Experienced Dog Owners: I Need Advice

[Christine]

Christine, sounds like you made the right decision, even if your heart is hurting. I’d like to suggest you check out the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. First of all, it is a no kill shelter, although they can’t call themselves that since they do euthanize, but only in cases of end of life health or extreme aggression. (They have a 93% live release rate). The shelter has over 300 volunteers in various capacities. I walk dogs. What that entails is I go in once a week for two hours and walk the dogs in the adoption area and in holding. Out back there is a huge yard that also has five large runs. I can spend as much time as I want with the pups. All the shelter asks is that I commit 6 hours a month. (I think people spend more than that in line at Starbucks!)

They also have a huge foster program. Dogs will go into foster homes for various reasons. Most of the dogs in the adoption area go home to a foster when the shelter is closed. This allows the dog to get a break from the shelter and the foster does a write up on the dog for potential adopters. This is great for strays as we can find out how they do in the home; are they house trained, good with kids, other animals, high energy or couch potatoes. Also, if a dog is not doing well in the shelter, it will go to foster and be adopted out that way. They also have Power Hours where a volunteer will take an adoptable dog out of the shelter for a long walk or run.

What I’m getting as is don’t ignore the shelter. You can keep an eye out as to what is up for adoption, OR you could volunteer and have first look.

I have only lightly touched on what the shelter does for the animals. It is definitely not the shelter of the past as their goal is to get the animals healthy and into a happy and safe home. Also, if at anytime the adoption does not work, the shelter will take the dog back.

I started volunteering there over three years ago and I have to say I love it! First of all, I was mind blown at how well the animals are taken care of there. In addition to the volunteers, there is a caretaker staff, vet and adoption counselors. My DH can’t do it as he’s afraid he’ll come home with all the pups. I go in with the mindset that I’m there to socialize, exercise and give them some love while they await their forever family to find them.

Good luck in your search for a new pup and please go check out the shelter!

Thanks for your information! I had been scanning all the shelters web pages. I am in Prince William but do look around (Fairfax, Stafford, Fredericksburg). Overwhelmingly, I see pitbulls so I did sort of get turned off by the shelter. We ended up using Homeward Trails rescue in Fairfax. We like their facility and the dogs seem to be treated well. Your volunteering efforts seem like something maybe I should look into. I do have similar issues as your husband in that I'm afraid I'd take them all home. My last dog, who I had for 18 years, was from the Prince William County shelter. Got her a 7 months and it worked out well with us being a working family. I just lucked out I guess.

For now I guess I'm going to need a mental break. Even though I only had the dog for one day, I got very attached to her and I miss her. Didn't help that the rescue just posted our "happy" adoption photo.

 

[firefly_ris]

Rant time:


I am super over "rescues". These people have such an attitude. I want a dog. I can take care of a dog. I can walk a dog. I can take a dog to a dog park. I can train a dog. No, my yard isn't fenced. Yes, I work. But the rescue people? Oh, no, that's not good enough.

Well guess what, rescue people? You got too many dogs to take care of and you are too darn picky!

All rescues are different based on the founder, and how the board runs. The rescue I foster with does not have a fence requirement, for example. Rescues have rules in effect to try to reduce return rates, which can be difficult to coordinate, because often the previous foster now has a new foster and can't always take the dog back, so now an alternate foster has to be found, so on and so forth. And some rules are in place to try to protect the animal -- we have gotten back some dogs in horrible, deplorable condition, both physically and mentally. It's very disheartening to have a dog live with you for months and months, in some cases nurse them back to health, vet them, train them (we do a lot of puppy mill dogs who start out terrified of the world), bond with them -- and then they are returned in worse shape than they came to the rescue in. Unfortunately, not everyone who wants to adopt a dog is great and sometimes they are really good at hiding the fact. In fact some people out there are so bad that rescues have "DNA" lists (Do Not Adopt) and often get tips from other rescues on especially bad situations. There are also dog flippers who will adopt and then re-sell the dog on Craigslist -- especially purebred rescues.

Yes, there are definitely some crappy rescues out there (including one local to me that was successfully run out of town), but let's not paint them all with such a broad brush. It is a lot of work. On top of the care of the animals we are constantly coordinating fundraisers to help raise vetting funds, coordinating with local vets for vetting and care, etc.

I understand the frustration with the crappy ones and some of them can be very unreasonable but again, that all depends on who is operating the rescue. Edit - to expand on that, there is one rescue around here that the owner/founder has a real power trip thing going on. I guess it didn't start out that way, but evolved into it over time, and as such has a high rate of volunteer turnover as well because fostering for them is apparently just as unpleasant as adopting from them. So they're definitely out there.


OP, try not to beat yourself up -- you realized the problem quickly and did the correct thing. I find it kind of weird that they did the meet and greet at a public location, we always do meets in the adopter's home, since that's the place the dog would actually live. They would have seen the guinea pig issue right away if they did that.

 

[Christine]

OP, try not to beat yourself up -- you realized the problem quickly and did the correct thing. I find it kind of weird that they did the meet and greet at a public location, we always do meets in the adopter's home, since that's the place the dog would actually live. They would have seen the guinea pig issue right away if they did that.

I did the meet and greet on another dog I was considering. I couldn't really get in touch with the foster person and could only see that the dog would go to various 'events' at Petco and then the fosters weren't actually there. So I drove out one day to meet this other dog but the foster wasn't even with her so I didn't pursue that one.

For dogs that are housed at their adoption building (it's like a shelter but nicer), they won't come to you. You go there to meet the dog. If you have a dog, cat, or child, you can bring them all for a scheduled "meet and greet" to see how everyone does. I never pursued bringing my guinea pig there and traveling with him probably would have flipped him out anyway so I couldn't really do that.

I think it's probably safe to say that any dog is going to be "interested" in the guinea. I guess I'm looking for one that might not be all that concerned with the GP over time. A hound breed is probably not my best bet even though I seem to gravitate towards them. I think it's those sad droopy faces.

 

[firefly_ris]

For dogs that are housed at their adoption building (it's like a shelter but nicer), they won't come to you. You go there to meet the dog. If you have a dog, cat, or child, you can bring them all for a scheduled "meet and greet" to see how everyone does. I never pursued bringing my guinea pig there and traveling with him probably would have flipped him out anyway so I couldn't really do that.

Oh okay, I see. Sorry, I mis-read that and didn't realize they also have their own facility. The one I volunteer with is home-based only, but we partner with another rescue that has their own adoption center building so I understand now.

 

[Christine]

Rant time:


I am super over "rescues". These people have such an attitude. I want a dog. I can take care of a dog. I can walk a dog. I can take a dog to a dog park. I can train a dog. No, my yard isn't fenced. Yes, I work. But the rescue people? Oh, no, that's not good enough.

Well guess what, rescue people? You got too many dogs to take care of and you are too darn picky!

I agree that sometimes it seems that way. Especially if a dog is leaning toward an "unadoptable" type (old, for instance).

My situation is far from ideal. We are out of the house from 5AM to 3PM. Otherwise we have a big, fenced backyard, we rarely travel, and we don't do much on the weekends. But some of these rescues (such as the greyhound rescue) don't have a hard time finding "perfect" parents. So they should pick those folks over me.

The rescue I have been working in is not nearly as picky but, if you've previously owned dogs, they do check your vet references to see how other dogs have been treated. They have also discouraged me from some dogs while I've been there based on my situation.

 

[Christine]

Edit: never mind.

Sorry, I quoted you already. I don't mind your viewpoint, I think it's valid with some rescues.

 

[clutter]

I

I think it's probably safe to say that any dog is going to be "interested" in the guinea. I guess I'm looking for one that might not be all that concerned with the GP over time. A hound breed is probably not my best bet even though I seem to gravitate towards them. I think it's those sad droopy faces.

Two words. Basset hound. They're too lazy to chase a guinea pig. They're a little sloppy, but great pets!

I no longer have a basset, but I have close to your schedule. I'm so thankful now that my current dog is old enough that he prefers my work days. While he loves me to be home, he gets exhausted having to wake up and follow me around all day. He would totally ignore a guinea pig. Anything that doesn't pet him isn't worth his trouble.

2kds2K9, I think we live near each other. Good info on the shelter. I should sign up to volunteer, but I'm afraid I'd cry every time I had to leave.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Sorry, I quoted you already. I don't mind your viewpoint, I think it's valid with some rescues.

What, oh, no. I posted a second message with various little bits of advice before I realized you decided to take the dog back. My rescue rant stands

 

[Christine]

Two words. Basset hound. They're too lazy to chase a guinea pig. They're a little sloppy, but great pets!

I have close to your schedule. I'm so thankful now that my dog is old enough that he prefers my work days. While he loves me to be home, he gets exhausted having to wake up and follow me around all day. He would totally ignore a guinea pig. Anything that doesn't pet him isn't worth his trouble.

2kds2K9, I think we live near each other. Good info on the shelter. I should sign up to volunteer, but I'm afraid I'd cry every time I had to leave.

Thanks. I've heard basset hounds are incredibly lazy. The shortness legs would help too.

 

[Christine]

What, oh, no. I posted a second message with various little bits of advice before I realized you decided to take the dog back. My rescue rant stands

Got it!

 

[Snowflakey]

You knew you had a guinea pig so why did you get the dog in the first place?

 

[Christine]

You knew you had a guinea pig so why did you get the dog in the first place?

Because I had a guinea pig and a dog before and it was fine. I also know others who've owned guinea pigs and dogs so I thought it could work out.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

There's such a difference in what the OP did and what many others who return/surrender/dump dogs or cats or whatever do. I don't think you did anything wrong here. The oops may have been in not realizing the ramifications for the guinea pig, not only the being confined issue but the breed of dog issue, but now you know. Agree with others in taking more time before getting another dog. Sorry you're feeling so down OP emotionally I'm sure it took quite the toll but I agree you did the right thing in this case

 

[Hillbeans]

I had a very mellow, older Lab Retriever who was the easiest dog in the world, who passed away last summer. I adopted a rescue dog last fall (not a puppy but young) and from the moment I brought him home there were so many problems - I should have stopped in my tracks when he vomited up bile during the visit where he was leaving the shelter. He was sick for weeks, and after 5 vet visits costing over $1000 in 4 weeks I realized I was in way over my head and could not keep this going. The dog also clearly had major behavioral issues and separation anxiety once he started feeling a little better. Sadly I learned pretty quickly why he was dumped at the shelter. I ended up contacting a local rescue organization specific to the breed who was more than happy to rehome him (with the blessing of the shelter)with someone who was retired who could afford the cost and give the time that he needed. I beat myself up pretty badly at first, but was relieved after because it was such a negative experience.

 

[Christine]

I had a very mellow, older Lab Retriever who was the easiest dog in the world, who passed away last summer. I adopted a rescue dog last fall (not a puppy but young) and from the moment I brought him home there were so many problems - I should have stopped in my tracks when he vomited up bile during the visit where he was leaving the shelter. He was sick for weeks, and after 5 vet visits in 4 weeks I realized I was in way over my head and could not keep this going. The dog also clearly had major behavioral issues and separation anxiety once he started feeling a little better. I ended up contacting a local rescue organization specific to the breed who was more than happy to rehome him (with the blessing of the shelter)with someone who was retired who could afford the cost and give the time that he needed. I beat myself up pretty badly at first, but was relieved after because it was such a bad experience.

I'm sure that was very painful and hard to do, especially keeping him for 4 weeks. Very hard not to get attached. That was one reason I returned the dog so fast, because I didn't want either of us to get too attached. Each day was going to be harder and harder.

 

[ljcrochet]

Rant time:


I am super over "rescues". These people have such an attitude. I want a dog. I can take care of a dog. I can walk a dog. I can take a dog to a dog park. I can train a dog. No, my yard isn't fenced. Yes, I work. But the rescue people? Oh, no, that's not good enough.

Well guess what, rescue people? You got too many dogs to take care of and you are too darn picky!

Rescues try and do their best to screen people. Puppies should not be left alone for long hours. Or an 80 year old who wants a puppy. What happens in a few years when they can't take care of them self.

Rescues do their best to screen and make sure they are finding the best families for the dogs. Are there some that are too strict? yes but it is because they get dogs returned. The rescue that I volunteer with just had 4 dogs returned. One of which adopted 2 and the foster mom had to convince the director why she should him adopt.

Or families who adopted puppies and didn't mind bad behavior as a puppy, but then as a 2 year old, they aren't happy so they return the dog.

Rescues have rules in effect to try to reduce return rates, which can be difficult to coordinate, because often the previous foster now has a new foster and can't always take the dog back, so now an alternate foster has to be found, so on and so forth.

exactly.

I'm sure that was very painful and hard to do, especially keeping him for 4 weeks. Very hard not to get attached. That was one reason I returned the dog so fast, because I didn't want either of us to get too attached. Each day was going to be harder and harder.

I know this had to be tough.
Good luck with your Guinea pig and a new dog when you are ready.

 

[kimblebee]

So I come at this kind of conversation from a different slant. I rescue birds. Exotics to be precise. Exotic birds live very long lives. If any fool out there says that animals do not have souls then they are indeed fools. My personal slant on this is that the dog was taken to a new home, started to become acclimated, and then due to no fault of his/her own was ripped out of that bright future. Now imagine yourself as a 10 year old child in that same situation as a foster child. That is about the approximate age mentally as that dog. From your posts you are looking for a thing, not a person. Each animal is a person, not a thing. Before you adopt please think before you act as this kind of confusion does affect the poor animal way longer after you've forgotten the episode.

Also since I am on this thread, do not adopt exotic birds and think it is cute to teach them foul adult language. They live very long lives and if you end up getting rid of them because they become a hindrance to you they will have a very hard time finding a future home.

OMG you have got to be kidding. Dogs are not people. Look it up in any dictionary.

 

[LSUmiss]

Hounds are great dogs, that said they are hunting animals. Rabbits, squirrels etc are prey. I've never understood the passion to have a rodent in the house so I cant speak to a guinea pig, however you can certainly keep both pets if you create and maintain boundaries. We have exotic birds and a great dane. Normally you wouldn't have those in the same house, but with appropriate training and established boundaries it is very possible.

But, I also think there is something to be said about being able to raise the dog from a puppy. I think it might be easier to mitigate some of those instinctual traits.

 

[LSUmiss]

I am biased because all I have had are Golden’s. Sweet is the perfect description.

They are shedders. Brushing is a must, and if you bathe or get them groomed regularly it cuts way down on the amount of hair that is free floating. But there will be hair.

Good luck in your search.

We are a Golden family too! I also have a always had a daschund. Not as sweet but love their little personalities.

 

[LSUmiss]

Two words. Basset hound. They're too lazy to chase a guinea pig. They're a little sloppy, but great pets!

I no longer have a basset, but I have close to your schedule. I'm so thankful now that my current dog is old enough that he prefers my work days. While he loves me to be home, he gets exhausted having to wake up and follow me around all day. He would totally ignore a guinea pig. Anything that doesn't pet him isn't worth his trouble.

2kds2K9, I think we live near each other. Good info on the shelter. I should sign up to volunteer, but I'm afraid I'd cry every time I had to leave.

I loved our beagle & love hound dogs, but the beagle was just too much to handle. After he died, we said no more beagles. But, I just told DH, that we might do a basset one day for the exact reason you said!