Adopting vs. Buying a Puppy - UPDATE 1/15/13

[mommyrosa2]

Originally Posted by kwelch10377

I see you are in MA. There is a Shih Tzu Resuce of New England

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MA304.html

I tried that but it says there are no pets that match my criteria....all i put in was a male shih tzu...didn't even specify an age

[kwelch10377]

Originally Posted by mommyrosa2

I tried that but it says there are no pets that match my criteria....all i put in was a male shih tzu...didn't even specify an age

Did you fill out an application and email it? They may have a waiting list.

[sunshinehighway]

I was recently in the same position as you. I wanted to adopt an adult dog because I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with training a puppy. I found the process of adopting wasn't for me. I didn't like dealing with rescue groups. The scrutiny some of them put you through made me uncomfortable. It was like they were doing me a favor by considering whether or not I could adopt one of their dogs. Some of the adoption fees seemed ridiculous to me.

Local rescues were filled with breeds I didn't want. It wasn't that I was looking for a certain breed but I wasn't about to adopt a pit bull with an unknown history.

In the end, I contacted local breeders and bought a puppy. I know its more work to deal with a puppy but it was the right choice for me.

[caribear]

My DD had wanted a puppy for a while, but I am highly allergic. I did a lot of research and knew what we were looking for.....hypo-allergenic, dander-free, small breed....I looked online for about 5 months....checking out tons of rescues and adoption agencies...and could not find any small dogs that met my criteria. I found several that had been abused....and that were looking for child-free homes. At that point I decided to go with a local breeder who I found online. I waited 3 weeks for the puppies to be able to go home...and picked out our Lily at 10 weeks old. She is a morkie (mom was a Maltese, Dad was a Yorkie)....and is almost full grown at 6lbs. She has made a delightful addition to our family!

[Albort]

my dog cost $1000... wasnt even trained... this was 16 years ago though.

[JESW]

Good luck!

We are also in MA and when we were thinking about getting a dog it seemed that all the ones I asked about on Petfinder were dogs from the South that they pull from kill shelters when there is someone who wants to adopt and they transport up North. The place I spoke with couldn't even deliver to MA and you had to pick your dog up in CT. We were also skeptical about adopting a dog we never met so we have put getting a dog on hold for now.

[ChitownFamily]

Hiya! I volunteer with a breed specific rescue group. If we don't have the right dog for you- we will gladly provide info on reputable breeders or the contact info of another rescue group. It's not a breeder vs rescue ( to me) its a good source vs puppy mill/ back yard breeder. I would support any of my friends in working with a good reputable breeder - one who is breeding to preserve genetic lines. Reputable breeders will be as stringent with placing a dog as a rescue. In fact, we lost our dog this summer - he was an ambassador for the rescue & volunteered 6 hours each month at pet store meet & greets. When we lost him the rescue didn't have the "right" dog for us. Our friends in rescue supported us in adopting a 16 month old from a reputable breeder. Working with a breeder is not evil- not doing proper research to avoid bad breeders or puppy mills is not cool . You mentioned dd has allergies, not sure of the severity, would fostering a dog be a good trial run for the allergies (or maybe the allergies are minimal)

[mommyrosa2]

Originally Posted by ChitownFamily

Hiya! I volunteer with a breed specific rescue group. If we don't have the right dog for you- we will gladly provide info on reputable breeders or the contact info of another rescue group. It's not a breeder vs rescue ( to me) its a good source vs puppy mill/ back yard breeder. I would support any of my friends in working with a good reputable breeder - one who is breeding to preserve genetic lines. Reputable breeders will be as stringent with placing a dog as a rescue. In fact, we lost our dog this summer - he was an ambassador for the rescue & volunteered 6 hours each month at pet store meet & greets. When we lost him the rescue didn't have the "right" dog for us. Our friends in rescue supported us in adopting a 16 month old from a reputable breeder. Working with a breeder is not evil- not doing proper research to avoid bad breeders or puppy mills is not cool . You mentioned dd has allergies, not sure of the severity, would fostering a dog be a good trial run for the allergies (or maybe the allergies are minimal)

My youngest has allergy induced asthma but other things have triggered her asthma as well such as smoke, the smell of pine (no more real Xmas trees for us), cats (their fur anyways) and a few other things. While she has been around other dogs without suffering, her upper respiratory doc had advised us long ago to not chance having an animal that could be a trigger. So while I say her allergies are minimal, I most certainly wouldn't consider any pet that wasn't considered hypo-allergenic. Again, we're not stuck on it being a Shih Tzu and would consider other breeds that would fit the criteria.

[Tinkermommy]

I just posted today about adopting our new dog "Mickey."

We tried going through rescue groups and had zero luck. They didn't respond to calls/emails nor to the very long questionnaires I had to fill out. I have to say, I was not impressed.

We just got our boy from the Atlanta Humane Society. He's a year old so his adoption fee was $100. He is microchipped, neutered and update to date on all shots except his rabies and I am taking him on Friday to one of their affiliated vets and they will give him a check-up and rabies vaccine. That is also included in the adoption fee.

We were so impressed with the people working at the humane society. They were wonderful in finding us the right dog.

OP, I wish you luck in your search. I agree with others to go in person and talk to the people. They may really be able to help you find "the one."

[ChitownFamily]

Originally Posted by mommyrosa2

My youngest has allergy induced asthma but other things have triggered her asthma as well such as smoke, the smell of pine (no more real Xmas trees for us), cats (their fur anyways) and a few other things. While she has been around other dogs without suffering, her upper respiratory doc had advised us long ago to not chance having an animal that could be a trigger. So while I say her allergies are minimal, I most certainly wouldn't consider any pet that wasn't considered hypo-allergenic. Again, we're not stuck on it being a Shih Tzu and would consider other breeds that would fit the criteria.

I don't know much about hypo allergenic dogs, please bear that in mind. If you need a guaranteed purebred hypo allergenic dog for the above health reasons. I would look at a reputable breeder. That way you have the best chance of DD not having issues. As much as I love rescue, rescued dogs are usually pet store /puppy mill bred & backyard breeder- there's a slim chance that the dog could also have a non hypo allergenic dog mixed in.
Without causing drama, I also stumbled across this link last week (I think it was on yahoo news) http://healthland.time.com/2011/07/0...llergenic-dog/

It's awesome that you are trying so hard to make this work.

[mickeysgal]

Another advocate of a getting rescue/adopted dog rather than buying a dog from a breeder. There are far too many good dogs needing a home.

We have a wonderful rescue group that has adopts at Petsmart on Saturdays and sometimes Sundays. Some rescue groups are small in size, others - and the one we've used - have a very strong presence here in our metro area. They have connections to many of the local animal shelters and vets. If you can find a similar, strong, rescue group...contact them and tell them what you're looking for. They will keep you in mind.

What I like about adopting from a rescue group is that their dogs are fostered first. A good rescue group will tell you the good and the bad qualities of the dog so that when you adopt, you adopt with eyes wide open. A humane society is great, but you don't get as good of a feel for how the dog will be in a normal, household setting.

[runsandjumps]

Rescue all the way.

[kacaju]

Originally Posted by mickeysgal

What I like about adopting from a rescue group is that their dogs are fostered first. A good rescue group will tell you the good and the bad qualities of the dog so that when you adopt, you adopt with eyes wide open.

And a good breeder will do the exact same thing. I honestly have to say...I am so tried of breeders getting a bad rap. Like anything else...there are great breeders and not so great ones..the trick is doing your homework.

OP are you near Fitchburg? There is an all breed Dog show the first weekend in Jan I can get you the info if you are interested.

[LuLuO]

I wanted a smallish senior dog. None of the rescues I contacted (and I contacted many of them) would consider us because we had a baby even though I had a lot of experience with dogs and could provide references from other rescuers (cat) that I had personal experience with. It really made me mad.

I went to the animal control shelter instead and found our perfect match. She's a mutt. We've had her almost four years now. She is the best dog ever. She's between 14 and 16 but has the spirit of a 4 year old dog. She's amazing. Protective of the kids and so good with them. We love her so much.

[LuLuO]

I also want to say that I have nothing against breeders. There are many fantastic breeders out there. You have to do your homework to find the good ones.