# Breed Rescue OR "The Pound"?



## Benny Boo's Mommy (Nov 18, 2013)

Recently, I was at the dog park with my 1.5 year old GSD, Ben, when another dog parker asked me where I'd gotten him. I told her we'd gotten him from the pound, or animal control (yes, a kill shelter) about nine months ago. She had just finished commenting on what a "good boy" he was with her mini schnauzer, but when I said he was from the pound she said, "wow, you really took a chance, getting a big dog like that from the pound." Then she just walked off.

I felt somewhat judged by that remark. I thought I had done the right thing by waiting until my son was 11 years old to get a dog. Obviously, I am not going to get rid of my dog because someone criticized my getting him from the pound; however, is going with a rescue better than getting a dog from the local animal control? 

He WAS a lot of "start up" work, beyond regular training, because he was quite ill when we got him. Probably 2-3 months of rehabilitating because of his emaciation and other physical neglect issues (rashes, infections, etc). But now that he is healthy he is such a joy to have. He's got steady nerves, is good with other dogs, and loves kids. His biggest problems are separation anxiety (still!) and barking in the car when we are about to park. (Obv we don't leave him in there, but he goes nuts when he is about to get out). But no dog is perfect, so I don't see that as "deal breakers".

Don't breed rescues also pick up dogs from county animal shelters/animal control? I fully support rescues, but I don't know why getting a pound puppy is wrong. Should I get my next dog from a breed rescue? (Now that I have Ben, I'm totally in love with the GSD breed. He's my first GSD and our first family dog.)

Thoughts?


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## My2shepherds (Jun 10, 2014)

I personally think you should be proud of the decision you made. You gave your heart to a pup that may not have had another chance. You saved his life and your reward will be his unconditional love for the rest of his life. It doesn't get any better than that..


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

What an idiot! Pound dogs are the best. I adopted my GSD from the shelter. In many areas only the nicest dogs make it to the adoption floor. Rescues do evaluate dogs prior to taking them into rescue, but the majority of those dogs come from shelters.

Thank you for saving Ben. He sounds like an awesome boy.


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## Audie1 (May 31, 2014)

This is precisely why I rarely discuss my dog with anyone when I'm out with her. Folks are just so darn judgmental.


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

Most rescue dogs are pound pulls  ateast here they are.

She made a snarky comment based on judgemental nonsense, do not let it get to you- I found myself on the end of silly nasty comments, i took a pic of tyson tugging once and my lord ! bc he is a rescue dog, i was teaching him to kill kill kill lol all based on me playing a game with him.

Just chalk it up to an misinformed person making snyde comments bc they are ignorant to the reality of how amazing rescues can be and move on.


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## Benny Boo's Mommy (Nov 18, 2013)

Thanks for the comments. I was taken aback by the change in attitude from her, especially as she had been asking how old he was, saying how handsome he was, and like I posted before, that he seemed really good with small dogs (he IS--he is quite dog friendly). Also, there are lots of rescue dogs at that dog park and lots of rescue advocates too which is why it seemed very startling that someone would feel my choice was not right.

It was my impression that rescue and shelter dogs, though not the same are at least similar. I guess the local animal control is actually just trying to reduce the number of dogs on the street or whatever the county mandate is, so probably that's a difference. Anyway, I doubt I could get a GSD from a rescue right now. We don't have a fenced yard, and won't for another year or so. We take him to the dog park every day, sometimes twice a day--but the yard is a requirement for most GSD rescues in the area. I've since researched this because I want another GSD in the future. I know the next GSD we have will have a different personality, but I've totally fallen in love with the breed!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

You did take a chance by getting a dog out of a pound. I think that wherever we get our dog, we are taking a chance. Getting a puppy is a crap shoot because of how it may develop structurally and temperament wise. But many people, especially with kids feel that it is the way to go, because then the dog is raised around children and can be less likely to be a problem down the road.

A good rescue will foster the dog for some time -- more time than the typical couple of weeks where the dog is still uncertain and on his best behavior -- not showing the problems he may have had in his original family. Sometimes when dogs relax and are acclimated to an environment and that can take a month or more, they then start laying out their more comfortable behaviors. So a good rescue will have fostered him until they feel he is relaxed and then expose him to kitties and children and babies and boys with baseball caps and men with beards and old people with walkers. And if there are problems, they will either work with the dog, or they will at least let you know about them.

The pound may or may not give your dog a temperament test. I have seen some and thought know what would most GSDs pass. They have a rubber arm that they put around and into the food bowl, and if a dog has been starved, that may not go over good. And they expose the dog to a doll. Well, what is a doll but a stuffed toy, really. They determine by that whether the dog is aggressive to children? For pounds that have this kind of testing, those dogs that pass are probably pretty good dogs. And the ones that don't may be held for rescues or just put down. I suppose it is better than no testing at all. But it is also dependent on how the dog is feeling right then and there, having suddenly been ripped out of his previous life and put into a cage with all kinds of other dogs in cages barking and crying and yapping, and well, it can be a terrible ordeal for a family-oriented dog. And maybe the relief of being in a room with an individual and not all those barking dogs, might not give accurate results. And maybe being totally shut down from being in the situation won't give accurate results. Again it is better than nothing.

So it depends on the shelter/pound and it depends on the rescue, and in getting a puppy or retired breeding dog/adult dog from a breeder, it depends on them. It is always a risk. 

If you love your dog, and you have trained your dog, you are comfortable with your dog, and your dog is comfortable within his skin, then you have done an excellent job and saved a critter. What someone with a little dog thinks about that doesn't really matter.


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## Benny Boo's Mommy (Nov 18, 2013)

Whoa! Since when is "tug" teaching your dog to kill? That's an extreme view. Would it be different if your dog were a different breed or smaller, do you think?

I don't know if it happens where you live, but I feel like a lot of people/strangers have strong feelings about GSDs. Positive and negative. I don't meet a lot of "indifferent" people, lol. We dog park a lot because of our no yard issue, but we also just take him everywhere possible. We get everything from clusters of small children petting him outside the Frozen Yogurt shop to people crossing the street/clutching their kids when we're out for walks. :-D

Like I said, I'm a first time dog owner (as an adult), so a lot of this is probably just experience I'm going to have to get used to.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

It was definitely a chance. I got lucky with the pit bull that I pulled from the pound, too, and told many people that. 

I wouldn't consider it an insult - it's a compliment that you got lucky!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

People here tend to think that tug is a good confidence builder, let the dog win, good exercise, and fun, will build the bond between the owner and the dog, etc, build muscle, build drive. And that is what they want. Strong, confident, drivey dogs to be active with and to train.

Even my instructor, who has a shepherd and other formidable dogs, will tell her new class, only tug if you can take it away from the dog. You make the rules, you play or put it away kind of stuff. I think in general, the opinion is that tug will instill in your dog a desire to overturn the leadership -- if the dog knows he is stronger than you, he will take full advantage of that. 

Tug isn't my thing. But after such rave reviews here, I have this 18 month old pup I got back. A neutered boy who is big and lanky and loves to play. Anyway, one of his toys is a rope with a couple of plush things, so I decided I would try to play tug with him. No way. He won't. If I pull on it at all, he gives it right up to me. He loves to chase and will bring it back, but he doesn't care for playing tug. 

I guess I will have to find a new candidate to try out whether tugging makes a difference in the relationship. Cujo II is not a tugger.


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## Benny Boo's Mommy (Nov 18, 2013)

Hi Selzer--

Thanks for posting! No, the pound I got him from didn't do any temperament testing. He was just in a cage with five other dogs and they said he had been picked up the day before. We went in to visit him several times for a week, though, and tried to gauge him with our son too. Our dog was VERY starved and sick though, and VERY listless, so we couldn't tell very much. He wasn't even walking around very well, but he seemed gentle.

He has never been food aggressive, luckily. We can take his food away from him (even my son). He also lets us brush his teeth.  We did have to cure him of nipping our son's jean cuffs and "herding," but that wasn't as bad as I've heard it can be--and he's really good about letting our son hug him and snuggle on him. 

His back story seems to be a mystery. He had been picked up as a stray--no collar, no microchip, no tattoos. 

We think maybe someone lost him. He was already housebroken (we discovered) and seemed to know "sit" fairly well. He was horribly starved, but it seems like nobody had hurt him, because he isn't fearful (not naturally anyway--he was a bit uncertain the first couple of weeks we had him, but he warmed up fast). We have noticed that he is particularly attracted to older, heavyset men--he always runs up to that type of guy at the dog park and is REALLY happy--so we think maybe his previous owner was an older and probably stout man. 

Recently we found out that he has an old knee injury. The vet says he might have been hit by a car while he was a stray, as he has a bunch of scar tissue on that knee. So with all those clues, the best we can come up with is he must have gotten lost and then gotten hurt and then was starving bc he was injured. When we first got him, I thought he wasn't walking around bc he was so starved, but maybe his injury was still bothering him. Now, months later, he runs everywhere and loves jumping for the frisbee, thank goodness.

Still, I see your point about temperament testing! I guess he could have been anything once he was healthy again. That's definitely a plus for rescue over animal shelter. Maybe that's what that lady meant too--just that it's luck of the draw at the shelter. Next time I will definitely consider the rescue organization too, for that very reason! We weren't in the market for a puppy, but I have nothing against buying from a reputable breeder. 

Since we got Ben we've been doing more research on the breed. Everywhere I read says they are not a breed for first timers, but he's really worked out for us. But seems like maybe he had a family before and so he's been socialized.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful response! I appreciate it!


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

Oh gosh there seems to be just no end to people being misinformed (not to mention kinda rude). Pay people like that no mind. When you rescue a dog, especially a neglected one who needs nurturing and special care, you are a hero in my book, no matter WHERE you rescued the dog from. Your boy is one of the lucky ones. Many blessings to you, take care.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Benny Boo's Mommy said:


> Recently, I was at the dog park with my 1.5 year old GSD, Ben, when another dog parker asked me where I'd gotten him. I told her we'd gotten him from the pound, or animal control (yes, a kill shelter) about nine months ago. She had just finished commenting on what a "good boy" he was with her mini schnauzer, but when I said he was from the pound she said, "wow, you really took a chance, getting a big dog like that from the pound." Then she just walked off.
> 
> I felt somewhat judged by that remark. I thought I had done the right thing by waiting until my son was 11 years old to get a dog. Obviously, I am not going to get rid of my dog because someone criticized my getting him from the pound; however, is going with a rescue better than getting a dog from the local animal control?
> 
> ...


That was silly of her.

I've had the opposite side of the coin happen to me when I am out with my girl. Someone will be gushing over how gorgeous she is and will then ask if I rescued her. I say no. The person then looks like they smelled something bad and the puppy they couldn't get over a second ago is now unworthy of further attention.

It doesn't matter whether you went to a rescue or shelter or breeder in my book, as long as you do your best by your dog and everyone in your household is happy.


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## Skywalkers Mom (Oct 26, 2012)

I adopted my GSD from a no kill shelter. Ive had many different dogs. My dog of 13 yrs had a cancerous tumor in her stomache. Non operable. I kept her as long as i could. It grew and grew and had to put her down when she did not have any quality of life. Waited 1 1`/2 yr and got my dog son. He was 20 months old. He was potty trained(1st ive had that was)and so eager to go and see and learn and lovey dovey. Had some aggression due to being scared, so took him everywhere and introduced him the world. I noticed he shook his head alot. Then scratching at ears. I took him to vet thinking he picked up foxtail. But was told he had a bad infection deep in ears that had to have been there since before I got him. Meds later, great son addition. Adopt or buy, doesnt matter, the animal matters.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I adopted my male GSD, my oldest female (non gsd) and one of my cats (the rest of the cats were strays) from the same shelter. Never any problems with any of them. Even if I were to run into a problem with one down the road, I wouldn't give up on thd dog and it wouldn't stop me from going back for another one. My female GSD is from Craigslist. I get compliments in both everywhere I go. When I tell people where I got them they are more on the shocked side , because of the good behavior they display. I have never had anyone bd rude either way.


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## sunsets (Oct 25, 2012)

I picked my GSD up from a horse pasture. He was a hot mess - long neglected, underweight, hypothyroid, and sporting a horrendous yeast infection.

His "temperment tests" were as follows: 
1)grab him and give him a bath before stuffing him in the back of my Outback. He passed. 

2) Stick him in the backyard and let my cat introduce himself. Passed again.

I realize I was very lucky, things could have gone much worse. On the other hand, I'm glad I listened to my gut instinct - something in that dog's face made me want to take him home and give him a chance, and I am certainly glad I did!


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## d4lilbitz (Dec 30, 2013)

I've had four German Shepherds in my household. Three of the four have come from kill shelters. For various reasons the rescues passed them up. Their ages and order of pull at the time of me pulling them were a male 1.5 yrs old, female 9 yrs old, and male 3 yrs old. I adopted the first one, the senior female was a foster failure who passed away this year and the third was adopted by a family a month ago. All three are amazing dogs, LOVED kids. The male who was adopted out looked very intimidating. His on-line picture was not good; as a result....no inquiries. He had the best personality. By me fostering him I gave him that opportunity at happiness. With some good pictures and a bio, he had over 14 inquiries for him!

As mentioned above, when adopting any dog people are taking a chance as you sometimes have no history on the dog. The best thing I tell people when considering a rescue dog is to be honest with the shelter/rescue and yourselves about your lifestyle and what you are looking for in a dog. That gives you the best chance at finding what you're looking for. Your boy sounds like a fantastic dog! Be proud of what your family has been able to do with him and for him. Some people have opinions about breeds without ever taking the opportunity to learn about them. Congrats again with your success!


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

She could have been more sensitive in her remarks but I'd just take it as "yeah, I'm brave but I picked carefully, knew what I was doing -- so if she wants to give me a purple heart, well, I'll be OK with that even if I think I am undeserving." 

People who see me with my dogs before they're two yo generally think I'm a raging idiot. Once they turn two, I have a pretty good handle on them.

Frankly, one is taking a chance with any dog, any puppy they get anywhere. Little or big. I guess she doesn't think a mini schnauzer (usually obnoxious little dogs because after all they are terriers) was any sort of a problem. Oh little does she know! 

I suppose the diffusing remark would have been "You don't think schnauzers can be a challenge then?" Perhaps congratulate her on managing his "sparring" which is part of the characteristics of terriers.... But hindsight is wonderful. 

You got a great dog, you are happy with him, you did a bunch of things right. Pick up that purple heart!!


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## Benny Boo's Mommy (Nov 18, 2013)

Thanks for all the encouraging replies, everyone! 

I think I probably just need to not take everything serious when I'm out and about with my dog. This is my first time with the breed and I'm just getting used to all the commentary that goes with it. It seems like 9 out of 10 people at the dog park or other public place have opinions about German Shepherds. Not to say that our experiences are usually bad. They aren't. In fact, today someone commented that "everybody seemed to know" our dog at the park as he was greeted by name several times. Of course it's a little community dog park, so probably the regulars all know each other, but it is true that he makes an impression on people because he's a good-natured boy but also probably because he's a large and recognizable breed.

I'm glad to hear your rescue dog stories! There are a lot of good ones out there!


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## Susan_GSD_mom (Jan 7, 2014)

Actually, I'm thinking this remark was more a negative on the fact that he is a GSD--"a big dog like that"--than a negative on the fact that you got a dog from the pound. I have a neighbor, an elderly lady who has a small "designer mix", and at least once a week I have to hear "I just don't know why you like such big dogs..." In every other way she is a sweet lady of 84, so I just ignore it. 

So don't let the remark bother you--you did a wonderful thing, especially not giving up on him because of his health issues. You know the calibre dog you have, don't let anyone convince you otherwise!

Susan


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

If I don't go to a breeder again, I'd prefer the next dog to come from the pound as they don't freak out that I have an intact dog, like the local GSD rescue does.


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