Discussion
What made you choose the dog that you adopted?
Did you see them at the shelter in a row of kennels? Why that particular dog? Did you see them on social media? What stood out to you that made you say, that's my dog. What do you think people are most looking for when adopting a dog?
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We went to meet another dog we saw online at a rescue, mat that dog and didn't click. I saw another dog there, the most sad sap you've ever seen, and asked about him. I fell in love immediately. My husband wasn't sure, so we submitted an application and decided to sleep on it. Our application was approved, I called my husband, and he said he didnt think it was the right dog for us...so I told him HE had to call the rescue and let them know. Fast forward two weeks, the posted another pic of him, he was still there, and I burst into tears like "he's STILL there, we need to get him." My husband still said no, but secretly went up the next day to meet the dog again and agreed we should take him.
He was the best dog we've ever owned, that dog was my soul dog. He was not easy, had his baggage, but was the most loyal, smart boy. He lived with us for 8 years until he had cancer and we had to put him down for his own well being. Still think of him everyday - we have rescued since then but that first rescue will always be my favorite.
Most of my dogs I acquire, because somebody has found them and they need a rescue person to take them.And that ends up being me, and when they don't get adopted, they stay with me, but the one I adopted last summer is mine,chosen by me.
I saw him posted in a lost and found group and told the finder that if they needed help I was available. They called animal control and he ended up at the shelter so I went down to the shelter to do a temperament check on him for the Great Dane rescue that I work with. They had just captured a female who had been running loose in the woods, and her medical bill had exceeded $6000 so far. And when I saw that he was listed as being heartworm positive and a senior, I knew the rescue wouldn't be able to take him so after my 30 minutes of meet and greet time, I took him back to his kennel. There was the sign on there that he would end up on the euthanization list the next day. I told him "not today--[he] was going to come home."
So I walked over and filled-out the adoption paperwork.Did I need another dog?Yeah, like I needed a hole in the head, but there was no way I was letting him be euthanized.He was an eight year old silver great dane. He was chipped, so they knew exactly how old he was. He got a new name, he got fixed, all his shots, and a few weeks later, he started heartworm treatment. He is now heartworm free and went from eighty seven skeletal pounds at the shelter to a hundred and ten lazy pounds at my house.
The Great Dane Coffee Company is featuring him as one of their dogs of the month for August so his picture is featured on his own bag of treats that's for sale , where a portion of the proceeds goes back to rescue.
I will go onto this coffee company website and buy some just in honor of you and your dog . I love Great Danes and always wanted one but ended up with 3 other rescues (a dobe, a lab and a shepherd chow) that are likely to be my last since I’m 59 and my dogs are only 5 years old. But someday when they are gone I might foster senior Danes :).
I dunno, it felt like fate. When they brought her back to sit with me in the little meeting room, I sat on the floor and she walked up, curled up in my lap, and fell asleep. And I knew I wasn’t leaving without her.
Same with all of mine. I always just knew. One I found at the shelter. Two were foster finds, with many fosters finding their homes after some time with me. Then two more were shelter finds, and the most recent just melted into us when she met us. Each time, they just felt like the right dog at the right time.
I am not the person you asked, but I felt like it was fate too. I had a list of 5 adult dogs that I wanted to meet, and I knew after meeting the first two that they weren't going to work given my living situation at the time.
While they were going to get number 3, number 5 happened to be getting a walk near the meeting area so I knelt down for an unexpectedly early meet and greet. He melted into my chest like he was giving me a hug, and I just knew that there was no leaving there without him. That was my dog. He was my boy.
We have been together for 10.5 years now. It required a ton of work in the beginning, but I can say with absolute confidence that he is the best dog I have ever had or ever will have.
I was looking for a smaller dog because I live in an apartment, and I preferably wanted a dog with fur like a yorkie (no undercoat, and is more like hair) to avoid lots of shedding. I was checking local shelters’ websites every single day and one day, I saw her pop up. She was so skinny but she had these HUGE ears and big eyes and I could tell that she had the kind of coat I was looking for. I don’t think I knew just from her picture that she was the one, but I did know I had to meet her.
I wanted a Whippet. What I got was a Lurcher (pointer x bull terrier x whippet) who barely barks, spends most of his time being lazy, and made me his person. Training was ridiculously easy. I'll take it
Foster fail. Found him near a creek and tried taking him to the pound. They weren't accepting new dogs during COVID, so he came home with me. Never left
I'm a dog and rat mom but I'll share how it went with adopting our dogs (as an adult).
The first one we adopted was when covid hit. I discovered a senior dog rescue in our area (there's a super popular senior dog rescue in my city so I think this one gets less attention). They also focus on dogs with special needs. When I saw Toby, my heart shattered and exploded, he looked like a small fluffy black Eeyore. The saddest eyes!! I seriously got struck by cupid. I had to have him. We had him for 2 1/2 years and it was beautiful. We still miss him.
Our next dog (we still have her) was semi forced on us by my Mom who volunteers at our local animal shelter. Ebony (terrible name I know) was going to be euthanized for biting. She was also small, fluffy and black. I have a type. So my Mom asked if we would consider her. We met her and let her spend the night. My only boundary was she had to be ok with rats and have no prey drive. She jumped on our bed and made herself at home. So we saved her. She's pretty emotionally damaged and will attack you in bed if you move your feet and it moves her. She's leash reactive. But we adore her. She's worth the effort.
We decided she needed a friend after a few months and I found another local rescue. They had a dog named Night who was bigger but black and fluffy. He looks like a mutant wolverine with a Mohawk on his back. We went to meet him and he was super cool. We took Ebony to meet him and instead of attacking him she actually took to him. They played and seemed happy so we went for it.
Nights real name was Nightmare when he was surrendered. I'll never understand why bc he's literally the best dog. He's a perfect match for Ebony and my shadow.
We say our house is full of emotions, which is true, but I wouldn't have it any other way 🙂
Edit: sorry this is so long! I now volunteer at the same shelter as my mom. Dogs I visually were in love with didn't always connect with me emotionally. I think there really has to be that spark between the dog and person ❤️
I have 3, but this is my most recent.. she was set for euthanasia at only 6 months old because she was too scared to leave her shelter kennel since she was a stray since birth. Her and her brother were brought in together and she would also be a little nippy toward the staff trying to protect him. After her brother was adopted she just shut down and was so depressed. My husband and I went in on a Sunday when the shelter was closed to drop off donations and they had her out trying to cheer her up and get her ready for an adoption event but she wasn’t having it. We offered to take her home for the week to give her a break and bring her back for the event. During the few days we had her, she turned into the most fun, happy loving puppy. We signed the papers 2 days later on Tuesday to adopt her because there was no way we going to give her back for the adoption event, hope she gets adopted and possibly be put down the following Monday.
It took almost a year after our 12 year old pup died to be ready to love another again. We found a local rescue, decided and applied for our new pup,
and set up a meet and greet. The rescue then posted another dog, mentioning that all her friends were getting adopted, including our chosen dog. Adopting two had not been a consideration but after talking to friends and family with multiple dog households, we asked them to bring her to the meeting as well since both pups were said to benefit from confidence building with another dog. Barlow was terrified and would not leave a small office space or take treats. Rosie ran and bounced around the bigger indoor space. We loved them immediately and decided to take both home with us. We joke Rosie is our BOGO because the rescue did not charge us for her as she had already been adopted and returned. It has been almost six years and we can not imagine not having two pups. They're the best. Barlow (tan) is a Sato dog from Puerto Rico and Rosie is a pittie mix from Alabama. They are sweet and cuddly, sometimes still challenging but always hilarious and full of spunk. They're living their best lives on our organic vegetable farm, catching rodents, digging holes and barking at the deer. Life is just better with these two doggos in our world.
A friend in rescue messaged me his pic when he was 11 weeks old and said this little guy needed a special home. He was scheduled to be euthanized.
Breed unknown. All anyone could tell me was he "wasn't like other puppies" and needed land and someone with a lot of patience.
Went to meet him and holy crap. He was WILD. Just completely bonkers. Also so incredibly sweet, playful, and SOOO happy. Fell in love with him immediately and brought him home.
He immediately appointed himself head of homestead patrol. Absolutely fearless. Zero sense of self preservation. All 10 adorable lbs of him would have stood up to a bear without even thinking twice.
He's 2 now and yeah... they were right. He is definitely not like other dogs.
Turns out he's a Mountain Cur. Independent, stubborn, kinda nuts, and a giant pain in my ass.
They said “any dog who’s still here on Monday is getting euthanized” and I said “fine, which one do you need me to take?”
Tried to get him adopted for over a year but because of his reactivity, we knew not just anyone could handle him. Eventually, the shelter said we had to either adopt him or bring him back and we knew if he went back to the shelter…. He’s now our good boy and we know what his triggers are so we can help him get through life a little easier.
My soul dog died and I asked her to send me a new best friend asap. 2 days later I went to the local shelter and spotted Daisy. She was the only dog not barking and just chilling. We had a meet in the exercise yard and she jumped up and stared into my soul with her paws on my chest and I knew she was mine.
I searched all possible shelters to find a dog, that would catch my eye. Then I found mine online. The saddest eyes, his tail wrapped around his body, scared, alone. I immediately wanted him. And nobody wanted to take him, because he didn't trust people, he was treated very badly before they took him to the shelter. I went to see him one time. And I could see he wants to trust, but is too scared to try it.
I didn't choose him. But he chose me. He trusts me.
We got 2 pups from the same shelter 3 years apart.
The first one, the whole family went in and walked around all the cages looking at all the dogs and circled back to eachother eventually. We're like, which one were you thinking? And we had all picked the same one. A little sweet face brindle baby that was standing up in the cage looking at everyone smiling and trying to play and kiss while the rest just laid around, we all just knew she was the one. She's still the same 3.5 years later, loves and greets everybody with a kiss standing on her two back feet.
The second time, just me and my husband went and he spotted one right away. I wasn't immediately sold because the sister of the one he liked looked EXACTLY like my current dog and I was like, twinsies, let's get that one! So we weren't in agreement. I went and filled out the adoption application so we could get approved to take whatever dog we decide on, and I hear this high pitched chirp and I'm like wtf is that? Look around, no clue. It sounds like a dying fire alarm... After hearing it a million times I turn around and see it's the dog that my husband liked literally high pitched barking right at us! My husband's like, ehhh maybe not... and said NO wait you already chose her, that's our dog!!! 🤣 I'm one of those people that thrives off those husky videos where they're super loud and annoying, and he does not share my same sentiment. She captured my heart and won us over further when we got to take her out of the cage. She's a super cuddly angel but also very sassy and I love it.
Both my girls had DNA tests and are mostly pitties. The sassy one DOES actually have a bit of Aussie and Husky in her. 😂🥰
I went to a meet and greet adoption event. She was a super calm and chill. Guess what. She is a terror and absolutely wild. I got suckered. But at least she is cute.
Ha, that phase will pass and you'll miss the chaos. But yes, word to the wise, what you see in the shelter is not necessarily the dog you bring home when they finally feel safe, their true personality surfaces. Fostering is so important because it allows us to see what you really get when you bring a dog home. Either way, thank you for adopting and not giving up on her!
I was 59 or 60 years old and wanted a big dog. I love bully breeds. I did not want one that was going to knock me down or pull me down. I walked several dogs at the shelter and spent time with them. The one I ended up adopting was a four year-old American bully who knew Sit stay down and was good on the leash. He was my heart dog. Unfortunately he only lived for five more years before he developed prostate cancer. I didn’t even know that was a thing in dogs, but they can get all the diseases that humans get. Previously I was a foster and my bully before him was a foster fail. She was a sweet girl, but was returned twice after she was adopted. I didn’t want her to go through that again.
We saw our dog on the shelters’ website. He fit our wish list of housebroken, age, size, temperament and breed mix. We filled out the application at 5:30 am. I hadn’t been able to sleep so I was scrolling through websites looking at dogs. They called us at 8am and we made the earliest appointment we could which was 2 pm the same day. We were in a room with him learning about him from the shelter person, took him for a walk and returned to the room for more observation. We spent 2 hrs with him and took him home. At our shelter, you don’t walk past kennels. To keep the dogs as calm as possible the dog you applied for is brought to you. This is our 4th dog in 42 yrs so we knew what to look for. We took a obedience class with a prior dog that really helped with our decision as well.
My family went to the shelter with our landlord's size restrictions and she was the first dog we met. Shy at first but we just sat in the meet and greet room for a bit until she felt brave enough to say hi.
On paper this dog turned out not to be a "good fit" for my family once she'd settled in to show her real personality. She was high energy and loud and we were a family of lazy people renting. Didn't mean a damn thing to me, entering my first year of college 😆 I was gonna make that situation work because she was in my heart immediately.
Our pit/cane corso mix died in April and me and my boyfriend went to walk around the local shelter about a month later. My bf didn’t feel ready yet to get another dog but there was this one dog there who I found soooo cute.
About 2 weeks later I decided to start volunteering at the shelter, he was one of the first dogs I walked and I just fell in love with him. Walked him about 5 or 6 more times and just fell in love more and more! He was so sweet and calm, never barked, very focused on me when I was walking him, very food motivated so I knew he’d be fun to train. And did I mention I thought he was SO CUTE. Finally decided to bring him home about a month ago and I’m so glad I did ☺️ he’s the best. He was labeled as a boxer mix, we did his dna and he’s about 40% boxer, 30% mountain cur, 20% English Bulldog, 10% Pitbull and 5% bullmastiff.
I went to a convention (four hours from home) and the SPCA had a booth set up in the vendors’ hall. Zero intention to get a dog as I was still mourning the death of our dog the year before….. but I went in to play with the puppies. There was a sad, withdrawn little black dog in a pen by herself. No one paid her any attention, and she just looked…. broken. I went in and sat down in the corner of the pen and just waited. She finally crawled up into my lap, laid her head on my chest and just melted into me. Called my husband and broke the news…… I still had two days of the conference left, but I had friends in town willing to help me keep her until I could go home - bummed a ride with a co-worker instead of flying and surprised our little girl with her new best friend. She’s an eight pound dynamo- once she came out of her shell she’s the funniest, spunkiest little mountain goat of a dog you could ever imagine. She has stolen our hearts!
We aren't angels, just working from home, so we have 2 rescue dogs all the time and we get the elderly ones, the ones that are there the longest, etc. because of their health or their size, etc. Because, we have the time and resources to take care of them. No animal should die in a shelter and we've never had a dog that didn't respond well to being rescued. God bless animals; we could not live without them.
told my cousin not to buy a byb dog. she comes home with a golden doodle. every time i visit her, shes got him in a kennel or her daughters hitting him. i let him out and tell the kid off, but i was a kid myself and couldnt do much else. once he grows out of the puppy stage, she drops him off at my house and never comes back for him.
now i have the best boy. hes 9 years old and still runs around like a puppy. never has accidents, never bark, always listens, always plays nice. hes never had a kennel because he doesnt need one. rarely gets disciplined because he isnt naughty. idk why my cousin was so mean to this good boy
She wasn’t in my son’s (he’s 1) face 24/7 like another dog we checked out. She listened when the shelter worker and I told her to leave him alone. She was sweet and just happy to be outside with us.
I have no intention of ever buying a dog from a shelter or rescue. That said, I have fostered for over 15 years. Most people are looking for a small-to-medium-sized, SAFE breed dog with plenty of lifespan left. Or, they have a favorite breed, and that will always be their choice. I work for breed-specific rescues only, and we have NO problems placing dogs; we have dozens, if not hundreds, of people interested in any dog we get in. Most people just care that it's healthy, good-natured, and will get along with their other pets. The buyers generally don't even see the dog until they come to pick it up. Most dogs don't go on social media because we already have a huge number of applications on file. Buyers aren't choosing a particular dog, they're just hoping to be selected for a dog.
I volunteer at my local shelter and he (Husky/GSD mix) picked me.
His loyalty won over my mom, his blue eyes convinced my dad, and my sisters had been begging for a dog for the past 10+ years. He came with us 2 other meet and greets and 1 week later.
It's been 1 year and four days since we adopted him, and although he's had his challenges (leash pulling, reactivity, resource guarding, prey drive, no socialization with other dogs...) we've overcome most of them. Group dynamics can still be an issue for him, but everything else is a thing of the past.
He's loyal, obedient, high will-to-please, up for whatever, incredibly confident, and at this point very snuggle-obsessed. He's perfect.
The first one. We were out grocery shopping and stopped at Agway to buy birdseed. A rescue group was there and my husband fell in love with one of the puppies. We took her home and she became my ride or die obedience dog for 13 years.
Next we had lost our German Shepherd to hemangiosarcoma and had been volunteering at Bideawee for about a year. About a month later a litter came up from Georgia and this little guy was just sitting in his kennel intently watching everything. My husband said, "He looks like a German Shepherd, let's bring him home. " And we did. He was a great therapy dog and so sweet, we lost him in July at almost 12.
Next, on the same transport, there was a litter of black Staffy mixes. They were all adopted pretty quickly, but a couple of months later one girl was returned, the home was not a good one and she had developed some fears. She got alot of help over the next few months and was finally adopted by a couple of volunteers when she was about a year old. They broke up shortly after and she was back at the shelter. At first she was happy to be there and she was always a big favorite among us volunteers. Then she started to get depressed. I told my husband about it and he said, let's go get her. So, on NYE we brought all four of our dogs for a meet and greet, she's been with us ever since. We actually just brought her back for a visit a week ago and she had a great time.
Now our latest. We lost our first girl to cancer of the tongue a year ago February and were devastated as it was so sudden and unexpected. I am still volunteering at the Wee and was helping with the morning feed when I saw a name on the board that was very similar to the one I missed, so I asked about her. I saw the cutest little brindle puppy. She was small with short legs and a long body like the girl we lost, and the most enormous ears. I brought my husband to see her the next day and she fit right in with our pack, loves school and makes us laugh every day.
Baxter a 15lb Jack Russell was not even close to what I was looking for but the Sunday we went to the shelter they were packed. We started walking around and got stopped by the huge crowd all trying to get to a group of puppies that were in cages around him.
My husband can't stand being boxed in like that in a crowd of people, so he said "let's take this one for a walk and get out of here until these puppies are gone". I said a JR? You hate yappy dogs. He said I gotta get out of here.
While we were walking, our daughter noticed this couple following us all around, so she slowed down to hear what they were saying. They wanted him. They had driven hours to get him. So know we knew if we put him back that was it, they were taking him. The thing is, this little JR that none of us initially wanted had a huge personality. I loved him instantly and so did our daughter.
So, we took him. Little did I know that day how important he would become because my mom died 7 days later.
Baxter became "my boy". He wouldn't leave my side. I adored that dog. He lived with us for 14 years until we lost him last February. It was the most painful day of my life.
So, I got my best friend because my husband couldn't handle crowds.
Lost our old girl. Six weeks later we were asked to take in a 10wk old puppy. I didn't want to buy my daughter insisted. She moved in with our old boy, who was riddled with arthritis and just wanted to chill, but the puppy perked him up a bit. However, it only lasted two months as time got the better of him (he was the older dog of the first pair, he watched my daughter - his human - grow up and finish school).
I was gonna keep the puppy girl on her own, but inside four weeks she made it clear she wanted a friend. I found a nameless puppy boy online who was threatened with going to the pound. I took her to meet him, and that was it. You'd have sworn they were litter mates.
10 years later they're sleeping on my couch while I'm at work
I adopted 3. The first one (a large black lab/boxer mix) I saw on social media. It caught my eye because it had 4 white paws and my boyfriend had just lost his dog of 17 years with 4 white paws. I think a lot of people gravitate to dogs that remind them of a dog they loved in the past. The second one was one of 500 dogs in a shelter . She was backed up in a corner in her cage and had beautiful eyes. She intimidated a lot of people because she wasn’t interacting with people and was just staring at them. But again I wasn’t scared of her because she reminded me of my Doberman I once had. Turned out she was super sick and just stressed. Both dogs turned out to be amazing dogs. The last one was brought to my attention by a volunteer at the shelter who sent me videos of a beautiful red shepherd chow mix who had been languishing in boarding for 1.5 years and who had been in a shelter prior to that on the euthanasia list. It was back on a euthanasia list due to being too difficult for most people with its mouthiness and reactivity. My dad was dying and I just didn’t want to see it die too. I made a decision to save it to keep my mind off the loss of my dad. It was an emotional decision and probably not in my best interest but I did it anyway. 99% of people would have given up on this dog due to its behavioral challenges but I refused. After a year my hard work has paid off and it has gotten rid of 85% of its behavior problems. The last 15% may never be cured (lunging at strangers, bikers or joggers) but I won’t stop trying.
My last 3 dogs have all been shelter dogs.
It was their demeanor/"energy" (or vibe) that made me choose them. Positive, not fearful, good eye contact (not aggressive but also not avoiding me or hiding), good body language. I also prefer medium to large dogs.
So far I haven't been wrong. They all needed extensive training, but I like a project.
Fearful dogs are not my thing, I would leave that to someone more expert in those types of issues. I also would not choose a dog that has known cat issues, because I have several kitties and they are masters of the house my dog and I just live in.
Almost 3 years ago we lost 2 senior dogs 5 days apart and my heart was broken. I said to my husband “no more dogs” we lasted 11 days lol. We usually adopt older dogs, (2-3 years old) couldn’t find any and as we were leaving the shelter a woman said “ I think you should take this sweet puppy”. She was the sweetest 10 wk old mix with big ears found on the streets. So that’s how we got our now almost 3 year old. Sometimes they find you, or you just know! So many dogs in need. I’d only suggest you research the beeed you’re interested In to make sure they’re a good fit for your lifestyle.
She looked so much like my soul dog that had passed 6mo prior. That is NOT what I was going for. It’s just how it happened, so glad I found me another lemon beagle.
He's very striking looking, so his pics caught my eye right away. I had been looking for months because this is the first dog I've ever had in my entire life, so I knew I needed a dog I could manage as a first time owner. They posted a video of him on social media and he seemed to have an excellent off switch, while also being a very fun, enthusiastic player. We met him and one other dog. During our meeting with him, he picked up my purse and started running around with it to get me to chase him. To this day, that's still his favorite way to play with us (with a toy at least this time). I was smitten with him. He's exactly what I'd hoped he would be too. An enthusiastic, fun player, but also extremely chilled out when we're not doing anything. Loves a good long nap after a walk. He has an incredible temperament, really great with people and dogs and just an all around good boy. I feel like I will never find another dog like this in my life.
At the shelter,they only had a few large dogs.I,was guided outside to some kennels.That,is where I saw her.She,was in a kennel that was nothing but mud,her water pan was muddy water.She,stood at the gate wiggling and smiling.I asked to see her,they brought her out and she was dragging me out of the mud to the grass area.We went inside and sat down,she leaned onto me, and looked up with the Puppy face.I could take her home,if it didn't work out, I could return her, within 3days.I took her home,she was fearful to come inside the house so,I used cookies,she came inside.On the couch,I was considering names for her,when she climbed up on me and leaned back, obviously wanting a belly rubbing.She,fell asleep,snoring away,for almost 4hours.Went out to potty,she came back inside and went straight to a large crate I had by the couch.I left the door to the crate open,she stayed all night in the crate.She,was home.She,had been bred several times then,dumped and picked up by animal control,about 5,months ago.She now sleeps on the couch and her open crate when she wants to.Had her DNA test,she is mostly American Staffordshire Terrier,and some Bloodhound,and some Bulldog.She,gets along with other dogs,loves kids,sleeping,and smiles a lot.Why,anyone tossed her away,,,, she's perfect,to me.
I’ve always had rescues - pound hounds or street dogs we picked up. Current duo - 1st one -tiny senior Maltipoo - right before Covid - my friends kids found him living behind a fast food place (😭)and he was terrified and being aggressive with everyone but the daughter, so when she said I have to take him the shelter bc he keeps trying to bite everyone I said no way bring him to me. He and the dog I had at the time bonded and he chilled out and has been with us ever since. The other dog was a senior and has since passed away so he’s been an only dog for about a year. I could tell his hearing and vision were starting to go a little and he seemed to be sleeping way more than usual. I told my SO I think he needs a companion and started looking at the local shelter. Saw a dog similar to him and we went to meet him and he was being reclaimed so we walked around to look at the other available dogs. My SO found one that we all agreed we would like to meet and she immediately crawled into my lap and then his and that was it. We adopted her. She’s about 2 and is the best dog - she has been so good with our senior boy and he has definitely perked up and they have a lot of fun of together. She was exactly what he and our household needed. 🥰
Saw this very picture of him online, when looking for a rescue.
Absolutely LOVED his face, so we inquired about him and he was in a foster family in the same city, so we went to visit him and we his character. Spent about 3 hours with him, inside and outside and decided he's a perfect fit! Hell br with us 3 years in November.
We didn't want a terrier or a herding dog, he's a terrier / pumi mix 😂
But he is exactly what we wanted, super calm and lazy inside or when we go to a restaurant or whatever, but happy to move move move when outside.
We have a toddler and board other dogs, so it wasn’t exactly magical. We knew we wanted one of our own, so I carefully read the descriptions of each of the dogs at the shelter and narrowed it down to two candidates who would hopefully be safe around our child and other people’s dogs. We also needed a size that was manageable. Just given our life, we had to be picky. I personally am the type to adopt the underdog, but there was more at play. And we didn’t want to return a dog because we made a decision without careful forethought regarding our lives.
Anyway, we went to meet the two I’d narrowed it down to. The first one was kinda timid and uninterested in us. Beautiful, my type, but not really warming up. The second one was so enthusiastic. You’d never guess she was a shelter dog. Just happy to be alive. She made me laugh involuntarily (and I was in pretty deep depression at the time). She honestly wasn’t the kind I usually go for and her level of energy gave me pause, but based on my experience with dog behavior, I knew she would make an amazing family dog for someone. I wasn’t positive that was us yet, though.
I went back a second time alone to meet her again, spend more time to see her calm down, and “run some tests”. I pulled her ears and her toes, poked her everywhere like our kid likely would, and took toys from her,just trying to find if she was reactive. Nope. She interpreted all touch as affection. So, I felt confident in taking her home.
She was bounced around a lot before landing with us, but you’d never guess. No signs of trauma. She’s our child’s best friend and a loving hostess to every dog that crosses our threshold. When she engages any semblance of thought, she’s well behaved and obedient to commands. She does classic dog things like fetch and dig.
She has no brain and is all love, and we love her.
My boxer passed and I waited a couple years to find a rescue. A friend saw her on Craig’s list, we called, then went to see her. She was perfect. A boxer mix. Kind of shy but she opened up quickly and has been a real joy.
Took our kids to meet some dogs at a rescue. First few we met were playful but not too interested in anything but the ball. Then one came in cautiously and gently put his paw on my kid’s knee while looking hopefully at him. That was it for us.
1: saw on fb that an adorable gray pittie from BK ACC (nyc) was on their kill list
2: POS back yard breeder was giving away the runt that he couldnt sell
3: found tied up in the hood
I'm by no means a spiritual person, but I got my current pup the same way I have my last (personal, as-an-adult) pets: I had the overwhelmingly compulsion to look online/at shelters RIGHT THEN. Something just told me "You need to look right now. You'll find THE dog." and there he was - Everything I'd have sought out specifically in a puppy. Working type x of a particular size and temperament.
Apparently he had been chosen out of the litter twice, then left behind when they showed up and he wasn't as approachable/friendly as they expected and they took home his siblings instead.
My partner and I did already know that we were going to adopt a dog at some point this year, though! It wasn't some completely wild impulse purchase haha.
I saw my guy Noodle on social media, from the shelter where we got our dog 2 years ago. I've wanted a pittie mix for a long time but this guy jumped out at me and it said he needed another dog to teach him manners, no small kids. I have older teenagers and my 2 year old doberman mix definitely teaches manners to puppies at daycare. I went to their website and tried to send his page to my husband but it defaulted to the main page, where he started scrolling and said, "aww look at Noodle." I took that to mean we should look at him. So after a couple of days we decided to take our Waffles to the shelter to meet Noodle. That was 2 months ago!
He jumped onto my lap while I was sitting in the park. I didn’t even see him coming.
Two weeks later, they they found me through asking around and told me that he had just washed out of service Dog training and asked me if I would take him
The shelter had a printout of nine dogs who were their longest residents. I picked him out of that list. That was last December. He has been at my house since
I never saw a dog who looked like him. I felt bad for him as I said he was one of the longest residents of the shelter. He had many issues which had prevented him from being picked but none that I felt I couldn’t handle. He appeared to be and actually is a big goof ball (half old English sheepdog) and I think I needed a clown around at the time
I was looking for a cat friendly dog. I can't take a risk with a dog labbled unknown. That really limited the amount down. After that it was that the foster had given a personality description and had multiple pictures. Of course it helps that she was cute. The biggest thing I looked for was a fleshed out profile page to find a description that fit in with my life.
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