By Mary and Doug
Clark, Labrador
Retriever Rescue, Inc.*
Why on earth
would anyone want to adopt a rescued dog? After all, aren't they like used cars?
Who wants someone else's problems? "If the dog is so wonderful, why would
anyone give him away? If he was a stray, why didn't someone try to find him?
I'd rather buy a puppy so I know what I'm getting, and besides they're so
cute!" … Rescues often hear
a variation of this conversation. Many prospective … owners are just not convinced that owning an
older (i.e, 6 mo.+)
"pre-owned" [dog] is better than buying a puppy. But there are a
number of reasons why adopting a [dog] from a rescue that carefully screens and
evaluates its [dogs] can provide an even better alternative. Here are the
"Top 10 Reasons You Should Consider a Rescue."
With most family
members gone during the work week for 8 hours or more, housetraining a puppy
and its small bladder can take awhile. Puppies need a consistent schedule with
frequent opportunities to eliminate where you want them to. They can't wait for
the boss to finish his meeting or the kids to come home from after school
activities. An older dog can "hold it" much more reliably for longer
time periods, and usually the Rescue has him housebroken before he is adopted.
With a chewy
puppy, you can count on at least 10 mismatched pairs of socks and a variety of
unmentionables rendered to the "rag bag" before he cuts every tooth. and don't even think about shoes! also,
you can expect holes in your carpet (along with the urine stains), pages
missing from books, stuffing exposed from couches, and at least one dead remote
control. no matter how well you watch them, it will
happen--this is a puppy's job! an older dog can
usually have the run of the house without destroying it.
Forget the alarm
clocks and hot water bottles, a puppy can be very demanding at 2am and 4am and
6am. He misses his littermates, and that stuffed animal will not make a puppy
pile with him. If you have children, you've been there and done that. How about
a little peace and quiet? How about an older rescue dog?
With a puppy
running amok in your house, do you think you will be able to relax when you get
home from work? Do you think your kids will really feed him, clean up the
messes, take him for a walk in the pouring rain every
hour to get him housetrained? With an adult dog, it will only be the kids
running amok, because your dog will be sitting calmly next to you, while your
workday stress flows away and your blood pressure lowers as you pet him.
Those puppies
need their series of puppy shots and fecals, then
their rabies shot, then a trip to be altered, maybe an emergency trip or two if
they've chewed something dangerous. Those puppy visits can add up (on top of
what you paid for the dog!). Your donation to the rescue when adopting an older
pup should get you a dog with all shots current, already altered, heartworm
negative and on preventative at the minimum.
How big will that
puppy be? What kind of temperament will he have? Will he be easily trained?
Will his personality be what you were hoping for? How active will he be? When
adopting an older dog from a rescue, all of those questions are easily
answered. You can pick large or small; active or couch potato; goofy or
brilliant; sweet or sassy. The rescue and its foster homes can guide you to
pick the right match (Rescues are full of puppies who became the wrong match as
they got older!)
When the puppy
isn't teething on your possessions, he will be teething on your children and yourself.
Rescues routinely get calls from panicked parents who are sure their dog is
biting the children. Since biting implies hostile intent and would be a
consideration whether to accept a "give-up", Rescue Groups ask
questions and usually find out the dog is being nippy. Parents are often too
emotional to see the difference; but a growing puppy is going to put everything
from food to clothes to hands in their mouths, and as they get older and bigger
it definitely hurts (and will get worse, if they aren't being corrected
properly.) Most older dogs have "been there, done
that, moved on."
Puppy love is
often no more than an attachment to a look or a color. It is not much of a basis
on which to make a decision that will hopefully last 15+ years. While that
puppy may have been the cutest of the litter; he may grow up to be superactive (when what you wanted was a couch buddy); she
may be a couch princess (when what you wanted was a tireless hiking companion);
he may want to spend every waking moment in the water (while you're a
landlubber); or she may want to be an only child (while you are intending to
have kids or more animals). Pet mis-matches are one
of the top reasons Rescues get "give-up" phone calls. Good rescues do
extensive evaluating of both their dogs and their applicants to be sure that
both dog and family will be happy with each other until death do them part.
With an older
dog, you automatically have a buddy that can go everywhere and do everything
with you NOW. There's no waiting for a puppy to grow up (and then hope he will
like to do what you enjoy.) You will have been able to select the most
compatible dog: one that travels well; one that loves to play with your
friends' dogs; one with excellent house manners that you can take to your
parents' new home with the new carpet and the new couch. You can come come home after a long day's work and spend your time on a
relaxing walk, ride or swim with your new best friend (rather than cleaning up
after a small puppy.)
Dogs who have been uprooted from their happy homes or have not
had the best start in life are more likely to bond very completely and deeply
with their new people. Those who have lost their families through death,
divorce or lifestyle change go through a terrible mourning process. But, once
attached to a new loving family, they seem to want to please as much as
possible to make sure they are never homeless again. Those dogs that are just
learning about the good life and good people seem to bond even deeper. They
know what life on the streets, life on the end of a chain, or worse is all
about, and they revel and blossom in a nurturing, loving environment. Most rescues
make exceptionally affectionate and attentive pets and extremely loyal
companions.
--
Unfortunately,
many folks think dogs that end up in rescue are all genetically and
behaviorally inferior. But, it is not uncommon for Rescue to get $500 dogs that
have either outlived their usefulness or their novelty with impulsive owners
who considered their dog a possession rather than a friend or member of the
family; or simply did not really consider the time, effort and expense needed
to be a dog owner. Not all breeders will accept "returns", so choices
for giving up dogs can be limited to animal welfare organizations, such as
Rescues, or the owners trying to place their own dogs. Good Rescues will
evaluate the dog before accepting him/her (medically, behaviorally, and for
breed confirmation), rehabilitate if necessary, and adopt the animal only when
he/she is ready and to a home that matches and is realistic about the
commitment necessary to provide the dog with the best home possible.
Choosing a rescue
dog over a purchased pup will not solve the pet overpopulation problem (only
responsible pet owners and breeders can do that), but it does give many of them
a chance they otherwise would not have. But, beyond doing a "good
deed", adopting a rescue dog can be the best decision and addition to the
family you ever made. Rescue a dog and get a devoted friend for life.
*Written by Mary Clark at LABRADOR RETRIEVER RESCUE, INC. Permission has been granted to freely reprint and distribute this document as long as LRR, Inc at http://www.lrr.org/ is credited.