Catherine Marie

In April 2010 we had to relocate our 9 year old schnauzer because of a family issue.
The issue has been resolved but our little guy now lives somewhere else and the rescue group that took him keeps everything confidential anyway. I know for a fact though that he is in a comfortable home and the new family loves him dearly.
Anyway, I can't seem to live without a dog in the house. We would like to rescue an older puppy or dog from a rescue group. But I'm afraid.
Who has rescued a dog either from a shelter or rescue group and when it is an older dog, how do you get to know them or train them or rehabilitate them? My husband, I'm afraid, will expect a dog that is instantly trained and no bother and all of the training will be on my shoulders, which is ok, but am I up for the work? I hope so. But is there anyone who can give me some hints. And I think I know about the joy I'll feel because I've rescued, etc. just give me a reality check on this one...thanks.
PS You can see from my avatar the little guy we had to relocate. He is the gold standard for every dog we see/meet.

bj

We lost our boxer to a long battle with cancer and heart disease. We just adopted a one year old puppy from a boxer rescue group. Here in Austin, they have adoption events where several of the dogs will be and you just see if one bonds with you. My dh got hold of this one and it was love at first site. You just have to be prepared for health issues (ours is lightly heartworm positive and we are dealing with that). They will be able to tell you if the dog you choose is good with kids, other dogs or cats. We are really enjoying our dog. He was very quiet at first, but is coming out of his shell some now. You can tell he didn't get much attention because he wants to sit right by you, touching some part of you all the time. He was very underweight, which is not unusual in a rescue dog, but is eating well and gaining weight. He is crate trained and mostly house trained. We take him out pretty often, but he has had a couple of accidents. Good luck.

CarrieAnne

Oh, this is one of my VERY favorite topics.....
One of my very favorite dogs, was little Sugar, a Hurricane Katrina rescue. My little JRT had just died, and our lab needed a new friend. I found her picture at Petfinders...its funny, I saw her, and KNEW I wanted HER. I emailed then called the lady...she had been in a vet clinic for almost a year, w/ a bunch of other dogs. They thought she was a JRT/Pug mix, and she was so goofy looking.
We drove two hours to Barrington , Ill, to see her....they werent supposed to let me take her home til they did a home visit, but they knew I loved her, and let me.
It really was great, she was trained well...did have a few accidents in the house, til I KNEW her. She would go to the door and stare at it, never bark. I always figured she must have been taught not to bark. Perhaps she lived in an apartment.
I took her everywhere, people got a kick out of her, she was so ugly she was cute....huge eyes, overbite, chubby....
She lived with me two and a half years, til she started to get real sick...vet sent her to a specialist in Madison, they did tons of tests, couldnt really find anything, so they put her on steroids. helped for a while, but then she became diabetic, and got pancritis, and her liver gave out. Man, did I cry....she really was the greatest little dog. Vet figured she was elderly when I got her...no one really knew.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE rescue if you can! There are so many diamonds in therough out there. So many new pet searches too....you can say what size, type, age,almost anything.I must have called the rescue a hundred times to askquestions...but SO worth it! You do have to do your reseach to make sure the new pet will fit your family, but I know in my case, it went really smooth!!!!!!!!
Good luck with your search, if I can help in any way, holler at me!!!!!!!

raptureready

We adopted, or should I say she adopted us, a Bassador that had been rescued from an abusive/neglectful home. The first few weeks she was extremely timid, wouldn't let us pet her, would cower when we tried, but was housebroken even though we were told she had been an outside dog. When she realized that she was going to fed and loved, she became very protective of her new family--to the point of being a little over aggressive. Now that we've had her for a year, she's realized that she's here to stay and has calmed down and become a wonderful addition to our family. We can even let the grandchildren around her without fear. She's so happy now. Humans always need time to adjust to any new situation (you had to adjust when you had a baby didn't you? and when they left home? lol) It's the same with animals, they need time to adjust.

half lab, half basset

CarrieAnne

Bassador, LOL, I was wondering what that was. I bet its a great dog...labs are so nice, and bassets, who couldnt love a basset, lol?
I wanted to say, most people I know that get rescues say the dogs nearly worship them! I think they are SO thankful to have a good home!!!!!!!!!!

janRN

Patches, the dog in my avatar is my "I'm never getting another dog" dog. We lost our Dalmatian and I swore I'd never be able to love another dog without comparing him to the one we lost. Nine months after losing him, a patient came in crying; she found a part Dalmatian starving and tied to a tree stump--would I please take him. I called DH and said go to Walmart, get dog things, we're getting a dog (this was Christmas Eve.) He was not happy to say the least but I told him we're getting this dog (we make all big decisions together but not this one!) Got Patches who was 20 lbs, missing part of an ear, has a chunk out of his tail, and no hair on one leg. Brought him home-no accidents, LOVES to eat actually dances when we're putting food in his bowl. He's now at normal wt of 65 lbs and he fit in like he was born here.
It was much easier to get an older dog (no clue how old Patches is).
I like the idea of spending time with a few dogs to see how they react to you and others. I didn't have that opportunity and just got plain lucky.
Rescued dogs do come with some baggage: mine is deathly afraid of loud noises, gun shots, hammers, etc. Talk to the rescuers and ask about stuff like that.
Good luck and bless you for doing this. I thank God everyday for Patches--I can't imagine my house without him.

shaverg

We did adopt an American Eskimo when he was 9 mo, he is now 14. The first two weeks were great and then he started to bite. We don't, have children so we had him professionally trained, but have still had problems for the whole 13 years. They think he may have been a puppy mill pup. He is my avatar. Although I would not trade a day, it has been heartbreaking. Most people do not have this problem. But please make sure you are ready for another dog. If you had to let a dog you had for 9 years be relocated for some reason, please question if you are really ready. If there is any chance you would have to do that again, don't adopt a pet. Our Jake is family, we decide what we do by how it will affect him, our life has been dictated by him for 13 years, but we love him dearly. And for us he has been the best and smartest dog we have ever had, but it has been a trying 13 years.

CarrieAnne

Ja, your story is so great! I love Patches!
Shaverg, your story is so heartbreaking, but I really want to say tis great that you have stuck by him, and tried the proffesional trainers and all...must be so hard.....

shaverg

Pets are family members and a true commitment. I hate to see anyone take an animal that has already been through so much taken into a home that is not truely ready. We did think we might have to have Jake put to sleep, which broke our heart he just refused to let anyone in our house and could be so vicious for such a little dog. His eyes would just glaze and he would go balistic. We even had them do xrays to see if maybe he had a brain tumor and if we had to give him up we were going to drive him to Best Friends, they take in unadoptable dogs. We were going to offer them a big donation if for some reason they didn't think they could take him. But found a way to work with him for 13 years. What is funny is he loves anyone that is our family, won't tolerate anyone else still to this day.

I also recommend crate training. It is a blessing. I have always had dogs and never had a crate trained dog until Jake. I will never have another dog that is not crate trained again.

Catherine Marie

So far the idea of rescuing and adopting is becoming clearer to me and also the idea of keeping an older dog/puppy from a fate...well who knows what, is indeed a worthy undertaking from you accounts.
Your experiences have been most heartening. I know that these dogs can come with baggage as I know others who have rescued. My own little guy was 7 mos. when we got him from a breeder. And there were some early experiences he just never let go. ( He would cower when I took out the fly swatter to get a bug!)
As far as being ready, there is no question that I am. He had to leave because of a serious health issue with my newborn grandson. I heard from many who were on on side of the fence or the other about relocating but in order for me to be the kind of Nana I am, it was then 'the easiest hardest decision' I had to make.
I did hear through the Schnauzer Rescue who said our guy was welcomed into a wonderful home and the new family didn't know what they did before they got him but then they would not have had 'the perfect individual' ( their words)that he indeed is.
It wasn't the best situation but our grandson comes first.