Resources for owning a used dog?

[Natalie]

Bf and I have been working on adopting a dog for a few month's now. All of the sudden he is panicking about the realities of owning a dog, so I thought I would find some books about owning an pre-owned dog to allay some of his feelings on unpreparedness.*

What I'm looking for is books specifically about getting an adult dog, maybe with first-time-dog-owner information. Breed specific books/websites aren't terribly helpful because we haven't chosen one specific breed. The dog will be small, however (under 40 lbs, probably).

*We were at the humane society yesterday and almost took one home, except something seemed really off about the specific dog we were looking at. I guess coming close to bringing a dog home that day scared him a bit.

[Ryda Wong, EBfCo.]

The two best ones I know of are Adopt the Perfect Dog by Gwen Bailey and Second-Hand Dog by Carol Lee Benjamin.

I would narrow down what breeds/mixes you are interested in, though.

Remember that a Fox Terrier is very different in terms of training, temperment, instinct, etc. than a greyhound than a collie than a pom, etc.

Now, granted, even with purebreds, those aren't written in stone, but they are often helpful guides, even with mixed-breeds.

[Banrion]

Here is a short article from the Humane Society encouraging older pet adoption. Not a whole ton of practical detail, but hits on the major points.

[LizzyBean]

I'm afraid I don't have much to add, other than good for you for adopting a puppy instead of buying one!

I do have to say the image of a used/previously owned dog is making me giggle.

[rhiandmoi]

Pre-owned dogs are the best. All mine have come housetrained, fixed, and up to date on their shots. It is actually a very easy way to get started with dogs. Also, their personalities are more known, so when you go to the shelter you can know more what you are getting. I would never get a puppy personally, they are just way too much work.

Things to look for in a pre-owned dog are: history of abuse, fear behaviors, and any signs that they might have an untreated condition (limps, funny smells, etc). Other than that, getting a pre-owned dog is as easy is going to the shelter and seeing which dog wants to live with you.

[Natalie]

Originally Posted by Ryda Wong, EBfCo.

The two best ones I know of are Adopt the Perfect Dog by Gwen Bailey and Second-Hand Dog by Carol Lee Benjamin.

I would narrow down what breeds/mixes you are interested in, though.

We have narrowed it down to a few different breeds (3), mostly due to the size of our home (small apartment) and bf's mild dog allergies. If anyone's curious, those breeds are poodle, maltese, and bichon. A mix of one of those dogs and another small dog would be okay if the dog has inherited it's hair from one of the three breeds.

The dog we visited at the Humane Society was a bichon/mystery terrier cross and it didn't trigger an allergic response in bf. If it hadn't had a bizarre personality, I would probably have a dog today.

I'll see if the library has copies of those books. I think they've got the info I'm looking for.

Originally Posted by rhiandmoi

Pre-owned dogs are the best. All mine have come housetrained, fixed, and up to date on their shots. It is actually a very easy way to get started with dogs.

This is how I feel, too. Puppies actually scare the crap out of me. Aside from the fact that they pee everywhere and chew things and so forth, I'm not terribly comfortable with not knowing what the puppy will be like in size, temperment, intelligence, and so forth. Obviously a good purebred will be pretty predictable, but a shelter puppy is like a puppy grab bag. No thank you.

[Nana M]

Most shelters will allow you to visit with a dog you like and take it for a walk. If you can walk it around other dogs, that's a bonus since you can then see how the dog will behave with others.

ALL our dogs except one have been shelter dogs. Our Wolf X is now going on 14, which means we've had him for 13 years. You couldn't ask for a better companion/guard dog/livestock/extra large lap dog if you'd put in a special order. Something about shelter dogs just makes them special if you take the time to allow the right one to select you.

[Linnea]

Originally Posted by Natalie

This is how I feel, too. Puppies actually scare the crap out of me. Aside from the fact that they pee everywhere and chew things and so forth, I'm not terribly comfortable with not knowing what the puppy will be like in size, temperment, intelligence, and so forth. Obviously a good purebred will be pretty predictable, but a shelter puppy is like a puppy grab bag. No thank you.

Last february, we got a puppy. Before him, we'd only rescued adult dogs. He was adorable. He was sweet. I wanted to shake him until he was about 8 months old. He's my best buddy now, but I am never getting another puppy. I'd much rather work with a damaged adult than deal with housebreaking, chewed furniture and not feeling able to leave the house for more than an hour or so at a time.

[Horse Chestnut]

I was a little concerned about adopting an adult dog. I thought maybe they wouldn't bond with me as well as one I had raised from a pup. Boy was I wrong! I call my little Birdie the 'Cling-a-nator". He was a little lost and confused the first day I brought him home, but now he is my shadow, and is as loving as any dog I ever raised from puppyhood.

When I first got Birdie from the shelter I told someone: "I don't know if he is the dog I wanted, but he's the dog I got." Now you couldn't offer me a million dollars for him.

[Cervus]

Originally Posted by rhiandmoi

Pre-owned dogs are the best. All mine have come housetrained, fixed, and up to date on their shots.

Wow, you're lucky. I once worked for a vet who ran her own adoption agency, and Gateway - the dog I adopted - was one of only three shelter dogs we ever had who was housetrained. Half of them didn't even know how to walk on a leash even as adults. Nearly all of them were given up because of behavioral problems. If you find a shelter dog who's already trained, that's a great bonus.

[StillandSilent]

I don't have any suggestions for literature, but you should make an effort to speak to the kennel staff, who work directly with the dogs every day. They are going to be your best bet in finding the perfect one. In some shelters, those are the same as the "adoption counselors" and in some they are not.
Also, you may do well to look at dogs who are being privately fostered in normal homes. A lot of times, they are there for specific behavorial reasons (unless the organization is foster based), but the foster parent will know everything about them.
I could go on for days about the crazy Schnauzer I'm fostering right now.

[Natalie]

Originally Posted by StillandSilent

I don't have any suggestions for literature, but you should make an effort to speak to the kennel staff, who work directly with the dogs every day. They are going to be your best bet in finding the perfect one. In some shelters, those are the same as the "adoption counselors" and in some they are not.
Also, you may do well to look at dogs who are being privately fostered in normal homes. A lot of times, they are there for specific behavorial reasons (unless the organization is foster based), but the foster parent will know everything about them.
I could go on for days about the crazy Schnauzer I'm fostering right now.

(This sort of turned into a rant. Apparently I'm a touch frustrated with a few specific organizations...)

We've had mixed results with both of these.

The Humane Society here is very nice - well funded, well run, lots of animals adopted out. The dogs are well cared for and there are nice places to visit with each specific animal. There are new animals every day and it's not because the old ones are euthanized (animals to be euthanized aren't put out on the adoption floor).

That said, the volunteers are rather hit or miss as far as actually knowing anything about an individual animal. Part of the problem is that lots of people adopt from the HS, so each individual dog isn't there very long. (Apparently people are trucking homeless dogs up to MN to adopt them out, because pet adoption rates here are very high.) Bf and I can only go on weekends, when the HS is way more busy, and finding a knowledgeable person can be difficult. I'm not trashing the HS volunteers, but a 15 year old girl who brings dogs out to the visiting area once a week and hasn't yet learned how to say "I don't know, let me find someone who can help you" isn't the best person to ask for help. Finding actual paid staff is virtually impossible.

The rescues... well, let's just say they are of mixed quality. There are a couple of great rescues in this area. But the majority of them are behaving in a way I consider to be irresponsible.

The main problem is that they adopt dogs out without being fully honest about the dog's temperment, past experiences, or even the dog's level of housebreaking. My best friend is a department manager at a pet store and has seen a slew of dog's returned to a couple of specific rescues because the dog had serious issues that weren't disclosed by the adopters. I'm sure that happens occasionally to the best of rescues, but it seems like a pattern with some of the more active rescues for the breeds we're looking for.

Additionally, it's become trendy for some reason to buy older animals from puppy millers. Personally, I don't get this at all. Yes, one is saving a specific animal from being euthanized, but I feel like it financially supports a practice I'm not in favor of. I can't in good conscience pay a rescue that is going to turn around and essentially invest that money in puppy mills. Possibly related, these rescues also charge about $100 more per animal than the rescues that I like.

Best friend has recommended a couple of specific rescues, and I check their sites and the HS site regularly. If it comes down to it, best friend volunteered at the HS for 5-ish years and might still know the vet there, so we may be able to connect with that person. Finding potential dogs has been difficult, but I recognize that it's because of our particular requirements. We can wait.