spiritsmom
Posted : 12/29/2008 7:15:04 PM
My last class is tomorrow night to be able to start volunteering at the shelter. I would love to be able to find a dog there one day or even another shelter, or rescue. The whole hang-up with that is I would want an adult, and there are my dogs at home to consider. I can and will d o puppyhood if I have to, I surely have the time right now, and alot of times I think I would just like to start from scratch with a puppy and rasie it the way I want it to be. But with a few million dogs out ther that need homes I would really really like to give one a home. Plus a little bit of a mix in there may help with some of the health problems that some purebreds seem to have. The problem with puppies at the shelter is most of the time it is a crap shoot as to what they actually are, or how big they will get. I asked in the shelter class how they decide what they are, and she said they guess, and usually say mix because they can't be sure of what it is.
I guess my experiences so far have made me a little bit more leery than I need to be. The rescue dog we have is a little bit strange, ok a lot. She had no socialization or probably even some abuse as a young puppy and has never gotten over it. The puppes at the shelter can only be gotten out one at a time to prevent the spread of disease until they are 6 months old. SO up to then they have no socialization except in the puppy room, out back to potty and whoever is handling them. SO I see a puppy in the shelter about 6 months old and I wonder if I'm going to take home another Bear. He has had very little socialization and an unknown past before he came there.
Kota seemed like a perfectly healthy puppy, then her health problems began to surface and she cost me a small fortune over the next 10 years. My main concern is those two things when it comes to any rescue or shelter dog. Health and prior socialization. I have looked through dog breeds, reading about them online, just to kind of get familiar with some of the charactieristics of the ones I'm fond of so I know if one falls into my lap, I know if I should be interested or not.
I am just all over the place right now in deciding what I would like to have, that is why I'm not out actively looking for a dog. If I didn't like big dogs it would be easier. I know a lot of big dogs develop joint problems later in life. What I don't want is one who develops them at 3 like Kota did. By the time she was 5 her activities were already limited, and I had to leave her at home a lot of the time.
I really appreciate all the replies. It really does help. Julie