Dog from the pound/ RSPCA??

[Peach*]

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

[Visitor7]

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.

[YoYo]

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

[*LittleMissSummer*]

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

[boobaloo]

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!

[MummyTummy]

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....

[human bean]

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!

[Nai]

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.

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

[lissy]

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 . As long as you choose the right 'type/breed' suited to your situation.

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.

[Peach*]

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

[lissy]

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

[mrsmac]

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.

[Peach*]

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.

[YoYo]

IMO this is the exact reason why buying puppies in pet shops should be banned......but that's another thread! GOOD LUCK xo

[MummyTummy]

I'm with you there MiniMax.... just before Christmas we were showing DS the puppies and kittens in the pet shop and I could see a couple picking out a puppy. That couple looked very nice and would probably care for thatpuppy for the rest of its life, but I still burst in to tears thinking about how many were going to end up in the pound or shelters in the next few months, and why couldn't they go and look for their puppy there..... DH understands, but couldn't believe I burst in to tears over it. I blame pg hormones making me more sensitive, but it still always gets me fired up!

[mrsmac]

Peach- My SIL has just moved from Cairns so would have contacts in QLD I can ask her if you like or get her to pop in here (she is on BB)

[Paddywhacks]

Hi Peach,
I'm Mrsmac's SIL and am quite involved with dog rescue.

I would recommend you go through a qualified and often breed specific dog rescue group.

As wonderful as it is rescuing/adopting straight from a pound, you really don't have a good idea on what the dog is like temperment wise. Dogs in pounds are incredibly stressed. It is a very frightening place for them, they feel overwhelmed at being in a cage and wondering where their 'owners' are. This plays a part in how they 'perform' when they have a behaviour test when ready to go up for adoption.

When you have a baby or small children, their saftey obviously comes first. Thats why I recommend a rescue group. They pull these dogs from the pound where they go into foster care. They are loved, fed , played with, socialised with other dogs, tested with children of all ages and are made to feel safe. This is where the dog's personality trully shows and foster carers are able to assess the individual dogs and what kind of home they are best suited to.

Foster careres are amazing people who give up so much to ensure these deserving dogs have a wonderful chance at a forever home. With this in mind they are very careful who they rehome their dogs to. They will come to your home and do a yard check, making sure that the fencing is secure and generally see where the dog will sleep, what your intentions are eg, training, exercise, will the dog be inside/ outside or both. They will also observe you interacting with the dog. They are not trying to 'find faults' with you and your family. They are simply trying to find the best home for the dog that has had such a hard time and stuck in a pound.

Rescue groups are also willing to take the dog back if things dont work out. This can happen through no fault of your own or the dogs. This prevents the dog ending back up in the pound. Rescue groups are supportive and give lots of advice and are 'on call' for any problems or questions you may have.

All dogs are registered, microchipped and desexed prior to adoption so the fee you pay for the dog covers all of the above.

It's a very rewarding experience and gives a wonderful dog a chance at a wonderful home.

PetRescue - find your new best friend! is a website that has hundreds of dogs and other animals up for adoption. Most reputable dog rescues show their dogs on this site and is very easy to navigate.

Good luck with your choice.Thank you for not supporting backyard breeders and petshops as they are why the pounds are so full with dog and cats.

[Peach*]

Paddywacks- Thank you so much for all that info, that site is awesome. If only we could have ferrets and rabbits in qld! So many gorgeous aminals on there

And completely agree about the pet shops. There is a lady who sells puppies every weekend at our local market, unvaccinated and not wormed gggrrr.