Catherine Marie, I didn't mean to sound harsh. But when you mentioned your husband might expect a dog that is trained, I guess I read betwwen the lines to say may not meet his expectations. I just didn't want to see another pup adopted and it not work out.

Trust me we had to think seriously about possibly giving up Jake and I wondered at times if we had made the wrong decision, but glad we stuck with him. So I do know there are times when there is not other choice, I understand your previous decision. So it sounds like even if a dog did not meet your dh expectations you would still hang in there.

I have to admit, I will be thinking twice about adopting another shelter pup, with all we have been through with Jake. But when he is gone, which we hope is quite a while from now. There will not be another for a while. Which makes me sad, but dh, who loves Jake just as much as I do. Doesn't want the chance the heartache we had with our Jake.

We adopted a 2 1/2 year-old black lab/hound mix Heidi and a 1 1/2 year old same breed Sadie. Both have issues. Heidi has treat aggression and it took a lot of patience to work through that. It's not 100% but she only growls at me when she is in the moment right after she has killed a rat. At least she will trade up for a Greenie. lol

Sadie is an unbelievably independent dog. She knows her name but does not always listen when called. She is a sweet girl though.

I think you can get a feel for the dog at the shelter. (I go by intuition a lot).

We were looking at another dog, and the shelter worker advised against it. Saids she was a bit "off"

If dh is not "with you" on this - I would think long and hard about it.

I adopted another cat and my dh has been an ish about it for over 15 years.

Catherine Marie,

We adopted our dog Ricky from the Hamilton Burlington Humane Society in March of 2009. He came up with 129 other dogs from central Lousiana. He is the best dog... he doesn't bark, sleep on our bed, have acciedents in the house... nothing. If you didn't see the dog bowls you wouldn't know he's here. We also have 3 cats, whom he gets along with extremely well.

Even though BARK no longer brings dogs to Hamilton, we would adopt through them in a heartbeat. We nearly went to CO at Xmas to get a Great Pyr we picked out...

This morning Stephen said that Ricky adopted us, we didn't adopt him.

Ricky is a Maremma Sheepdog X (looks like a golden retriver/great pry mix) he only sheds twice a year so it's not to bad.

The only issue I have to say is Ricky still doesn't like our trailer. He only eats on the couch from your hand!

Ricky ran away from the boys last July 1st after they didn't listen to me. Thier dad found him 5 miles away at the bottom of a 40 ft ravine 11 hours later. He still had his leash on and everything. I am so greatful someone was looking out for us and Ricky, because it took the boy's dad 20 years to convince me to get a dog!

I hope you'll get another dog soon, check out HBHS they usually have a good selection and are easy to deal with.

Theresa

Catherine-

My husband and I run a small non-profit Italian Greyhound rescue. I think if you go through a rescue group that fosters its dogs, instead of holding them in a kennel situation like a pound, you might have better luck.

We try very hard to match up the dog's needs and the family's needs/wants, because the last thing we want is for the dog to be back into the cycle of rescue. So most of the time, the foster parent is familiar with: potty habits, trainablility, issues with kids/cats/other pets, personality and need for attention/exercise, etc. Often someone calls me because they have fallen in love with the picture on Petfinder, but the dog that they're looking for is not that dog. If there is not a dog here that meets the family's needs, I often use my connections to see if I can find them one.

A dog that has been fostered has at least the beginning of training, and you will have a whole lot more information with which to make a decision.

Good Luck!

Maggie

I would recommend rescue dogs any time. We have rescued two. A Minpin named Little Bit we rescued from an elderly lady who was dying of cancer and couldn't keep her any more. She is so attached to my DH, she "cries" if he so much as steps out into the garage where she can't she him. The other one we rescued is Bella, a Jack Rat who the local humane society had rescued when the owners moved away and left her tied to a tree with no food or water. She is so attached to me, she sits in my chair all day while I am gone to work and the minute I come home she is attached to my side until I leave in the morning. In the picture below she is sitting on top of Alice, our Doberman, who will be 15 years old on July 6. We have had her since she was 6 weeks old.

You people are awesome. How kind you have been to answer my request so thoroughly. Also, kudos to you for rescuing dogs and puppies from all sorts of places. No doubt your dogs feel the extra love given to them because of their rocky histories. I'll be keeping you posted.

Many years ago an office manager rescued a Doberman male from a
research lab on the CA coast, and had him in her office. For some reason,
someone gave her our name since my old Dobie had gone on to that Rainbow
Bridge a couple of years before. So Kurt came into our lives, he was quiet and
very cool, at least until he could trust us. Obviously a pure bred,well trained
and even with his nails clipped, no owner could ever be found. We gradually
fell in love with him, and with his calm, quiet manners he was still a savage
guard when our young daughters walked him and stayed out till nearly dark.
He even was invited to my son's kindergarten class to show the kids how a
dog should act. Even at one baby sitting chore in a not so nice address, the
single mother asked if both Kurt and my daughter could baby sit!!

Other Dobies we took in were characters in their own right, but Kurt was the
finest one of all. And the vet said that I did things right, I, myself, was pack
leader, and everyone had to obey me. Otherwise, you will have a huge, very
powerful juvenile delinquent that will not listen to you at all, and could be dangerous to others.

I've been looking at rescue groups in Ohio for a new dog recently. We lost our beloved little 11-year-old Pekingese, Sammy, a few months ago. We moved in January from a house with a fenced in backyard to a house with no fence, which is also on a major highway. I was terrified that Sammy would get on the highway and be hit. At first we only took him out on a leash, but then we started taking him out without the leash, but we always stayed with him. He was very good and never went near the highway...until the time he did. My daughter and son-in-law and one of my granddaughters were visiting. I was getting dinner on, but I told my daughter I needed to take Sammy out before we ate. My daughter asked her husband to take him out for me. I cautioned my SIL to watch him closely, which he said he would. Well, in all the commotion of getting everyone fed I didn't realize he didn't bring my little Sammy back in the house. My daughter had been hammering a lot as she helped me hang pictures and Sammy had stayed back in the bedroom all afternoon. I just assumed he went back there. While we were eating, I said to my SIL, "You did bring Sammy back in, right?" I honestly thought he did and Sammy had gone back to the bedroom. I almost died when my SIL jumped up and said, "I think so, didn't I?" Well, no, he didn't. We found my sweet little buddy on the other side of the highway with his head smashed in. He was blind in one eye and this was the side that was hit. Whoever was driving didn't even stop.

Sammy was such great company for me. I'm home all day and I used to talk to him constantly. He understood everything I said and he always stayed with me. I miss him so much; losing him broke my heart.

Anyway, I've been thinking I might be almost ready for another dog, so I've spent quite a lot of time looking at sites for rescue groups, pounds, and humane societies. I've noticed a huge difference between the descriptions of dogs from some of the rescue sites than from those at pounds or humane societies. Like Maggie said, the descriptions of dogs from the better rescue sites that are in foster homes are much more complete and include potty habits, trainability, issues with kids/cats/other pets, personality and need for attention/exercise, etc. I can't get a dog that will be aggressive toward our granddaughters or three cats. And I prefer getting one that is already housebroken, although I realize there might be some accidents during the adjustment period. I don't want a puppy mill dog.

There's a rescue group about 18 miles from us that seems to be one of the best ones I've checked out. They've had two dogs recently that fit all my criteria, but in both cases someone else applied and received adoption approval before we had a chance to apply. I plan to check the site more often and I think based on what Maggie said, I'll also contact the woman who operates the rescue group so she can be on the lookout for a dog that will fit our family.

Catherine, thanks for bringing this up and Maggie, thanks for your good advice. Also thanks to everyone else who posted.

We took in a Golden Retriever who has been used to make puppies. Poor little thing was used up and still under 2 years old. The owner begged us to take her and find a family or she was going to the pound, so we agreed. Next day we took her to the vet, bad news, she had about a week to live and it would cost a bundle to save her. What do you do? She had a non functioning thyroid, massive skin infections and other issues. She was so weak that she had to be carried up 6 stairs. Well you know the end of the story, she found a family all right- here with us. She bonded with my DH, who sat with her in the tub and massaged her infected skin with soap and lotion for days. She recovered and is now absolutely beautiful, a healthy white Golden with adoring eyes. We have had her now 4 years and just adore her. She has bonded with our other 2 Goldens really well. They are such good dogs! That's our Anna, she suits her name, so gentle. Jonah and Sam love her too.