We are ready for a dog...now how do we get one?

[villanelle75]

We have finally reached the conclusion that we are ready for pet parenthood. Since DH is gone for two months, I wont' do anything without him as i wouldn't' want the dog to view DH as an intrusion, but I'd like to get the ball rolling. I do not want a puppy. We definitely want to go "used" ;) , but I am leery about the pound. Rescue groups foster the dogs so more is known about temperament and issues because they are observed in a home for slightly longer-term.

We don't have to have a purebred but I don't' know of any way to get a mutt from a rescue group since all the ones I am aware of are breed-specific. We have a short list of breeds we think would work for us, but we are open to others as well, as long as they are large to extra large, non-shedding, and no more than moderately active. We are willing to pay a moderate amount, either in fees to a rescue group or somewhere else, but not a ton, since we aren't looking for a show animal.

So what do I do know? Fill out applications for the rescue groups of the breeds we are interested in? Scour the paper for someone looking to re-home their dog? Something else?

[ejs]

We have two mutts we've gotten from the SPCA/Humane Society. Most shelters temperament test their dogs and observe them closely. They don't want to adopt out a dog that won't do well in a home.

By the way, there's no such thing as a non-shedding dog. All dogs will lost their fur. There are some breeds, such as poodles, who are deemed to be hypoallergenic. But I think if you want a non-shedding dog, you should go with a Chinese Crested, but they're quite small.

Have you looked at petfinder.com?

Where are you located?

[SingleWhiteFemale]

Do you have any specific breed in mind? Even though many rescues are breed specific, they do take in animals that are mixes (I've seen several Saint mixes as well as a few Newfoundlands in the Saint rescue group). Petfinder is a great place to start.

Also, what is your idea of a "moderate" adoption fee? The humane society is much cheaper--around $100-130 to adopt a dog, $60-70 for a cat. However, from rescue groups, I've paid $325 for the dog and $175 for a cat. But seeing that those groups paid for so much vet care, I felt much more comfortable signing over the adoption fee, knowing it would go to help the next animal and that they could continue. For several groups, the fee is tax-deductible, so that may be of benefit to you. But if you're looking for a XL dog, the adoption fee will be large--vet car for big guys isn't cheap, nor is the amount of food they've probably eaten while waiting for their forever home!

[villanelle75]

Yeah, when I say, "non-shedding", I just mean dogs that don't shed a ton of fur, for example, Old English Sheepdogs and Bouviers. I know all dogs shed-heck, by looking at the floor of my shower you find proof that even people shed- but we want a dog with minimal shedding.

I am in Southern California.

I expect a rescue group might charge as much as about $150. I know when my parent's got their Bouviers through the rescue chapter, it was $75 or $100. Your number of $325 is surprising to me as my (admittedly very limited) experience was much less than that, but I would be willing to pay that to a rescue group, but probably not to a private owner just looking to re-home an animal they can't keep.

On my list currently are Bouviers, Otterhounds, Wheatons (though I am having trouble finding info on their shed-factor), Black Russian Terriers (though since they are fairly rare I doubt I'll find one as a rescue. Same story with the Otterhound), possibly an Old English, and Irish Wolfhounds. I also like Portuguese Water Dogs and Airdales but they are a bit small for me, and I am open to any other suggestions as well.

[silvergrey]

I second petfinder.com. You can search by breed, or you can search by size w/o entering a breed.

[katmg]

By the way, there's no such thing as a non-shedding dog. All dogs will lost their fur. There are some breeds, such as poodles, who are deemed to be hypoallergenic. But I think if you want a non-shedding dog, you should go with a Chinese Crested, but they're quite small.

The poodle I had growing up didn't shed. We had to have her groomed quite a bit, but there was never dog hair in the house.

ETA: The Weimaraner rescue group in our area charges $225 for an adult, $300 for a puppy and $100 for special needs or weim/mixes. That includes up to date shots, spay/neuter, and tattoed identification/registration.

[wendalah]

I will vouch that our two poodles do not shed, as well. We sleep with both dogs and all our sheets are white or cream--we never see any loose hair on the sheets except our own. (The dogs are black and gray.)

They do require frequent grooming or else their fur gets matted and overgrown.

I am a tremendous poodle fan--have you considered a standard poodle? They are big, strong dogs. But very clean, smart, and fun to have around!

ETA: Our small rescue poodle cost us a $250 donation to the rescue group. He came all ready to go, though--neutered, shots, and a microchip. Petfinder is a great place to start searching for a particular breed.

[j*east]

We adopted our dog from Irvine Animal Care Center (http://www.cityofirvine.org/depts/cs/animalcare/default.asp) and we're very pleased. (I don't know if you're near there or not.) You can visit as often as you want before choosing a pet and (with the help of a volunteer) take dogs out for walks, playtime, etc. All of the animals have information about temperament, exercise needs, etc. You're actually required to make multiple visits before you can take a pet home--there's a short interview, forms, etc.

I can't remember the fees. A friend of ours used to be the director and my DH volunteered there, so she gave us a dog of our choice, fee-less, for our wedding present. :) (She knew we wanted a dog.)

[karlatta]

We adopted one of our dogs from a shelter (the one that comes to the local PetSmart here), and she had been fostered. Many shelters will have most of their dogs in the shelter, but they may also have a few dogs living in foster homes. You may want to see if any local shelters near you do that.

[notkk]

If there are rescue groups in your area for the breeds that you are interested in -- I would recommend looking into their adoption processes. Some rescues have a several month waiting period to adopt a dog. I would also recommend visiting local all-breed rescue websites and visiting local shelters and of course checking out petfinders.org. My gut instinct on looking for a dog through private postings on Craigslist and in the paper is that it's a bad idea. I would not trust the current owners to be upfront with you about the dog's personality and any issues that it might have. This is based on my experience with dogs that have come into our rescue organization and the things that owners "forget" to mention (on the other hand, owners will also tell us their dog is uncontrollable and just awful, etc. when really there is nothing wrong with the dog and they are just trying to justify giving it up). If you hear of a dog that needs to be rehomed through friends/family and they know the current owners, I would be less wary of that type of private placement situation.

I volunteer with a golden retriever rescue -- our adoption fees are $275/$225/$125 depending upon the age of the dog. We do not make money on our adoption fees. All dogs are adopted out spayed/neutered, utd on shots, tested (and treated) for heartworm and parasites, on HW preventative and flea/tick meds and microchipped. Including our high medical cost dogs in the equation, last year the average vet bill was $450 and that is with our discounted vet rates. (We do a LOT of fundraising!)

Yes, our fees are higher than the humane society, but we also take in the high medical needs dogs that humane societies and other shelters cannot afford to care for and all the money goes to a good cause. 99% of our funds are spent directly on care for the animals (and the other 1% on brochures, website hosting fees, etc).

[kam]

I'd check out Petsmart any Saturday and Sunday - adoption groups are always there. Also - petfinder.com is awesome. I'd think of the breed first - http://www.teststeststests.com/dogbreedtest.htm (I know there's another less messy one out there, but can't find it).