Getting a Dog

Posted by TeamCharlie on September 30, 2008 under Wags for Hope | Be the First to Comment

Since I am involved with Wags for Hope, I seem to be called upon whenever a situation with a dog or cat arises in our neighborhood.  Recently I was summoned by a lady who wanted to rehome her Labradoodle.  She has two children (approx. ten and eight) and a husband.  She asked if I could help.  I saw this coming as a result of our last conversation about her dog.  They were having chewing issues among other things.  I asked her why she wanted to get rid of the animal and she said that it was because the dog sees noone for most of the day (both parents work) the dog is very hyper when they come home.  The breeder had told them the dog would not get larger than 60 lbs., but at 8 months it was already 85 lbs.  Her kids have sports after school, and “the dog is too big to take along, so this just exacerbates it’s hyperactiveness when we get home again.”  In addition, “Labradoodles aren’t supposed to shed” but this one does.  I asked if the dog could be returned to the breeder.  Most good breeders have it in their contract that they do get returned to them before they end up in a shelter or get rehomed with an inappropriate family.  She said that he would take the dog back, but “he’s Amish and he has all kinds of dogs running around – my dog would be one of many and would have to fend for himself.”

In her defense, she came to me because she didn’t want the dog to end up in the “pound” as she called it, and was concerned enough about the dog that she wanted to ensure a good home for it.  I don’t like using my Wags email list for personal things such as this, but I do know that these are the best people in the county as far as dog ownership is concerned, and I know that if one of them adopted the dog it would stay there and live out a very happy life.  For the sake of the dog then, I sent out the request.  As of this writing, she has some interested parties but I do not believe the dog has been rehomed yet.

So let’s revisit some of her statements about not wanting the dog – maybe we can see what went wrong.  1 – The dog sheds.  I just Googled “Labradoodle shed” and came up with this web site that tells me that “almost half of all first generation Labradoodles don’t shed or shed lightly.”  What does the other half do I wonder?  The point here is that a little research could have at least lowered the expectations about this before they got the dog in the first place. 2 - The dog is hyper when we come home.  Of course it is!  A dog needs to be walked and/or exercised daily.  Let’s see what the web site says about this: “Labradoodles require a moderate amount of exercise…They are social dogs and they are happiest when they are with people.”  3 – The dog weighs 85 lbs.  From the web site: “Medium [Labradoodles are] 18-21 inches and weigh between 30 lbs and 45 lbs. Standard [Labradoodles are] 22+ inches The typical mature weight is 45-75 lbs.  Some standard labradoodles are even larger and can weigh over 90 lbs.”  4 – I didn’t want to give the dog back to the breeder because of its living conditions.  Why would anyone adopt from such a breeder in the first place?

My point here is that research (that took me all of three seconds to locate) could have told them that particular dog might not have been right for their family.  And now the dog will have to be uprooted which could be devastating not only to the animal but to the children as well.

So, I highly recommend that before anyone adopts an animal to do some research beforehand.  The internet makes this very convenient.  A dog (or cat) is not a robot that will fit into one’s lifestyle perfectly and completely.  The animal will provide unconditional love and unending pleasure to everyone in the family, but you may have to adjust to meet the needs of the animal (just as you do your children).  One must consider if they can afford the vet bills, food, flea and tick prevention medicine, etc.  If there is to be noone about the house for a vast portion of the day, then maybe a cat would be a better choice.  If you get an animal from a breeder, do some research on them first.  Visit their home where they keep the animals.  If it is dirty, unkempt, or just doesn’t look right to you, then move on.  Investigate a breed club that matches the breed you are looking for.  Talk to other breeders and dog owners.  That is the best place to find reliable breeders.   A good breeder will ask you the right questions to help prevent you from making a mistake in the first place.  They are much better off selling an animal to the right home than to have to rehome the animal later.  And above all NEVER buy a puppy from a pet store.  They typically come from “puppy mills.” Due to the lack of care they generally receive, they can rack up some severe vet bills from the onset.

Many people want a puppy and also want a purebred for whatever reason.  We got Charlie (a Bernese Mountain dog) when he was 8 weeks old.  I’ve never seen anything cuter.  It was a lot of work, taking him to puppy school (which is critical to the success of the relationship), house training him (which meant getting up in the middle of the night like you would for a baby), teaching him not to chew on things, etc.  In 8 short weeks from when we got him, he was MUCH bigger and although he was technically still a puppy he didn’t look like it any more.  We have no regrets about what we did, but just know that it is much more work to own a puppy and the “puppy fuzz” goes very quickly. 

You may want to consider locating a rescue group for the breed that you are interested in.  The word “rescue” has the stigma that the animal came from horrible surroundings and was traumatized – thus had to be “rescued” from where it came from.  Although that is true in some instances, it is not always the case.  We got on the rescue list for Bernese Mountain dogs within our Berner club because we wanted Charlie to have a companion.  It took a while (less than a year) but we came across Lily, who was a finished champion show dog.  She had difficulty delivering her first litter so the owners wanted her fixed and rehomed.  All we had to pay was the fee to have her fixed, and I cannot say how much we love that dog.  I never thought I would love an animal as much as I do Charlie, but Lily is right up there with him.  She has a totally different personality and we all love her.  There were absolutely no adjustment issues, other than the fact that she was a bit nervous for the first few days because she didn’t understand what was going on.

So far we have discussed only purebred dogs. This is because the example was a purebred (if you can call a labradoodle a purebred.)  I highly recommend getting a dog from a shelter.  You can sometimes find purebreds – in fact at the Frederick County shelter you can be on a watch list for certain breeds and they will call you so you can preview the animal before anyone else does.  Mixed breeds are great too.  They generally live longer, have fewer health issues and are just as loyal.  Most of the animals from the shelter are housetrained, and some even obedience trained.  Many would already have been “fixed” so you do not have that expense.  The workers at the shelter are very knowledgable about animals and can also help put the right animal in your home.  The cost of course is MUCH less for a shelter animal.  Purebreds can cost thousands up front whereas the shelter charges only $96.50 to adopt an animal.

The main point I’m trying to convey is that with animal ownership comes work and some sacrifice.  The more you know up front the better chance you have to be successful.  Do the research first and make sure you are ready for this commitment.  It will in the end save you money, grief and perhaps reward you with a relationship with an animal you never thought was possible.