Rescuing a dog-adding to our family

[Labbemama]

I've been at the dog park watching dogs and hearing all these stories and adds on the radio and tv about how they have a record number of pets in shelters and I just want to go racing down there to adopt one. Specifically a black dog today because they are saying that the black dogs don't get adopted, ppl think they are bad or don't see them. (Whatever black hair would so much better match my clothes. ;-) )

But I want to do this mindfully...
Dh would need a little finessing. LOL. But I know deep down he wants a Boxer. Any tips from Boxer owners?

So realistically, we've got 2 cats and a one year old female Labbe already.

I was thinking an older dog might be what our pup needs. (She still has some accidents and she chews a lot, but she's a pretty good pup.) Any suggestions for me about gender, age, etc.


Any dog we get would have to be ok with older kids, cats, and a 1 yr old dog.
(This is like my version of baby lust I guess).

[gumby74]

My best suggestion is that you should spend sometime at a local humane society walking dogs. You really get to know the dogs temperment and whether or not he/she will be a good fit for your family. I walk dogs everyday and truly, I don't fall in love with everyone, but I do get a sense about which ones I could envision myself taking home.

I'm sure there are better and more capable boxer experts out there, but this is what I know from volunteering at the humane society. During the time I have been there, I have seen about 10 boxers come through our doors. During this time, I don't believe any of them have been euthanized due to temperament. However, most have them have not been good with cats. As far as the children go, my only concern is that they are VERY strong dogs and if not properly trained, they might accidentally knock someone over due to their strength and size. They also have a lot of energy and like to chew. I also can tell you that none of them stay at our shelter for long because they are in high demand around here.

I also wanted to mention that we do see a lot of black labs come through our shelter. They also take the longest to adopt out. It's sad....

[mom0810]

There's lots of Boxer rescues around. Check out your local Boxer Club's rescue page for more info.

Boxers can be ALMOST black... it's called reverse or seal brindle. It's actually really pretty with flashy white markings.

[Labbemama]

Thanks for your input.
I am not against a black lab other than the chewing-but seriously after Winnie-what have we got left to chew?

[Dar]

How about a border collie? Black and white, about 8, healthy, sweet, doesn't chew, loves cats (thinks her job is guarding ours, but only in a herding way, not in an aggressive way), got along with our lab.... shy with new people but warms up and snuggles.

Sorry to threadjack... we're both going to be spending long periods overseas within the next year and are trying to figure out what to do...

dar