Advice on Adopting a Dog

[theSurlyMermaid]

Can you recommended any breeder research resources? Just out of curiosity...

A couple of things I did...I do searches for the specific breed and if they have a club or an association that might have a reputable breeder link. Additionally, I do searches on forums for that specific breed to see if there is a section where breeders are discussed or recommended. if I find a breeder and start corresponding with them and I like what they say, I search for them specifically to see if anything comes up that could be a red flag.

 

[tzolkin]

Oh, I don't mind answering! OK, the first thing is we need a specific type of dog. We just recently lost our 16 year old Yorkie and we have a Maltese that is about to turn 16. I am actually allergic to dogs, but small dogs with hair like the Maltese don't affect me at all. I would just like another small dog like a Maltese or a Yorkie because they fit in really well with our family. So going at it from that angle, if you look in the rescues for these specific breeds, they don't want children under 10. Or in some cases, age 13. My son will be 10 in December. Daughter is 7. So that's potentially an issue. The second issue is while we have a large house and a nice yard, it's only partially fenced in. That wouldn't be an issue with a small breed like a Maltese but there is still the problem of the kids and their ages.

I can totally understand going with a breeder if you are looking for a particular breed.

The other factors really just depend on the rescue and that's why I asked. Some people have a friend who was told they needed a fenced yard (or whatever specific requirement) and then they just assume that in order to adopt any dog from anywhere that they would need to meet that same requirement (which is usually not the case).

In my experience (we have been approved through over a dozen rescues), those requirements are usually specific to a particular dog. Like, Spot is super high energy and really needs a yard to run or Charlie is too rough/jumpy for young children. We have children and no yard and we have never been turned down, but we recognize that there are many dogs that would not be the right fit for our family.

 

[SharonZ]

Just a thought, why not make your local vet aware of the fact that you are looking to adopt? Sometimes they become aware of clients that need to re-home a dog, for one reason or another.

 

[wilkeliza]

The other factors really just depend on the rescue and that's why I asked. Some people have a friend who was told they needed a fenced yard (or whatever specific requirement) and then they just assume that in order to adopt any dog from anywhere that they would need to meet that same requirement (which is usually not the case).

In my experience (we have been approved through over a dozen rescues), those requirements are usually specific to a particular dog. Like, Spot is super high energy and really needs a yard to run or Charlie is too rough/jumpy for young children. We have children and no yard and we have never been turned down, but we recognize that there are many dogs that would not be the right fit for our family.

There are some rescue groups that make their list so so hard to completely and almost never approve anyone. They usually end up turning into a hoarding situation because they think they are the only ones who can care for the dogs. In our search we came across one. They demand you be able to provide the name of your dog walker if you would be gone for more than 2 hours a day, they needed to do a home study to make sure your yard was adequately fenced and where the dog would be staying. When we applied we were automatically denied due to our yard not having a full fence even though the dogs were small and we said they would be on leashes and we couldn't provide the name of a dog walker. We also were denied often for being a couple living together but not married.

With the organization we ultimately went through we said the dog was my fiance's and his alone and if we broke up the dog would stay with him and with the breeder she just reiterated that if we ended up not getting married (we were engaged at the time) and split to let her know who kept the dog or take it back to her. For them it was not an issue but it made us an automatic deny at more places than I thought it would have at least 5 or 6.

 

[prprincess]

Just a thought, why not make your local vet aware of the fact that you are looking to adopt? Sometimes they become aware of clients that need to re-home a dog, for one reason or another.

Good idea. I'm actually not going to go with our previous vet, though. I think that they were too slow in responding to Chewie's heart issues, and had they been a bit more expedient with the testing and treatment, he may have been around a bit longer. But it is a good way for me to initiate a relationship with the new vet I've picked out and plan to go to.

But I got good news! I just received a call that our application has been approved with a local shelter, so now it's just a matter of matching us up!

 

[StephMK]

Congrats! I hope you are matched soon! We have two rescue dogs and they are the best!

 

[lsyorke]

PR are you in NJ? My step daughter works with a rescue/boarding shelter in NJ>.

 

[prprincess]

PR are you in NJ? My step daughter works with a rescue/boarding shelter in NJ>.

Yes I am. What is the name?

 

[lsyorke]

Yes I am. What is the name?

Husky House
http://www.huskyhouse.org/

Despite the name it's not all huskys.

 

[prprincess]

Husky House
http://www.huskyhouse.org/

Despite the name it's not all huskys.

Thanks! Will definitely look into their listings!

 

[lsyorke]

Thanks! Will definitely look into their listings!

It's an amazing rescue.

 

[amyy]

It sounds like you might be matched up since your application has been approved. How exciting. I was going to suggest making sure to tell everyone you know that you are looking to adopt. It took us 6 months looking on-line at animals in shelters etc and found the perfect dog for us in Vermont through a friend. Sammie is a golden doodle whose owner had to move to Florida and couldn't bring her. I never thought we would find such a perfect match and I am glad I let everyone know that we were looking. good luck!

 

[JKLLady]

You might want to try St. Hubert Giralda's Animal Welfare Centers ( https://www.sthuberts.org/ ). They have several adoption centers in North Jersey and are open on weekends. I know two people who adopted from there & were very happy.

 

[prprincess]

Hi everyone! First off I want to thank you all for your help. Several of you had great suggestions on what to do, where to go, and just the moral support was appreciated!!! You're the best!

I'm happy to report that we adopted a puppy last night from ARF of Mercer in Central New Jersey. They specialize in rescuing Satos from Puerto Rico, which makes the experience even richer because that is were my family is from. We're still working on picking out a name for our little guy, but he's estimated to be 10 months to a year old, and is a terrier mix. So far he is a pretty docile guy, but loves giving kisses. So cute and we are already in love with him!

 

[snoodledoo]

Hi everyone! First off I want to thank you all for your help. Several of you had great suggestions on what to do, where to go, and just the moral support was appreciated!!! You're the best!

I'm happy to report that we adopted a puppy last night from ARF of Mercer in Central New Jersey. They specialize in rescuing Satos from Puerto Rico, which makes the experience even richer because that is were my family is from. We're still working on picking out a name for our little guy, but he's estimated to be 10 months to a year old, and is a terrier mix. So far he is a pretty docile guy, but loves giving kisses. So cute and we are already in love with him!

Congrats! What a cutie!

 

[Grmnshplvr]

I had a similar experience 2 years ago. We were denied by 3 rescues because at the time we had a child under the age of 10, another one because we worked during the day and another because we didn't have a fenced in yard. We ended up getting a puppy, which is fine because I actually wanted a specific breed too but we had every intention of adopting first...just didn't work out that way