Thinking of getting a dog...please choose rescue.

[Trekbike]

I debated on whether to post this or not, but here goes. This is not to imply that folks on here act irresponsibly but rather offer up an option to counteract those that do. The video may not make sense until the end so be sure to watch all of it.

[media]https://youtu.be/JMs7dkdO4YY[media]

Saving one dog will not change the world, but for that one dog the world will be forever changed.

My wife and I help foster rescued dogs and it has been a joy to help dogs find a new home. Along the way three have found a permanent home with us. :)

Don't think you can only get "older" dogs through a rescue group. Right now we are fostering a rescued female that was pregnant until her 3 pups get adopted. The last 8 weeks have been an amazing journey from seeing their birth until now. We are guessing they will be ready to adopt in about another week since they were so small at birth. (Mom only weighs about 8 lbs.)

Here's a photo of them several weeks ago.



So in closing, please consider adopting a rescued dog that needs a second chance at life. :)

 

Here's the rescue group we volunteer with.  http://proverbs1210rescue.org

Edited May 31, 2015 by Trekbike

[hipower]

Thanks for posting this. My wife and I wholeheartedly agree with it.

Our current companion and owner, Molly, came from the Nashville Humane Society after being dumped there.

She is the most loving little 40 lb lap dog you can imagine.

[VERO1]

Please do not patronize dog pimps. Our last 6 dogs and god knows how many cats have been rescues. Some of them have been to smart for their own good, some have been dumb as a sack of rocks. They have all been cherished friends and companions.

[DWARREN123]

Last two have been rescues and been very loving companions.   :up:

[Moped]

We have three rescue cats and 1 rescue chocolate Lab.  We have also rescued a basset hound that we had until she died of old age.  Firmly believe in getting pets from a rescue or a shelter!

[Raoul]

My last 3 dogs found me. Not sure who rescued who.

[hipower]

My wife had gone to look for a new companion for me after our Chow had to be euthanized.

She said Molly was one of several puppys in the cages she looked in.

As she picked up each one, Molly peed on her. Like taking ownership.

Susan laughed and brought her home.

Never a regret.

[Ray Z]

We have three dogs. All were rescued. I wouldn't have had it any other way. All are adult. All were easy to explain the house rules to. I read Cesar Millan's books and have learned a lot from him. I honestly believe they also know what we did for them.  They are not only companions but friends.

[Chazmr]

Thanks for posting!

We have 2 rescues now, and they are definitely our kids. 

That video was incredible.  I've never seen that one before.

[Tempest455]

Our last Golden was from rescue.

[xsubsailor]

 Our last two have been rescues. Each of them was around a year old when we got them. Our last was with us for 16 years and the one now has been with us for 14 years.

 

 The longevity in dogs  that we've been blessed with has made me come to the conclusion that this will be our last. The last thing I want is to have a loving pet outlive me and have to go back to a shelter. If I find an older dog that needs a home, I might change my mind.

[peejman]

Our last two have been rescues. Each of them was around a year old when we got them. Our last was with us for 16 years and the one now has been with us for 14 years.

The longevity in dogs that we've been blessed with has made me come to the conclusion that this will be our last. The last thing I want is to have a loving pet outlive me and have to go back to a shelter. If I find an older dog that needs a home, I might change my mind.

A former neighbor had to deal with that. Her dad died and she had to take his dog. The dog went from living with an old man who never left home to living with a busy family who never were home. That poor dog cried and cried for weeks until they found another person to take it.


As for rescue dogs, I guess we have the exception. I've had shelter critters my whole life and this one has been a PITA since day 1. Massive separation anxiety, massively anti-social with other dogs, clearly abused as a puppy, ... generally a neurotic mess.

She's mostly manageable now, after lots of work and some help from Cesar Milan's books. She'll be 14 this summer. We tried to re-home her after she bit my son the 2nd time (on his forehead, stitches required), but were treated quite poorly by the rescue groups we contacted. More training of both the kids and the dog (and my inability to have her put down) have helped, but there are still occasional bumps in the road.

When she passes I think it'll be a while before we get another dog. I'm kinda over it at this point,and that bugs me. I want my kids to grow up with pets they can love, not a dog they have to be somewhat wary of.

[VERO1]

The last couple of dogs we have gotten have been older dogs whose owners have passed or had to give them up. Apparently no one wants an old dog and most are just put down. My wife has made it her mission to adopt older dogs and make their last years as good as possible. We have spent a fortune on some of them, but it has been worth it.

[Grand Torino]

I have Border Collies.....all are rescue dogs. We actually had to bottle feed them since they were only 3 weeks old and their mother passed away. Best two dogs we could have ever asked for.

[RED333]

All our dogs and cats have come to us.

Over the 25 years we have lives in this house (our first house)

dogs and cats have found their way to the place.

Now a few were found at diff places in our travels

but all "found" us. I have lost count as far as how many, we now have 7 dogs and 14 cats.

Oldest dog is 11 and oldest cat is 14, Megan the cat is deaf and blind in one eye, she stays

inside with us.

[MrsMonkeyMan2500]

Thank you Red for making me feel normal! We have 7 dogs too. By the end of the week we will also have chickens, somewhere around 12-16!

All of ours are rescues except for 2 strays. There's no better way to do it. Also, I have heard really great things about Proverbs! Glad to read a recommendation also! When we add on, we'll know where to look. And if Monkey reads that, he'll have a heart attack!!

[A.J. Holst]

Is it rescue when they show up uninvited and you feed them because it's dead of winter?

[Caster]

To anyone who abuses, neglects or mistreats an animal; I hope you die in a slow burning house fire.  

Anyone who would just abandon an animal like that is lower than human.  I would have more respect for [not much] a person who just put a bullet in the dog's head as opposed to abandoning it to the elements and predators.  

 

My current companion was a rescue.  He's now 13, eat up with cancer and living on borrowed time.  He also has hip dysplasia and has difficulty getting around.  He was beaten and starved when I got him.  He's been with me 12 years now, and I've had dogs before him, but he's REALLY taught me the definition of what a friend is.  I think more of him than most humans I meet.  

 

Now he spends most of his days in bed.  I bought him a baby crib mattress and I keep it in the shop with me so we can hang out all day, everyday.  He usually just watches me trim brass in between customers.  LOL.  He's on a two different pain meds now and I don't expect him to last much longer.  

 

He's the best friend I've ever had.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry for the thread drift.  

Edited June 1, 2015 by Caster

[maroonandwhite]

Man that's a powerful video. Very few subjects get me all choked up but the loss as well as the abuse of animals is almost at the top. Thanks for posting.

[Hozzie]

I am with Maroon, although I can say there is probably nothing that gets me more worked up than abuse to animals, but dogs specifically.  It was a very good video, but as with most of the like videos, aspca, etc, I have to turn the channel because I just can't stand to watch it.  I know what they are trying to get across, but I just get too worked up.

 

I will say, that is one of my favorite things about this board and why I feel like TGO is so different from the few other boards I am on, and that is because we have a very outspoken group of dog/animal lovers.  

Edited June 1, 2015 by Hozzie

[RED333]

Thank you Red for making me feel normal! We have 7 dogs too. By the end of the week we will also have chickens, somewhere around 12-16!

All of ours are rescues except for 2 strays. There's no better way to do it. Also, I have heard really great things about Proverbs! Glad to read a recommendation also! When we add on, we'll know where to look. And if Monkey reads that, he'll have a heart attack!!

Ha, yall got some catching up, we have 30 chickens,

[MrsMonkeyMan2500]

Ha, yall got some catching up, we have 30 chickens,

I'll get there. Sooner rather than later. Our neighbor across the river got me these for my birthday to get me started. Monkey converted an old goat barn on the property into a coop. It's awesome and there's tons of room in there for more!!

[Trekbike]

Our three pups got adopted today. All have been placed in good homes! :) Very emotional couple of days for us knowing they would be going since they've been with us before birth. My wife has poured her heart and soul into these pups for the last 8 weeks so it's been really hard for her.

Mom is still with us at the moment. She has been a great mom to the pups and seems to fit in well with our other dogs. We have grown very attached to her. I'm on the fence about keeping her due to already having 3. My wife wants to keep her so we'll see.

If we keep her, it limits our ability to feasibly foster other dogs in the future due to our somewhat limited space IMO.

Also, and you guys that have several dogs know what I'm talking about, non-dog people already roll their eyes when they hear we have 3 dogs. They really freaked out when when had the mom and pups for a temporary total of 7. So we're back down to 4 right now.

I guess it doesn't matter what other people think so we'll see what happens with keeping mom or not.

[Dustbuster]

Here's my 2 rescues:

Edited June 7, 2015 by Dustbuster

[john455]

I have had dogs my whole life and have never bought one, they have all either been gifts, showups, or rescues to many good dogs out there needing a good home for me to pay some puppy mill operator to keep mistreating an animal to pump out more pups. Now cat's are another story, I am a firm believer in what my Dad taught me..."cat's are good for 1 thing..... TARGET PRACTICE" LMBO Jking