Doggie Dilemma

[Beauty]

Janice,

First off you get the dog you want. I agree do your research but if you want a newborn puppy from a reputable breeder then its your choice. I do agree with the bonding that goes on between a child and a puppy.

If you want to look at the shelter or rescue then thats wonderful too. Just be sure to do exactly what you want to do. The shelter I got my kitty from does all the tests to make sure the animals are disease free, then they give them all their shots, declaw and alter them before they are adopted out. I thought that was wonderful!! But not all shelters are like that. Just make sure you are getting a healthy baby!

Good luck!

 

[Blondie]

We have several animal rescue organizations in my area, P.A.L., C.A.R.E., etc.

A co-worker of mine adopted a mixed breed (looked mostly yellow lab) and only kept her for a few months. She just couldn't keep up with the dog and her two growing little boys, so she turned it back into the rescue league she adopted her from.

She suddenly had a change of heart a week later and went back to get her, but guess what?

Because she turned it in, they considered her an impulse adopter and wouldn't adopt it back out to her! And her name became mud because when she tried to adopt a different dog from the same rescue league, they turned her down!

I think that is one of the reasons some of these rescue leagues have a higher adoption price tag, to prevent impulse adoptions.

 

[LindaR]

One last thing from me......whatever you get, be it purebred or rescue, male or female, puppy or adult......one sure-fire way to a wonderful relationship/bonding is to take the animal to puppy or obedience school. Not only does it serve the obvious purpose of teaching obedience and the dog understands who is alpha, but it creates a strong bond.

I adopted a two-year old German Shepherd (owner had heart attack and couldn't give her the attention she needed) who was ALREADY obedience trained. We signed up for a class so that my daughter (teenager) could bond with her. It is very hard for children to make a large (even small) dog obey them. Dogs don't look upon kids as alpha in the pack order. But, the kids can learn much by observing if they are too young to handle the dog in class.

That dog is like an extra leg to my daughter. Where you find one, the other will also be there.

AND my 100 pound daughter completely controls the 80 pound dog.

 

[Buckalew]

Janice,
We bought a yellow lab puppy who was born in June from a breeder. You may have read my story about him. When we received his papers, we found out that he is the great grandson of the lab we havd to put down in March. That was so awesome for us.
I am very partial to labs. This is only our second one but both are very good, very smart, loving dogs. Hunter has loved watching DOC grow and there is a bond there. I think a kid who likes animals will bond with any age or any kind. She has also bonded with turtles, snakes and bugs out in the yard! LOL

Our lab is a working dog. DH is training him to duck hunt and the process always amazes me. It is just very impressive.
I suggest you buy the dog that you want--whether it be from a breeder or the shelter (my Bucky dog who is 16yo was a stray & our cat was found Thanksgiving day 2 years ago!).
Good luck finding your new dog. There is nothing like Man's Best Friend!

 

[Blondie]

When we received his papers, we found out that he is the great grandson of the lab we havd to put down in March. That was so awesome for us.

Same thing happened when we looked at Shiloh's papers! It was a great source of comfort knowing that they were related, even though it went back several generations! We were so heartbroken when we had to put our first Weim down. Seeing the same great great-grandparents on the AKC pedigree really warmed our hearts. The neat thing about it was, our first Weim came from Mass, (we were living in Maine at that time) and this Weim, down here in Virginia!

 

[JerseyJanice]

I sent an E-mail a few days ago to a local kennel club for a breeder referral. The kennel club wrote back with a list of three breeders in my area.

I contacted the breeder who is nearest where we live and talked to her. She has a litter due December 12 or 13, and will allow us to take our puppy when he/she is 8 weeks old, meaning the early part of February. That timing is perfect! I leave work on 12/31 and want to get the interior of our house painted in January.

Her price is $1,000 for a yellow puppy, $900 for a black one. My husband is partial to a black female; I'm not as set on what I want.

 

[Buckalew]

LOL, Janice. Mine was a steal at 200.00! Having had both black and yellow, I'm partial to the yellow only because when you look at him, you see his face. The black one was dark that you just saw darkness. DOC shows such expression on his face...
I agree with LindaR about the obedience. And let your DS have a part in that. Hunter is learning complete conrol of this pup.



Blondie! That is so cool! We were so happy when we saw Hank's name on that paper it was such a shock! I definitely agree about the comfort.

Ooh! Jules, We tried fish... killed them all. I think dogs and cats are easier, myself.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I talked to another co-worker who teaches dog obediance classes.

She works with a rescue group who usually has loads of puppies to adopt out in February/March. She said that a lot of people buy puppies for their kids for Christmas, it doesn't always work out. She's going to have that rescue group send me an adoption application.

Her suggestion is that we wait it out until then. She also works with a vet and sometimes hears about dogs and puppies who need homes, so she'll keep an eye out for me there.

 

[Buckalew]

My BIL is a vet here in TN but he is from Westfield. He might be able to deliver one to you from here. That way it'd have an accent.

 

[J&J]

We have a lab, wonderful dog would never get any other kind. My sisiter's has german sherpards and all she thinks that they are the best breed. We rescure ours from a shelter what a sweetheart. She is much smarter than those german shepards. Get a Lab you know how they are and were happy don't go for another breed you are not sure of. Good luck

 

[arizonacolbys]

For large dogs - obedience classes are a must

We actually just signed our pup up for a puppy kindergarten class at our local PetSmart. He LOVED going & seeing all the other puppies. We always had a blast, too! He graduated & we got his picture with a graduation cap on!

He is very good at listening & performing his "tricks" for his Scooby Snacks. The training class also taught us how to train our puppies.

 

[Rajah]

Originally posted by aahmom1
I don't see the difference, what is the difference between getting a dog from a rescue and getting a cat from a rescue?

If I put a Shih Tzu, Dalmation, Lab, and Golden in a lineup, you could tell the difference easily, right?

Now put a long-haired domestic cat, Maine Coon, Norwegean Forest Cat, and Siberian Cat in a lineup and, without being told which is which, point out the Siberian Cat. Even if you've seen samples of each, you can't tell easily. In some cases, you can't at all.

I have allergies and asthma. I *have* to have certain breeds. In cats, it *has* to be Siberian. In dogs, I have a larger selection.

With dogs, I could have a good probability of finding those breeds at the shelter and *knowing* that what I was getting was at least half and probably fully the breed I was looking for.

Can't do that with cats.

That's why I get my cats directly from a breeder, but would at least look at the shelter for a dog.

 

[fklhou]

We are a bearded collie family and love the hearding group. We are the contact in Houston for Beardie Rescue. We did have to pick up a dog a while back because the wife did not like the dog and told the husband that it was her or the dog. My wife has told me that if I made that ultimatium to her ever, you know which she would go with. We foster the beardie for a couple of weeks and then sent him to a new home that the original breeder found for the dog.

Rescues are a nice way to go but you can get some baggage. One rescue that we met was so spooked by a prior owner that you could not let children near the dog. This is very unusual for beardies.

Good luck on you search.

 

[DocRafiki]

Originally posted by wvjules
I think everyone should get a dog from a shelter. I dont know how people can go out there and pay money for a dog when there are so many that are homeless and put to death. If you really want a lab then look for lab rescues instead of going through a breeder. Personally, I think saving a dog is more important than bonding from puppyhood. Your son can bond with a dog regardless of its age.

That's exactly what I was thinking. Even if your heart is set on a puppy (which is totally overrated), there are young pups, especially mixed breeds, that need homes. You might even find a shelter/rescue that has a pregnant dog.

 

[DocRafiki]

Originally posted by arizonacolbys
We did look into the local shelters some, but didn't have much luck in finding what we wanted. I have a family member who got a mixed dog from the shelter & have had nothing but problems. The dog barks so much that the cops have been called on them numerous times & the dog is so nervous that it has bitten my younger sister-in-law. We believe she has been abused (which is really terrible), but not everyone has the ability to take in an abused dog & care for them properly.

I should hope this doesn't scare anyone away from shelters. Most shelters care about the pet's welfare more than anything else. That means that they will take the pet back if it doesn't work out for you. Private shelters and no-kill shelters seem to be better about doing this, but ask your local SPCA/animal control/etc to see what their policy is. Many of the smaller shelters will foster out their animals to homes before adopting them out, so they know much better how they react in certain situations. Some places will even put the animals through personality tests.

Both puppies and mistreated adults take a lot of work to raise. If you're not expecting to dedicate your all, a dog is probably not for you. I can understand being wary if you have kids in the house. Just do some more research and find a rescue that can find one that is good with kids.

 

[janette]

I recently got an unregistered Bichon puppy from a breeder. I would have adopted but due to allergies needed to have a specific breed. Bichon Frise and Poodles are hard to find eligible for adoption at the pound and the rescue groups have so many rules now they make it difficult. The group I talked to before I got our puppy said they wouldn't let us adopt because someone in the house has allergies and because we have other dogs that live primarily outside. The fact that we did the research to know what kind of breed my DD could best tolerate and that we were looking for a house dog didn't matter. I know they mean well but they make it hard, I wasn't going to keep trying until I found a rescue group that would allow us to adopt.

This is the first time I've gotten a dog from a breeder. Before I've always used the pound or rescue groups. Those that have said they object to the rescue group fees consider this. When I've gotten a dog from a rescue group they are up to date on their shots and usually have some vet testing completed. The fee almost always comes with a spay/neuter from a local vet also.

The dogs I've picked up at the pound have a $5 adoption fee at the city but they go straight to the vet from the pound. The cost of the check-up and other things quickly add up to about the same as the rescue group fees.

 

[DocRafiki]

Originally posted by LindaR
take the animal to puppy or obedience school. Not only does it serve the obvious purpose of teaching obedience and the dog understands who is alpha, but it creates a strong bond.

That is great advice! (I should take it.)

Training also saves lives. Lack of training is a major killer of dogs (euthanized due to behavioral problems, eating foreign objects and toxins can kill, running away and getting lost or hit by a car*)

*note... all dogs should be in an enclosed space or restrained on a leash at all times, regardless of level of training. Training can keep dogs from jumping fences & pushing through doors, and can save them in the chance that they do get loose accidentally.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

Some people are a little bothered by this but I found our Lab on the internet at

Damascus Way Kennel's

It was far cheaper than anything I could find around here. The owners of the kennel were really nice, answering all of our questions and Reilly has turned out to be exactly what they promised, a very good natured dog that is wonderful around children and very easy to train.


This also has to be the cutest picture I have ever seen!

 

[DocRafiki]

JerseyJanice --- PLEASE, I beg you, go with the rescue pups. It just makes me sad to think of people giving breeders $1000 so they can sit on their haunches and profit from the labors of the animals, when the shelters work their butts off trying to save so many animals and yet are forced to euthanize due to lack of funds.

Airhead -- your story is so sad and sickening (and so common). Maybe the lab rescue people in your area can help, if nothing else. OR, hey... maybe you can do some research and find someone who will vacuum and dust their house every other day or so. It sounds like your brother might be up for that, if he really wants to keep the dog.

 

[aahmom1]

Alex, look at those faces!!!! Sign me up. LOL I'm such a sap.