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Dog from the pound/ RSPCA??
Hi All,
We are considering saving a life and getting another mouth to feed, the only thing Im concerned about is will it be safe to have a dog who has already had previous owners around DD? Of course I would never leave her unsupervised. Has anyone had good/ bad experiences with getting a dog from the pound/RSPCA??
TIA
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Be prepared that the dog you buy may have been abused/neglected by its previous owners. You will have to spend a lot of time with it, getting it to trust you, perhaps even taking it to obedience training as well. I know of a few people that have done it, some good stories, some bad. If you have the time and patience, then certainly do it. Good luck.
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Another thing you can consider is rescuing a greyhound (depends on what size dog you want though I guess).
They go to multiple homes before finding a forever home and are tested with children, cats, are sterilised, vaccinated etc. etc. Greyhounds are very lazy dogs....with the occasional zoomie in the garden.
My Mum rescued one about 5 years ago and she recently passed away. She was just devine.
They have a program called 'Greyhounds as Pets'....in WA anyway, but I'm sure they'd have it in other states too.
Good luck, I think rescuing a pet is one of the best things a person can do
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Not sure if its the same where you are but every dog that gets put up for adoption at our local pound has to pass a behavioural test. My mum has rescued many dogs from the pound. Her lab is from the pound and he is just gorgeous, he just happened to get out of his backyard and his family never claimed him.
Also before we chose him we took a few dogs into the play area and had them on a lead and let them off and watched how they were with us and Brock (the lab) was gorgeous he found a ball and wanted to play fetch. We also took a few days before deciding on him.
The pound rangers would all know what each of the dogs are like so just tell them what you are looking for.
HTH
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rspca pets are definately behaviour tested, and will often have a note in their profile, like not good with other animals, children etc, if a problem has been detected.
all of our dogs bar 1 since i was a kid have been from the rspca, it's a great thing to do, most puppies in pet shops will get sold, whilst a lot of rspca pets will sit there for months.
our puppy max, who is now 1, was found as a baby, having been abused etc, we got him at around 12 weeks, he is the nicest dog, chews everything, but is brilliant with the kids so we forgive him. the only thing we've noticed with him is that he is submissive around other dogs and people he doesn't know, which isn't entirely a bad thing.
go the rspca, you'll feel good, get a great pet and save a life - but check those notes first!
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Sorry I just read your post - none of the replies so please forgive me if I am repeating replies!
I have always had pets from the pound or abandoned. And yes you can get some that have been abused neglected and can be distrustful. But, you should see the dog I've got this time. People are amazed that we got him aged 2 from the pound - he is such a gorgeous gentle, yet energetic and playful black labrador X. (If you live in Melbourne I could let you meet him!!)
The RSPCA and other rescue shelters usually assess the animals for the behaviour traits before putting them up for adoption. If you are looking for a dog that will be good with children then they won't let you adopt one that isn't. Obviously there is no guarantee, but they do have animal behaviouralists on the job! So my advice is go with what you want in a dog/type of dog in mind and don't leave with one that doesn't meet your criteria. It is easy to get sucked in by those gorgeous puppy dog eyes, but your family comes first and you need to pick a dog that will fit in. This may take a few trips and also try different shelters.
You won't regret it, I promise!! Just be sure of what you want/don't want and don't compromise. Dogs end up in there for all sorts of reasons, not just abuse/neglect/abandonment. Sometimes the owners just can't look after them anymore - moving away/smaller premises etc. The shelters will give you what history they know of with the dog. We got one dog - a beautiful white German Shepherd that was pushed out of the car door with another dog outside the shelter. Obviously they had no history, but we spent some time with him in the yard (I was about 11 at the time) and knew he was the dog for us. Beautiful, gentle temperament and FANTASTIC with kids. So you just never know....
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I completely support rescues/shelter adoptions too. Generally most will err on the side of caution and if there is any doubt (from past history if aquired or observed behaviours) they will note the dog is not to be rehomed with children. We have only ever had rescue dogs, my latest I adopted in June, and she is working out perfectly. Yes we had to do basic obedience at one year old, yes she was a bit jumpy, but if you're willing to put in the work to shape the behaviour of the dog, the reward will be there in the end. (That's presuming that the dog needs work in the first place!) And so many people willingly buy puppies from pet shops, yet overlook all the beautiful older dogs needing a home too.
Perhaps look at the nation wide pet rescue shelter directory, that lists dogs available for rehoming in each state, and you might be more comfortable choosing a dog that has been in foster care as opposed to only being observed in a shelter situation. Fosters have generally spent more time in a family setting, many of them with children and other animals.
I do firmly believe that it takes at least a month for the dog to really settle into it's environment and start to show it's true self, especially if it has been impounded or in a shelter environment, so patience and understanding is a must. Best of luck with finding your new family member and be sure to let us know how you go!
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I can vouch for that! We have a Greyhound from the Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) and they are tested for being ok with kids/cats etc. Ours is such a gorgeous boy and we live in a place with almost no backyard but a 15min walk a day suits him just fine - he is so lazy and sooky
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Hi look I work at my local council & I see the type of dogs that get dumped in our pound.
If you are interested in adopting/rescueing there is nothing I would reccomend more highly
In my experience 99.9% of the animals that get surrender'd are just unlucky enough to have ended up with crappy owners. Most commonly animals get dumped because owners aren't prepared to provide a decent fence, so the poor animal constantly ends up in the pound. Or people get a puppy, then it's a 'BAD' dog coz it chews a few shoes.
Our pound on average has to put down 15-20 perfectly fine dogs PER MONTH simply because no one has adopted them. I also own 2 dogs, a gorgeous lab x roti who I adopted from the prevention of cruelty 6 yrs ago (belonged to an elderly person who had passed away) & a foxi that I rescued from the local vet (owners decided she was a bad puppy coz she nipped after she was belted). And they have turned out to be the happiest & loveiest loyal pets I could possibly have asked for.
Sorry to have posted such a long winded reply but after knowing that soooo many loevly dogs get put to sleep, it is something I feel very strongly about.
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Thank you all so much for your replies, lots of good info to ponder... Will let you all know how we go
MummyTummy- I would love to meet your Puppy but we are in QLD
Last edited by Peach*; January 5th, 2010 at 06:55 PM.
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Peach just another quick thought.
Definately check out your local pound/RSPCA even if you are interested in a puppy, as due to the VERY recent changes in state legislation involving microchipping & mandatory registration in QLD more & more puppies (often litters) are ending up unwanted as people either cant afford or wont register & microchip them. After Christmas is a good time to look unfortunately.
I recently grabbed a gorgeous 8 week old smithfield X cattle puppy that came into our pound & rehomed with a friend on a property.
Just a little more food for thought
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My SIL rescues dogs and she has had 3 gorgeous pets who have been rescue dogs. She belongs to a group which rescue dogs from the pound before they are put down and then tries to rehome them.
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Thanks Girls,
MrsMac- My dad mentioned recently he met a girl who did that, I should get her details I think.
Lissy- We looked at coombabah shelter, they are at full capacity atm. So sad, there are so many beautiful looking cats there too, I wish I could save them all.
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IMO this is the exact reason why buying puppies in pet shops should be banned......but that's another thread! GOOD LUCK xo
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So the two dogs werent suitable to a home with cats unfortunately
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Aww, never mind. The right dog will come your way! What sort of dog is DH looking for? Obviously one that is good with cats....
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One that wont eat the Cat and one that will be good with the Spawn
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Just remember that even short haired dogs lose hair! My Sis' dog loses way more hair than my OES! Surprised!!? I think poodle would be one of the only non-shedding dogs. Some of the 'oodle' breeds may not (depends if they got the good non-shedding poodle gene!) and I bet there would be loads of 'oodles' around.
It kind of looks like you want a bit of a 'tough' dog? KWIM? I was going to suggest a cavalier. They aren't huge, and are supposed to have very nice temperaments.
Like I said a while ago, if you research a certain breed and find one you like or are interested to find more about....contact the Canine association in QLD (That's where you are?)....in WA it's called DogsWest, and get them to put you in contact with specific breed clubs who might have rescues.
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