Ever adopted a dog? Pros/cons or stories?

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Hey SAB!

 

Me and my girl are wanting to get a new fury friend to round off our new place together! We want to adopt a dog past the puppy stage cos quite frankly, we both don't particularly want to go through that everything's destroyed period (particularly my ever increasing succulent collection ). Plus I really like the idea of giving an older dog a very comfy end to its life. One where it can laze around all day, get walked morning and night if it wanted too and generally be apart of most things we do.

 

I think we've found the girl  At the shelter when she's in her box she is a mean looking viscous pig hunting dog that won't stop barking at you to piss off. Soon as she's out on a leash she's a big softy who just sits with you and soaks up pats and cuddles. She doesn't jump which is a big plus but doesn't have basic training either or leash or sit/stay. The last thing we want to do is have to re-surrender a dog that's already been abused her whole life. 

 

Can I ask for some advice in general!? If you've adopted a dog how did it turn out? She's 6 years old and looks to have thrown out a lot of litters in her years, and been in a lot of fights. Should I assume her lovely temperament at the shelter would be similar at home? Could she be depressed at the shelter and turn out to be a playful non stop Psycho when she's in a loving home? 

 

I know it's pretty much unanswerable depending on the dog blah blah but what's your experiences?

[Amazonian]

Hey d00d  . How nice to consider saving a dog from a shelter  . 

 

I haven't adopted a dog before but would like to say a few things about it .  You say she barks and appears vicious when in her cage/ kennel, I'd say she's scared and /  or protecting her area, and may see everyone as a threat?! You say she looks like she's been in lots of fights?! She may be aggressive towards other dogs and that could be a problem if you have friends that bring dogs over or want to take her camping where there may be other dogs.  What's she like with other dogs around her?  Maybe she's not a fighter but been picked on by other dogs. If she is a fighter and your prepared to have a dog run or something for when other dogs visit etc that's great. She sounds like she'd be a good guard dog. 

 

Whats she like with kids? I know it may be that there is no history of problems with kids but it's something to think about. I know any dog is capable of menacing a child/kids. (Sometimes I feel sorry for dogs with what they have to put up with with kids, lol. )

 

Does the shelter know any history of the dog? What happened to previous owners, how did the dog end up there ? Is it a fence jumper? 

 

I love dogs. Dogs are great and most homes should have one, lol.

 

It would be a hard decision choosing a dog from a shelter, but good for you d00d, I am sure you will end up with a best friend and be able to help the dog fit into your way of life.  

 

 It would feel good to bring a dog home from a shelter who hasn't had such a great life, and love it like its never been loved before . 

 

 

 

[Strontium Dawg]

We adopted a Jr terrier a couple of years ago and it was great for the first day. On the second day, the dog went berserk and attacked my son, putting him in hospital. I know that's an extreme example, but it's always a good idea to try to find out the dogs history, why it ended up in a shelter etc. I'd still adopt a dog if the opportunity arose again though.

[etherealdrifter]

fuk you prince, that's a really good question. we've been quietly chatting about the pros and cons for at least two hours now about this question. we with glaukus about the history of the poor bugger why the question arises how it found itself in that situation in the first place.*for the record we have mulled over the idea of getting a dog for ages now......the problem arises always of how you remember your last dog that was a champ/ion and how long you should wait before you get another one

don't bring home a problem in the guise of a gift prince. i'd put the dog through a Tom Cruise church whisperer test first

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Hey Amz  she's been all temperament accessed by the rspca to be good with older kids but not younger kids. Other dogs are an intro first situation, lucky there's no friends with dogs, ATM at least. 

 

Shes obviously from a very traumatised background. She *looks* like a kennel bitch for dogs thag probably weren't for family life to begin with. But the demeaner she showed was amazing both visits. 

 

Wow G sounds crazy for the young bloke mate. I guess you can't pick em hence my worry, not for me but for others people who may cop the force of a big dog. 

 

We shall have another visit and then possibly another to confirm it I guess. Here's to hoping nobody gets her in the meanwhile (she's a transfer that's been here for 3weeks and was in another shelter for a few mths). Soon as I'm back from melbs I can jump

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Lol eth, right on man it's a tough fkn gig deciding this hey. Between us SABers, I've been visiting the kennels for the last 2 months and it hasn't been til Jessie that the misso has been involved. We've been looking at other dogs too, namely greyhounds and mastiffs, but even the gal has a peaked interested in Jess...

 

here's a pic for prosperity of Jessie

 

[El Presidente Hillbillios]

the pound near us lets you take em on trail for a week, she deserves a chance i reckon 

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Really?! Which ones that HB?

[El Presidente Hillbillios]

renbury farm 

[El Presidente Hillbillios]

im not saying theyre a good pound, theyre actually getting closed down for the bad things they do there.

Edited August 5, 2016 by El Presidente Hillbillios

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

That's dude, yeh I thinks it's best for everyone to stick with a reputable joint 

[etherealdrifter]

40 minutes ago, El Presidente Hillbillios said:

the pound near us lets you take em on trail for a week, she deserves a chance i reckon 

the word is trial

[El Presidente Hillbillios]

you can take em on a trail for a trial 

[Terrapin]

Hi d00d

 

My parents have always adopted dogs from the rspca and they ve been great. When we got the last one, a labrador/kelpie cross, she was very wary of adults and would flinch if you put your hand out to pat her. She was about 18 months old and I remember it took a very long time, over a year, for her to feel safe and comfortable enough not to be scared by a hand coming towards her. She turned out to be a beautiful dog with a bulletproof temperament and lived to the ripe old age of 16.

 

I wouldn t take the way she acts in the cage as too much of an indicator of how she ll behave in a home environment. The staff should be able to give you the best idea of her personality, especially as they ve tested her temperament. Sometimes small kids can trigger a dog with a high prey drive with a high pitched laugh or squeal. Not saying this is the case here, but it might be worth asking what she reacted to in the test. You may have to have a comfortable place for her to be tethered or a dog run like Amz said if you plan on having kids around. I d say they would be pretty clear if she was unsocial or aggressive to other dogs, an intro first situation is a good start to resocialising an unsure dog.

 

Dont be too worried about sit/stay and walking on a lead, you ll be able to teach that relatively easily. In my experience its much harder trying to un-teach a behaviour or habit. She could be a barker, chewer or a digger. Will she be alone during the day? 

 

She sounds like she just craves human company and theres no reason she can t be the softy who sits with you and soaks up pats and cuddles. You ll probably have to work on a few things as she adjusts, especially socialising with other dogs if she s been in a few scraps, but you d have to do that anyway, wherever you got a dog from. At the end of the day all you can do is give her your love and a full belly, which by the sounds of it she hasn t had in the past. Dogs are awesome, they ll repay your love and loyalty in spades.

 

Good luck with your decision.

 

[niggles]

i would just like to put in  a word for rescue greyhounds. they are  affectionate cuddly lazy things that dont need much exercise and sleep all day. they various organisations around the country work really hard to find a temperament that suits you. they are awesome

[Halcyon Daze]

Beautiful dog! Seriously, she looks like she has a big heart full of love.

 

We've had a few dogs over the years, and I'll always go for dogs that are a few years old and well beyond the puppy stage. Dogs can definitly change after a couple of days and go super- hyper if they are still young , but older dogs are way more chill, and you can choose before you commit - unlike with a pup. You can't guarantee a perfect dog just because you raised it from a pup.

 

 

Also, if possible, get two. They are so much better off with a side kick.  

We have 2 females- Petal and Lucy. Lucy is a Border Collie X Blue heeler and Petals is a little Chihuahua X Daschound.   Both were rescues and are the 2 most amazing dogs in the world. So glad they have each other for adventures and friendship

Edited August 7, 2016 by Halcyon Daze

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Thanks for all the advice guys! We're very excited to be going through the process! Jessie was acting very different the other day and showed a less trusting side. I have a feeling her initial affection was based on her trust to the handler on that day. She didn't seem to appreciate being bought out by this handler and then wasn't impressed by meeting my girl out of the cage. What am I getting at... I guess she's been kinda bipolar and 4 seasons which isn't a good sign for our situation and location. We'll see again in a week or two I guess and we plan on going in at 9am this time when the dogs haven't been stressed by the comers and goers all day.

 

hey niggles yeh we like the greyhounds. They've been growing on me and my misso LOVES them. We live on a kinda busy road but have 5ft+ fences. Id be worried they'd do a bolt or something because there can be a lot of front gate stimulation during the peak hours. I love the literal 5 minute crazy burst of energy followed immediately by a belly up nap! 

 

Getting a naturally lazy dog (or an old dog past ruckus) is important for our yard but it'd still get daily, sometimes twice daily walks. We have a big almost private clearing 3mins from our house that I've never seen anybody in and will never be built on. So I'd like to get the dog used to using that as its crazy zone 

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Yaaaay were getting a dog! My girl fell in love with Piper the American staffy, so she's in getting desexed early this week and will be with us Tuesday!

 

shes a quite little thing, they say 1yr old and been in a backyard her whole life. Well mannered, can sit and walks well on a leash. We think she'll be a perfect addition to the house! 

 

Im almost excited to see the first thing it fucks up in the yard lol.

 

[nothinghead]

That's awesome mate. Jessie would have been a lot of work and much patience required. Not saying adopting an older dog who's had a rough life is a bad idea at all, just that maybe you'd need to be home a lot more for a couple of years.

 

Piper looks like a champ, hope the cacti aren't among the first stuff she chews; for your sake and her's ;)

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Thanks mate, yeh I know what you mean about Jessie, I hope someone with a big heart takes her! 

 

Im expecting to loose plants... Lol and I'm guessing she'll only go near cactus once or twice...  she will have too there isn't a spot where they aren't...! She's all about the food so will be fun to teach her tricks and hopefully easy to reward her NOT eating plants !

 

 

[nothinghead]

Hope the "beer with the dude" thread will incorporate her a lot, but not in a chewy way

[nmethyl]

Sorry for the CAPS (the only transcript I could find) but it reminds me of Bill Burr's routine for his much beloved pit bull aka his "free dog"

 

SHE WAS LIKE, "WE SHOULD RESCUE A DOG. DO YOU WANT TO RESCUE A DOG?"

 

I'M LIKE, "NO, NO, I DON'T".

SHE'S LIKE, "WHY NOT?"

 

I GO, "BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF THE DOGS DOWN AT THE POUND MIGHT BE A LITTLE FUCKED IN THE HEAD. YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT?

 

DUDE, THE SHELTER IS NOT A PET STORE. THAT IS LIKE SHAWSHANK FOR A GOLDEN RETRIEVER.    

 

WHY DON'T WE JUST GO DOWN TO THE PRISON AND RESCUE AN INMATE AND JUST ROLL THE DICE THAT MAYBE THE GUY WAS WRONGLY CONVICTED? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"

 

[nmethyl]

also Piper the American staffy looks awesome!!!!!!

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Thanks nmthyl

 

we just got her home from being desexed and man is it hard to keep her still!! She's done some bleeding from her stitches but I don't wanna freak out too soon. She's trying to settle in outdoors and I'll have to evaluate if the stitches need a vet look in the morning I guess. 

 

Basically heres how things have gone so far... Got home ran straight over a tray of propagated succulents, took two shits in the veggie patch and stuck it's nose in a fat tbm... So she's done the tour lol and here goes the first night !!

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Heya all bit of an update just shy of 2 weeks! All going well so far! Few issues with her desex wound needing to be drained almost daily for a week and her "happy/kennel tail" is driving us insane lol. Basically cos she was carted too and fro a bit on the last few days of shelter life she split the end of her tail open in the small boxes and cages and it sprays blood as it wags  I'd post pictures but some people are squirmish of blood and it's on everything outside !! It's been dressed twice for 3 days at a time but keeps splitting! I'm gonna wrap it again tomorrow and just keep it wrapped for a while in a really breathable dressing (changing every 3 days). we really want this fixed cos she can't come inside unless it wrapped and the vet doesn't want us to wrap it but it's been 4 days of wiping down Windows and doors and arms and legs from blood so im wrapping it!!

 

okie so apart from that rant about he not so happy tail she's awesome! Just gotta keep her entertained and well stimulated! She's dug heaps of holes in areas im cool with and isn't as fussed about the veggie patch as I thought but it's still fenced off. Knocked over a few plants and dug out one pot but meh could be worse and was prob my fault not having enough toys out. Any bone she gets gets dug in immediately lol. She's a really sweet dog that responds well to treat training and is a great lap dog once she's tired out (which has been hard cos we aren't Allowed to tire her until the stitches are out!!)

 

thanks for all the advice etc folks, y'all helped me prepare for sure and most bases have been covered! Not to just work out what her cross is.. Any guesses? The consensus so far is some type of large working dog. Her paws are too big for amstaff and she's already 19kg @ 1yr 4mth... I think amstaff mum tho.

 

 

 

 

Thanks !