, and great that you are considering an adult.

Answer 7

Well every dog is gonna be different but I would bet that she will be great with your kids. I have 4 labs that are all excellent with my children. 2 of my labs we have had since pups but the other 2 we brought to our home when they were 3 years old. Those 2 have been excellent but in the beginning we just kept a close eye on them and our children. My children are 4 and 20 month old twins so I would have to say you will have good luck. Labs are excellent family dogs and great with children. it's just in their nature. Of course you can come across a few bad seeds but in general I believe they are the best dogs for children. Good luck and I would say go for it!

Answer 8

I think adopting an adult dog is a good choice with small children. When you adopt a puppy you are never completely sure what the final temperament will be. With an adult dog they have matured and you can see what kind of a dog they are. Most Humane Societies do temperament tests to ensure a good fit with the new family. Call the Humane Society back and find out if they did a temperament test and what the results were.

Labs are generally known for being great family dogs and excellent with children. I suspect that if they called you about her that they know that she is a good fit and I think you would be lucky to have her.

I hope it works out for you and the kids!!

Answer 9

I'd really check on the aggression because you never know what they've been through especially being 5 years old. But older dogs I think are great for families. They still need some attention but love even the fact that they can just sleep at your feet and don't demand attention like younger more active dogs. Older dogs are much calmer and more gentile so there shouldn't be problems with the kids :) They'll love that the dog is still young enough to play but more relaxed and mature.

Answer 10

Labrador dogs, even as adults, are very gentle and even protective of little children. Once this dog gets acquanted with the kids, there should be no problems. My family used to own a black lab and when my little sister was born, our lab would push people away from her if he thought they were getting too close. Very good dogs with children. At worst, you might have a dog that will ignore the kids, but I doubt that. Good luck and have fun with your new family member!!