wanting to adopt / rescue a dog but have ?

mylove2005

Last month we had to put down our 15 year old husky. This was the worst night for us as we were not planning on it. DH and I were not planning on looking at this so soon but the house is empty, and we all miss him and our DD really misses her friend. We have talked about getting a new dog and we figured out that we would love to rescue a golden retriever We feel this breed would be the best for our family. I was wondering if anyone could please recommend a place to start or any place to stay away from. We are in MA. I also want to meet the dog before we take it home to see how it blends with us and the kids ( we have a newborn son also ) and anything else we should know about this process. DH got Tai Tai when he was 8 weeks old from a pet store. We want to look into rescuing first but not completely against getting a puppy from a breeder either. Any insight would be helpful

IdigDirt

I would start looking on petfinder.com and go from there. With kids I would suggest an older dog since as they mature their true personalities come out and an older dog would be calmer around the kids. Try to find a dog who is being fostered with kids so you know the dog tolerates kids.

kellbell1919

I agree with petfinder.  Just be aware that goldens can be adopted kind of quickly, so you may want to put an application on file with a golden rescue and wait until the right dog comes along.  You might also want to go to a few adoption events for all breed rescues and just see if any particular dogs jump out at you.  We were interested in a golden when we adopted this time around but couldn't find one nearby who suited us; we wound up with a 2 yr old beagle/shepherd from a kill shelter instead and she has exactly the personality we wanted.

KatiesCats

S, your sig is adorable.  I can't believe how big he's getting...I feel like he was just born yesterday!

It's great to have a breed in mind.  You could start by searching for a breed-specific rescue, or looking on petfinder and searching by breed.

You could also just do a general search on petfinder for dogs of a certain size, age, etc.  Like PP said, find a dog that is not a puppy, and that has been fostered with children.  We foster retired racing greyhounds (who are amazing family dogs, just sayin') and our dogs are adopted out crate trained, house broken, socialized, leash trained, and trick trained (sit, down, shake, speak, etc).  Adopting a dog that has been fostered can make the transition really easy.

hboo2011

Not to mimmick everyone else, but yes, petfinder.org is one of the best websites to find dogs who are in need of rescue. It allows you to pick breeds (although some may be mixed goldens) and in your area.

You could also just google golden rescues near your city. Many of these specific breed rescues have dogs in foster, and would definately be a good start seeing as you have young children at home so they would have an idea of how they react to children.

I don't have any experience with goldens. But a coworker of mine lost his golen about a year ago, and had looked at a golden rescue near his home. For some reason, the rescue wouldn't adopt out goldens to families with young children. I have no clue if it is a breed thing (I can't imagine, but again, I don't have much experience with goldens) or if it's just this rescue. They said their reasoning was because goldens are sometimes too big for little kids. So personally, I wouldn't ONLY look at goldens. Like Katie said above, there's a ton of other family friendly dogs as well. If you go to your local shelters, you can specifically request to see dogs who they know have come from homes with children and were good with them. (I volunteer in a shelter, we get parents with this request often.)

TarponMonoxide

Local shelters are bound to have at least one golden in their midst.:)

Beagles are also great for kids. 

SillyStraw

Ditto the pp who said that rescues may not adopt to families with children under 2.  Not all have this policy, but many do.  Just so you are aware.  I hope this doesn't keep you from rescuing though!  If you find a dog you love at a rescue that has this policy it is possible they'd make an exception if you talk to them about your prior dog experience and your plans with dog and baby.  Their main issue is that many dogs are returned because the family wasn't prepared to deal with a dog (especially a young one) and a baby/toddler and the dynamics that follow.

That aside, go on petfinder and look at Golden rescues - be aware that many have a waiting list and are very strict (IME).  Like pp said, they do pop up in shelters so just keep your eyes open!   And also don't be afraid to look into other breeds or Golden mixes - there are lots of family friendly dogs out there!