getting a dog...could use advice

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

I swore I would never buy from a breeder and would only go through a shelter or rescue league. We have a 2.5 year old Who while he's good with our cat, he's 2.5 and sometimes gets over excited and scares the cat. I've had 5 friends who Have adopted from shelters and 3 of them have had bad experiences because their history wasn't entirely honest. So I guess my question is, does anyone have advice on how to vet the different places to make sure the dog is a good match? DH says we should just get a puppy from a breeder because it's less of a headAche but I really don't want to.

[Anonymous]

I think you need to go with rescues with good reviews. Also meet the puppy and spend some time with him or her before committing to an adoption. I've gotten my dog from a rescue, and he's exactly as they described him and how he was when we met him for the first time- lots of energy, needs a lot of exercise, can be aloof at times (not the biggest cuddler). I have multiple friends who have adopted from around here and only one had a bad experience- but they adopted an abused dog in the hopes of rehibilitating him, unfortunately were not able to and needed to have him put down (he was very aggressive). The shelter didn't lie about his background, though, they knew what they were getting into.

fWIW, we used Pet Rescue Alliance in Alexandria and found them to be great to work with.

[Anonymous]

You have to be very honest with the shelter about your toddler and your cat, so that they understand how mellow the dog needs to be. OR you can get the youngest puppy possible from the shelter.

[Anonymous]

I'd be really surprised if a shelter allowed you to get a dog with a 2.5 year old and a cat. I absolutely love my dog. I tried to get another through a breeder and was denied because I work outside of the home. Same for a shelter.

[Anonymous]

Given your situation I would focus more on rescue leagues instead of shelters. They seem to know the animals better and put more effort into matching them to families. For us, for example, (we went through the NoVa SPCA), they did a home visit and selected us from between 2-3 families who wanted the dog. They also have a trainer who spends a lot of time with the dogs between when they are rescued and when they go out for adoption to make sure they are happy, learn their quirks, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Given your situation I would focus more on rescue leagues instead of shelters. They seem to know the animals better and put more effort into matching them to families. For us, for example, (we went through the NoVa SPCA), they did a home visit and selected us from between 2-3 families who wanted the dog. They also have a trainer who spends a lot of time with the dogs between when they are rescued and when they go out for adoption to make sure they are happy, learn their quirks, etc.

Me again - we both work outside the home and had no problem getting approved for adopting our pet. The fact that we weren't home during the day wasn't an obstacle at all.

[Anonymous]

Many of the rescue organizations have puppies for adoption. We adopted ours from Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. We have two cats and it wasn't an issue.

[Anonymous]

If you know what type of dog you want, consider a breed-specific rescue. They typically place dogs into their foster homes where they are thoroughly vetted, evaluated against other dogs, animals, and kids.

[Anonymous]

I'd recommend a rescue organization for a breed that fits your lifestyle (active or not), etc. The rescue will know the traits of the breed and can help you fine tune the best dog for your household. When you get a dog (and not a puppy) you will have a much better sense of the dogs personality when adopted when they are older. Also, get one that is already house broken, otherwise that can take some time that you aren't likely to have with a toddler at home.

[Anonymous]

We just adopted a ~3 month old puppy from an SPCA. Less than a month out so can't give definitive advice, but so far so good. Our kids are 4 & 7 and the puppy has been great with both of them and their friends, including dealing well with a visit to our younger kids entire preschool class.

We had visited other dogs / older puppies and our younger child was a bit intimidated by them, so we knew they were a no go. But this dog had the right size and temperament to work for us. I'm not sure but I think the following were helpful in finding the 'right' dog for our family:

-A younger and thus smaller puppy. Ours is a classic mutt / lab mix, but was only 8lbs when we got him and will likely be on the small to medium size, so clearly a lab mixed with something much smaller. We do get *some* jumping / nipping but it's not bad (we're training him out of it) and his size means he can't just bowl our kids over.

-A friendly but submissive dog. When we went in the small dog & puppies room all the dogs started barking / yapping except this one. He had 2 sisters from his litter there at the same time and they came up to the cage / jumped up on it to greet you, but he was more submissive. So while he came right up to the cage and clearly wanted attention he also promptly rolled right over to show his belly. Basically we got the impression from our interactions with him at the shelter that he was a sweet, submissive, people focused dog, and so far that seems to be holding true.

[Anonymous]

If you have a young child, I would not recommend a puppy. They aren't little for very long (unless it's a small breed) and IME are much less tolerant of obnoxious but well-meaning toddler love. More laid-back adults are a lot more patient with toddler antics. Also, puppies nip and teethe on lots of inappropriate things including toddler fingers and toys. My own dog is an alpha in a pack, but she is SO tolerant of our 2 year old. She seems to understand. Maybe her Mama-instinct she never got to put to use?

I second the rescue recommendation, and make sure the group is one that will accept a dog back if it ends up not being a good match. I have had good experiences with GRREAT but have never actually adopted through them (volunteered), but there are lots of good ones. If a dog has spent time in a foster home instead of a shelter, the rescue is more attuned to their various issues, especially if the foster home also has children and other pets.

I will caution you that a lot of rescues will not adopt to a family with small children, because small children can REALLY try the patience of an otherwise great dog, with often disastrous results. I've seen heartbreaking situations where a great dog had to be put down because of an exchange with a child that should have never been allowed to happen (for example, a dog snapping at a child who was sitting on the floor eating ice cream next to the dog, who had only been in their home for 2 weeks). Just know what you're getting yourself into and if a rescue doesn't allow you to adopt because of your toddler, that doesn't mean that they necessarily don't like kids, but that they have probably had bad experiences before. You should ALWAYS monitor your child around ANY dog, young or old, new or long-time family member. If a child is clearly bugging the dog, correct the child and remove them or the dog from the situation. Know the signs to look out for when a dog's patience is running out. GET TRAINING FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY. My own advice is to also get a breed who is known to be good with families/young children and avoid mixed breeds, although many will disagree with this advice. I have a neighbor who adopted a "Golden mix" from a shelter and when they brought the dog home, I could tell that dog was Chow up one side and down the other (their DNA test confirmed that!). No surprise that the dog snaps at other neighbors and dogs. I value what shelters are trying to do, but they sometimes stretch the description of the dog to fit an ideal dog instead of being completely honest about the dog. They're really doing a disservice to the dog and the families when that happens, which is why I recommend a rescue group.

Our Golden is really great with little ones, FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I would wait another couple of years before adopting a dog. Unless you are a master trainer, trying to deal with a puppy, a 2 year old and a cat would be...pretty awful. Just my opinion of course.

[Anonymous]

Some rescues will let you do a 2-week trial or a foster-to-adopt with the dog. This may be a good option to see if everyone can get along.

[Anonymous]

Just remember that young puppies need lots of *positive* social interactions in order to grow up being great dogs.

So if you do get a puppy - be sure to supervise every interaction between your child and your dog.

[Anonymous]

Go to an established breeder. Get an english labrador reliever --not a field type! There are several ethical breeders in the area--try Lakobielabs--I never did use them but I know people who have. A good breeder is not in it for the money at all--but for the intense love of the style and temperament of the dog. Especially with a 2.5 year old, you need to have a high certainty of what you are getting. A high quality english lab is easy, easy to house train, low shedding, and pretty low energy. Make sure the breeder has had the parents OFA certified, to insure hip and joint health and you've got a perfect family pet--no guesswork. I'd rather not take chance if I had a 2 year old--it's not remotely worth it.