Successfully Adopting a Rescue Dog. Can anyone around here speak dog?

[DainBramaged]

Our pounds and shelters are full of excellent, but misunderstood dogs. By misunderstood I mean most dogs are in the pound because they had owners who could not speak dog. These owners who didn't give the dog what it instinctually needed created a dog with issues. The two main reasons a dog develops issues are lack of exercise and lack of leadership. Humans forget they are dealing with a canine animal and too many times do not give the canine what it needs as that animal; when the dog does not act like that picture-perfect image they had in their minds they assume they "didn't get a good one" and they "get rid" of the dog. That's the bad news. The good news is since dogs live in the moment—meaning they do not dwell in the past or think of the future—it is absolutely possible to take a full grown dog and start over as if it is the first day of the rest of its life. If you do it right, you will see a totally different dog from the owners who dumped the dog at the pound saw.

Your first task is to find the right dog. This is going to take time on your part, and should begin before you even set foot in a shelter. Not every dog is a match for every human family. Decide what size dog you would like. Study the different breeds so when you get to the pound you have a general idea of what a wide variety of breeds are like. There are two main things you should look for: the dog's energy level and the dog's dominancy level. By studying a wide variety of breeds before you get to the pound or shelter you should be able to make a more educated guess as to what type of dog will work for you

For example, if you see a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix and you studied up on this breed you will know that it will be high energy and needs a more dominant owner. You should choose a dog with the same or lower energy level than your own. You also need to take a serious look at your family's personality. Are you the laid-back, not very active type or are you more authority-driven and active? If your family is passive, a dominant dog would be a horrible match for you. If your family is more assertive and can easily provide structure you may be able to handle a more dominant type. If you are a laid-back, like to watch TV type of family then choosing a very high energy dog that needs to go on daily jogs would not be a good match for you.

After you have a good general idea of what types of dogs will work for you and everyone in the house is in agreement about adopting a dog, it is time to start looking at different pounds and rescues for the right match. Do not think that you need to come home with a dog on the first day. If you choose poorly and bring home a dog that does not match your family you may hurt the dog you are trying to save more than you are helping it. Dogs that are repeatedly returned to the pound have a higher rate of being killed. Take your time and choose wisely.



http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/articles/adoptingrescuedog.htm

[porphyrian]

1. I only speak Scooby Doo, which is practically English. n/t

[dballance]

2. You give some very good advice.

I find most dogs do well with structure and the feedback and love they deserve.

[Trunk Monkey]

3. Well spoken NT

[NYC_SKP]

4. K/R I intercepted this beast BEFORE it got to the shelter, the family couldn't keep her.

Met a family with this in a box trying to give her away to a good home at 3 months age.

I did my best to translate the father's words but didn't ask WHY they couldn't keep her, not my business, but accepted the dog and went straight to my vet for shots and pills and eardrops for the worms and mites and etc.

Cute, eh?

[DainBramaged]

5. What a baby doll

[MuseRider]

7. What a precious little face!

Lucky little pup, lucky you. Awwwww.

[LisaL]

12. That's a very nice dog.

[jsmirman]

13. That's wonderful

[gkhouston]

15. Looks like a Westie. They're very high-energy dogs.

My mom had one who just adored me. Every time I'm come home to visit, she'd have a fit greeting me... helicopter tail, wiggling all over, the whole works. Not just when I arrived at the house... every single morning. If I "disappeared" for a while to visit friends or take a nap, she'd do it all over again. We thought it was cute and harmless. Other people might find it trying.

[NYC_SKP]

25. Westie Silkie mix, we think.

She has super fine and soft fur and looks like she won't get bigger than 7 pounds, if that.

Hi energy and will take some patience to train.

Fortunately she comes to work with me and is much loved!

[former-republican]

6. .

[jberryhill]

8. I'm fluent in Bassett Hound

They have a surprisingly witty but subtle sense of humor.

[retread]

23. I read about a woman that had her Bassett trained and competing in obedience trials.

Her Bassett was doing real well until one day when performing a retrieve exercise one of the dog's large, floppy ears got caught in her mouth along with the object she was retrieving. The crowd roared with laughter and delight.

The writer said from that day on her dog was ruined for obedience trials. Every time she did the retrieve exercise her Bassett's ear would "accidentally" get caught in it's mouth and the dog would look to the audience and wait for the laughs!

[jberryhill]

27. I am inclined to believe it

Yes, they will do something rip roaringly funny and then give you a deadpan look - "didja see that?"

[Glitterati]

37. And they think playing dumb is cute

Get into something they're not supposed to and look at you like, "did you say not to eat that? When was that?"

Yeah, our bassett had some smoked salmon for dinner. The salmon for my daughter's bagels in the morning.

[cherokeeprogressive]

9. Excellent post. I have a shelter dog. She's the best dog I've ever had...

I actually have two dogs, and two cats. I have a Golden Retriever (Bella) from a breeder in San Luis Obispo who's as white as the driven snow. She's the oldest of the dogs. When we got her she was 16 weeks old and the most beautiful dog I'd ever seen. Well natured, smart, and potty trained in less than a week. The cats didn't like her though. All she wanted to do was play, and the cats avoided her like the plague. So we decided Bella needed a companion... a pet of her own if you will.

We looked a a website for a rescue kennel down the hill from where I live. The first picture I saw was of a Chihuahua mix that was six weeks old and available for the first time that very day. The next day I called the kennel and claimed her. Her name is Luna and if the need ever arose, I'd put myself between her and a car without hesitation.

The funny thing is that when my Wife and I first started talking about getting a dog I told her in no uncertain terms that I HATED little dogs. I guess that's because the last dogs I had when living with my parents were Teacup Poodles that would bark at the wind, the leaves, the Sun, and the Moon. Fuckers...

Luna is the most wonderful dog I've ever encountered. All I have to do is smile at her and she leaps into my arms. If I'm sitting, she's in my lap and when I go to the little boys room she follows me and lays outside the door. Ever heard of a chihuahua that almost NEVER barks? That's Luna. When I say "treat" she instantly SITS, no matter where she is. Then when I have it in my hand she crawls to me on her belly (with her tail wagging a thousand miles an hour) and takes it from between my fingers so gently it makes me howl with laughter. She greets me at the door standing on her hind lets with her front paws in the air.

Dogs live with the intent to please. All you have to do is foster it. Neither of my dogs have ever been hit nor have they been yelled at. The best part? They're BEST friends. When Bella lays down, Luna goes to her and curls up in her chest. Bella sometimes grabs Luna's little tennis ball and rolls over on her back, and Luna literally sticks her head in Bella's mouth to get it. Then she puts it back. Luna grabs Bella's ear and just shakes it. Luna picks up Bella's big piece of rope and takes it to her and they play tug-o-war. To see a Chihuahua play tug-o-war with a dog ten times her size is enough to make you laugh so hard you'll cry.

Long story short... Rescue dogs are every bit as loving, smart, and loyal as the most expensive breeder dogs. They'll make you laugh, then make you cry, and then lick away your tears. They will look at you with the same love in THEIR hearts that you have in YOUR heart for THEM.

Cats on the other hand... don't even get me started.

Someone told me once about what makes cats different from dogs. Dogs think to themselves "Master feeds me. Master buys me toys. Master plays with me. Master must be GOD". Cats think to themselves "He feeds me. He buys me toys. He plays with me. I MUST BE GOD".

[tblue37]

34. Pictures??!! We must SEE the puppies!!! nt

[LittlestStar]

10. I have a Weimaraner. They tend to end up in rescues. I researched the breed forever,

and decided they were the best breed for our family. They are challenging though, would not recommend for every family. I think people should foster a dog whose breed they think they might like. I know more than one family who has ended up adopting a foster dog.

We also adopted a Papillon from a rescue that made you sign a form saying you would return the dog to the rescue if it didn't work out. That made it so much easier, because the little guy pooped on the floor for 18 months and we finally returned him and he was re-homed with an elderly lady. I don't know how on earth we could have re-homed a serial pooper otherwise. Oh yes, and as an above post refers to little rat-dog barkers as fuckers, he was one of those too. Non stop barking at everything. We had to keep all the blinds closed all day. Bless older people who have lost their hearing.

[hollysmom]

11. I have had 2 rescues, they both picked me out.

The first was at a farm where they allowed a foster home based rescue of dogs to run an adoption day. I had gone to many shelters and looked at dogs, but they either seemed shy of me or something. When I got Sadie out of her crate, she just sat and looked at me for a while. She was the runt of the litter, and had stomach problems most of her life, but thrived on homemade chicken soup, chicken and rice. The hardest problem I had was getting my dog back when I loaned her to people, she was an empath and could take sadness away with a paw on your knee. When ever a friend or family had a death, they always wanted to borrow Sadie. She had one accident when the dog walker had her in the park and was on rymadil until her death from heart failure and 14.5.

For the second dog, I was looking for a harrier, and they had one listed on a farm where they kept unadoptable dogs,. When I drove 3 hours to get there, the people told me she had been listed by mistake and she was vicious and could not be adopted out. They told me to look at the other dogs, but they were all too large for me. So we went though what I would have to do if I wanted to adopt this dog - always keep her in my fenced in yard, keep her crated when I had company, never let her near men or children as she would attack them. So I lied and said I had a fenced in yard and a crate, I met this dog and saw no vicious in her. When they got her out of her crate, she was more interested in checking me out than in running away. She was 7 years old, but not a harrier, she was a hunting dog. 7 years later and she has more friends than I do, everyone seems to love this dog and most people comment on how beautiful and friendly she is. She is 14 and healthy. This for a dog that walked out the house when the workmen were there and got hit by a car when she was 9. (note, I hate a get up, and they moved the gate to talk to me and did not put it back - eeeeee)

[jsmirman]

14. This is great, but don't forget online adoption resources

that exist now, so you can do a lot of figuring this all out without having to first go to a shelter or a pound -

many resources exist like:

http://theshelterpetproject.org/

You can enter things like location, breed or type you are looking for, etc.

They represent a great use of the internet to do something to fight back against the insane amount of animal suffering in this country and this world.

[hollysmom]

36. and petfinder.com

that is how I found mine.

[jsmirman]

39. Yep. Great suggestion.

And thank you for adopting!

[RoccoR5955]

16. When communicating with your dog remember one thing

Dog is merely god spelled backwards. Just communicate the same way!
(some sarcasm)

[astonamous]

17. There's an app for that...

link: [link:http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/landing/translateforanimals/]

http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/landing/translateforanimals/

[astonamous]

18. Beware of pit bulls...

that are hooked on tv. It is all about what they want to watch and believe you me, political pundits are not on the top of their viewing list.

[StarryNite]

21. Awww!

One of our three rescues loves watching dogs on TV. The problem is, she wants to run and play with them. LOL

[yewberry]

19. We speak dog at our house.

Our last girlie was Grace. She was a Rottie, and one of the best things that ever happened to me. She was badly mistreated by her 'owner' and staked outside, beaten and not fed. After liberation, my girl lived a good life-- no, maybe she never lived the life she could have had, but we watched her 24-7 and never let her get into trouble. Such a good girl. She is the reason my husband became a dog trainer. My Gracie died of hemorrhagic sarcoma.

Our current buddy is Moby-- we think he's a shiba inu / cattle dog mix. Very exciting dog. He was rounded up in SC and shipped to a shelter in MA where we found him. They thought he was a runt Rottie, and he was rejected repeatedly by people wanting a guard dog. He's very prey-driven, but oh so eager to please. He's such a happy pooch. He goes to work almost every day with Dad, and when he doesn't he gets the chance to sleep on the couch all day!

Yep, dogs dogs dogs.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

20. I absolutely do not agree that dogs don't dwell on the past.

I've known LOTS of dogs and they absolutely can have emotional flashbacks and some will seem "troubled" from past abuse or neglect.

I have yet to meet a dog that didn't WANT happiness in their life. I have known a classic junkyard dog that spent it's life being a maniac at a fence line warning people away from their territory turn into big sloppy puppy in your lap if you give them a chance.

You can't go by me though.

People have described me as being like Ellie May on "The Beverly Hillbillies". I don't know what it is but critters just love me. Maybe it's because I'm an atheist and don't come off as if they were put here to serve me. To me, they are fellow animals, raised on the same planet and having the same emotions. In deep time humans and canines formed a very early bond.

I really believe this came about with the discovery of "the kicker".

[a la izquierda]

22. My DH speaks dog..

He's worked with all kinds of dogs for 20 years. He has a way about him that dogs find calming. He is the only volunteer allowed to handle the "special cases" at the no-kill shelter in our county.

We have three guys who chose us: a 4lb chihuahua, a 20lb purebred mutt, and a 60lb viszla/boxer (?) mix. Our big boy hunts everything under the sun, so one really has to know how to handle him.

Your new friend is gorgeous!!!

[lapislzi]

24. Thank you for this incredibly compassionate and useful information.

As much as I loved my Jack Russell dogs, I realize that I cannot have them in my current situation because I can't give them the time and runaround they need and deserve. And a bored Jack Russell is a mischief machine. When I lived on a 27-acre horse farm, they were the bestest and happiest dogs in the world. And that's where they had to stay when I moved on.

Husband and I have a much more laid-back retriever mix, and he's the perfect dog for us--now.

B-i-L just adopted a beagle mix puppy...and we are watching the chaos unfold.

[slackmaster]

26. A Dog-to-Human Translator is theoretically possible to build

[rock]

29. Damn!

Beat me to it!

[tibbiit]

28. Dr Who speaks dog

He speaks everything.
tib

[KurtNYC]

30. This article seems to be written for people who have never had a dog.

If someone has never had a dog and is interested in adopting I would recommend offering to walk a friend's dog and perhaps offering to sit a dog while they are out of town or at work. Spend a couple hours with dog in your home and assess your readiness and what you might need to do to make your home safer for a new dog -- think about what can be chewed, potential hazards. Prevent the event. Owning a dog is a big commitment and should be for the life of the dog. Many people rush into dog ownership thinking that you just pay the adoption fee and then feed them extra table scraps. Truth is you should be ready for vet bills and invest in higher quality dog food to prevent health issues.

If you have owned a dog before then you may want to focus on a specific breed. There are organization that rescue and foster specific breeds.

I would add one thing to the article which is beyond "exercise" and "leadership" which you can easily supply, a rescue may have issues and phobias related to how it was treated in the first 6 months or year of its life. Many very well meaning people create terrible behaviors in their dogs by rewarding, often without thinking it through, bad behaviors. Many people love to see a dog get VERY excited during every interaction. They really want the dog to just go crazy when they come home, when they feed it, when they are about to walk it, etc. An excited dog is an unmanageable dog so beware of "help" from these 'dog lovers.' In my experience they will also want to feed your dog treats -- be very careful here because EVERY time someone feeds a dog they are training it. The dog will remember and repeat whatever behavior it was doing right before it got fed. Also: Don't use food to stop a bad behavior such as barking, fighting or being overly excited.

If you have a choice, seek help or advice from someone with a well behaved dog or from a rescue group who specializes in the breed or one of the breeds in the mix.

And if you have ever rescued a dog, this video is for you...

[Corgigal]

31. Have my dumped Chihuahua dog

I would tell him, how cute to do you need to be in this world not to be dumped? Found out he has congestive heart failure so he's on several meds but hes doing great. I couldn't let a hawk eat him so we trapped him in a cat trap and hes been with us for years now.

Also can speak corgi dog but they are harder to handle but that is because they are so smart. Here is my male, Baron going on a ride and acting all calm.

[mnhtnbb]

32. We speak dog at our house and her name is Snowy.

She's a rescue dog that I found through http://www.petfinder.com/index.html almost three years ago...
a golden retriever/American Eskimo mix. We kept her name because she'd been
fostered for quite some time--been out to a home and then given back to the foster
parents because she, apparently, couldn't learn to use a doggie door. She has me well-trained
to take her for walks several times a day!

Here she is with Simba--our almost 17 yo cat.

[IMG][/IMG]

[jillan]

33. When I got my shelter dog, it was easy to see why her previous owners got rid of her -

they didn't train her!!!

She was a digger & a barker.

Guess what? She is neither anymore. Instead she is the smartest, sweetest dog in the world.
Their loss - my gain!!!


Train your dog!! It's not that hard.

[Wilms]

35. Arrff!

arf arrrf arfff!

Arrufff arf arf arf.

[Snarkoleptic]

38. Kick for a great cause.

We currently have two adopted shelter dogs and two adopted shelter cats.
All have loads of personality and bring us lots of joy.

Please spay/neuter your pets and adopt pets in need of a home.