NCEP: adopting a dog?

[chedifuen]

I will preface by saying I realize I sound like an idiot but I need some advice and I know there are a lot of dog people on here. 

We have been looking for a second dog to add to our family. We have one adult female and want a young male to be a companion for her. My ILs brought there dog over frequently because they used to watch my younger son at my house. I now work from home full time so my son goes to their house. I think Moxie is lonely and could use a buddy. Also, we've long wanted a second dog but the timing wasn't right until now. 

Anyway, my question is regarding Craigslist. Is this a terrible way to get a dog? We've only done the humane society before but I saw a dog listed today that seems like a good fit for us. What should I be watching out for to avoid a BYB or puppy mill? This dog isn't a puppy but he is young. 

[redheadbaker]

My advice is to avoid Craigslist, unless it's clear that it's a shelter/rescue listing. Many BYBs post there, or people looking to get rid of dogs that have no obligation to be honest about the dog's health or behavior.

[josieposy]

I have a CL cat. I love her but I would not recommend it. I think you are better off going through a rescue and working with dogs who have been fostered in this situation.

[msmerymac]

I'm not sure if you're trying to avoid a dog that came from a BYB or puppy mill, or if you just want to make sure the current owner isn't a BYB or puppy mill. If the latter, you can ask where the dog came from, health history, training, why they are giving the dog up, current vet, etc. Not everyone is knowledgeable about BYBs, etc, and rehoming an animal yourself is often preferable if your other option is to drop him off at a high kill shelter.

As for whether or not the dog came from a BYB or puppy mill? Possibly. But then, many/most animals who are in shelters or being fostered by rescues are also from similar situations. If they got the dog from a legitimate breeder, well, most of them have contractual clauses that the animal will be returned to the breeder in case he needs to be rehomed. The breeders often have lists of people who are willing to adopt older animals, or will choose to keep him, or find an appropriate home some other way.

I've had 4 cats in my adult life. The first was rehomed (due to a child's allergies) directly to me because his owner couldn't find room at a no-kill shelter. The second two were litter mates who were bred in a mill for a pet store and surrendered to a rescue when they got sick and were not purchased (one has since passed as they were terribly bred and had/have bad health, including kidney failure caused by a genetic trait that legitimate breeders weed out of their breeding stock), and one was adopted from a rescue who intercepted him from a woman who bought him as a kitten from a breeder, but was going to be forced to turn him over to a high-kill shelter, not knowing what it was.

If you are looking to adopt, or to get an older dog, not a puppy, then you run the risk of the dog having health problems. You can definitely ask for veterinary records and talk to the animal's vet, perhaps, and decline to take the dog if you don't get an answer you are comfortable with.

[Deleted]

You should try www.petfinder.com

[ringstrue]

If the goal is a buddy for your dog, then you need to look for a dog that your dog is compatible with, and not put physical requirements on them like sex or breed - save for size, I guess. A great way to do that is to work with a good local rescue org. Most will want you to have a trial period with the new dog so you can see if they are a match for everyone in your family or not. They will also be able to give you a dog that they at-least know something about (good with other dogs, scared of X, etc.) So that you don't fall in love with looks and then commit to an animal that ends up being a terror in other ways.

[RoxMonster]

I think the best place would be to go to a local shelter or work with a rescue group. As PP pointed out, it's important that your current dog gets along with the new one. Most/all shelters require you to bring in other pets to meet the potential new dog before adopting to make sure they will live well together. They will also accept them back if it doesn't work out (one of my friends brought his dog to the shelter, they seemed to get along fine at first, but once the new dog was in his home, all hell broke loose and he had to bring the new dog back).

I would like that option, as opposed to finding one on CL that I may or may not get to introduce my current dog to first, and then, if they don't get along after, then what? The owner may not take them back. You'd have to see if a shelter would and start over.

[chedifuen]

Thank you everyone! Looks like we need to do some more research and find a shelter or rescue to work with. I appreciate it!

[Vespasia]

Ditto everything pps said about rescues. Quite a few have dogs that have been fostered with families so you have a good idea how they do with other animals, kids, etc. This is the route we plan to go when we're ready to get another dog.

[DefenseAgainstTheDarkArts22]

Most rescues at least have the dog visit a vet as well so they can get a read on if there are any medical issues. You can't always tell in one visit but you will most likely hear about anything glaring. A CL person is most likely just trying to get rid of the dog - a rescue is typically trying to find the right home for the animal.

[dexteroni]

Jul 22, 2014 11:55:55 GMT -5 chedifuen said:

Anyway, my question is regarding Craigslist. Is this a terrible way to get a dog?

IMO yes. Use Petfinder and go through a reputable rescue or shelter instead. It's better for both you and the dog.

[aurora]

You know, I would never buy a puppy from a BYB or puppy mill, but when we adopted our older dog we didn't even consider it (and had no way of knowing since she was imported from a different shelter to our local shelter). I guess when you're adopting an older dog you have more idea of what kind of temperament it has and maybe even some health issues. Plus, you aren't supporting unethical dog breeding at that point because the BYB/mill isn't gaining anything from the adoption.

Anyway, back to the original question: I was really pleased with the help from our local shelter. I brought in my sister's dog (who we spend a lot of time with) to meet a different dog I had identified online as a possible match, and they didn't really get along. The shelter worker then went through all of their dogs with me and told me straight out which ones probably wouldn't work for our situation. She then had me meet two additional prospects, one of which both I and my sister's dog really liked, so that's who we brought home. I don't think our dog was ever fostered, but they were able to give us a fair amount of information from her previous family (who had to give her up due to a baby's allergies) and obviously also gave good advice.