Dog adoption...

I have found something slightly similar in that they don't respond to e-mails.  I was trying to give away a bunch of food, treats and toys so that they didn't go to waste and never got a response.   Luckily, I found a school doing a pet food drive.

What I would do is go to the county/city dog shelter.  That's how Nan and I found Boo.  Also, pretty much any pet store (PetSmart, etc) will have dogs there on Saturdays.  But for sure, the county shelter will be more than happy to find you a new family member.

PLEASE don't let this minor setback alter your decision to save a dog.  The county shelter will have all the breed information just like the agencies.  Nan and I went a couple of times and took Boo home the day we saw her.

It may just be the agencies in your area, but I have actually had great success with the agencies listed in Petfinder in my area. 

If you are not finding what you are looking for I agree that you should look to your local county shelter.  Chances are you will fins a dog to fit your needs.   If not the first time you go look, keep going back.

PetSmart is also a good source when they have their pet adoption days.  I don't recommend buying directly from the store, but there are many rescue groups that show up at these events with dogs and cats that are in need of permanent homes.

Keep trying.  Adopting from shelters and rescue groups saves lives, and mixed breed dogs make some of the best pets.   =)

My sister had the same experience trying to go through several rescue organizations in the OC area.  They had a multi page application, they wanted to do a home visit, not once, but several times including post adoption and they were to be unannounced.  They wanted $800 for the dog, which I understand they need funding to keep going, but the condescending (sp) manner in which the whole process was conducted left a very sour taste and my sister ended up leaving and just not getting a dog.

We've got all three of our dogs from various rescues.  Only the last one was through petfinder, and that was because we were looking for an older dog and wanted to be able to look further afield.  I was somewhat disappointed with the agency, but not petfinder.  As others say, the issues may be more localized for you. 

If you know what breed you are looking for, try looking for resuce leagues that cater to that breed.  That's how we got Mojo (Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue), and he has been my favorite dog of the three overall, even though he had flunked out of two prior homes for being "too active".

I think the reason the rescues are kind of persnickity is that they do not want to send a dog that has already been neglected/abused/abandoned to a home that is not prepared to spend the time and money over the next 10-15 years caring for them.  And all three of mine came from different rescues, all of whom had the same expectation that if we could not care for the dog we would have to return him/her to the same place we adopted from.  So I don't think they usually bounce around, unless you are counting foster homes that the rescues sometimes use to keep more kennel space available.

There were four dogs that we've been interested in over the last week, and in every case they've been listed be at least three different agencies in that time.

We just today told one agency to take a hike (fortunately my wife wrote the response instead of me). Fecking people...

I found my dog, as a two month old puppy, on petfinder.com 5.5 years ago.  I had a very positive experience.  He was listed by a humane society and was $75.  The adoption fee included a neutering certificate and a microchip.  They didn't require a home visit and the application was simple.  It asked about my living arrangements, hours worked, experience with other pets, etc.  I think those are fair questions.  

Personally, I think some agencies are just ridiculous with their applications, requirements, and adoption fees.  I know they're just trying to place the dog in a good home and recoup their expenses from rescuing and, in some cases, restoring the dog's health, but I really wonder how many people actually meet their strict requirements.  Good luck in your search!  I know the local shelters in my area post on petfinder so it's a great place to find adoptable dogs.  Have you tried craigslist?

Hmmm...that's weird.  I used Petfinder to get my first dog.  She was listed by a no kill shelter.  Their only concern was that I was military.  They had too many military people decide they didn't want the bother of taking a dog overseas.  But I eventually convinced them that nothing would ever keep me from keeping the dog forever and they let me have her.  But that was in Texas and Texas is just weird.

Now I send Christmas cards every year with doggie updates...you know, gotta help fight the stereotype. 

Keep trying...you will eventually find a good agency and a good dog and forget all about the trouble.

I've had experience with breeders, rescue socities and local rescue shelter.. they all ask you the in depth questions... then you never hear from them again.... ever... i've adopted 2 cats and a dog from rescue groups with very detailed questionaires and contracts that included the right to do unannounced visits.. never heard from them...

Good point - best dog we've ever had was a lab/shepherd mix that we got at the shelter. Very sweet, great with people, kids, babies, other animals, etc. Smart, well-behaved. Also a good guard dog. The shepherd in him made him smart and watchful, but the lab tempered any aggression. He was just a big sweetie. My parents weren't looking for any specific breed, but he was the one that stood up in his cage and wagged his tail when my mom went by.

Yeah, I know that often the cross breeds and mutts are the best behaved and most healthy. I don't have so much ideas on wanting some particular breed as much as characteristics. 12" height minimum, but don't want one that's much past knee height (with the head). Don't want a lot of shedding. The rest are behavioral characteristics, which are about 90% training (which I can take care of myself as long as I'm not trying to undo a lot of some one else's bad training).

But what was funny... Yesterday we had to go to the pet store to get food for the cat (that makes another point  gotta be able to "get along with" the cat). The adoption agencies had canceled their visits to the stores, but there was a lady there that had a couple dogs ready for adoption. It didn't matter that we'd already talked about the breeds and size of the dogs that she had, my wife and kids were ready to tell her we'd take them right away. Point being that I KNEW this kind of thing would happen -- didn't matter what we had decided at home, they'd want what ever was put in front of them.

We got our dog Ross from labs4rescue.com and had a positive experience.  He did cost more than a shelter dog, but that's so they can cover vet fees, transporting and food costs.

 He's wonderful.......the rescues may take longer to get a dog, but they work hard at placing them in the proper homes.  Ours had one home visit and a $300 adoption fee - our boy came from Ohio so we adopted him sight unseen.  I wouldn't reccommend this approach by everyone, though.  We ended up lucky, he was exactly what we were looking for.

I've also had dogs through the SPCA and they've been wonderful too.  Good luck!

A lot of times the rescue agencies make you jump through hoops because they are trying to make sure they match the dog to the right family in hopes the dog will not be returned.  As for the same dog being listed under more than 1 agency, lots of times they do this to get the dog more exposure to increase the chances of a dog gettting adopted.  Many times the larger fees from adopting from an agency over a shelter is due to transportation, vet fees, food/training/dog crate/medication the dog may have had while in foster care.  Keep in mind these agencies are non-profits and vet bills can be huge!

Shelter dogs are amazing.  I think these dogs realize that they are truly getting a second chance.  My second dog, Keifer, was a "semi-rescue".  My hubby found him in the vineyards of Napa.  The dog was emaciated and full of ticks.  I bonded with him the moment I saw him and there was no way I was going to surrender him to the Humane Society. 

The first time he was in the house he did not know househld sounds and would jump when a door opened or the sound of climbing up steps, little sounds you probably dont even notice.  When people would come in he would stand in the corner for about 10-15 minutes and eventually come meet people on his own terms.  It took him about 6 months to really come out of his shell.....Keifer now greats every person and dog he meets on the trail.  All it took was love and to teach him to trust people again.  everyone who hears his story says "wow, what a lucky dog" but I tell them, "no, I'm the lucky one."

Awesome!  Just awesome.

I have adopted many dogs from different groups and situations.

I volunteer for Greyhounds Only.  Obviously we place retired racing greyhounds in good homes after they are through with their career.  Most of these agencies are run by people who have full time jobs and often times e-mails are not returned on a timely basis.

 These people love the dogs and want to ensure the best home for all. (dog and new adopters)  It seems like alot with the home check etc.  So my suggestion is to go to your local shelter, fill out the paperwork, talk to the volunteers and see what dog would work best for your family.

It also seems to me that someone is always looking for a person to take a dog because they just had a baby or have to move etc.  I am currently trying to find a good home for a two year old Weimaraner.  Interested?

Let me know what you are looking for and I will be glad to help you.  It is a wonderful and rewarding thing to adopt a rescue dog and give them another chance at a good life!

 PB

Heh.  I have that problem too.  I want to take them ALL home!  Especially puppies.  I am a sucker for a puppy....

We have an amazing shelter here.  Walk through lots of pens, and pick the pup.

However, it REALLY tugs at the heart strings and I want to take all of them home.

We had to seperate our little girl from her sister.  They found them together, but we couldn't have a third dog - even though they are small.

However, it's been 3 or more years, and the wife and I still wonder/regret we didn't get both of them.  However, we are sure her sister got picked as well...

Okay, so today my wife and step-daughter went to the local shelter... And of course they fell in love with most every dog there, though the ones they went specifically to see didn't fit our requirements (they considered them "pure bred" so the cost was 3x as much, and were listed as "no children under 14" -- why they don't put this on the website I'll never know). So anyway, my wife sends me emails at work saying there's two, and we settle on one of them -- supposed to be a boxer mix, but isn't as big as a full size boxer. Of course I'm taking all this sight-unseen and trusting their judgement. So I say okay (yup, I caved). We pick him up on Saturday after his appointement with the vet on Friday to get snipped (ouch!). They had his name listed as Major, but he didn't answer to it, so we'll probably rename him. He's supposed to be one year old. Here he is:

So I see this picture when I get home... Looks like a pit bull mix to me. Opinions?

Hi! Sorry I didn't get back to you about your Wolfhound/Yorkie travails ... but it looks like you're all past that ...

The doggie in the pic is definitely a Boxer mix. Looks like mostly Boxer with a bit of hound. Maybe a bit of pit bull, but I'm not seeing it. All I see is Boxer.

Looks like a boxer/beagle to me.

That must have been an interesting mating session.