NWR: Those who have adopted a dog

akmackay · October 2010

I know, I've been obsessed with dogs lately. Those that have adopted, can you give me a little info on the process, and how it worked out? Was there a long adjustment period for you/the dog? Did you get a puppy or grown dog? Was the dog scarred emotionally from any past events?

I am interested in a dog right now, 1 yr old, and she was a stray. The foster home has had her since July and said she's done a complete turnaround (since she was used to living on the streets) and I just don't know how the dog will adapt to living in yet another new place, and if I will have issues since both DH and I work during the day. They said the foster parents work during the day, so she's used to being home with 2 other dogs- but we don't have any other animals.

Thanks for any stories you want to share :-)

ToriNicole24 · October 2010

My Fi and I adopted a rescue about 11/2 years ago. She was abandoned by her previous family and left out in the cold. The neighbor called animal control when they found her in an animal trap after being left out in the freezing rain all night.

The start of the adoption process involved a home visit from the rescue organization where they came out and as us a bunch of questions about our lifestyle and how commited we were to taking in a rescue dog. Then we went to the rescue to meet the dog and make sure she was a good fit for us. Then we got to take her home

)

Scarlet was about 4 years old when we adopted her. She was also hearworm positive (make sure you ask because it is very expensive to treat), our rescue paid for her treatments and her spay. Went we got her she was extremely underweight and we had to coax her to eat. She was also pretty shy when we first got her and wouldn't stray from our sides much when we went for walks. I would say after a few months she adjusted and became more comfortable. Now she is the most friendly sweetest dog you'll ever meet. Fi and I both are gone all day and she does fine with it. When we first got her she used to stay in her kennel, but as she adjusted now she has run of the house while we are away with no problems.

She does have some residual effects from her previous owners. I think they used a "no bark" collar on her so she is very hesitant to bark. Also any loud noises freak her out.

Hope this helps! Good Luck!

MissButters · October 2010

First, I'm glad you're considering adopting a dog, and an older dog at that!

We adopted a puppy. We did it because I have an older cat (who doesn't really like other animals), and for some reason we thought bringing a puppy in would be less stressful on her than an adult dog. Well, that didn't really work out as well as we have hoped. It's been 11 months and the cat only comes downstairs if the dog is outside (she's a total scared cat though - runs away at the littlest sound).

The best advice I can give you is if you do adopt this dog, you might want to consider a dog walker or something once a day if you both work (I work from home so we didn't have that issue). It's good that she's used to being alone without a person for long periods of time. Have you met the dog yet and spoken to the foster parents? They might be able to provide more insight on how they think she'll do during the day by herself.

The adoption process for us was easy. The rescue group was at a pet store, we filled out the paperwork, they called my vet in DC and our personal references, we paid the fee, bought some stuff and took her home. she adjusted pretty quick to use - we're still adjusting! I grew up with dogs, but it's a lot more work when it's your own dog. I was so glad when she was housebroken! Our dog is very high energy, and she needs a lot of exercise (a tired dog is a behaved dog!). I would check with the fosters how much energy she has to make sure you guys can deal with that.

Good luck with it all, and let us know how it turns out!

akmackay · October 2010

misbbuters- I already thought of that. I'll probably get a neighborhood kid to come walk her after school, or have my mom stop by after work. I have class 2 days a week so I'd be home earlier to walk her those days.

I've been emailing with the foster parents, so I've gotten insight into her personality. She's already housebroken which is a huge plus. We have a fenced in backyard, so she could run around all she wanted. DH and I need to talk more about it, but I hope to meet her this weekend possibly.

Thanks- keep the stories coming!

kristen8040 · October 2010

We adopted our puppy at 8 months old. We actually went looking about 3 weeks before the closing of our house, just to get an idea of what we would like. We fell in love with tebow right away but obviously weren't ready to take him home.

Three days after we closed we went to apply for him. We got worried because they never contacted us during the three weeks like they told us they would. We weren't sure we would get him so we went to a few other shelters. We also applied for mastiff puppies. The next day we got news our application had been accepted. It worked out great because I was just starting the new school year and even though our schedules are usually opposite, there would be times he would be alone, in a crate, but being 8 months he was trained already.

He was abused by his previous owners and ended up with severe mange where he lost all his fur. From the way he acts you would think he's been treated like a prince all his life.

felicia220 · October 2010

I am enjoying these stories because 1) it makes me happy that these abused and mistreated dogs have happy homes and 2) because H wants to adopt a dog, so it is good to know how it worked out for other people.

vjt730 · October 2010

We adopted a puppy at 12 weeks and she was abandoned when she was born.. we love her so much and she has been a HUGEEEEEEE challenge to train however my aunt started the cane corso rescue so she is always helping us train her.. she is wonderful and very well behaved at 2 years old.. she actually LOVES her cage which we call her house.. it has honestly taken us 2 years to get to this point and shes still crazy when people come over, but we wouldnt have it any other way...

we take her to all of the local dog parks so if the dog is used to being with other dogs maybe you could bring him/her to the dog park alot so they can play with other puppys but you dont actually have to have other dogs.... we talk about getting another puppy soon and we will absolutely adopt again!

jennhiggins · October 2010

DH and I adopted our "terrier mix" (aka pitt bull) about a year and a half ago. He was found on the streets of Trenton and bounced around a few shelters before he ended up at the one we adopted him from. We had been turned down for a few dogs because we already had a small dog and the shelters thought the dogs we were interested in would do better as the only dog in the house. We had emailed about a dog on petfinder.com and got the same story, but they suggested we come meet Toby instead, who we ended up adopting.
The shelter told us he was about 2-3 years old when we got him, but our vet said he was probably closer to 1 because he still had alot of "puppy" qualities to him. We also found out he must have been abused. If you move too quickly, he cowers and loud noises make him run and hide. Despite this, though, he is the biggest love mush you will ever meet. All he wants to do is curl up on your lap and lick your face. We are super happy we decided to adopt a stray and don't have any second thoughts about it. Hope that helps! Good luck with your search!

NJBRIDE324 · October 2010

FI and I adopted our boxer when he was 10 months old. It was great because he was out of that puppy biting stage. We are actually very lucky we never had to potty train our dog. He has never once had an accident in the house.

The process for us was so easy!! I found him on Petfinder and made an appointment to go look at him at the shelter. I feel in love with him so I took FI back the following day and we took him home with us right then and there! We only had to donate $100 bucks and they even gave us a huge bag of food to bring home with us.

They also have him neutered the month before we got him. He was in the shelter for 3 months and we got him at 10 months. We didnt know too much about his previous owner but apparently it was a young kid who was a bar tender at night so he was never around. He used to keep him tied up in the backyard all day long so finally one of the neighbors called the ASPCA and they convinced the owner to surrender the dog.

Now he is spoiled rotten. I love him sooo much!! You can probably ask the shelter if things dont work out if you can bring the dog back. That might ease your mind a little bit to know if things are terrible you can bring him back to the shelter. It is honestly the greatest feeling in the world to give them a home

NJBRIDE324 · October 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_nwr-those-adopted-dog?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:a9a5a3cf-a96e-4954-8ce3-abe351268e7aPost:762e44c2-c18d-4096-accc-c133d8bbf27c">Re: NWR: Those who have adopted a dog</a>:
[QUOTE]We adopted our puppy at 8 months old. We actually went looking about 3 weeks before the closing of our house, just to get an idea of what we would like. We fell in love with tebow right away but obviously weren't ready to take him home. Three days after we closed we went to apply for him. We got worried because they never contacted us during the three weeks like they told us they would. We weren't sure we would get him so we went to a few other shelters. We also applied for mastiff puppies. The next day we got news our application had been accepted. It worked out great because I was just starting the new school year and even though our schedules are usually opposite, there would be times he would be alone, in a crate, but being 8 months he was trained already. <strong>He was abused by his previous owners and ended up with severe mange where he lost all his fur.</strong> From the way he acts you would think he's been treated like a prince all his life.
Posted by kristen8040[/QUOTE]

This happened to our dog too but as soon as we got him on meds in cleared up right away!

akcrrr · October 2010

I adopted a pit bull mix from a rescue group 7 years ago and it really was the best thing I think I have ever done.

She was 11 months when we got her and was so thin and scared of loud noises, people, and cars since she was abused.

All we did was shower her with Love and she is now a great dog.

We found her on petfinder, emailed back and forth, and ended up meeting her and taking her home a few weeks later.

It is definitely a lot of work but 10000% worth it!

[Deleted User] · October 2010

We adopted our dog when she was 3 months old. Her and her siblings were born in the shelter so they didn't know anything but that life which wa sokay i suppose. She was the "quiet one" of the litter so she was always the last one to get any food and the one her siblings kind of pushed around which isn't something you could call abuse on the shelters end.
When w brought her home she ate like crazy! probably amazing she could eat in peace! haha.
We filled out the application, we got a call for an interview (via telephone) and they asked us to come in to meet her. We fell in love the moment her nose touched mine and she kissed me.
Some places want to come to your home and make sure it's right but since we live in Bergen County and the shelter was in Middletown, NY (aka 1hr drive) they didn't do it.
I cant comment on the adjustment part of it because we have a dog that enjoys relaxing while indoors but is active outdoors and she's been like that with us from day one. My friend is a trainer and she mentioned that many dogs are extremely well behaved the first 2 weeks or so and then their personalities come out which isn't necessarily a bad thing. She just warned me that she might then start feeling comfortable and barking, jumping, typical puppy woes you hear about - she's seen it many times.

we took her to the vet 2 days after we got her and found out all the little problems she had: kennel cough, hook worms, and a skin condition where she lost some hair....everything is curable so nothing was a problem but with shelter dogs you should expect a little extra expense although with foster families that may be a different story.

NJBRIDE324 · October 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_nwr-those-adopted-dog?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:a9a5a3cf-a96e-4954-8ce3-abe351268e7aPost:63331f32-601f-40fc-aaaa-5ae8abfeffc7">Re: NWR: Those who have adopted a dog</a>:
[QUOTE]We adopted our dog when she was 3 months old. Her and her siblings were born in the shelter so they didn't know anything but that life which wa sokay i suppose. She was the "quiet one" of the litter so she was always the last one to get any food and the one her siblings kind of pushed around which isn't something you could call abuse on the shelters end. When w brought her home she ate like crazy! probably amazing she could eat in peace! haha. We filled out the application, we got a call for an interview (via telephone) and they asked us to come in to meet her. We fell in love the moment her nose touched mine and she kissed me. Some places want to come to your home and make sure it's right but since we live in Bergen County and the shelter was in Middletown, NY (aka 1hr drive) they didn't do it. I cant comment on the adjustment part of it because we have a dog that enjoys relaxing while indoors but is active outdoors and she's been like that with us from day one. My friend is a trainer and she mentioned that many dogs are extremely well behaved the first 2 weeks or so and then their personalities come out which isn't necessarily a bad thing. She just warned me that she might then start feeling comfortable and barking, jumping, typical puppy woes you hear about - she's seen it many times. we took her to the vet 2 days after we got her and found out all the little problems she had: kennel cough, hook worms, and a skin condition where she lost some hair....everything is curable so nothing was a problem but <strong>with shelter dogs you should expect a little extra expense </strong>although with foster families that may be a different story.
Posted by dalmatinka77[/QUOTE]

I agree within our first 2 months of having Parker we spent about $600 on vet bills. He developed mange about 1 month after we had him our first vet couldnt figure out the problem because it was on his ear so he thought that it was an ear problem we went to him twice because it never got better. So I did some research found a very reputable Vet in our town and he knew immediately what it was. As soon as we got the right medicine it cleared up. But you def need to have some extra cash because you dont know what they may have and sometimes things dont show up until a couple of weeks after you take them home.

But ever since then we have not had any health problems with him so far. We will have him for almost 2 years this december!

diamondx423 · October 2010

FI and I found our German Short Haired Pointer Mix from a rescue that had posted on Craigs List. We had looked on PetFinder but since we live in an apartment (even though there is a dog park here) we were never approved. We got him when he was 8 weeks old, his mother had been a stray that was both pregnant and heartworm positive when she was taken into the rescue. She ended up having 11 puppies, and the adoption fees for them helped pay for her medication.

The first few days he was home with us he was very scared;cried all night since he wasn't a fan of the crate or his collar (the rescue was a farm) and FI actually slept on the couch next to him for about a week. We've had him for a little over a year now and most of his "puppieness" is still there, even though he's 70 lbs!

As far as working goes, if I'm going to be there late I try to come home at lunch to run him, otherwise he's good for about 8 hrs totally alone before he starts tripping up tissues from the garbage. This could be fixed if we kept him crated, but he isn't a huge fan of it so I just keep the bathroom doors closed so he can't get into the garbage. Nothing beats walking in the door to a dog thats so excited to see you! I really can't imagine life without him!

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