pet adoption

[gaseousclay]

for some reason I felt motivated to check the pet section of craigslist and came across several dogs looking for a good home. normally I pay no attention to these ads simply because I adopted a dog from the Humane Society not too long ago and that turned out to be a disaster. of the dogs I looked at, one is a young black lab, another is a bulldog/boxer mix and the last is a great dane. the young lab is at the top of the list simply because my wife and I own a lab mix. unfortunately, I usually get a healthy dose of reality once I realize how difficult it is rearing a new pet. plus, our current dog enjoys being master of his domain and i'd hate for him to feel like some new pup is encroaching on his territory. my motivations are unclear to me at this moment. I thought our dog could use some companionship, but he'd rather be around people than other dogs. then I thought i'd be doing a good deed by rescuing a dog that would otherwise go to a shelter. part of me feels guilty.....it's as if i'm looking for a new dog to replace my current dog when he dies.

so, have any of you adopted new pets and introduced them into a household with other pets? how did they adapt? did they get along with the other animals?

 

[Barbash]

I have a Pitbull that was a rescue dog from a shelter I volunteered at in College, he was less than a month old when him and 6 others were dropped on their door step. He was about 3 years old when I brough home a second dog from the shelter. She is a 13" beagle and was only about 4 months old. At first I was scared of how my first dog would react, but he took to her right away and now 4 years later they spend as much time playing with each other as they do me or my fiance.
If you are really interested in the dog try bringing your dog a long and seeing how well they interact in a neutral site.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[gaseousclay]

If you are really interested in the dog try bringing your dog a long and seeing how well they interact in a neutral site.

I already know my dog will ignore the other dog. he lived with 2 cats and another dog with his former owner and from what I hear they tormented the poor guy. as a result he's a fairly passive dog. I love my dog and wouldn't want him to feel like he's being replaced. he loves the amount of attention he gets now and I can see it being a problem if another animal were brought into the fold. besides, our dog is trained to the point where the wife and I don't have to worry about him if we're both gone all day. but, part of me still wants to get another dog

 

[tg16]

I adopted my dog from the shelter. She was 4 years old and as it turned out, housebroken. She's been low maintenance, very protective and a loyal companion. She's also great with the grandchildren.

 

[jener8tionx]

My dog is a shelter dog and he is great! Never had an indoor accident and very obedient. I'm sure not all shelter dogs are this good, but it's certainly worth looking into. Otherwise, unwanted dogs are put to sleep.

 

[kwk285]

We got our first dog from the Humane Society. OVer the years we have added two more dogs. You slowly introduce them to each other. Most dogs, given a little time, will accept another dog. There might be a little growling and "fighting". This is normal. The dogs are establishing who is the Alpha.

On a side note, I have always been leary of Craigslist. I felt, like with ebay, many of the items are probably stolen and I just didn't want to deal with that.

In the Seattle area, last month, a man listed a ring on Craigslist. Four people came to his house. Tied up the family. Pistol whipped the son and murdered the father.

 

[Newfie]

We adopted these:

Styxie ( the black one, adopted in 2005) and Missy (fawn coloured, joined us in 2008) both came into a house with other pets, and without issues. (Note, the blonde I adopted nearly 31 years ago!!!!)

Styxie came to join a Chocolate Lab and a furry feline, and Missy came to join Styxie after the Lab went to The Bridge to wait for us. Missy's transition was easy, as Greyhounds seem to recognize their own and adapt very well. Styxie and the Lab easily grew to be great buddies. Only issue we had was when the cat wanted to play and gave the black dog a poke in the nose, wasn't pretty when it happened a few times but never any blood.

Good thing you're doing and I commend you for it.

 

[California Cajun]

for some reason I felt motivated to check the pet section of craigslist and came across several dogs looking for a good home. normally I pay no attention to these ads simply because I adopted a dog from the Humane Society not too long ago and that turned out to be a disaster. of the dogs I looked at, one is a young black lab, another is a bulldog/boxer mix and the last is a great dane. the young lab is at the top of the list simply because my wife and I own a lab mix. unfortunately, I usually get a healthy dose of reality once I realize how difficult it is rearing a new pet. plus, our current dog enjoys being master of his domain and i'd hate for him to feel like some new pup is encroaching on his territory. my motivations are unclear to me at this moment. I thought our dog could use some companionship, but he'd rather be around people than other dogs. then I thought i'd be doing a good deed by rescuing a dog that would otherwise go to a shelter. part of me feels guilty.....it's as if i'm looking for a new dog to replace my current dog when he dies.

so, have any of you adopted new pets and introduced them into a household with other pets? how did they adapt? did they get along with the other animals?

I've got three adoptees: a Catahoula mix, an Australian Shepherd mix, and a Black Lab that the original owner got for hunting but flunked hunting school. They're neutered and spayed, respectively, are 10 and 12 years old, and will likely adopt again in the future.

 

[Bertilak]

I don't know if you are familiar with "The Dog Whisperer", but if not I can tell you that this guy (Cesar Milan) has an amazing insight into dogs.

There are a number of points he makes in his shows (and I presume books) but a few seem directly applicable to your situation:

• Dogs are pack animals and are happiest when integrated into a well balanced pack (and this includes the humans in their life).
• Dogs want the pack to have a strong leader -- and you should be that leader.
• Dogs react to the current situation and do not hang onto the past.

So I guess my point is that your dog will likely NOT be resentful of a new dog in the house and should NOT feel that he is the master of his domain -- that should be how he looks at you and he will be happier if he does.

Final point is that if things are not perfect (and are they ever?) dogs are happy to adjust to new situations -- taking your lead.

 

[MikeyAces]

I've been on a big dog kick lately. I'm actually expecting my third pup to be flying in to JFK tomorrow. I picked up the first about a year ago, we opted to get her a friend to play with about 6 months ago, and now we're going for the trifecta, heh. I can't speak for the third pup yet, but I can tell you that the original two, mookie and stella (mookie as in wilson, my favorite Met baseball player, and stella as in artois, my favorite beer) are thick as thieves. Mookie is very submissive to Stella, as she is the original dog, and she makes her dominance known. These two are madly in love. So if I were you, I'd meet all three dogs to make sure they're kosher, and then pick your favorite to bring home. If it were me, I'd go for that great dane, or the boxer.

 

[Krackin]

I wouldn't get a Craigslist dog. You don't know what you would be getting. It could be from a backyard breeder or a puppy farm, and by buying the dog you could be supporting bad breeding practices. It could have serious health issues or behavioral problems as well.

Getting a dog from the Humane Society is better option. They weed out (kill) the dogs that show any signs of aggression. A rescue from the Humane Society should also already be chipped, spayed/neutered, and have all its shots. You can get some good dogs from the Humane Society. I volunteer for the Humane Society where I live, and we get some really good dogs in. Most are just mutts, but sometimes a mutt is all you need. I don't know if this is the same at all Humane Societies, but at the one I go to, they will also let you bring your dog and see how they behave with the dogs you are interested in adopting. That has always seemed to work out well with the people I have helped.

Speaking of seeing how your dog behaves around other dogs, I will have to disagree with the poster who said that growling and a little fighting is normal and that they are just establishing the alpha. You should be the alpha in your house. You should be in control. If your current dog doesn't listen to you, I wouldn't add another dog into the mix until you get your current dog to listen and obey. A little Google'ing will turn up many sites that have tips on obedience training if you aren't sure how to do it.

The lowest risk option is getting a puppy from a reputable breeder. Visit the breeder first. See how they handle the puppies. See how their own dogs behave and how they are cared for. Make sure everything is to your satisfaction before getting a puppy from them. There are also many "tests" you can do to gauge the puppies personality and detect any possible issues. I'm sure a Google search can give you more info, but if you want, let me know and I'll type them out....trying to cut this sort before it turns into a novel.

 

[gaseousclay]

I wouldn't get a Craigslist dog. You don't know what you would be getting. It could be from a backyard breeder or a puppy farm, and by buying the dog you could be supporting bad breeding practices. It could have serious health issues or behavioral problems as well.

Getting a dog from the Humane Society is better option. They weed out (kill) the dogs that show any signs of aggression. A rescue from the Humane Society should also already be chipped, spayed/neutered, and have all its shots. You can get some good dogs from the Humane Society. I volunteer for the Humane Society where I live, and we get some really good dogs in. Most are just mutts, but sometimes a mutt is all you need. I don't know if this is the same at all Humane Societies, but at the one I go to, they will also let you bring your dog and see how they behave with the dogs you are interested in adopting. That has always seemed to work out well with the people I have helped.

I would say Craigslist is no different than getting a dog from the Humane Society either. I say this because 2 yrs ago when my wife and I first started dating I ended up adopting a lab/collie mix from the Humane Society. she was a very sweet dog and outwardly she gave me no impression that she was 'damaged goods', but I quickly learned she had more problems than I thought. I had her for only a week before having to take her back. she had severe separation anxiety issues - she would bark and howl constantly when I wasn't home. I only found out about it from my landlords because there had been complaints from my neighbors. also, she urinated on the floor as well as scratched the hell out of my front door and tore out the phone cord in the wall. I tried crating her but that only made things worse. she also ran away from me when I let her out into my then gf's fenced in yard - she ended up jumping the gate and I chased her for 3 blocks in the middle of winter in my socks. I finally gave up hoping against hope she wouldn't get run over in traffic. sure enough, she came back 30 minutes later. I was mortified. I knew she had a rough background when I adopted her but I didn't realize just how rough it was. she had been at two different Humane Society locations and had also previously had two different owners. I was actually crying when I took her back because I knew in my heart she was a good dog, she just needed to be with a family that could look after her 24 hrs a day, like on a farm or something. I would basically treat Craigslist no differently than I would the Humane Society, in that I would want to do a meet-n-greet with the dog first to get an idea of his/her tempermant. I would also have a list of questions a mile long that I would ask the owners before committing myself. adoption isn't easy and since I struggled with it the first time I'm better prepared.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I also recommend shelter animals, though I take in strays. I wouldn't buy an animal, especially because so many who need homes are being put down for a lack of people to adopt them.

I've got cats, but have a terrible time getting a new one past one of the cats. She's nasty and vicious towards any new cat that comes around. I've sort of brought in a stray - a big old gray and white tom. He's scrapped with the other a few times and they're more or less comfortable with each other now, but it can get tense. I would not bring a kitten or small cat around while the old grump is still here.

The really odd thing about the grumpy cat is that she is incredibly docile with humans and a total attention whore. She will let a two year old clumsily carry her around (while purring, no less) and lays out in front of the house so all the joggers, mothers with strollers, just anyone, come over and pet her.

Anyhow, it's too bad, since I'd love to have another cat or two around.