Buying a dog versus adopting a dog.

I bought Milo. The night before I picked him up, I pulled in the driveway around 11pm and there was a yellow lab (looked just like Milo now that he's older) sitting right where I park just staring at me. I got out and managed to get him by his collar and got him some water. He drank a bit but was still really nervous and was limping (assuming a torn ACL which is super common for labs). He ended up limping away from me as I tried to grab him again. I walked behind him for a while but couldn't get ahold of him as he was too freaked out. Didn't want to chase him too far with the hopes he'd come back.

He was wearing tags and I tried calling the owner and the line was disconnected. (town was located about 20mi over the mountain from me so he was far from home)

I still think about this all the time and not sure if it's a "sign". For the 24 years I'd lived in that house, nothing like this happened, and it was strange it happened the night before I got Milo, not to mention also a yellow lab.

Next dog will be a rescue.

Here's Milo about 6 months post ACL surgery.

 

This is Sam, he is a rescue I adopted about 5 years ago. First owner apparently abused him, and was rescued by a second person, who left him tied out all the time. He was put online for adoption, and I was able to meet him and we connected right away... he was known to be very shy and fearful, but when I went to meet him, he ran up to me and curled up in my lap.

Adopting a rescue has its challenges. You don't get the fun puppy stage, and they often come with some sort of behavioural issues due to no proper socialization and upbringing. Sam was definitely one of those... he had major anxiety issues and fear. Over the years of owning him, its been a joy to see him come out of his shell and develop a personality. It took a lot of time and effort, but he is defiantly a great dog! It will always be a rescue for me.

Sam is an Australian Cattle dog (blue heeler) for anybody wondering. If you have ever seen the old Mad Max 2 movie... his dog sidekick "Dog" was the same breed.
http://madmax.wikia.com/wiki/"Dog"

PS.... if you have your heart set on a purebred, don't forget there are purebreds that need rescuing too. There are often breed specific rescue groups around.

 

I have a cattle dog mutt that has the same issues. No idea on her background or where she came from. The breed is tough.

 

She is beautiful!!!! And yes, they are tough as nails!
They are so eager to please and smart.

By "Same issues" I assume you mean the fear and separation anxiety? If so, I may be able to offer up some advice on things that helped my guy out if you would like.

 

She is fearful of new people and all dogs at first. She reacts with what most people would think is aggression. We manage her with a prong though and are able to pretty much take her anywhere. He seperation anxiety went away too luckily! We got a second dog and that helped but she wasn’t too bad to begin with, just destroyed stuff lol. We’ve been working on the fear stuff for a while and it’s been a long tough process.

 

My current dog is a rescue. My first rescue, in fact. She's a pit bull mix of some sort. We've done some obedience training and she did ok with that. We're still working on it. She's super fun and very affectionate, but I really need her to stop jumping on people. She's STRONG for a 55 pound dog.

 

I have done both. the last two I bought because I wanted a particular breed. Lately our pounds only have Chihuahua mixes and Pits.

The last dog I adopted was a German Shepard / Boxer mix. He was very smart and was the sweetest dog ever. He would know to play tug of war with a rope easy for a smaller dog and would be very patient when a young one would pull his tail or ears.

He had a good life and when I had to make the decision after 15 years it was very hard. I felt relieved after it was over.

 

I would adopt... Then you're not just getting a dog, you're saving it.

 

Both of mine are rescues. I got my oldest at 7 weeks - his litter was found abandoned in a field. The other I got at 3 months - he was a re-home (I still can’t figure out why).

I love my rescues and I wouldn’t trade them for anything but I always use caution when suggesting a rescue or shelter dog. 90% of them come with some sort of abnormality, minor or major. Someone taking in a rescue needs to be 100% sure they want a dog and can handle the increased burden. Keep in mind most of these animals are in shelters or rescues because someone didn’t want them or treated them like crap.

The one I got at 7 weeks has separation issues. Him and his litter were found at 4 weeks and Mom ran away when they were saved. He latched onto me like glue and isn’t happy if I’m on the other side of a fence or go into a closed room without him. It’s why I ended up getting the other. The second one, must of had owners who didn’t know WTF they were doing because I had to potty train him at 3 months of age when I brought him home.

My other concern with adopting is the fact that it doesn’t prevent future crappy dog owners from buying from breeders. The cycle continues and IMO we’re just enabling the bad system.

I do think mixed breeds are, in general, more healthy than pure breds.

My $0.02. I don’t foresee myself ever steering away from a rescue dog (they really are great) but it’s not for everybody.

 

Both. Two of my current dogs are former stray/shelter dogs, one is from a breeder.
The majority of my dogs have been from rescues or shelters, but I have bought two from breeders. Unfortunately, neither breeder was as reputable as they made themselves out to be. At least the last one does actually do health testing, including DNA genetic mapping tests, but I bought that puppy to do French Ring, and she ended up not having the temperament for it.

If you're going to go the rescue route, make sure it is a reputable rescue, that does thorough temperament evaluation. Even then, you're taking a chance at having behavior problems. Most of the time it stems from lack of socializing, and/or taken from the mom too young, causing separation anxiety, etc.

There's nothing wrong with seeking out a reputable breeder, that does health testing on their dogs, works/titles their dogs, etc.
If someone is looking for a work/sport dog, a reputable breeder is the way to go. You might get lucky with a really good rescue, but most of the time they don't have the right temperament.

The reason there are so many dogs in rescues and shelters is crappy owners who ditch their dogs.

In the 5 years I have kept Belgian Malinois, the number ending up in shelters and rescues has sky rocketed. It's ridiculous. Malinois are the "in breed" now, and byb's are popping up left and right.
I lost count how many times I have seen Malinois puppies (including entire litters) dumped in shelters or rescues because someone decided they were going to breed them, and make money because they're popular. Then the puppies get teeth, and they realize they're in way over their head.
ONE Mal puppy is more than most pet homes could handle, let alone 5-10 puppies.

I have three main Malinois rescues that I support (sending money, buying fundraising items, fostering, etc), and will continue to do so, but there are a handful of reputable Malinois breeders that I will be looking at when I decide I am ready for another puppy.

I have started doing health testing on my dogs. They do high impact sports, so the boys have had their hips and elbows x-rayed, my female will be x-rayed after she's 2 yrs old.
I did a full panel DNA genetic health test on each one of my dogs, and will for any dog/puppy I get from here on out (unless they're cleared by parentage already).
When I started doing the DNA genetic testing, my mixed dog had the most genes that cause diseases, including MDR1, which can be fatal (reactions to a number of medications).
One of my current dogs is a carrier for DM (similar to ALS), and while it was believed to be that only those with 2 copies were at risk, there have been three confirmed cases of dogs that were just carriers end up with DM.

I will always support both reputable breeders and reputable rescues.

 

there are some great pups in this thread!!

 

i'm actually a breeder. i mainly show my dogs. and i bred few times only when I kept pup from the litter for show as well.

all my dogs are health tested, OFA certified, DNA tested. I always tell people to consider adopt first. and buy a dog if you really love the breed. I always make contract with person, in contact with all my buyer, support them for life and become family.

adopting a dog is better for experienced owner. have more patient with training at late age. not really recommend to people who never had dogs. you never know what type of personality your dog will have.
but hey you are saving life like other people said. go for it and make sure not to give them another bad memory.

buying a dog from good breeders benefiting you with lifetime advise, support, worst case they will take your dog back with refund if dog has health problems.

ADOPT ONLY is not really a solution for all these dogs in shelter. Stop buying from mills, stores, back yard breeder is the right way. and fix your dog.

 

I have adopted both of mine and wouldn't have it any other way.

My black lab was one of the 'problem' ones at the shelter. He spent 5 months in there after being found as a stray and was really dog-reactive. He would also bark all the time when in his kennel which turned away lots of people. Even after adopting him, it took some time to work with him to get him to where he is now - he would bark at people when riding in the car and would not relax in the house. I worked with a trainer who gave me good tips but really it was consistency and time and they get used to the routine. Now he's like most other dogs, he shares a home with our other pup and gets along with all my friends' dogs too. Working with him to get here has been super rewarding and he's the most loyal travel/adventure buddy I could ask for.

 

Not to get off topic...but we have a black lab (adopted) and she has been limping around for a while now - took her to the vet and he said he thinks it is a partially torn ACL. I've never dealt with this so I'm not sure how to proceed. The vet said we can try to keep her from jumping around for a few weeks and see if she get better. She is kinda hit and miss with the limping right now - some days she seems fine and others she won't even put that foot down.

 

Maybe get a second opinion as far as the vet.

 

Do you have a canine physio nearby? We were told one of our dogs had a torn ACL. He didn’t. I second the second opinion.

 

Definitely get a second opinion. Someone with a specialty in orthopedics if possible. A good vet will be able to tell of its loose/torn just by manipulating the joints with their hands. Could be something else.
If it's the ACL unfortunately its a degenerative disease and theres not much that can be done besides surgery. Milo was just like your black lab, rest for a while and got better, but a long walk and he would be sore and limping again. On a positive note, this surgery is super common and highly successful. Wish you guys the best.

Also Cosequin, Glucosamine, and Turmeric (for inflammation) are great supplements to help with their joints.

 

This is Doc.



I got him when he was around 10 days old. Eyes and ears still closed. I used to take him to work in a cat carrier and bottle feed him every couple hours.

(The day I brought him home)


(Shortly after his eyes and ears opened)



He's a pit bull and was only a few days old when his mother tried to eat him. It was her first litter and she was NOT HAVING IT.

Even though I'm basically Mom to him, I consider him a rescue. I knew I wanted a dog shortly after I got out of the military, and the universe gave me him. I know it might be cliche, but I don't know who saved who in our relationship. This is, and always will be, the best dog ever.



He's hard-headed, stubborn, way too smart for his own good, and the most loyal and loving thing I've ever known.



Maybe it's because he's only known me. Maybe it's because I've worked with him so much. Maybe we're both just lucky. Whatever it is, this dog makes me want to be the person he thinks I am every damn day.

https://youtu.be/Tmf07lefIWg

I've paid for a purebred,



And as cool as he is, it's just not the same. He's super hair-brained and has a lot of habits that you'll see with dogs that come from a breeder. "Show dogs" that spend way too much time in a crate or kennel. I'm sure, with time, we will build a bond similar to Doc and I. But, I'm curious to see if it will be as strong.



My wife sent me this picture one day. I was a quarter to half a mile away.



But he knew. He woke up, got out of his bed, and went to the door. I don't know how, but he always knows. And no matter how rough a day I have, seeing his goofy smiling face when I walk in always makes me smile right back.



I'll be shattered when his time is up. It's a tragedy a dog's life is such a small fraction of our own, I'd give him ten years off my own life if I could spend it with him. Should I ever decide to get another dog after he goes, I would take in another rescue over paying for a dog.



For Doc.

 

Adopt all the way.
Meli-girl is to me, exactly how Doc is to Hoverlover above me.
Got her as a pup from the pound after I left the Navy. She just turned 12 a few days ago.
(Older pic)