Questions about adopting a rescue

[skupcha]

Hi,

I am considering adopting a lab or lab mix from either one of the rescue groups or shelters in my area but I have some questions and concerns. Is this the right place to ask those questions?

Thanks!

[ebaby]

Yes sure. I volunteer for a rescue. what questions do you have. Happy to help

[skupcha]

Thanks!

I have owned a fair amount of dogs in my life, but I have never rescued one and all have been obtained when they were pups.

1 - Is it harder to potty train an adult dog?

2 - Is it hard to crate train an adult dog? I know how to do it with a new puppy, but with an adult who's background is unknown, is it done the same way? Is it traumatic for them?

3 - Is it reasonable safe to bring an adult dog with an unknown background into a house with 2 kids ages 6 and 4?

4 - I've heard that a rescue dog may have one personality while in the kennel environment but my totally change for the positive or negative once you bring it home and it begins to settle in. Is this a rarity or the norm?

5 - If they appear to be dog friendly at the facility should we expect that they will be dog friendly when we get them into the home environment?

Since you work in rescue, I'd love to tell you my situation and hear if you think we are even good candidates to adopt. I am a stay at home mom with a 4 year old and 6 year old. We lost our 13 year old German Shepherd just over a year ago and we are ready to add another dog to our family. My kids are comfortable with large dogs and understand the my rules of how they should interact with a dog (don't bother it if it's eating, if it goes into my room they are not to follow as that it the dogs safe area, don't wake a dog up, treat this dog as a family member not as a piece of property) but they are kids and sometimes they make mistakes and bad decisions. We have a large group of friends that have dogs and we watch their dogs when they go out of town and they have always watched ours. The dogs also usually get together when we have cookouts and parties. The dog will get plenty of exercise as my husband runs a few miles every morning and I walk a few miles every days after I get the kids off to school. We have 2 cats - because of the German Shepherd and the dogs that we watch, they are very comfortable with dogs. We live about 1/4 mile from the beach so we are there 3 or 4 times a week along with lots of other people and their dogs.

I guess my biggest concern is that we may be too active for a rescue and/or it may have a hard time adjusting to everything in our life. How can you tell by interacting with a dog in a kennel environment for a few hours if it's going to be a good fit? Would we be better off with a puppy or is it reasonable to hope that an older rescue would be happy and thrive with us?

Again, thank you very much for your offer to answer my questions. I hope I haven't overwhelmed you! Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated!

BTW, if you are interested, here are a few of the dogs that I am looking at. Mack, Cracker Jack and Razzel Dazzel have all caught my eye.

safeanimalshelter.com/dogs.htm

Sorry, it won't let me post a web address. If you want to see them, just put in the www at the beginning. They all look very 'labby' to me but I'd love to hear if you see anything else in there!
Thanks again!

[ebaby]

Normally the Labs in the rescue I volunteer for have been through fostering so used to a domestic environment. They are all vet checked, most are crate trained (at the least) and housebroken, and neutered or spayed.

A reputable rescue will be honest about whether the Lab is child-friendly or not. For the most part the breed is a family dog and good with kids. There’s always a few exceptions, but most rescues are very clear if the dog is not good with kids. It defeats the entire purpose if the dog gets returned or someone gets hurt.

When you speak with a coordinator just make sure you indicate the ages of your children, that you have cats, and any other concerns and a reputable rescue will be honest about it and if it is not a right fit, sometimes they can refer you to a different Lab that would be…that’s pretty much how it works. Rescues do a home check before adopting out as well, so if the Lab is not going to work with a specific family it won’t be placed.

Yes, every dog (rescue or not) will have a transition period in your home. After a couple of weeks they usually fit into the routine and have good behavior. If you cannot get a Lab that is currently in foster and used to being in a home, then I’d recommend going to the kennel more than once to meet the dog, play with them, see how they interact with your children. Normally a volunteer can do a meet and greet with you and your family.

Your situation sounds ideal for a Lab. There’s no such thing as too active if you get a younger lab. They would love to go on runs, play with kids, swim at the beach, etc. That is what they live for. They need exercise and play and love to be included in family activities.

Puppies are a lot of work. I think a lab 2 or 3 y.o. will still have lots of energy, but be over most of the puppy stuff. In my experience Labs are very trainable at any age. I have a 7 y.o. who was adopted at 5 y.o. and a 2 y.o. that was adopted at about 6 mos. We did some general training and followed a routine each day and they caught on.

If you want more general info you can visit the website of the rescue I volunteer for they have some good info posted for new adopters:

http://labs4rescue.com/helpfulhints.shtml

[Zelanie]

We got a dog from a local shelter when our daughter was 9 and it went fine. The shelter does behavior testing on the dogs and was able to recommend for and against certain dogs based upon our family. We were also able to bring our other dog there so the first meeting could be at the shelter.

In our case, what we saw at the shelter was what we got when she came home. We did spend more time there than most getting to know her, and asked a lot of questions. Alice was 6-8ish when we got her, but has been really trainable, and also communicates really well. Her issues are still what they were the day we brought her home, but have improved somewhat since she's been here- some of it is just going to be how she is, though.

[NC104]

Ebaby is right, a good rescue does everything it can to let people know everything about the dog they can. It helps the fosters and adopting parents and the dogs. The rescue I foster for, the vet that keeps the dogs before they can be fostered, has a house cat that they will socialize the dog with, to make sure he is alright with cats.

I also shared one of your concerns as far as aggression, I was told they saw it once in a while, it was not common, espcially with this breed. Its sad to say, but I have seen Labs that have been beat with pipes and shot in the face, rescued from shelters, and they are the sweetest things you could ever meet that go on to become great pets.

Now if being shot in the face doesnt make you aggressive towards people, what does.

[Riggs]

I have always adopted or rescued from a shelter or whatever scenario. I have never had a problem with any of the dogs I have adopted. Neither with basic potty training issues or even issues with my small children. I would definately meet the dog and see if their might be an outdoor area or area that is safe and away from all the kennels and chaos. Once you meet the dog and feel comfortable with it , then you can see what their policy is on allowing children to interact with the dog their. I hope you find the fur family member you are looking for that fits great in your home. We have been blessed with our Wrigley , who was abandoned and in a shelter for a decent amount of time , and he is by far the best dog I have ever had and I have had tons in my lifetime. We found a real gem in our shelter. All the best.

[Rocky911]

Originally Posted by skupcha

Thanks!

I have owned a fair amount of dogs in my life, but I have never rescued one and all have been obtained when they were pups.

1 - Is it harder to potty train an adult dog?

No more than a puppy, same process, abit easier as they can hold it in longer

Originally Posted by skupcha

2 - Is it hard to crate train an adult dog? I know how to do it with a new puppy, but with an adult who's background is unknown, is it done the same way? Is it traumatic for them?

Completely depends on teh dog. Generally speaking no. But there are exeptions. Will depend on their previous experiences

Originally Posted by skupcha

3 - Is it reasonable safe to bring an adult dog with an unknown background into a house with 2 kids ages 6 and 4?

Very much dpeends on where the dog has been. From a shelter, you need to be careful and be physically in teh room moniotring any interaction between kids and dogs. I really mean this, you be in the room. There may be no issue but you do not know what types of experiences the dog has had. Plus, if your children have not been around dogs much they also need to be trained (they are innocent, lots of kids pull and poke dogs - you need to stop this).

If a dog has been with a rescue and in a foster home, that is completely different. Sometimes they are even in af oster home WITH children. They cannot always give you a 100% sure answer but provide much more informatino.

Originally Posted by skupcha

4 - I've heard that a rescue dog may have one personality while in the kennel environment but my totally change for the positive or negative once you bring it home and it begins to settle in. Is this a rarity or the norm?

I won't say their entire personality changes but there are changes yes. LIving in a kennel is VERY VERY different than living in a home. They need to learn to respect personal space and all that jazz. It takes training. I find that after 3wks they start testing rules and have more energy (i.e. need more exercise).

Originally Posted by skupcha

5 - If they appear to be dog friendly at the facility should we expect that they will be dog friendly when we get them into the home environment?

With any dog, I would be cautious when introducing them to other dogs for the first while and avoid busy dog parks (if you start, go when there is a few other dogs you know). My current foster came and they said "very good with other dogs" - i.e. he played at the shelter with other dogs.

But from the moment he came to us he growled at other dogs. It seems to be fear based and he is on leash when this happens so maybe it has to do with the leash. I would not say he is AGRESSIVE but I certainly will not bring him to a dog park, and we introduce him carefully to other dogs. He has never snapped or anything.

Dogs adapt well, as long as you are ready to be patient for the first month and train them. I highly recommend obedience classes to train and mostly to bond with a new dog.

[ebaby]

I'm with Riggs. My choco lab was in rescue, and a few fosters for quite a while before I met him. And he is such a calm, sweet, loving Lab. It is amazng to me that someone was mean to him in the past. And that he didn't get adopted in a flash. Maybe the larger Labs don't get adopted as easily. He's on the larger side 85-90 lbs.

[skupcha]

Thank you all so much for all of the info and suggestions! Ebaby - I've been reading that web site - lots of great information - thanks for suggesting it! Again, thank you for all of the help and I'm sure I'll have more questions in the future as we get further into this new adventure!

[ebaby]

no problem. Ask away.

[Makwa's]

Great responce Ebaby! Good luck Skupcha, sounds like some lucky pound puppy is about to find a great forever home.

[hullabaloo2]

I have never had a dog as a puppy. My yellow girl Dixie was a rescue, she was put out back in a tiny kennel, never had much human interaction except when they fed her and oh yeah, when they would beat her with a stick! It makes my blood boil just thinking about it. But she is wonderful, she is a little skiddish, okay scared of her own shadow, but such a sweetheart.

I know our shelter here does a lot of testing before a dog is available for adoption, looking for food/dog/people aggression. There is also a trial period, if it isn't a good fit bring the dog back and rescue another one. Dixie went home with 3 other people, who all brought her back for her "behavior". One guy wanted to make her a gun dog, yeah. . . that didn't work out seeing as how she was 1. scared of males 2. scared of everything else included a gun shot! Then there was the elderly couple who took her home, she was a 2 year old lab when they had her. . . little bit too much energy for them. I don't remember the story about the other person, but the point is that it wasn't her "behavior", her personality, energy level, etc just wasn't a good fit for their lifestyles.

She is the only rescue, all of my other dogs growing up and my other lab now have all been owner surrenders. They all came to us house broken, some basic commands, and very friendly/socialized. Sometimes people's situations change and they just can't have their dog any longer, for whatever reason. Or they get a dog and realize it just isn't a good fit for their lifestyle. So these are dogs that have lived in a domestic situation, their personality is known, they may even be already house broken. While they haven't been abandoned/abused, they still need homes before they end up in a shelter. . . or worse. You might try to find a situation like that if you are concerned about a shelter dog and how they would fit in with your family.

Good luck!

[skupcha]

Hi hullabaloo2!

It's funny that you mention finding a dog that has been in a home situation but is no longer 'wanted'. In addition to the 2 dogs at the rescue, we have also found out about 2 different houses that are giving up their labs. We plan on meeting all of the dogs this weekend. Hopefully 1 will be a good fit for us. Honestly I kind of felt guilty about considering the two that have homes but are 'unwanted' because they DO have homes but when you said, "While they haven't been abandoned/abused, they still need homes before they end up in a shelter. . . or worse." It made me realize that we are still helping to save a dog. Thank you so much!

[BestBuds]

Don't feel badly about adopting a dog that is unwanted in it's current home. They will most likely end up at a shelter if someone doesn't adopt them! We've adopted from rescues, shelters, and unwanted home situations over the years. All have been great family members!!! In all the years we've had rescues we've only had one that had issues. Our ridgeback/lab was abused and abandoned. It took careful handling and lots of love but she's come a long way from the vicious frightened dog she was! She obviously had issues- it was no surprise. (we rescued her right off the streets) Our others have all been WONDERFUL right off the bat, adapted and trained easily, fit right in to the family!

Your home sounds ideal for a lab! In fact- can I come live with you too? :-)