Advice on Adopting a Dog

[prprincess]

Our Chewie died two years ago, and now we're ready to welcome a new dog into our hearts and family.

Being that I work during the day and the local shelters close early in the evenings, it's been hard for us to meet any of the dogs we've liked and seen online on the weekends. They're always already adopted by the time we reach out/get to the shelter, and no one will "hold" them for us. Right now we have submitted at least five applications at various shelters and have not heard back (I do realize that they are all busy/understaffed).

Therefore, I'd been resorting to applying for dogs at rescues who are being fostered. We have been turned down three times--twice because they wanted to home the dogs in homes that currently have other dogs, and once because they thought we weren't home enough (the dog would be home alone 5 hours per day...which our previous dog was home alone for a bit longer than that). Other than that they say that our applications are perfect - two parent household, two older children, own our home, fenced in yard, experience with training/housebreaking, etc.

It's been two months now I'm I'm really starting to get discouraged. You see commercials on TV and hear online how easy it is to adopt, and I'm not finding that to be the case.

Any advice?

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

Our Chewie died two years ago, and now we're ready to welcome a new dog into our hearts and family.

Being that I work during the day and the local shelters close early in the evenings, it's been hard for us to meet any of the dogs we've liked and seen online on the weekends. They're always already adopted by the time we reach out/get to the shelter, and no one will "hold" them for us. Right now we have submitted at least five applications at various shelters and have not heard back (I do realize that they are all busy/understaffed).

Therefore, I'd been resorting to applying for dogs at rescues who are being fostered. We have been turned down three times--twice because they wanted to home the dogs in homes that currently have other dogs, and once because they thought we weren't home enough (the dog would be home alone 5 hours per day...which our previous dog was home alone for a bit longer than that). Other than that they say that our applications are perfect - two parent household, two older children, own our home, fenced in yard, experience with training/housebreaking, etc.

It's been two months now I'm I'm really starting to get discouraged. You see commercials on TV and hear online how easy it is to adopt, and I'm not finding that to be the case.

Any advice?

After our dog died at age 15, we bought a puppy just a few months later from a breeder. We needed that puppy to fill the huge hole that our dog's death had left in our family's heart. Then, a year later, we decided to adopt a dog as it was something we always wanted to do. We started searching the web pages for all the local humane societies. And like you, by the time we were able to go see the one's we were interested in, they were adopted out (which is a GOOD thing - just not for us!) We eventually found an animal sanctuary in our area that had better hours for our schedule and that's where we eventually adopted our Skye. We love her and she fit right into our family. She's the black dog in my profile pic. Is there any kind of shelter like that in your area that you could check into? Or animal rescue groups? I know that friends of ours adopted a german shepherd puppy from a german shepherd rescue about an hour away. But the puppy actually came from a different state. That's about the only advice I've got!

 

[prprincess]

After our dog died at age 15, we bought a puppy just a few months later from a breeder. We needed that puppy to fill the huge hole that our dog's death had left in our family's heart. Then, a year later, we decided to adopt a dog as it was something we always wanted to do. We started searching the web pages for all the local humane societies. And like you, by the time we were able to go see the one's we were interested in, they were adopted out (which is a GOOD thing - just not for us!) We eventually found an animal sanctuary in our area that had better hours for our schedule and that's where we eventually adopted our Skye. We love her and she fit right into our family. She's the black dog in my profile pic. Is there any kind of shelter like that in your area that you could check into? Or animal rescue groups? I know that friends of ours adopted a german shepherd puppy from a german shepherd rescue about an hour away. But the puppy actually came from a different state. That's about the only advice I've got!

She is adorable!! And you have a good point there. I was only doing local searches thinking that it would be easier to get to these places in a timely manner to not miss out on dogs, but I'll have to look at rescuing from different states. Thanks!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We've been looking for over two years now, same experience as you. I have to believe the right dog will show up when it's meant to be. It is frustrating, though.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

She is adorable!! And you have a good point there. I was only doing local searches thinking that it would be easier to get to these places in a timely manner to not miss out on dogs, but I'll have to look at rescuing from different states. Thanks!

Good luck in your search! I'm so happy that we are able to give Skye a great life. She was left at the sanctuary almost dead. The man that had her was a single father with 2 kids. He got cancer and was unable to pay for food for the dog and finally gave her up when she was skin and bones. The sanctuary rehabbed her for 7 months before putting her up for adoption. Her teeth are worn down from eating rocks. We have apple and pear trees in our yard and she's in heaven - she can graze during this time of year!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

There are often local restrictions when trying to adopt from out of state.

 

[prprincess]

We've been looking for over two years now, same experience as you. I have to believe the right dog will show up when it's meant to be. It is frustrating, though.

That's exactly what I keep trying to think--it's just not meant to be, and our dog will "find" us at the right time. But it's hard and I'm glad to find someone who understands. I was in tears yesterday after we got turned down for the third rescue. I keep getting my hopes up, and then my heart is broken. It is really discouraging.

And yes, even here in NJ. I've looked into shelters/rescues in Northern NJ (I'm in Southern) and some won't adopt if you do not live in a 100 mile radius. So if those are out, then yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if rescues/shelters in other states had similar restrictions.

 

[Pawpsicle]

Turned down over 5 hours a day?!!? That's ridiculous in my opinion. Ours are home 8 hours a day and totally fine. They seem annoyed when we're home on weekends because we interrupt nap time! Can you look for a rescue group match first, and then focus on finding a specific dog? Are you trying to adopt a breed that is particularly active? The group we got ours from pulls dogs out of rural shelters in KY. I feel like had we applied and been accepted, they would have searched for a dog that matched our needs in one of the shelters they pull from.

 

[Mrs Eeyore]

I agree that your location could be a big issue. Where I live it is almost impossible to find small dogs or more popular breeds in shelters. Pit bulls are illegal here so the shelters are full of pit-types (most likely lovely pets) mislabeled as "lab mix", and it's rare to find much else. Anything small or popular gets snapped up quickly.

We have had five rescue dogs (so far). Our first one came from a shelter. Second one was a private rehoming that was facilitated by a shelter -- DH got lucky and saw her in an email newsletter and was the first to call. #3 had been a shelter dog but was being fostered by a private individual who sent out an email that someone forwarded to us. #4 was also being privately fostered and DH found him in a post in a dog trainers' group. And the last one was brought to our attention by a concerned dog trainer who knew that a litter of high quality puppies was being mishandled by an irresponsible breeder. We have an advantage in that DH is part of the doggy community in our area, but my point is that it is helpful to have feelers out in all directions beyond the shelters. Inquire with rescue groups and find out if there are any rescue networks you could join. Let people know you're looking and the right dog will eventually find you. Good luck!

 

[prprincess]

Turned down over 5 hours a day?!!? That's ridiculous in my opinion. Ours are home 8 hours a day and totally fine. They seem annoyed when we're home on weekends because we interrupt nap time! Can you look for a rescue group match first, and then focus on finding a specific dog? Are you trying to adopt a breed that is particularly active? The group we got ours from pulls dogs out of rural shelters in KY. I feel like had we applied and been accepted, they would have searched for a dog that matched our needs in one of the shelters they pull from.

Isn't it though?!? Thank you! Our Chewie was the same way, and didn't seem to like when I worked from home! LOL!

No particular breed. Just two small breed rescues because that's where our experience lies and my husband fears bigger dogs. The rest were just general rescues/shelters, but I'm guessing that the small to medium size preference doesn't help...we also want something fairly young.

 

[prprincess]

I agree that your location could be a big issue. Where I live it is almost impossible to find small dogs or more popular breeds in shelters. Pit bulls are illegal here so the shelters are full of pit-types (most likely lovely pets) mislabeled as "lab mix", and it's rare to find much else. Anything small or popular gets snapped up quickly.

We have had five rescue dogs (so far). Our first one came from a shelter. Second one was a private rehoming that was facilitated by a shelter -- DH got lucky and saw her in an email newsletter and was the first to call. #3 had been a shelter dog but was being fostered by a private individual who sent out an email that someone forwarded to us. #4 was also being privately fostered and DH found him in a post in a dog trainers' group. And the last one was brought to our attention by a concerned dog trainer who knew that a litter of high quality puppies was being mishandled by an irresponsible breeder. We have an advantage in that DH is part of the doggy community in our area, but my point is that it is helpful to have feelers out in all directions beyond the shelters. Inquire with rescue groups and find out if there are any rescue networks you could join. Let people know you're looking and the right dog will eventually find you. Good luck!

That's South Jersey for you--the majority are pit-types, and we're trying to stick to small-medium sized dogs.

And yes, I feel like I'm doing the same type of "networking" that I did when I was unemployed. I've been posting about our search on social media and telling almost everyone I come into contact to/talk to. Hopefully it will happen soon! Thanks!

 

[weeniecat2442]

I live in the northeast and was looking for a puppy 2 years ago. I wanted a rescue dog and quickly found that there are hardly any puppies up here for adoption. I went on Petfinder.com and searched for puppies only to find most of them were down south. I had wanted to meet any dogs before deciding to adopting them but then decided to just go through a southern rescue that adopted out to my state.
It was a slightly weird process. I applied for several dogs down south but by the time they got back to me the dogs were already taken. I finally sent an application for a cute brindle pup in Tennessee and the woman got back to me the next morning, spoke to my references and we were approved the next day.
I was skeptical about forking over the money to this stranger. I told her my worries and asked how would I know that this puppy would be arriving up north? Would he be healthy? What if he's not healthy? She had me read testimonials on the rescues Facebook page, spoke with me over the phone several times and had me contact her foster mom in CT. I finally felt comfortable enough to do it and just went for it.
I'm so glad I did because we got the most wonderful little guy! He's a strange looking creature but totally adorable and sweet. And very healthy!
The rescue was so patient with all of my questions, they were thorough about getting our info and references and the puppy transport company they use was amazing.
It is a bit of gamble not meeting the dog before adopting- but with puppies I think its less so than an older dog who has a developed personality. I would adopt from the south again in a heartbeat.
My mom just adopted a southern dog this summer and had a wonderful experience.

 

[wilkeliza]

Look for adoption events that happen on the weekends. We had a hard time finding a smaller dog as well but stumbled upon a rescue group that brings small dogs from down south up north since there is a surplus of pit-mix type dogs for rescue but not many small dogs or the small ones go super fast. The group we adopted from is called T.A.I.L.S. and they have bi-annual puppy events and a lot of the dogs are smaller. They fill out your application right there and process it. If you see a dog you like then you fill out your application and they process it. No waiting around for too long and the dog is held while they process you. It made the process much easier then all the other avenues we went through.

Besides that our next dog was from a breeder. We really wanted a puppy and a specific breed so went with a breeder we had been following for 5 plus years at that point. Next time we'll probably adopt another 1 year old in the hopes that they are already potty trained as I'm terrible at that process. It took our dog sitter 1 week to do something I was struggling to get our doxie to do for 1 year now.

 

[prprincess]

I live in the northeast and was looking for a puppy 2 years ago. I wanted a rescue dog and quickly found that there are hardly any puppies up here for adoption. I went on Petfinder.com and searched for puppies only to find most of them were down south.

I do get the Petfinder alerts, but if you recall the name of where you rescued from, or the state, please let me know. I'd love to start searching down south.

 

[BrianL]

It does seem weird to me all the restrictions they put on adopting a dog. I mean, I get that they want them to go to a good home and all, but alone for 5 hours a day? Hoe many people can commit to never leaving the house for 5 hours? I would think these places would want to home these dogs to a loving family as quickly as possible. They are much easier with cats I noticed when I got mine, though I still had to fill out a very long and dog-centric questionnaire.

I do hope you find a great friend soon.

 

[aejammers]

If you have some larger boarding/doggie day care places in your area you could reach out and let them know you are looking to adopt. The place we use for our dog (in my avatar) often fosters neglected/unwanted dogs from other areas and then looks for good homes for them. My friend fell in love with her 3rd rescue dog there and she wasn't even looking for another. Also check with vet offices. Ours is often looking for homes for cats but I have seen notices for dogs.

Good luck!

 

[tzolkin]

We are currently going through the process of adopting a second dog (adopted a puppy in April) and have also been looking for over two months, but our experience has been more of the opposite of yours. We have been approved everywhere and have met tons of dogs, but have not yet found one that is the right fit for our family.

I may be misinterpreting, but I'm thinking the reasons you were turned down were for those specific dogs not that you are not able to adopt in general. Like, I would assume that those particular dogs needed to be in a home with other dogs, not that the rescue will only ever adopt to people who already own a dog. The five-hour thing may have been an issue with that particular dog-- one dog we are planning to meet this weekend has crate anxiety and had already been adopted and returned by someone who was away from home for many hours a day. The ideal family for that dog would be one where it won't be left alone often. Other dogs may be perfectly happy to be alone for 8 hours every day.

It's really better in the long run that you do not adopt a dog that's not the right fit. You would likely be miserable if you wind up with a dog that barks constantly or is destructive because she doesn't have a playmate.

Also, my personal opinion, but I would focus more on the rescues than the shelters. They will be more familiar with the dog's personality (especially if it's being fostered in a home), so I feel you would be more likely to find the right dog for your family than taking home a dog that has just been in a kennel at a shelter for a few days with no known history. Some of the rescues that we have been working with do not adopt any dog that they have not had in a foster home for a minimum of 30 days.

 

[cabanafrau]

Interesting to hear so many people having so much difficulty adopting through rescues. Not sure now how many months back, but I wound up hearing a little bit about why that might be when someone asked one of the attorneys here about his divorce, which was quite a surprise to a lot of people who've known him a long time. He said his wife, her sister and some friends of theirs became involved with rescuing a specific breed of dog -- to the point where they never could bear to part with any they fostered. His marriage, his wife's sister's marriage and that of at least one other friend in the group all fell victim to what became what he called an obsession.

He said they all were convinced no one but them would take care of the dogs properly, so they took in the dogs but never adopted them out. I won't mention the breed because I wouldn't want to identify them, but I was surprised the breed even had a rescue group since it's not noted for behavior issues and doesn't really require specific care for the breed that I'm at all aware of.

 

[prprincess]

I may be misinterpreting, but I'm thinking the reasons you were turned down were for those specific dogs not that you are not able to adopt in general. Like, I would assume that those particular dogs needed to be in a home with other dogs, not that the rescue will only ever adopt to people who already own a dog. The five-hour thing may have been an issue with that particular dog-- one dog we are planning to meet this weekend has crate anxiety and had already been adopted and returned by someone who was away from home for many hours a day. The ideal family for that dog would be one where it won't be left alone often. Other dogs may be perfectly happy to be alone for 8 hours every day.

It's really better in the long run that you do not adopt a dog that's not the right fit. You would likely be miserable if you wind up with a dog that barks constantly or is destructive because she doesn't have a playmate.

Thank you. This is comforting and some good perspective to keep in mind if we do keep getting turned down.

 

[weeniecat2442]

I do get the Petfinder alerts, but if you recall the name of where you rescued from, or the state, please let me know. I'd love to start searching down south.

I went through M.A.R. Mercer Animal Rescue. Beverly Mercer is the name of the woman who runs it. They have a Facebook page and a website (If you check out their "Happy Tails" page you will see my Burton near the bottom leaping on the beach!)
As a side note if you're going to look down south- ask the rescue what their policy is regarding heartworm. A dog may test negative while still down south but it can take a bit to show up. Treating can be expensive so it's a good question to ask just in case!
Best of luck to you!