Adoption....

[BoandAbby]

Where did you get your dog? Local no-kill shelter(the shelter that was featured on the ep of it's me or the dog before like 5 years before it went downhill)

How did you decide on that individual? Just walked in and checking the place out and she was the crazy spazz going nuts in her cage every time someone would walk past and because of her crazy energy people looked her over. Plus she was a "big dog" in the little dog area. So all the other dogs were like JRT mixes and other small breeds where as she was a 35lb lab mix so most people in there were probably looking for a smaller dog

Would you adopt again? Most definitely. My plans are if I want a serious working dog etc I'll go to a breeder and if I want a companion/agility dog then I will adopt

 

[monkeys23]

Where did you get your dog?
Lily: Meridian Valley Humane Society
Scout: Private Rehome

How did you decide on that individual?
Lily: I knew she was perfect the second I met her. Even seeing her ad I had a hunch...
Scout: Well I turned her down multiple times. Finally it was between me and the shelter and I knew she deserved better than the shelter so I took her in.

Would you adopt again?
Lily: I did, took in Scout.
Scout: Honestly ... its not that appealing. But I'm sure I will because I'm a sucker for animals in need. They seem to show up. Looking into fostering and have a feeling thats going to end in adoption someday lol.

 

[SaraB]

Where did you get your dog?
I adopted Zuma through a 501(c)3 private rescue that specializes in herding breeds.

How did you decide on that individual?
I loved her look and description on Petfinder. Emailed the foster family and asked a ton of really specific questions regarding toy drive, interactions with other dogs/people, etc. I then went out to meet her and fell absolutely in love, we picked her up the next day.

Would you adopt again?
Yes, as long as the dog was in a foster home so that they would have the answers to the questions I ask.

 

[Toller_08]

All of my current dogs are from breeders, but we've adopted in the past.

Where did you get your dog?

A breeder who was heavily involved with rescuing Dobermans in Alberta.

How did you decide on that individual?

We weren't even looking. My mom worked in the same building as the breeder and somehow the breeder heard our Rottweiler was sick/didn't have much longer and asked mom if she'd be interested in meeting an older male Doberman she'd recently pulled from somewhere.

We met him, fell in love instantly, and just knew he was meant to be ours. We were all hesitant prior to meeting him (didn't know a lot about Dobermans, minimal experience with male dogs), but he was one of those dogs you couldn't help but love right away. He was the perfect fit and a fantastic introduction to the breed.

We also adopted a Rottweiler puppy that had a few screws loose from our local Rottweiler Rescue group. They're a good organization for sure, but as the dog grew up, it became very apparent that something was very 'off' about her. We ended up having her PTS.

And we'd adopted a human and dog aggressive Toller from our shelter who never should have been adopted out. He was downright scary and dangerous. I've heard similar stories from people with dogs from the same place so that leads me to believe they don't temperament test very well. And we were new to the whole adopting thing and didn't do different things with him upon meeting that we probably should have. Live and learn. They apologized profusely and couldn't believe he was deemed safe for adoption once they saw for themselves.


Would you adopt again?

From the right place, probably. Likely only from breed specific rescue or an actual rescue organization though, after the terrible experience with our local shelter. Also, I'd probably only adopt adult dogs. I don't want the unpredictability of what a puppy might grow up to be like with no known history.

I am much more of a raise my own puppy from a good breeder type of person though. Chances are I will adopt again someday, but most of my dogs will be from breeders.

 

[oakash]

Where did you get your dog?

We found Suzie a couple houses down in the middle of a intersection. My mom pulled over, opened her door to try and get her out of the road, and she jumped in immediately. We put up signs, did the whole business, but no owner showed up, and she stayed with us.

How did you decide on that individual?
She was probably allowed to stay because she was just so pleasant and easy going, and our other dog at the time liked her and actually played with her even though she was like.. 17 years old at the time.

Would you adopt again?
Heck yeah. I'm gonna steer my family in that direction as well, because there are so many dogs out there that would fit my family perfectly.

 

[Kaydee]

Just a thought for folks who are maybe just looking for a happy mutt...especially if you live near a large city. Even if you're willing to drive to a big city.

Certainly if you are particular about lineage or breed a rescue or breeder is the way to go. If you don't have any dog experience a good breeder or rescue can guide you better in a good fit. They'll know their dogs personalities and health.

But if you have some degree of positive dog experience and don't cry easy, city shelters are overflowing with potentially wonderful dogs. It's an experienc e of what you see is what you get. Possibly no history at all, an accurate health profile or possibly not, an accurate behavior appraisal or not. It can be a crap shoot, but you might also find the doggie of your dreams.

 

[chaospony]

Where did you get your dog?
Robyn was from an afghan hound rescue found via petfinder.
Trin was from the same rescue of course (they are littermates) added 6 months later.
Mina (who I am still waiting on) was found via a post on Kijiji about the Arabian saluki rescue of Canada

How did you decide on that individual?
Initially both Robyn and her brother were available and I had my eye on her brother but I let Erica, the woman who runs the afghan rescue decide which pup she though would be the best fit. We'd spoken over the phone for hours over a two week period and she made the right choice! Perfect fit!
Trin came along after the puppymill they are both from was shut down. I'd already spoken to Erica about adding another afghan hound and suddenly there was a whole family to pick from! Robyn prefers to play with other females so I declined the boys which left Trin and their mom. Mom still had lots of trust issues and what better friend is their than your dorky sister?
Mina I still haven't even met! She is currently in Dubai and flying to Canada at the end if the month. I hope this is the right choice! I gave a list of my requirements for what a 3 rd dog needed to have to have the best chance of fitting in with my two, lets hope I was right in this choice!

Would you adopt again?
I will only ever adopt. All the Afghan hounds I've had over the years have all been rescues and I am now deeply involved in sighthound rescue and I all to aware now that there are many many to choose from, even breeds as rarely seen as my Afghans and Salukis, there are still lots in need of homes, usually more than enough for you to pick and choose for the best fit.

 

[SarahHound]

Where did you get your dog? Todd was from Retired Greyhound Trust (Skye branch - http://skye.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk/)
How did you decide on that individual? He needed a home the most, after having 2 failed homes.
Would you adopt again? Yes!

Where did you get your dog? Lucy was also from the Retired Greyhound Trust, same as Todd.
How did you decide on that individual? She was the only one at the centre that didn't have a racing past. She wasn't fast enough for the track.
Would you adopt again? Yes, always.

Where did you get your dog? Katy was from the KWK9 Rescue in Caithness (http://www.kwk9.org/)
How did you decide on that individual? She was the only Lurcher there.
Would you adopt again? Yes.

 

[Emily]

Yeah, that's how I got my cat. He's awesome! But my requirements were limited to male, calm, cuddly, older than a kitten but not super old. I'm in much more specific need when it comes to my dogs, plus, purebred dogs are a hobby for me. But yeah, for a good ol' dog (or cat), very often a rescue pet is ideal.

 

[Lyzelle]

Where did you get your dog?
Dante was from a Great Dane Rescue out of Arkansas.

How did you decide on that individual?
Technically, we didn't. The rescue had taken in over 30 dogs from a local "breeder" who "got in over her head". We chose a frenchie, his dad, and his older brother before we chose Dante. The rescue pushed us pretty hard in getting one of the unborn pups from this pregnant bitch. That was how we got Dante.

Would you adopt again?
A Bullmastiff? Not likely. Not a breed I'm really into, not even for adoption.

Where did you get your dog?
Gustav "da Goose" was from a shelter out of Arkansas.

How did you decide on that individual?
Petfinder, mostly. He also came in a litter, but he was the pup that we "clicked" with.

Would you adopt again?
If I could get another Goose, absolutely. GSD/Sibe mix is where it's at, despite my wariness over GSD mixes.

Where did you get your dog?
The Bottle Girls, Eve and Indy, came from Memphis Animal Shelter.

How did you decide on that individual?
They were 2 in a litter of 6 we were "fostering". We chose two girls, and two that we couldn't mix up...one black, one merle. Lol.

Would you adopt again?
Despite being mostly total mutts, I'd probably do it again, especially if I'm just looking for an active pet. Techincally, we never adopted the girls, though. The shelter simply forgot about them/never had them in the system, and we never brought it up.

 

[misfitz]

Where did you get your dog?

From the county animal control.

How did you decide on that individual?

Fate! Long story, but I meant to rescue her and find her a home. I don't even know why I did, but something told me that I couldn't let this particular dog be killed. I found her a home all right... Everyone I showed her to said to me, "boy, that dog sure loves you!" I can't argue with fate. My life is now divided into two periods - Before Sienna, and After Sienna.

Would you adopt again?

Probably. Not sure where or when I'll get another dog, and I'd like a specific breed (which breed that is keeps changing), and I want to make sure if I rescue, that I'm prepared to deal with any behavioral issues, since I had a bad experience with that Before Sienna. I'll probably check shelters for my next dog before looking at breeders.

 

[speedydogs]

Neither of my current dogs are adopted, but I'll answer this for our first dog.

Where did you get your dog?
From a breed-specific rescue (collie)

How did you decide on that individual?
It was my parents' decision, not mine. My mom wanted a collie because she had grown up with them. They chose Danny because based on the rescue's recommendations, he was the best fit for our family.

Would you adopt again?
Absolutely! I don't know what my dog-related plans are right now - not planning on another dog for at least five years. But I'm pretty certain I will adopt again at some point.

 

[*blackrose]

Where did you get your dog?
Blackie was found as a stray by some friends of ours.
Rose's mom was found as a stray by us.
Chloe was a spur of the moment adoption.

How did you decide on that individual?
Blackie was a Lab ("good family dog") and available. He loved us kids and we adored him, so my parents said, "Sure, why not?"
Rose was the puppy I picked out due to her coloring. Great way to pick a puppy, right? In my defense, I was six at the time. lol
Chloe was one of two puppies out of eight that actually approached me. The rest ran and hid. So I scooped her up and called her mine.

Would you adopt again?
Yes...IF I were adopting an older puppy/dog. Chloe's kind of scarred me, so I don't know if I'll ever adopt another eight week old puppy again. But older puppy (>4mths) whose temperament and personality I can evaluate? Sure. And I'd definitely adopt an adult dog that's been evaluated.
I definitely plan to have a rescue Pittie at some point in my life.

 

[yoko]

Where did you get your dog?
I got Lady from one of my friends in middle school. Her older brother would get trashed and beat the crap out of her. I convinced my parents it was time to have a dog and she snuck lady over to me.

How did you decide on that individual?
Really she just needed me and I was able to convince my parents at that time we needed a dog.

Would you adopt again?
IMO Lady was a special needs dog. Because of her history we had to go pretty far out of our way to make sure she had a happy life but I loved her. I have looked at other dogs with issues stemming from abuse before and I think eventually I'll get another.


Where did you get your dog?
Yoshi I got from the Rogers County Animal Shelter.

How did you decide on that individual?
There was actually another puppy there that I wanted. It was a puppy puppy. About 8 weeks old. The first day I went up I fell in love with this poofy little puppy. I saw Yoshi going crazy in her area. She was 4 months old and waaay bigger than the other puppies in the area with her. The little boy I liked was on hold for the normal 3 days before anyone could adopt him. I went back the day before he would be available to make sure he was still there. When I got there a couple was looking at him. He was acting like a normal puppy interested in everything. I looked over and saw Yoshi again. She was still in the same area. A giant puppy with a ton of small puppies and she was going crazy on the chain link door again. One of the ladies that worked there asked the couple if they might be interested in her. They said no because she was crazy and they didn't want the ugly white dog. Granted Yoshi was missing patches of fur, smelled like hell and the tip of her tail was bald and gross looking.

Another lady came in and leashed her and when they stepped out of the area Yoshi started lunging against the leash to get to me and I asked if she was getting adopted and the lady told me no she was getting put down since she had been there so long. When I looked at her she sat down and stared at me and whined. I knelt down and she came over sat down and leaned into me. So I took her.

Would you adopt again?
Absolutely. It would most likely be a puppy/young dog. I love not knowing what rescued mixes are going to look like as adults. Rescued dogs are my favorite.

 

[Zizzy35]

Questions for chazzers with adopted (rehomed, shelter or rescue, or found) pups....

Where did you get your dog? Eleventh Hour Rescue. An adoption event at a mall. I just went to look and kill a Sunday afternoon. I wasn't planning on bringing anything home, let alone without discussing with the husband during our first year of marriage.


How did you decide on that individual? His cute face really. There were so many dogs, and it broke my heart.

Would you adopt again? Absolutely! I'm tempted everyday to get another.

 

[Grab]

Where did you get your dog:
Ginger: she was surrendered to my workplace when her owner was going to take her to the pound (at age 10...)
Newt: Found and surrendered to my workplace (noticing a trend?...) after running the freeway
Nog: CL rehome

How did you choose:
Ginger: Saw her and felt she was adorable. Another coworker fostered/kept her for a month before deciding to give her up, at which time we took her
Newt: I thought she was cute, in an icky way(she was scaly and hairless) and then one day the lad came in and wrote our last name on her cage card, lol
Nog: we had always wanted a Brussels Griffon, but had assumed we'd one day have to go to a breeder..they just aren't seen around here. He was already familiar with dogs, cats and babies, so it seemed meant to be. He fit right in and loved everyone.

Would you rescue again:
All of our future small dogs will probably be rescued or adopted (as they've always been). I'm not a fan of having to jump through a million hoops, so we probably won't go to a no kill/rescue type organization, but a shelter or private rehome for certain.

ETA: not a dog, but both of our Persians are adopted as well...Abner from work (lol) and Falafel from the county shelter.

 

[Tortilla]

Where did you get your dog? An animal shelter a couple cities over.
How did you decide on that individual? Well I was fifteen and dumb and pretty much settled on him because he was cute. I love him to pieces, don't get me wrong, but he's probably the LEAST compatible dog for my type of lifestyle.
Would you adopt again? Probably. My next dog is coming from a breeder, but if I want a companion dog somewhere down the line I'll rescue again.

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

Where did you get your dog?

Smalls I found on PetFinder at a very rural animal control about 5 hours away. Jack and Jonas came from a rescue about a half hour away, and Magpie I saw on a community lamenting the horrible things people do with animals and she came to me all the way from an animal control in southern Illinois.

How did you decide on that individual?

Smalls was just one of those "Yep, that's the dog." sort of things, on her pictures alone. Jack was picked by my boyfriend, and Jonas was a Dachshund who needed some (a lot) of TLC. Magpie had a very sad photo of the state she was in with an awful story and something about her face told me to get her here.

Would you adopt again?

I don't really have any plans to acquire my dogs through any other avenue.

 

[MericoX]

This is kinda mixed as my sister got her from the shelter, and then after not being able to care for her properly I took her in.

Where did you get your dog?
Charlie is from a shelter/rescue in IN, and was transported with her litter to Maine. My sister couldn't manage a puppy plus a 4 and 1 year old kids, so I took her in when my sister was going to sell her (I had gotten attached).

How did you decide on that individual?
My niece picked her out from the litter. I decided to keep her because she fit what I wanted for dog #5, energetic, agility prospect, smart (though she came about 5 years too soon!!)

Would you adopt again?
My sister probably wouldn't (at least I hope not). I was always leery of adopting dogs from shelter, just basing on unknown histories, my requirement, and that they must be small animal and kid safe, but after having Charlie I could see myself adopting from a shelter, most likely another BC or BC mix.

 

[Bailey08]

Where did you get your dog?

A local rescue that brings dogs (vast majority of which are puppies) from a farming/rural area.

How did you decide on that individual?

I had major puppy fever but was trying to be mature and adult about it. I volunteered for the rescue, telling myself that at most I would foster a puppy so I could see if I could really handle it. Also, I was thoroughly convinced that I needed to foster a slightly older black puppy who would have a harder time getting adopted.

I noticed B's litter and he was the only male (I wanted a boy) and he was adorable. They were very sleepy and were kind of being passed over as a result (much to my surprise). So when things were slow I would take him out and snuggle him. And at one point I took him into an ex pen and he turned into a crazy, hilarious little puppy. When I saw other people start to notice him, I quickly scooped him up and announced that I was adopting him.

Would you adopt again?

Yes. I love Bailey with all my heart and feel so, so lucky to have him.

But I'm not sure what form it would take, or when. I went the breeder route for Grace largely because I had such specific criteria, including a specific temperament that would mesh well with Bailey's. Plus three dogs seems impossible, and my two are going to live forever.