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Please recommend dog rescue
DH and I are planning to adopt a dog in the next month or so. Can anybody share recommendations for dog rescue organizations that you've worked with? Or any other advice on adopting a dog? This is our first time :-).
Re: Please recommend dog rescue
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm a HUGE supporter of rescuing animals so this warms my heart.
(I'll try not to be TOO long winded!!!)
We adopted our pointer Renzo through Homeward Bound Rescue. We had a fabulous experience with them!!! There are lots of great rescue groups in the area. One of the best places to start when looking for a rescue dog is probably petfinder.com Many different rescues list their adoptable animals on there. You can search by age, size, breed etc. to find your perfect dog friend!!! Do you have any idea about what breed/age/size you might want? Some breeds have specific groups (RAGOM for example, Retrieve A Golden of Minnesota, there are others too.)
We got both of our dogs when they were about 3 years old. They came fully potty trained and knew lots of commands. If you don't want to put in the work with a puppy then I think adopting a slightly older dog is a great idea!! If you DO want to do the puppy thing be prepared that they are a LOT of work! :-) Sometimes a pregnant mama will come in to a rescue so there are puppies available.
When you contact a rescue it might be frustrating if they don't get back to you right away. Most rescues are volunteer only so people who are busy in other areas of their lives try to get back to you as soon as they can. It's hard waiting sometimes but it's the nature of the beast. Some rescues will require a home visit, some don't.
We went to see Renzo at his foster mom's house. She was able to tell me all about him since he had been living there for two weeks. I think it's GREAT to be able to learn all about how a dog is living with a family in a house. You really know what you're getting. Of course there is an adjustment period for everyone when your dog comes to your home, that is to be expected.
I could go on and on..... please let me know if you have any more specific questions. I would absolutely love to help!!! :-)
Some other rescues:
http://www.pethavenmn.org/
http://www.midwestanimalrescue.org/
http://www.animalarkshelter.org/
http://www.secondchancerescue.org/
And of course there is the Humane Society!
http://www.animalhumanesociety.org/
Yay!
The fawn boxer in my sig picture below is Jenson - we rescued him from the Minnesota Boxer Rescue. We LOVE the organization, although I think their approval process is more strict than other rescues. They rescue boxers, so you'd only get that breed to pick from - but as a huge fan of the breed, I don't think you could go wrong. They are stereotypically high energy dogs that require training - their high energy combined with an active brain makes trouble making easy if you don't have control as pack leader. I don't know a breed that is more loyal to their families though - and I don't see myself having any other type of dog in my lifetime.
We also looked at adopting from Secondhand Hounds Rescue. We are/were approved through them, but never found a dog that would work out. They say their focus is on the bully breeds, but I've seen just about all breeds come through on their website. They were faster with the approval process than MNBR was, but I don't know how that compares to other rescues.
Advice regarding adopting a dog - well, you just don't really know what your dog has been through. Our Jenson was an owner surrender to a kill shelter in Indiana - without any reason or info about him. They thought he was about a year old at time of rescue {we agree with that guess}. We think that he was left outside a lot {he is very content to find a shady spot in the yard to just hang out all the time} but he also barks at everyone that walks by, especially other dogs, so that blows our outside dog theory out of the water. He is afraid/timid around some men, so we think he may have been abused/mistreated by one at some point - although he warmed up immediately to his foster dad, to Joe {my husband} and to my brother. He was nervous around my dad, my father in law, and some other men. As long as the men ignore Jenson, Jenson will come up and sniff them on his own time and will eventually love them. It only took a few hours for Jenson to warm up to my dad, it took weeks for him to warm up to my father in law. He also had a lot of health issues right off the bat - fleas, kennel cough, hookworms, some random hair loss issues, and some separation anxiety. Jenson still hates being in his kennel - which is odd because he LOVES to go in there, but once he's locked inside he tries to escape {and has been successful, which resulted in an E-vet trip after he ate things he shouldn't have.}
Despite the challenges, we wouldn't change a thing about getting Jenson. We adore him, as does Chloe {our white boxer that we got from a reputable breeder - Mora Topline Boxers.}
Good luck!
ETA: My brother in law and his wife adopted a dog from Homeward Bound. Desmo is a border collie-lab mix {they think} and was adopted as a ~12 week puppy. Desmo has had his fair share of health issues - he had mites on his skin that caused hair loss, he had a few parasites and worms that needed to be treated, and he had severe separation anxiety as well. Their vet, as well as ours, said that it's reasonable to be prepared for quite a few bumps in the first year of having the dog, as far as health is concerned. As you discover health issues that were untreated, or just try getting the dog on solid, quality nutrition, there will be hiccups. We've certainly experienced this, as have my BIL/SIL, but things are getting better. Just make sure you budget extra money for things you wouldn't expect, because it's inevitable that there will be something.
jack | born 9.13.12 at 40w4d | 9 lbs 12 oz | 23 in
my puppy loves - chloe & jenson
pregnancy blog | chart
Petfinder.com is going to be a great way for you to find your dog and expose you to a bunch of different rescues. During our dog search, my husband and I knew that we wanted a large breed puppy, so we kept looking until we saw a puppy that caught our eye. My go-to sites that I would visit nearly daily were The Humane Society, Petfinder, Homeward Bound, and Second Hand Hounds. In the end, we went through Second Hand Hounds and had a fabulous experience with them, and would recommend them in a heartbeat.
Lucy's foster mom replied to us within 2 hours of us submitting our application, set up a meet and greet for the next afternoon, had our home visit 24 hours later, and then she was ours!
I know that our experience was rather fast in the world of animal rescues, but we lucked out that Lucy's foster mom was a stay-at-home mom with a blackberry
A coworker of mine also had a great time dealing with Second Hand Hounds when they adopted their puppy, and my cousin fosters for them as well.
Good luck on your search and you must post pics once you find "the one"!
My only advice to add is Be Patient! We found that the dog adoption process was very slow and we struggled to get anyone to respond to our phone calls or emails. Ultimately it was a 6 month process and we actually ended up not adopting through a rescue organization because we couldn't get anyone to call us back!
We attended several rescue meet ups where you can go play with the dogs that are in need of homes. This was helpful for us to get a feel for what we were looking for. Good luck!
Twin Cities Pet Rescue. Plan on some extra vet costs. Typically animals from shelters need a little initial TLC. I wouldn't completely trust the vet report from the vet the shelter used. We adopted a cat in march and the poor guy had bad gingivitis and needed a tooth pulled because the root was exposed. After a pricey dental visit, he's doing great.
Rescuing is the way to go!!!
Pet Project Rescue
Also, if you're interested in finding out more about them - they are the featured rescue with next week's Beer With Your Buddy through K9 Connection.
I volunteer with them a TON (plus the director is one of my good friends!), they rescue most dogs through Minneapolis Animal Care & Control, the Reservations across MN & the Dakotas, plus they have a sister rescue in Mexico. They've grown a lot in the past year, so it may take up to a week to get back BUT they have set adoption events at Urbanimal on Lyndale the 1st & 3rd Sundays of each month (from 12 - 2) and all of their animals are there with their fosters so you can ask specific questions.
St. Francis of Assisi Animal Rescue
Red Lake Rosie's Rescue
Pet Project Rescue
my read shelf:
I have worked for a few rescues and there are a few awesome rescues I would recommend adopting from:
Second Hand hounds
and
Homeward bound
I also know of a few great boxer rescues and pitbull rescues as well which are great dogs!
good luck on the future adoption
I just quickly scanned through and didn't see you mention a specific breed. If you are interested in a bichon or bichon mix you can look at Small Paws Rescue www.smallpawsrescue.org I've volunteered with them. Good luck!
Photo taken at 16 months old
Last Hope is another rescue I don't see listed yet.
I would find out when different rescues have adoption days (typically at Petco/Petsmart) and go visit with some of their dogs. Just reiterating the others, some rescues take longer to get back to you than others, so just be patient. And some have stricter requirements/application processes than others too. Just know not to take it personally, rescues get burned a lot and they just want to ensure the dog is as much a good fit for you as you are for the dog - it sucks when a dog is returned.
Good luck and thanks for rescuing!
- Martin Luther King Jr.
we got ours from Homeward Bound as well.
I only have experience with surrendering with Second Chance, but my stepmom loved them. She had a cat that had a few behavioral issues, and would not use the litter box no matter what they tried, and they found a home where she is a very happy barn cat now
Another one not mentioned previously is Pet Haven.
Our dog (in signature below) was adopted into our family from Animal Ark. Actually, my brother adopted Sammy from the shelter, then he came to us after my brother lost his job, house and got a divorce all in a 6-month span.
My parents adopted one dog from Homeward Bound, and adopted their other one from Hawk Creek Animal Shelter in Willmar.
Petfinder is a great way to find dogs!
I used to be a humane society volunteer (before the shelter closed), and my advice would be:
1) If you're visiting dogs in a shelter (as opposed to a rescue where dogs are fostered in homes while awaiting adoption), keep in mind that a dog will act differently in a shelter than it will in a home. Shelters are stressful places for dogs. A dog's behavior might look awful when the dog is in its kennel, but the dog might act totally different if you take it for a walk outside. Basically, give a shelter dog a chance and don't just judge it's behavior based on what you see inside a kennel. Same with adoption day events for rescues like Homeward Bound ... they are crazy and stressful places for dogs, so try to get a dog outside and on its own if you can.
2) Spend lots of time with the dog before you decide to adopt so you can get a feel of the dog's personality and whether or not the dog will be a good fit in your home.
3) Ask lots of questions. The shelter staff or foster family has spent plenty of time with the dog and can give you lots of good information about the dog's history, personality, likes/dislikes, fears, etc.
4) Be realistic about the activity level in your home and how much time you're willing to give to exercising a dog, and get a dog with an appropriate energy level. I saw so many people coming into the shelter who wanted a puppy to fit into their couch potato lifestyle. It's just not likely to work - puppies are generally high-energy pets.
5) When you bring a dog home, remember that all dogs will go through an adjustment period after being brought into a new home. For example, the dog might have a few accidents in the house, but that doesn't mean the dog isn't housetrained, it just means the dog is a bit confused and is adjusting to a new environment. The dog might take awhile to warm up and be comfortable with all the people in your house.
6) Be open to different breeds, and realize that not all dogs within a breed have the common traits of that breed. Especially with mixed breed dogs, you really have to judge the dog individually instead of by its breeds.
Mr. Sammy Dog
Thanks SO MUCH for all of the great advice and recommendations. A little bit more about where we're at in the process...I've been searching on Petfinder on and off for 6 months or so, and last weekend DH and I stopped in at a Homeward Bound adoption event at a Petco just to see what it was like, and to see what the dogs were like. Wow, there sure were a lot of dogs, and of course I wanted to take them all home :-). It's great to know Homeward Bound is a good organization, it was so busy at the event that we didn't really talk to anyone from the rescue.
The next couple of weekends we're going to check out a couple of other rescue events. Sounds like it will be a good idea to see any dogs we're interested in outside of the events.
As far as what kind of dog, we're looking for one that's somewhere around 1-3 years old. We're somewhat open on breed. DH likes labs, I like almost all breeds, and we're both very open to a mixed breed since that's what a lot of rescue dogs are :-). We love the idea of a dog that's been in foster care so that we know more about its habits.
Thanks for all of the excellent comments so far! Please keep the advice coming, and I'll keep you updated with what happens next.
Another vote for Homeward Bound. We got our lab there about 3 years ago. We lucked out and he's been a very good dog.... minus being scared of thunderstorms, vacuums, fireworks and loud noises in general!
My BIL has voulunteered with a few others: Pet Haven, Last Hope, RAGOM and MN Boxer Rescue. We have friends that are active in the Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue as well.
As others have mentioned, it is nice to be able to talk to the person fostering them to get more of a feel of how they are outside of the adoption events... I don't think how they act in that setting is necessarily a fair way to judge them.
Good luck.
Good luck with your search!!!!!
""No one else will ever know the strength of my love for you. After all, you're the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside."
"On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered "Life will never be the same." Because there had never been anyone like you... ever in the world." ~ Nancy Tillman
From my own experience: labs are totally awesome. :-) Pointers are awesome too but they are NOT for everyone. If you think you might be interested in one let me know and I can tell you all about them!
The only negatives I can think of about labs are the shedding and drooling. Otherwise they are fantastic, in my opinion. Any kind of lab mix will most likely be fabulous but you never know until you meet an actual dog. One of the best dogs I've ever ever known was our lab/springer mix Lady that my family got when I was in high school. She was the sweetest best behaved dog in the whole world.
I'm very excited for you!!!!! :-)
Wanted to plug our rescue as well. We spent days sifting through the petfinder results and were somewhat overwhelmed. We did find our little guy (9 month old yellow lab) on there though.
We went through RuffStart Rescue in Princeton, MN. We live near the city though and the placement coordinator came to our home and also dropped the dog off. I thought the process actually moved VERY quickly. We submitted an online application Sunday evening. We specifically requested information on Bo (our now dog).
I got a call back Monday afternoon with more information on Bo. We set up time for Wednesday to have him (and the placement coordinator) visit our home. We fell in love with him and he was home with us for good Friday evening. I'm sure it varies with the amount of volunteers but they were extremely timely in their responses!
Good luck!
My blog: Lake Girl Loves