[Momily]

If I do go for it and look for a rescue dog, how do I find the right one. I can go on petfinders, but all I see are pictures and a few lines. If temperment is the most important thing, how do I find out about that?

For example, here's a little guy available in my area -- he's certainly cute! And he's the right size.

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/dis...petid=13294224

But how do I figure out if he's meant to be ours? I don't really want to take DS to meet a hundred dogs and then say "sorry, you can't have this one", and as a single mom I don't have childcare to go meet 100 dogs without him. So, how do you screen?

 

[oneKnight]

I don't have any tips for you in this regard, but I am glad to see you're really thinking ahead instead of just running out for the cutest dog in the bunch.

 

[moonshoes]

I don't really have any tips either, but I can tell you that our experience in speaking with foster "parents" was that they were VERY honest about the dogs' temperments and were quite helpful in helping us determine if the dog would be a good fit for our family. This helped eliminate the problem of going to see every dog that I liked on Petfinder.

BAsically what I did was narrow down the list to the size I wanted, and a few breeds I absolutely would NOT consider, and I went from there. It took awhile, but we now have a wonderful dog that is a perfect fit for us. I'm glad we took our time and had an open mind about what type of breed we could consider (esp. since many are mixed breed dogs) because it made the process much easier.

Good luck and I think it is wonderful you are considering a rescue dog!

 

[I~love~pie]

I have a terrier mix.(also a rescue) while she is a great sweet dog, she can be difficult. She is great with kids not so great with other dogs. she is a barker.
the dog your looking at is mixed with dashound which i think is also a barker. I would ask who ever has him now how his temperment is with kids. Does he growl if someone gets to close to his face, any food agressions, does he gets scared if someone runs up to him, does he startle at loud noises, does he bouce back quickly.

Most rescues here will not let you have a dog unless they meet all family members (including other animals). Although you could meet the dogs first before you bring ds.

 

[DogMomforNow]

Rather than looking on petfinder I would look for specific rescue groups in your area - find out who has had good luck with what groups (what is your area? maybe someone here can point you in the right direction). If you're looking for a specific breed I'd start with the breed's parent club website with the AKC - they almost always list rescues for that specific breed.

Then I'd contact the rescue and ask if they have any dogs in their foster program that they think fit your family. Explain what you're looking for (they will probably have an application for you to fill out as well). Lots of rescue websites aren't up to date (incl. those that list on petfinder) so this saves time and falling in love with those cute petfinder pics - which I myself am plenty guilty of

only to find out that dog's been adopted.

 

[Momily]

I should clarify that I'm not really looking at that dog -- we don't move into our new home for another month and hopefully he'll be well cared for long before then. He was just the first pup to show up on when I looked at the list for a good rescue near me (they linked to petfinder for pictures of their dog). He is cute though, isn't he? I'm sure he'll be someone's perfect pet.

My point was, if I look at the reputable rescues near me I can find 30 dogs that seem to meet my requirements (e.g. small, about the right age, shorthaired, not a breed I can't stand, say they're good with kids and other dogs). If my plan is not to just fall in love with a cute face but to be cautious and sensible -- how do I do that? Do I draft one email saying what I want and send it out with a list of questions to all 30 fosters. Do I find a cute one and call his fosters? Do I go to adoption events and walk around and talk to people?

If I was adopting from a shelter it would be easy -- I'd go, walk around, and see who tugged on my heart strings. But I'm not comfortable with a shelter. You guys have done a pretty good job of talking me into a dog from foster care, but that's probably my limit. I'm pretty risk averse in this area.

 

[gealach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Momily My point was, if I look at the reputable rescues near me I can find 30 dogs that seem to meet my requirements

But, see, that is part of a "reputable rescue's" job... to help you find the right dog and not just give you the one you like best from the pictures. Especially if you are thinking you want to find a dog who has been fostered, which I believe you mentioned in your other post.

So, you find one organization, or a couple of organizations. If you have narrowed it down to a breed or even a few breeds (and, many breed-specific organizations also take mixes of that breed), contact those rescues. You will probably need to submit an application at almost the very beginning of your dealings with them. The application will help them to figure out what you are looking for and the dog traits that would fit best in your family.

We just turned in our application to a couple of rescues. These are the types of things they wanted to know: Name and ages of family members, past experience with dogs and with rescue dogs, the type of home you live in, if you have a fence, how often you are willing to walk the dog, how long will dog be left alone during day, what type of activities your family enjoys, the name of your vet or potential vet, etc. There were a lot more questions than that, but those are the ones I remember off the top of my head.

We also needed to provide them with the names of 3 references (and they did actually contact them). They also requested to visit our home to check it (and us) out. After they have all that info about us, they help to match us up with a dog.

 

[Momily]

Gealach,

That sounds great -- I didn't know they did that. I knew that they checked you out, but I didn't realize it was before they matched you with a dog. I guess I'll call them and get the ball rolling.

 

[gealach]

The rescues, of course, will let you "request" a dog if you see one you like. But, I would venture to say that the better rescues would steer you away from that dog if they thought it was a poor fit.

Both of the rescues we applied to asked if there were any of the dogs in their system right now that we were particularly interested in. I told them no - just gave them our "want" list... fostered, 2-4 yrs old, male, okay with kids, no preference on cat-friendly, prefer the lighter colors, etc.

I think of this "matching service" as part of what I am paying for when I adopt a dog from a rescue organization. Because, let's face it, it is more expensive than adopting from a shelter.

A good rescue wants to find a good match for you and support you after that match. They don't want you to have to return an animal to them down the road - that would be more work for them and less resources for other animals. (Though, that is one sign of a good rescue - that, should you need to rehome the dog for any reason, you will bring the dog back to them).

ETA: I just realized my post made it seem like I was saying the rescues charged too much. I didn't mean that at ALL. With the services some of them provide, I'm surprised it is not more.