Dog - where to get one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got our doggie from Rescue Angels. They were so easy to work with - even let us take him home overnight to make sure he'd get along with our cat before we finalized the adoption. (He and the cat got along just fine. They're awesome brothers now.)

http://www.rescueangels.org/

Arlington and Alexandria Animal Welfare Leagues are also both very nice, and you'll find a mix of different kinds of dogs there.

WARL, of course, is amazing.

And WHS does have a lot of pits - I happen to love them, but if you're skittish you're skittish, and their primary goal is matching the right dog with the right family. You can work with their adoption coordinators to find a dog who you think will fit in well with your household. I don't think they'll evangelize to you about getting pitties (though, again, I happen to love those dogs).

Good luck, either way! Hope you'll report back when you have your new pup so we can all ooh and aah over him/her.

Skittish? Perhaps some of us are experienced dog owners of large breeds. We have dogs in our family for well over a decade. I'd rather spend those 12-15 years with a lab or GS, etc. It was only after spending time with several rescued pitbull/mixes who have loving homes and proper care and training that we decided no. When family has a dog and they can no longer care for them permanently or temporarily it says alot when dog lover relatives refuse to take in the dog.

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say here. I guess that all the people who love pit bulls and all the research finding that they are not in fact more dangerous than any other breed of dogs know less than you?

IN ANY CASE: I don't give a shit what kind of dog you prefer having. I was trying to say that while Washington Humane has a lot of pits and pit mixes, and while they've done some great advocacy work on behalf of those deeply misunderstood dogs, they also have a lot of other kinds of dogs and the resources to help you find the right one for you.

TL;DR: I don't care what kind of dog you get. Was just trying to point out some good resources, and disabuse folks from the idea that WHS only has pits (though I love pits, myself).

[Anonymous]

New poster. OP, my advice is that you go straight to Petfinder to search for dogs, and not focus on particular shelters.

In my experience, you're right that the shelter folks are often uptight and disorganized. I believe it's because most of the shelter workers are youngish volunteers, who are there because of their love of animals, not their love of efficient customer service. And shelters spend whatever little budget they have on rescuing more animals, not infrastructure and customer amenities. Yes, I agree from a business perspective that it would be smart for shelters to spend more money and time training their volunteers to provide efficient customer service, so more families can adopt more animals more quickly. But I doubt that will happen anytime soon.

In my experience, if you happen to find a dog you want from a breed-specific animal rescue group, as opposed to a general city run shelter, you'll get much better customer service. The rescue groups seem to have less capacity than the shelters (because they're often relying on volunteers to foster the animals), so they're really motivated to move the animals they have to permanent families. I've had a rescue league worker offer to arrange for volunteers to drive a dog to my neighborhood from hundreds of miles out-of-state. If you're a good candidate (i.e., someone who has previously adopted a rescue dog, fenced yard, willing to take an adult dog instead of a puppy, etc.), they'll bend over backward for you.

Good luck! Also, consider an adult dog (2-4 years old) -- IME, they're much better adoptions than puppies. You can avoid many of the exasperations that come with puppies. You often can read about the dog's background from the prior owner's bio, so you know more about the specific dog's personality. All that leads to good adoptions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is 21:41, Yes I believe what i wrote, what does it mean to "better the breed" ? who cares if a breed is better than it was. Dogs are suffering because there are just too many of them. If you want a specific breed you can get it from a rescue that works with that breed.
If a breeder was doing it for the love of a breed and the love of dogs they would be gi ving them away. Theyre doing it too make money.
I personally think that thats wrong when we have so many dogs being put down every day because no one is available to adopt them.

In an ideal world, reputable breeders breed healthy puppies and responsible pet owners adopt/buy them and keep them forever or rehome them privately (or through breed-specific rescues). You're saying that because there are many unwanted dogs out there, purebred and otherwise, that this is the fault of reputable breeders and responsible pet owners.

Reputable breeders, who seek to reduce or eliminate faults in the breed (such as hip dysplasia, eye problems, skin problems, etc.,) as well as producing puppies with good temperaments, have costs including showing and, more basically, feeding the bitch and puppies, vet bills, etc. Certainly, we can comment on whether prices for purebred puppies are too high, but you're saying that purebred puppies, from the guy down the street or from AKC champions, should be sold for $0. Why should they give them away rather than recoup costs?

I understand the feeling that you shouldn't get a healthy purebred puppy from a breeder when you can get a pound puppy. But there are enough pet owners that some people can do one and other people can do the other. At least that's my opinion. I also think that, the logical conclusion from the idea that you shouldn't get a puppy from a breeder instead of a pound puppy is that, if your circumstances in life change so that you can no longer keep the dog, rather than rehome it privately or through a rescue (or send the dog back to the pound), you should euthanize it rather than sending it on to someone else. If you rehome your adult dog, you are taking up the place in someone else's home that could be taken by a pound or rescue dog. (But many vets will refuse to euthanize healthy dogs. So don't worry, you can't do this in real life. It is something that some people advocate for horses, though, since they are so much more expensive to keep.)

There is so much I disagree with in this post I don't even know where to start.

Just put your pet down if your circumstances change?
There are enough homes for dogs?
Whaaaa???
Kill all unwanted horses?
There are such things as reputable breeders?

[Anonymous]

I dont think it is the fault of the breeder specifically, I do think that they contribute do the problem though.
They are adding more and more dogs to a country filled with dogs that are being put donw or housed in shelters for the rest of their lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got our doggie from Rescue Angels. They were so easy to work with - even let us take him home overnight to make sure he'd get along with our cat before we finalized the adoption. (He and the cat got along just fine. They're awesome brothers now.)

http://www.rescueangels.org/

Arlington and Alexandria Animal Welfare Leagues are also both very nice, and you'll find a mix of different kinds of dogs there.

WARL, of course, is amazing.

And WHS does have a lot of pits - I happen to love them, but if you're skittish you're skittish, and their primary goal is matching the right dog with the right family. You can work with their adoption coordinators to find a dog who you think will fit in well with your household. I don't think they'll evangelize to you about getting pitties (though, again, I happen to love those dogs).

Good luck, either way! Hope you'll report back when you have your new pup so we can all ooh and aah over him/her.

Skittish? Perhaps some of us are experienced dog owners of large breeds. We have dogs in our family for well over a decade. I'd rather spend those 12-15 years with a lab or GS, etc. It was only after spending time with several rescued pitbull/mixes who have loving homes and proper care and training that we decided no. When family has a dog and they can no longer care for them permanently or temporarily it says alot when dog lover relatives refuse to take in the dog.

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say here. I guess that all the people who love pit bulls and all the research finding that they are not in fact more dangerous than any other breed of dogs know less than you?

IN ANY CASE: I don't give a shit what kind of dog you prefer having. I was trying to say that while Washington Humane has a lot of pits and pit mixes, and while they've done some great advocacy work on behalf of those deeply misunderstood dogs, they also have a lot of other kinds of dogs and the resources to help you find the right one for you.

TL;DR: I don't care what kind of dog you get. Was just trying to point out some good resources, and disabuse folks from the idea that WHS only has pits (though I love pits, myself).

I've read the research. As I wrote we have dogs for well over a decade. http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/truth-about-pit-bulls

Read the entire article. I know people with an American Bull Terrier from a good breeder who got him at 8 weeks. Wonderful dog. The canine liability insurance whether a separate policy or part of homeowners is a real thing determined by actuaries. Factor those costs into the price of ownership.

Many come from dogs that should not be bred.

http://www.cesarsway.com/dogbehavior/basics/How-Did-Pit-Bulls-Get-a-Bad-Rap : Houston Chronicle quotes unnamed officials as placing the blame for the problem squarely on humans. “(M)any of the pit bull attacks are due to a skyrocketing number of poorly bred and badly trained dogs raised by backyard breeders, who are trying to cash in on the pit bull’s growing reputation as a cheap, but deadly effective guard dog, particularly in urban areas.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lost Dog and Cat Rescue. I volunteered at an event, they are held every weekend, I think both Sat. and Sun.
I got my dog from Lab Rescue. I think it was more interviews through them. Please don't "buy" a dog. Just read a heartbreaking story about how many dogs were surrendered right before Christmas.

Are you referring to the Yorkie puppymill bust in AL before Xmas? We have one of the Yorkies!!! Our Yorkie passed away on Dec 9, and 4 days later a friend emailed and asked us to foster. The A Forever Home took 25 dogs from the bust and brought them to N. VA. Of course, we officially adopted her. How could we not? She's had multiple litters and only 3

OP - this is where I'd start my search. Decide what kind of dog you're looking for - we have a mixed hound from a GA shelter who is the best dog in the world (and he is!!!). We have a 7 yr old rough boy - with lots of rough friends - and our dog is great with all the children. When we have sleepovers, he fits himself in with the kids, and when a game of tag starts, he's one of the boys. Best decision of our lives was to adopt him!

So start with your preference and then look at the DC shelters and WARL - you can find almost any breed. Decide on size, too. Our hound requires a lot of exercise (good for us!) but our Yorkie is still learning to walk on a leash. I don't recommend really small dogs for children, and most shelters have age limits with small dogs - our young child was raised with our Yorkie and he knew her limitations.

I receive emails everyday about great dogs in need of a home. Our hound was a day away from being euthenized, his only fault was that he was in a rural shelter where there aren't enough homes. Please don't buy a dog, adopt. You'll be so happy that you did!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got our doggie from Rescue Angels. They were so easy to work with - even let us take him home overnight to make sure he'd get along with our cat before we finalized the adoption. (He and the cat got along just fine. They're awesome brothers now.)

http://www.rescueangels.org/

Arlington and Alexandria Animal Welfare Leagues are also both very nice, and you'll find a mix of different kinds of dogs there.

WARL, of course, is amazing.

And WHS does have a lot of pits - I happen to love them, but if you're skittish you're skittish, and their primary goal is matching the right dog with the right family. You can work with their adoption coordinators to find a dog who you think will fit in well with your household. I don't think they'll evangelize to you about getting pitties (though, again, I happen to love those dogs).

Good luck, either way! Hope you'll report back when you have your new pup so we can all ooh and aah over him/her.

Skittish? Perhaps some of us are experienced dog owners of large breeds. We have dogs in our family for well over a decade. I'd rather spend those 12-15 years with a lab or GS, etc. It was only after spending time with several rescued pitbull/mixes who have loving homes and proper care and training that we decided no. When family has a dog and they can no longer care for them permanently or temporarily it says alot when dog lover relatives refuse to take in the dog.

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say here. I guess that all the people who love pit bulls and all the research finding that they are not in fact more dangerous than any other breed of dogs know less than you?

IN ANY CASE: I don't give a shit what kind of dog you prefer having. I was trying to say that while Washington Humane has a lot of pits and pit mixes, and while they've done some great advocacy work on behalf of those deeply misunderstood dogs, they also have a lot of other kinds of dogs and the resources to help you find the right one for you.

TL;DR: I don't care what kind of dog you get. Was just trying to point out some good resources, and disabuse folks from the idea that WHS only has pits (though I love pits, myself).

I've read the research. As I wrote we have dogs for well over a decade. http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/truth-about-pit-bulls

Read the entire article. I know people with an American Bull Terrier from a good breeder who got him at 8 weeks. Wonderful dog. The canine liability insurance whether a separate policy or part of homeowners is a real thing determined by actuaries. Factor those costs into the price of ownership.

Many come from dogs that should not be bred.

http://www.cesarsway.com/dogbehavior/basics/How-Did-Pit-Bulls-Get-a-Bad-Rap : Houston Chronicle quotes unnamed officials as placing the blame for the problem squarely on humans. “(M)any of the pit bull attacks are due to a skyrocketing number of poorly bred and badly trained dogs raised by backyard breeders, who are trying to cash in on the pit bull’s growing reputation as a cheap, but deadly effective guard dog, particularly in urban areas.”

I'm sorry but I am still really confused by what point you are trying to make. Can you lay it out in simple English, please?

[Anonymous]

OK this is blunt. I don't want to get a poorly bred pitbull from a back yard breeder with unknown socialization during a critical period of life-ages 7-16 weeks.

[Anonymous]

Go to a dog obedience training event. Talk to the people there. Out in the country, you can still get good old fashioned dogs, raised at a loving farm, not over bred, never damaged, for a cheap price. The trainers at the dog obedience trials can put you in contact with them.

http://www.akc.org/events/search/index.cfm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK this is blunt. I don't want to get a poorly bred pitbull from a back yard breeder with unknown socialization during a critical period of life-ages 7-16 weeks.

OK! So then don't! Like I was saying earlier, reputable shelters will work really hard to make sure the right dog goes home with the right family.

If you don't like dogs of a specific breed - whether that dislike is rational, reasonable, or not - then don't get dogs of that breed. It's really that simple!

[Anonymous]

I think the real key is meeting the dog and figuring out if they are good with you and your family.

We went through HART, but the dog we got was actually from a shelter far out in West Virginia somewhere. The woman who runs the shelter drives the dogs to the HARTs adoption days. I found the people who officially to work at HART to be condescending, control freaks. Not to mention they misrepresent the dogs online and in person. The volunteers on the other hand tell you the truth. We were about to adopt a dog, and the volunteer pulled us aside and told us the dog was quite aggressive. Just then the dog went after another dog.

The woman from the shelter was also very honest. But overall the best thing you can do is meet the dog, several times if needed.

[Anonymous]

Check with one of the Westie Rescue clubs. We have adopted 2 from shelters that were 3 and 4 years old but then found the Westie clubs when we had questions about health etc. If you have ever been to the Scottish parade in Old Town you have seen some of the clubs. Reach out and find a wonderful pet that needs a home. There will be another one in our future. We hope to find one that needs a loving home. I hope you do too.

[Anonymous]

I adopted a 3 month old puppy from the ARL Animal Welfare League. I was very happy with my adoption experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check with one of the Westie Rescue clubs. We have adopted 2 from shelters that were 3 and 4 years old but then found the Westie clubs when we had questions about health etc. If you have ever been to the Scottish parade in Old Town you have seen some of the clubs. Reach out and find a wonderful pet that needs a home. There will be another one in our future. We hope to find one that needs a loving home. I hope you do too.

I met some westie and other terrier folks at a festival. They told us that our living situation was unsuitable for the breeds. Invisible fence training even with a dog pwned since a puppy wouldn't work in their experience. I saw some puppies on a rescue site that were a shepherd/lab/plus mix. Everyone looked different. But none odd. Here's a link with a responseon goldendoodles from a dog obedience trainer 5 points in (). Amix of physical and behavior traits fine in each breed can be problematical in the doodles. Like long thin poodle legs and stocky lab or golden bodies etc. Better to get a rescue of those mixes to see what the formed dog will be like. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130414173019AAbxtPK

[Anonymous]

We have two Lost Dog Rescue dogs. They are the best. They are sane and they make the process quick and easy.