# Finding a shelter dog



## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I'm helping a friend find a dog that will adapt to apartment living. She has a few basic requirements. The dog must be small, quiet and healthy. Because other residents of the apartment complex own dogs, she can't bring a sick dog into her building. She wants a dog that will adapt to a crate if necessary, but plans to eventually have the dog loose in her home when she's gone. Also one that doesn't need a lot of grooming or a heavy shedder. This is an over-55 complex, so there will be elderly residents around, which is another reason to find a calm, quiet dog.

I started with rescue groups, but surprisingly didn't hear back from any of them on the dogs I selected from their sites, and concluded that particular type of dog must be snapped up quickly. My next solution was to suggest she foster for a local animal shelter until she finds the dog she wants. I've never done this before, as all of my fosters and rescues have come through a reputable rescue group. However, those rescues only handle large dogs (GSDs and comparable breeds). In talking to people who pull from shelters, I'm finding that a large number of those dogs are sick, especially the type I'm looking for. She told me she wasn't in a rush to get a dog, but now that she's made the decision, she wants to get a dog right away, so I'm concerned if she fosters a dog that isn't quite right, she'll get attached to it anyway. So, where do I start and what do I do next?


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

Since there are specific attributes that the dog must have in order for a good match with your friend, I would urge her to NOT adopt directly from a shelter. There are too many unknowns with a direct-from-shelter adoption.

Have your friend contact rescues herself and get the application process completed well before looking at particular dogs. It sounds like she is looking at an in-demand breed? If that is the case, there could literally be 100+ of interested people for every available dog. The best bet for your friend is to be all set up, approved and ready when the right dog comes along.

It is hard to wait, I know! But getting in a hurry is the quickest way to make a mistake that can be very difficult to undo. Good luck!
Sheilah


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

She's looking for a small, quiet, dog, on the younger side, but no specific breeds. She would consider a mixed breed. I'm doing all the research for her as she's not comfortable with internet searches and doesn't know how to manage all of that aspect. I heard back from the first rescue who said the dog I liked for her was adopted immediately at that event. It sounds like the size and temperament are in demand. I found a site that is a clearing house for all rescues (I'm not sure if I can post a link), which lists many different dogs that would fit her needs. However, it also means she would have to fill out a very long application for several rescue groups and have them all visit her home before she could adopt from one of them. I hate to limit her to just one group, especially since I'm not familiar with any but one (and I don't like their methods, so I can't recommend them to her).


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

LuvShepherds said:


> She's looking for a small, quiet, dog, on the younger side, but no specific breeds.


In most situations, this kind of dog is going to be considered highly adoptable. Since that is the case, she is going to need to bite the bullet and fill out multiple applications and probably have multiple home visits as each rescue follows up on each application. Assuming, of course, that she wants to increase her chances of finding the right dog sooner rather than later. If time isn't as much of a consideration, then just going with one rescue and waiting as long as it takes for an appropriate dog to become available would be the way to go. 

You can do some of the leg work, but at some point your friend is going to have to step up and follow through herself. No reputable rescue is going to let a friend do all the work, regardless of how technologically inept the actual adopter is. They will want to deal directly with the adopter and not a third party.

Maybe you could review rescues that have the type of dogs that your friend is looking for, and then pass on the applications for the best two or three to your friend so she can fill them out and submit them? That way you're helping your friend weed through an overwhelming number of possibilities, and yet she is the one to follow through? Make sure she let the rescues know that she is also putting in applications elsewhere and give the reason why. 

Again, though, I would urge your friend to not adopt directly from a shelter. It is just too difficult to adequately evaluate dogs in shelters. Dogs that are totally overwhelmed by the noise and stress of a shelter might never even whimper while there, but will turn into barking machines once in a home where they can relax enough to allow behaviors to emerge. Younger dogs are given often arbitrary breed/mix designations, only to grow much, much bigger than thought. It happens all the time.

Good luck to your friend. I hope she finds just the right dog!
Sheilah


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Thank you for the confirmation that we should go through a rescue and not a shelter. I just checked out the website of a rescue organization that holds adoption days at a nearby pet store and found a dog that would be just perfect for her. She's tiny, around 10 lbs, a lap dog, and so far doesn't have a foster. I heard from someone else that this group gives first preference to fosters (I guess they all do) and never has enough (also seems to be common, sadly), so I emailed the woman, explained the situation, asked if my friend can fill out a printed application, and will take it from there. This group knows me and my shadow dog (my youngest dog who goes everywhere with me), since I run into them all the time at various local community events. 

I'm glad I took the time to do more searching. I agree, at some point, she needs to step in and make the decisions, but since she hasn't owned a dog in years, she wants some back up. I'm going to work with her on training and socializing. She even asked me to go with her to buy a leash and a bed for the dog. She wants everything in place when she brings a dog home. I think this rescue provides all that, so she'll need to find out.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Where is your friend located?


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

Rescue is better because it is hard to know whether a shelter dog is going to be quiet.
As to shelter dogs being sick and getting dogs in the building sick, that is a somewhat strange notion. Shelter dogs can have kennel cough (it does not depend of the type of the dog), which is similar to the human cold. A human with a cold will not get other people in the building sick (unless they are touchy - kissy) and the same goes for dogs. With a little dog it is easy to avoid direct contact that transfers an infection (even picking the dog up). 
People who foster dogs bring shelter dogs into their own home all the time and manage not getting the resident dogs sick with every new dog.
A sick dog needs treatment and every dog will get sick from time to time. Owners have to be able and willing to handle this.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

RebelGSD said:


> A sick dog needs treatment and every dog will get sick from time to time. Owners have to be able and willing to handle this.


I don't disagree, however, this is her first dog in a long time and she wants to start out with as much going her way as possible. I heard back from one of the rescue groups I contacted. They have a dog she can foster-to-own, who has been in the rescue for 8 weeks (the dog came to them with a litter of puppies so they had to wait to spay) and is healthy. It's a perfect situation for her, if she decides she wants to go with this dog. The rescue group provides ongoing support if she needs it. She also knows another family who just adopted from the same group, so she can learn from their experience, too. 

She thought their price was high, but I explained to her that includes the spaying, deworming, vaccinations and a chip, all of which would cost as much or more than they are charging. And it's a non profit group.


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## mebully21 (Nov 18, 2011)

if she fosters she can test drive each dog until she finds the right one, AND spare a shelter dog euthansia at the same time.. 
all dogs will bark, it depends on how much the dog barks especially if living in an apt complex. some complexes like mine have dog buildings, where dog owners all live in the same buildings so the non dog owners cant complain about barking


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I found another rescue group that primarily handles owner surrenders, so they have information about the dogs. They have a large roster of available, young dogs. We're going to meet with them on the weekend and take it from there.

I know what I look for in a dog. Does anyone have suggestions on what else to ask and how to evaluate when she meets several that could all work?


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