Dog adoption advice - local shelters

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think you're on the right track in terms of establishing a relationship with a local shelter so they can be 'on notice' when a dog that might work for your family comes through. I've personally interacted with the PG County, Arlington County, and Fairfax County shelters via a volunteer role and their adoption staff are all pretty great. PG definitely has the highest need, but it's usually for larger dogs under the 'guard dog' umbrellas (mastiffs, bigger pit mixes, GSDs).

I would not be inclined to go through a home-based rescue to adopt a dog that needs to be good with kids. I've seen too many negative experiences (even from the 'good' rescues mentioned in this thread) where the dogs turned out to have severe separation anxiety, leash reactivity, or other undesirable and potentially unsafe behaviors when in the new adopter's home, and then the rescue guilted them TERRIBLY (and in some cases put them on a do-not-adopt list) when they tried to return the dog to the rescue. I've seen foster homes with multiple dogs where fights break out regularly, leading to dog-dog aggression even in young puppies. I appreciate the work that rescues do in trying to relieve overcrowding at rural shelters, but they simply can't or don't do the level of behavioral screening that I feel is necessary to place dogs successfully.

Could you please explain how municipal shelters are better for assessment of dog/kid interaction if dogs kept in kennels and not in foster homes? Same for unsafe behavior and leash reactivity?
TIA

As an AWLA volunteer, I did a TON of dog walking for adoptable dogs. I could tell you all of their walking quirks in the urban environment around the shelter (reactivity to people, squirrels/rats, cars, bikes, skateboards, even horses!). So that one's pretty easy. Adoptions/behavior staff test for separation anxiety by crating or confining the dog in the adoptions office or another closed space and gradually stepping away. Did the dog resist being crated, even if people were nearby? Were they fine being crated or gated with people nearby, but not alone? If initially upset when left alone, did they eventually settle, or get increasingly agitated? All dogs going up for adoption had multi-step dog introduction tests, with the results shared with adopters. Cat tests could be conducted by request. We did meet and greets if potential adopters already had another dog(s). "Good with kids" is subjective, but again, when I was a volunteer we were looking for things like mouthiness, jumpiness, resource guarding, etc. that would make a dog potentially unsafe around younger children.

Most dogs who come through shelters have at least a week where they are off-view from the public, during which time shelter staff engage with them extensively. Obviously a shelter environment isn't a home, but the staff are trained professionals who are proactively looking for health and behavior issues. At AWLA, many dogs get funneled into foster homes, as well, with the shelter still acting as the screener for potential adopters.

I just don't see foster homes as a substitute for the judgement of trained professionals. My friend adopted a dog from a large, established local rescue that the foster said was totally chill and great with kids. In reality, the dog was terrified of all children younger than teenagers, almost impossible to walk on a leash due to fear aggression towards other animals (turns out it had been attacked by one of the foster's dogs), and had what I would consider moderate separation anxiety (excessive barking and stress-shedding but not destructive/self-injurious). So while a shelter's observations might be limited somewhat by the shelter environment, at least their evaluations will be consistent from a risk-prevention perspective.

Thank you for detailed response, I appreciate it.
Totally get your point on structured, formalized intake process and agree that foster care is not a substitute for professional evaluation.

[Anonymous]

I don't know if they still do, but when I got a cat from Humane Rescue Alliance a few years ago they had a behavioralist on staff who was able to advise on integrating the cat with other pets and people in the home. I was really impressed with her and got a great cat (for very little money compared to the rescues as well).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is impossible to find a shelter dog that is not a pit bull mix. You have to go with breed specific rescues who raid puppy mills. Even then, a lot of the dogs are not pure breeds or the mix that the shelter tells you that it is.

What's wrong with having some American pit bull terrier in them? They are adorable, faithful and loveable

Everything is wrong with them, especially since she mentioned hood with children as her top priority, which rulles out all pit bulls or pit bull mixes.

That's not really true, though. Plenty of pit bulls and pit mixes are, in fact, good with children. They live whole lives without you ever knowing about it because 'nothing happened' doesn't make the news. There are also plenty of individual dogs of allegedly 'kid friendly' breeds that aren't. Choose based on temperament not appearance and spend time training/socializing and you'll be fine with whatever breed.

I understand what you want to say about temperament, but certain breeds really do have ingrained traits. They're not like humans, they're animals. You will never get a collie that can't herd. Pittbulls were bred for fighting for hundreds of generations.

These dogs aren't bred. In the south they randomly mate They aren't fixed so there is no one collecting the toughest 'male' and female and having them have babies.

My friend's parents have a golden retriever who has bitten many people and I have a pit bull mix who has bitten no one. They are both 4 years old.

What bite level? I’m shocked that this would happen and they’re allowed to keep the dog

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is impossible to find a shelter dog that is not a pit bull mix. You have to go with breed specific rescues who raid puppy mills. Even then, a lot of the dogs are not pure breeds or the mix that the shelter tells you that it is.

What's wrong with having some American pit bull terrier in them? They are adorable, faithful and loveable

Everything is wrong with them, especially since she mentioned hood with children as her top priority, which rulles out all pit bulls or pit bull mixes.

Careful! Your bias is showing! There are lots of dogs with pit who are great with children. I know I am not going to convince you but, I am here to stand up for dogs that can't defend themselves.

I think the point is that families with children don’t want to take a risk that their pit mix will be one of the good ones. That’s fair

They should be careful because children are the most likely to be bitten by ALL dogs. They yell and scream and move in random ways. Adults don't teach children to respect dogs and not get in their faces.

This
Plus, not all dog owners teach dogs proper manners around children as well. Being calm and respectful around children is something that dogs should be trained for. There is nothing worse than 60+lb dog running like crazy if it's too excited knocking off everything and everyone on their way. They might get mouthy too - I was recently "playfully bitten" by 90lb golden retriever who simply was to happy for whatever reason, he jumped on me,put paws on my shoulders and grabbed my upper arm with his teeth. Not fun, even for 5'8/180 lb me. Imagine what would happen with small kid.

90 lbs? That’s not a golden!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is impossible to find a shelter dog that is not a pit bull mix. You have to go with breed specific rescues who raid puppy mills. Even then, a lot of the dogs are not pure breeds or the mix that the shelter tells you that it is.

What's wrong with having some American pit bull terrier in them? They are adorable, faithful and loveable

Everything is wrong with them, especially since she mentioned hood with children as her top priority, which rulles out all pit bulls or pit bull mixes.

Careful! Your bias is showing! There are lots of dogs with pit who are great with children. I know I am not going to convince you but, I am here to stand up for dogs that can't defend themselves.

I think the point is that families with children don’t want to take a risk that their pit mix will be one of the good ones. That’s fair

They should be careful because children are the most likely to be bitten by ALL dogs. They yell and scream and move in random ways. Adults don't teach children to respect dogs and not get in their faces.

This
Plus, not all dog owners teach dogs proper manners around children as well. Being calm and respectful around children is something that dogs should be trained for. There is nothing worse than 60+lb dog running like crazy if it's too excited knocking off everything and everyone on their way. They might get mouthy too - I was recently "playfully bitten" by 90lb golden retriever who simply was to happy for whatever reason, he jumped on me,put paws on my shoulders and grabbed my upper arm with his teeth. Not fun, even for 5'8/180 lb me. Imagine what would happen with small kid.

90 lbs? That’s not a golden!

Well, tell it to his owners 🤣
I didn't see his pedigree but I know golden when I see one (hi might be from loosing a bit overweight, but it none of my business

[Anonymous]

We had a poor experience with Lucky Dog. Our rescue dog had recently passed, and we were looking for a new rescue to join our family. Our daughter was seven and we had a cat. We attended a Lucky Dog adoption event to meet a dog that was described as cat-friendly and kid-friendly on the website. When we asked about the dog, we were told that the dog was no longer available because it had killed a kitten in its foster home. We should have left. Instead, we were introduced to another dog that was described as cat-friendly. After going through a lengthy interview process, we adopted the dog. Before we brought the dog into our home, we separated our cat so we could gradually introduce the two animals. As soon as the dog entered the house, he smelled the cat, saw the cat, knocked down a baby gate, chased the cat under a bed, and tried to get under the bed to get to the cat. We got the dog to the first floor and literally barricaded the stairs with a table and chairs so the dog couldn't get upstairs to get the cat, thinking we'd call our vet for some advice the next day. The dog saw the cat at the top of the stairs and proceeded to knock down all of the furniture, run upstairs, and corner the cat in the laundry room. Fortunately, we were able to get to the dog before the dog got the cat. We called Lucky Dog, and said, "WTF? You told us this dog fostered with cats, but it has an incredible prey drive! It's going to kill our cat!" Lucky Dog told us that we committed to adopting the dog, which meant that we would have to pay for behavioral training to eliminate the dog's prey drive. They were adamant that we keep the dog for at least two weeks before they would take the dog back. I next called our vet, and explained the situation. The vet told me that she would never leave the dog alone in the house with our cat because no amount of training would ever eliminate its prey drive. I called Lucky Dog again and basically said, "Look, if you love animals, why are you insisting that we keep a dog that is trying to kill our cat?" I also told them that if they didn't pick up the dog, I was taking it to the shelter. Lucky Dog picked it up. It was *really hard* because this sweet dog wanted a family (without a cat).

On the other hand, I've had wonderful experiences adopting from the Humane Rescue Alliance (cat and dog), Animal Welfare League of Arlington, and the Alexandria Animal Shelter. Alexandria was A+++. We went there after the Lucky Dog debacle. We selected a dog, and Alexandria said they would cat test him before the adoption. The next day, the shelter called to tell us that we could not adopt the dog because he failed the test. They invited us to come back and meet some other dogs. Our second choice, a pittie, passed the cat test with flying colors. She is a gentle soul and has been a considerate housemate to our two cats. We even get interspecies licks and snuggling.

The Humane Rescue Alliance used a similar process with our first dog. They brought him to our home to meet our cats, before the adoption, to see how he would do. When introduced, he ran from them, and they ran from him. They all lived together in peace for more than 10 years.

I believe the private rescue groups are staffed by volunteers with hearts of gold, but at the end of the day, they are volunteers. If you are adopting a pet into a home with special considerations (cats, another dog, kids), I recommend going to a shelter with animal behaviorists on staff, because in my experience, they can give you a better read on the pet. They also are pretty accommodating about taking an animal back, if the situation doesn't work out. Though to be clear, in my 30 years of pet ownership (two dogs and five cats), the dog from Lucky Dog was the only pet I've ever had to return. It was that bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is impossible to find a shelter dog that is not a pit bull mix. You have to go with breed specific rescues who raid puppy mills. Even then, a lot of the dogs are not pure breeds or the mix that the shelter tells you that it is.

What's wrong with having some American pit bull terrier in them? They are adorable, faithful and loveable

Everything is wrong with them, especially since she mentioned hood with children as her top priority, which rulles out all pit bulls or pit bull mixes.

We have a pittie. We adopted her when my daughter was seven and she lives with two cats. She's my friends' favorite dog to dog-sit. She sits on the patio at restaurants and is incredibly polite. This dog literally wakes up every day and says, "How can I be a good dog today!" I was freaked out by pittie until my friend (who volunteers with animal rescues) told me to have an open mind. I'll never adopt any breed other than a pittie again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had a poor experience with Lucky Dog. Our rescue dog had recently passed, and we were looking for a new rescue to join our family. Our daughter was seven and we had a cat. We attended a Lucky Dog adoption event to meet a dog that was described as cat-friendly and kid-friendly on the website. When we asked about the dog, we were told that the dog was no longer available because it had killed a kitten in its foster home. We should have left. Instead, we were introduced to another dog that was described as cat-friendly. After going through a lengthy interview process, we adopted the dog. Before we brought the dog into our home, we separated our cat so we could gradually introduce the two animals. As soon as the dog entered the house, he smelled the cat, saw the cat, knocked down a baby gate, chased the cat under a bed, and tried to get under the bed to get to the cat. We got the dog to the first floor and literally barricaded the stairs with a table and chairs so the dog couldn't get upstairs to get the cat, thinking we'd call our vet for some advice the next day. The dog saw the cat at the top of the stairs and proceeded to knock down all of the furniture, run upstairs, and corner the cat in the laundry room. Fortunately, we were able to get to the dog before the dog got the cat. We called Lucky Dog, and said, "WTF? You told us this dog fostered with cats, but it has an incredible prey drive! It's going to kill our cat!" Lucky Dog told us that we committed to adopting the dog, which meant that we would have to pay for behavioral training to eliminate the dog's prey drive. They were adamant that we keep the dog for at least two weeks before they would take the dog back. I next called our vet, and explained the situation. The vet told me that she would never leave the dog alone in the house with our cat because no amount of training would ever eliminate its prey drive. I called Lucky Dog again and basically said, "Look, if you love animals, why are you insisting that we keep a dog that is trying to kill our cat?" I also told them that if they didn't pick up the dog, I was taking it to the shelter. Lucky Dog picked it up. It was *really hard* because this sweet dog wanted a family (without a cat).

On the other hand, I've had wonderful experiences adopting from the Humane Rescue Alliance (cat and dog), Animal Welfare League of Arlington, and the Alexandria Animal Shelter. Alexandria was A+++. We went there after the Lucky Dog debacle. We selected a dog, and Alexandria said they would cat test him before the adoption. The next day, the shelter called to tell us that we could not adopt the dog because he failed the test. They invited us to come back and meet some other dogs. Our second choice, a pittie, passed the cat test with flying colors. She is a gentle soul and has been a considerate housemate to our two cats. We even get interspecies licks and snuggling.

The Humane Rescue Alliance used a similar process with our first dog. They brought him to our home to meet our cats, before the adoption, to see how he would do. When introduced, he ran from them, and they ran from him. They all lived together in peace for more than 10 years.

I believe the private rescue groups are staffed by volunteers with hearts of gold, but at the end of the day, they are volunteers. If you are adopting a pet into a home with special considerations (cats, another dog, kids), I recommend going to a shelter with animal behaviorists on staff, because in my experience, they can give you a better read on the pet. They also are pretty accommodating about taking an animal back, if the situation doesn't work out. Though to be clear, in my 30 years of pet ownership (two dogs and five cats), the dog from Lucky Dog was the only pet I've ever had to return. It was that bad.

With all due respect - I don't believe your story about LDAR
Would you mind sharing a name at least one of the dogs and the year it happened?