Advice on finding an adoptable dog

[Backpacker]

We put our dog Mylo, down January 2020 after being with him for 15 years. Mylo was a terrier / lab mix and weighed 40 pounds. He was a really laid back guy. We are ready for another fur kid to fill the void.

We are looking for a dog that I can train to go hiking and backpacking in the Hoosier National Forest and walk in the neighborhood almost daily. I am thinking a young or adult dog under 30 pounds would be good. Not necessarily looking for a pure breed dog.

We have a 48” high fenced backyard and the local park is within walking distance. I am retired and my wife still works a regular day job so the dog would spend most of the time with me. I am watching PetFinder.com and checking local shelter and rescue organizations daily.

Any advice you might have for me in my search will be appreciated. Anything to beware of when dealing with shelters and rescue organizations. Thanks

 

[indyjohn]

I took about 18 months off having a dog before I wanted another one. Both of our current pups came from Southside Animal Shelter 7 & 8 years ago. Both are under 55 lbs but both have very different personalities. One is the faithful protector, the other is the comic relief. They were guessed to be only a few months old when we adopted them. I could tell the protector was smart when I first interacted with him and in all my years of having dogs around he is the best one I've ever had. He's really smart and great with the family & friends but doesn't care for strangers. He has a pretty big vocabulary and does well communicating what he wants. I could have trained him more but we are happy with how he fits in. We're not exactly sure what breed he is, Southside listed him as a pit bull mix (I think because of the brindle) but as he grew up, I don't really see it.


Our other dog looks like the result of a one night stand between a Jack Russel and a Black Lab. A complete goof ball. Likes his routines and if dogs can be neurotic, he certainly is.

Look at a lot of dogs. Pay close attention to how they interact with you and your wife when you first meet. As much experience as you had with Mylo, you'll know it when you meet him (or her). BTW: get two so they can have a sibling. Good luck!

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Do you have grandkids (small or at least young) that come visit? If so, it might be a good idea to take them with you when you are checking out dogs, if feasible. I know that the shelters around here probably don't have the time or personnel to really get to know the personalities of each dog they have for adoption, but you should be able to get an idea of how they do around kids if that's important to you.

I would really love to adopt from Villalobos (from Pit Bulls and Parolees) down in New Orleans, just because you can tell them exactly what you're looking for (kid friendly, pet friendly, cat friendly, etc.) and they'll do their best to find one that fits your needs.

 

[Backpacker]

@indyjohn thanks for the reply and the link
@DoggyDaddy our youngest grandchild is six years old. She is a animal lover but we only see her 3-4 times a year. Thanks

 

[Snapdragon]

If you go to petfinder.com and put in your zip code, you can select the breed, gender, size, and age of dog you want, and you will get a list of adoptable pups at area shelters and rescues. The only thing I have found that you need to watch for is that often pits are labeled 'terriers' (which technically they are), and if you are looking for a small dog, some of the shelters and rescues label any puppy a small dog. So in my search for small dogs, I often see lab pups, pit pups, etc.

 

[Cameramonkey]

we adopted through petfinder.com Ended up having to drive to Ft wayne but it was soooo worth it.

 

[Magyars]

Sorry for your loss, we lost one of our girls a year ago last January.
We got or lab/golden retriever from the Amish....she's turned out to be a damn good dog. She was free.... our other mutt is a lab/ unknown mix from a fam in Ky....again for free...she super smart but she runs off if given half the chance.......both are around 70 lbs which is probably about right for a lab mix.....keep looking, I'm sure you'll find what your looking for

 

[Snapdragon]

Sorry for your loss, we lost one of our girls a year ago last January.
We got or lab/golden retriever from the Amish....she's turned out to be a damn good dog. She was free.... our other mutt is a lab/ unknown mix from a fam in Ky....again for free...she super smart but she runs off if given half the chance.......both are around 70 lbs which is probably about right for a lab mix.....keep looking, I'm sure you'll find what your looking for

I can't speak for where you got your dog, but many of the puppy mills in Indiana and surrounding states are Amish-owned. I would be nervous about adopting from an Amish breeder.

 

[Magyars]

I can't speak for where you got your dog, but many of the puppy mills in Indiana and surrounding states are Amish-owned. I would be nervous about adopting from an Amish breeder.

I would agree in general. In my case this was a acquaintance. And they only had the female and pups.

 

[foszoe]

We put our dog Mylo, down January 2020 after being with him for 15 years. Mylo was a terrier / lab mix and weighed 40 pounds. He was a really laid back guy. We are ready for another fur kid to fill the void.

We are looking for a dog that I can train to go hiking and backpacking in the Hoosier National Forest and walk in the neighborhood almost daily. I am thinking a young or adult dog under 30 pounds would be good. Not necessarily looking for a pure breed dog.

We have a 48” high fenced backyard and the local park is within walking distance. I am retired and my wife still works a regular day job so the dog would spend most of the time with me. I am watching PetFinder.com and checking local shelter and rescue organizations daily.

Any advice you might have for me in my search will be appreciated. Anything to beware of when dealing with shelters and rescue organizations. Thanks

use this

http://www.debbiespoodles.com/Volhard_Puppy.pdf

to get a dog with the temperament that fits your lifestyle.

lab mixes would be a great option.

 

[Backpacker]

use this

http://www.debbiespoodles.com/Volhard_Puppy.pdf

to get a dog with the temperament that fits your lifestyle.

lab mixes would be a great option.

Thanks

 

[Backpacker]

If you go to petfinder.com and put in your zip code, you can select the breed, gender, size, and age of dog you want, and you will get a list of adoptable pups at area shelters and rescues. The only thing I have found that you need to watch for is that often pits are labeled 'terriers' (which technically they are), and if you are looking for a small dog, some of the shelters and rescues label any puppy a small dog. So in my search for small dogs, I often see lab pups, pit pups, etc.

Thanks for the suggestion. As previously stated, I am on PetFinder daily. Some dogs have a good descriptions and some are obviously lacking or in error.

I was really looking for advice on dealing with shelters or rescue organizations.

 

[foszoe]

Thanks

I'll try to post more info later specifically for shelters, but that aptitude test is an essential element.

For example, people will think that the dog that comes right up to them somehow picked them when in reality that's a sign of dominance.

Properly used, getting a dog that scores 3s and 4s on that test would be a good fit. but that's using only the brief info you've given here.

 

[smittygj]

Disclaimer, saw it on TV, but on CBS Sunday Morning yesterday they had a segment on rescue dogs, ie dogs from the pound. They said studies have shown that dogs that have been treated poorly who are then taken in by a caring human have much closer bonds with their owners than purebred store bought or kennel bought dogs.

The main example they used was a german shepherd female that was considered unadoptable due to problem with men. A guy took her on, and they worked through their issues and became close. He then had a stroke. Dog drug him across the room to get to his phone to call for help.

 

[yeahbaby]

We picked up our current dog from a local rescue organization. They were great to work with. Out of the 3 dogs we have had in 36 years of marriage. This one is probably the best. Good luck!

 

[Snapdragon]

Thanks for the suggestion. As previously stated, I am on PetFinder daily. Some dogs have a good descriptions and some are obviously lacking or in error.

I was really looking for advice on dealing with shelters or rescue organizations.

I missed that part, sorry.

If you adopt from either a shelter or a rescue, you might want to find out their policy regarding what happens if the dog does not work out. Most rescues have it in the contract that you will return the dog to them if you ever are unable to keep it.

I had a bad experience with one rescue where I went with a friend to adopt a dog for protection because she had a restraining order on an abusive husband. My friend could not afford the adoption fee, so I paid it. The next day, she said the dog was not working out. We took him back within 24 hours of adopting him and I got nothing back. That was their prerogative, but I wish I had done my due diligence beforehand. Next time, my flaky friends are on their own.

 

[marvin02]

You can volunteer to foster dogs. That lets you get to know them and is a big help to the shelter you volunteer for. There are some rescue organizations that do not have shelters and all of their dogs are fostered. A web search should turn up rescue organizations/shelters in your area. We fostered in the past and ended up adopting both dogs we fostered.

You can also volunteer at your local shelter. While helping out there you can get to know the dogs and forma a relationship with the folks managing the shelter.

Be flexible in your list of attributes, you may find a dog that almost matches and fall in love.

Many shelters are only taking visits for possible adoption by appointment and only allowing one person to visit because of Covid - so make sure you know the rules where you are going to visit.

Factor in what vet care the dog has received when assessing the adoption fee.

Good luck.

 

[crewchief888]

both our dogs were rescues from local (lake county & laporte county) shelters. both dogs are/were GSD mixes, shadow topped out at 80lbs, blitz tips the scales at 100lbs. the shelter knew shadow's history, blitz was brought in by animal control as a stray.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

You can volunteer to foster dogs. That lets you get to know them and is a big help to the shelter you volunteer for. There are some rescue organizations that do not have shelters and all of their dogs are fostered. A web search should turn up rescue organizations/shelters in your area. We fostered in the past and ended up adopting both dogs we fostered.

You can also volunteer at your local shelter. While helping out there you can get to know the dogs and forma a relationship with the folks managing the shelter.

Be flexible in your list of attributes, you may find a dog that almost matches and fall in love.

Many shelters are only taking visits for possible adoption by appointment and only allowing one person to visit because of Covid - so make sure you know the rules where you are going to visit.

Factor in what vet care the dog has received when assessing the adoption fee.

Good luck.

DoggyMama has talked about volunteering at the Animal Care and Control facility here, but she knows better. We'd end up with a whole house full of animals.

 

[OkieGirl]

OP - So sorry for your loss. They certainly take root in your heart.

If you are from the Greenwood area there is a rescue called Tails and Trails that seems to put a little bit of time into learning the general temperament or personalities of their pups. From stalking them on the book of faces I've noticed they tend to have small to medium sized dogs more often than the bigger breeds and that may be a plus in your search.

As IndyJohn said above, we got both ours from Southside Animal Shelter and would happily go back and rescue two or three or twelve more...if he would let me. The fur baby in the picture wasn't ever listed on their website; many adoptable dogs aren't ever listed online so shelter visits are usually helpful.