DW Community Catch-up Thread
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Copa… you might want to look into buying a dog directly from a breeder. You might have better luck?!?
I know dog adoption is important and there are so many that need homes. But I’ve heard from others how hard it is to go that route.
@Copa – I do adoptions for a local rescue and I would say please, please don’t get discouraged! This is a common experience, especially if the puppy is popular. I would encourage you to find a rescue or two and get pre-approved with them. You will do an interview with them, then do a home visit. After you are pre-approved, you will be free to adopt any puppy from that rescue and will be able to get ahead of the line of all the other adopters. I wouldn’t wait until you find a puppy you like and then apply for adoption because you will keep running into issues you had with this puppy.
That sucks, it’s like the process of putting bids in on homes over and over.
I’ve had (two) dogs continually since I was 23, the first being a free Jack Russell mix puppy I couldn’t resist in front of the commissary on the Air Force base in Italy where we were living, and the second a Jack Russell puppy I got from a breeder.
The thing is, they do need a dog walker during the day if you work typical hours in an office. After we got back to the states and I finished grad school and started working, I had people who’d come over in the afternoon to take Myles for a walk, and Mike has always had a guy pick him up with a group of other dogs and take him on an off-leash hike.
JRTs are obviously super active, but beyond that, I think 5-6 hours is the longest I’d feel comfortable leaving a dog without the opportunity to go outside and pee. If you could get a kid in your building to stop in after school, that could be affordable, but I don’t know how reliable kids are. Maybe if you could line someone up to be willing to do it, that would help your case. It’s good for you too, because you could have more freedom.
One other thing is, vet bills are through the ROOF now. I never get out of there for less than $250, and I’ve spent thousands trying to identify and manage Mike’s arthritis condition. Or he’s eaten disgusting dead things off the ground and they’ve had to run all kinds of tests. Once he jumped off a damn bridge at playgroup in the woods and ended up in the ER. It’s absolutely insane what I’ve paid the vet over the years.
I had a foster dog earlier this year, a small terrier mix. He was maybe six. I left him alone during the workday, and he was fine. He had a few accidents at my place, but literally never while left alone during the day. He had free run of my place and didn’t destroy anything.
My issue with going to a breeder is that I don’t want a puppy. A puppy needs more potty breaks and socialization, and I worry I can’t give that. I can afford a dog walker, and have thought about getting a puppy and a dog walker until the dog is old and mellow enough to be alone for a work day, but would rather exhaust the rescue option first. So I’ve been looking for shelter dogs that are already a couple years old, have a grasp on basic skills, and don’t have any major behavioral issues since I’d be a first-time dog owner. Bonus points if the dog is cute. (This past one was a poodle mix, and I LOVE mop-dogs!) Then the problem that I run into is that I’m applying for a more desirable dog, and have to compete against, like, families with a stay-at-home mom.
I literally almost cried in front of a bunch of strangers at PetSmart over the weekend. Ha. The foster mom could’ve told me in an e-mail that I wasn’t a serious contender and saved me the detour home.
@quark I’m already pre-approved with one of the rescues I volunteer for, so I’m keeping my eyes open there for a good fit, but even they have rejected me recently. (I didn’t act fast enough for one dog, and because they do know me, when I inquired about a dog that I didn’t realize was still a puppy, got shut down pretty fast.)
I’m sorry Copa. That happens quite frequently with some rescues and shelters. Just keep trying, you’ll find the perfect dog for you. And I’m sorry you’re so frustrated. Hugs.
@Copa I’m sorry that is happening! I definitely agree with getting pre-approved with a rescue. I’m sorry I haven’t been paying attention to where you are located, but I am an approved adopter with the Carolina Poodle Rescue who has a poodle farm in SC. Literally a big farm with dozens/hundreds of rescue poodles. They do a serious screening but I got approved as a single woman with a full-time office job no problem. (I also have raised my own toy poodle from a puppy and she is extremely healthy and well-cared-for, so that may have helped.) It was actually good because I’m a woman (a lot of dogs with issues have fears of men) and no children. I work 8 hours/day but often come home to let my little girl out during lunch and sometimes get a dog walker if I’m going to be doing something right after work and can’t get home right away.
Now, if/when I decide I want another dog, I will go to the farm and they will literally match me with the right dog. If I do it while my current little poodle is still with me, they will match both of us with the right dog for our personalities. (I probably won’t because she likes being an only dog, but we’ll see.) It’s sort of like they’re playing matchmaker rather than online dating! Sounds way better. 🙂
All that said, if you can find a poodle rescue in your area that might be a great bet for you.
I’m sorry copa! There are so many dogs in need of a home here in the South. A rescue I do foster work with ships dogs by the van full up North due to being overwhelmed. We have about 8 to 10 shelters/rescues in the two counties near me of about 60,000 full time residents. All of them are always full. It’s too bad there isn’t an easier way to get dogs to people like you! It is always easier for both the dog and adopter to get a dog that has been fostered, so I understand going for specific dogs. I hope you find the right dog soon! They really make life better even when other things suck.
Kate is so right about vet bills. One of my dogs was diagnosed with cancer last year and my foster has cancer. Neither are curable so the price is relatively low (other than homemade food and pain meds). But, we spent a ridiculous amount to outsiders on my girl last year. If you can get pet insurance! (As a foster I’m sure you know this but sometimes I feel like people don’t know if it’s worth it. And not having had it and then getting it, I can say the price is more than worth it!).
@jlyfish My favorite day to volunteer at the shelter is when the transport van brings ALL THE SOUTHERN PUPPIES IN. You get to wrap them in blankets and carry them and ugh so cute! I might start going to the city shelter where a lot of the dogs I’ve liked recently are surrendered by their owners (I then find them through rescues I know of who swooped in to take them into foster). I feel like I might have an easier go at getting what I want if I intercept the rescues.
I remember a few years ago one of my friends was repeatedly denied for a dog because she was doing her residency, so she was working weird and long hours and she lived in a house with roommates. She wound up being able to adopt a dog who needed a foster or forever home pretty urgently, and after they got past their growing pains, it’s such a happy story! He’s such a good dog now — so eager to please and loves everyone and everything. And my friend’s crazy residency ended. She’s now an ER doctor who works 12 days each month. They’re long days, but she basically has like 18 days at home with her dog.
I understand that a lot of these rescues only want what’s best for the animals, but I think some of them go overboard. People’s circumstances change. So do lifestyles. I may not have a fenced yard, but it’s somewhat disheartening to think that the 2+ years I’ve spent as a foster volunteer aren’t enough to prove myself.
I looked into the kind of dog I’d get from a breeder if I go that route (mini goldendoodle) and holy crap that’s one expensive mutt.
A third chime in for pet insurance. In the last couple of years I have spent literal thousands on one of my cats and getting 80% of it back has been a godsend.
My sister tried getting a dog through animal rescues but was always too late to the game and in one case she wasn’t a good fit for a dog she applied for, which she wasn’t (needed to be the only pet in house, fenced yard, can’t be left alone, etc). Well, she ended up finding a dog through Kijiji – do you have that in the US? Something like Craigslist I guess. Anyway there are lots of ppl trying to re-home their pets and there are kind and legit ppl on there, you just have to be smart about answering a personal ad of course. But…my sister ended up with the sweetest dog ever and no competition from anyone else. She got her cat the same way.
So, I followed up with the foster mom today to see how the home visit went with the dog in case it didn’t work out. It did, and she told me to check the website often. I told her I do check often already, and explained briefly and politely some of what I’ve shared here, and she offered to keep an eye open for me over the upcoming weeks/months to help me be better positioned to find a good match that actually DOES work out. So, that was a positive end. I’m glad that sweet dog found a nice home. I wish I could share photos on here. He was so cute. He looked like a muppet.
That’s encouraging copa! By the way have you ever heard of Live Like Roo? It’s a Chicago based non-profit dedicated to helping dogs (and cats) with cancer. They do a lot of work with CRISP Alive (I think it’s both words together?) a reacue there. If you are ever looking for fun things to do they host a lot of affordable fundraisers (pint nights, painting, etc) and they are all dog people 🙂 I always want to go but I am way too far away!
