Questions to ask -SPCA

[Roc A Bee]

My husband has been wanting a dog. He found one at the SPCA and I said ok to meeting him.

I’ve had 2 dogs as an adult (one my ExDH bought) and one we adopted from a friend. So I’ve never gone this route.

I have no idea what to ask. Anything we specifically need to know? We have no other pets, two kids (15 and 17).

My last dog passed in 2020 and I haven’t been wanting a dog, but DH is going through a rough spot currently and dog therapy is a part of his therapies and really wants a dog. I’m open to the idea.

[lemoncupcake]

General temperament of the dog - likes, dislikes, etc.
Has the dog been in a foster home or just at the shelter?
Any health or behavioral concerns that they’ve treated or are concerned about

[sarahsays]

Things I would want to know (in addition to the ones listed by pp):
Was the dog an owner surrender or a stray? If a surrender, why?
What commands does the dog know?
Do they know the dog's house, leash, crate training statuses?
Has the dog been heartworm tested?
What vaccines have been given?
Anything known about the dog's interactions with people (men and children specifically)
Has the dog been transported in a car? If yes, what is their comfort level in the car?
What is the dog's noise level? Is he a barker?
Anything they perceive about the dog's energy level

[shopgirl07]

Make sure to spend time with the quiet ones, the shy ones, the scared ones. The shelter is scary for many dogs so their personality might not come out. Give them a chance, so many don’t “show” well in their kennels. Unfortunately, this is a very critical time for shelters, they’re fuller than ever. So many wonderful dogs need homes. You’ll find a great friend if you go in with an open mind.

[Roc A Bee]

Thanks for these! so far I know he’s a stray drop off. Been there 3 weeks. Not much of a barker but I doubt housebroken at all.

[livinitup]

Our dog is from a reputable rescue and I remember that it was a little unnerving that we didn’t know much. But that’s the way it goes. I wanted to know the age (he was at least 1 year old, maybe 2 - they can tell a bit by the teeth). He spent some time in a foster home before the shelter, so I knew he was mostly potty trained, crate trained, friendly, and good with other dogs. And his size/weight, lol.

[wildrice]

I would ask them for anything they know about the dog! I recently adopted from a shelter and honestly they didn't know much since he was dropped off as a stray (though they did suspect he was actually an owner surrender). Honestly, my dog is a lot different than he seemed in the shelter, in a good way. They said he was very vocal and he marked a lot while he was there - I saw him pee multiple times while we were in the little room they take you to to meet the dog. It turns out that outside of a shelter environment, he's completely housebroken - not even a single accident since we got him. And while he does make all kind of annoying noises when he gets super excited, he's overall not a loud dog and doesn't bark much except under specific circumstances. So - ask for what they know, but also don't take it as gospel because they probably don't really know.

I think more than anything just see how the dog interacts with you, whether it seems willing to listen to basic commands (sit, come, etc), if it is gentle, etc. And then hope for the best!

[Roc A Bee]

Apr 8, 2024 13:51:36 GMT -5 wildrice said:

I would ask them for anything they know about the dog! I recently adopted from a shelter and honestly they didn't know much since he was dropped off as a stray (though they did suspect he was actually an owner surrender). Honestly, my dog is a lot different than he seemed in the shelter, in a good way. They said he was very vocal and he marked a lot while he was there - I saw him pee multiple times while we were in the little room they take you to to meet the dog. It turns out that outside of a shelter environment, he's completely housebroken - not even a single accident since we got him. And while he does make all kind of annoying noises when he gets super excited, he's overall not a loud dog and doesn't bark much except under specific circumstances. So - ask for what they know, but also don't take it as gospel because they probably don't really know.

I think more than anything just see how the dog interacts with you, whether it seems willing to listen to basic commands (sit, come, etc), if it is gentle, etc. And then hope for the best!

Yes I’m getting the impression they really don’t know. I think he was a stray pickup and won’t know much about his backstory. He looks part Pit part Lab but they are guesstimating he will be 24lbs. I’m calling BS on that. DH said he isn’t a barker but was very excited to be out of his kennel.

[wildrice]

Apr 8, 2024 13:57:05 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

Apr 8, 2024 13:51:36 GMT -5 wildrice said:

I would ask them for anything they know about the dog! I recently adopted from a shelter and honestly they didn't know much since he was dropped off as a stray (though they did suspect he was actually an owner surrender). Honestly, my dog is a lot different than he seemed in the shelter, in a good way. They said he was very vocal and he marked a lot while he was there - I saw him pee multiple times while we were in the little room they take you to to meet the dog. It turns out that outside of a shelter environment, he's completely housebroken - not even a single accident since we got him. And while he does make all kind of annoying noises when he gets super excited, he's overall not a loud dog and doesn't bark much except under specific circumstances. So - ask for what they know, but also don't take it as gospel because they probably don't really know.

I think more than anything just see how the dog interacts with you, whether it seems willing to listen to basic commands (sit, come, etc), if it is gentle, etc. And then hope for the best!

Yes I’m getting the impression they really don’t know. I think he was a stray pickup and won’t know much about his backstory. He looks part Pit part Lab but they are guesstimating he will be 24lbs. I’m calling BS on that. DH said he isn’t a barker but was very excited to be out of his kennel.

Lol - yeah, with that mix I would guess 50lbs would be on the low side! I bet he's very sweet though! 

[hermione]

Is he reactive around in regard to food, toys, or people?
What, if any, history is known?
How long has he been with them?

[jobae1234]

Look in the dog’s eyes. Commune with their soul. Decide based on that.

[Roc A Bee]

Met the dog. Very sweet and active. But I can’t get over that we are away from the house anywhere from 8-10 hours a day. I wouldn’t want to kennel that long. What do working people do? So sadly I don’t think we are in a place to get a dog.

[ny96]

Apr 8, 2024 19:35:14 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

Met the dog. Very sweet and active. But I can’t get over that we are away from the house anywhere from 8-10 hours a day. I wouldn’t want to kennel that long. What do working people do? So sadly I don’t think we are in a place to get a dog.

I’m sorry. We got denied for a couple of dogs because we work outside the house. I work from home 2 days a week, we have a dog walker one day a week, our house cleaner is there one day a week, and on the weeks that H can not work from home on the 5th day we send her to daycare. It works, but it’s stressful making sure it’s all covered.

[sadlebred]

Apr 8, 2024 19:35:14 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

Met the dog. Very sweet and active. But I can’t get over that we are away from the house anywhere from 8-10 hours a day. I wouldn’t want to kennel that long. What do working people do? So sadly I don’t think we are in a place to get a dog.

Most of my friends wind up paying for a dog walker the days they are in the office.

[shopgirl07]

Apr 8, 2024 19:35:14 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

Met the dog. Very sweet and active. But I can’t get over that we are away from the house anywhere from 8-10 hours a day. I wouldn’t want to kennel that long. What do working people do? So sadly I don’t think we are in a place to get a dog.

Yes, that would be cruel. If you are gone for that long everyday then you’d need a dog walker or doggie daycare. 

[lemoncupcake]

Apr 8, 2024 19:35:14 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

Met the dog. Very sweet and active. But I can’t get over that we are away from the house anywhere from 8-10 hours a day. I wouldn’t want to kennel that long. What do working people do? So sadly I don’t think we are in a place to get a dog.

What arrangement did you have with your last dog? Pre pandemic a lot of people just left their dogs home during the day unless they were especially young, old or hyperactive.

Does your H have a plan in mind for what to do during the workday?

[Roc A Bee]

Apr 8, 2024 21:02:42 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Apr 8, 2024 19:35:14 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

Met the dog. Very sweet and active. But I can’t get over that we are away from the house anywhere from 8-10 hours a day. I wouldn’t want to kennel that long. What do working people do? So sadly I don’t think we are in a place to get a dog.

What arrangement did you have with your last dog? Pre pandemic a lot of people just left their dogs home during the day unless they were especially young, old or hyperactive.

Does your H have a plan in mind for what to do during the workday?

The last time I had a new dog was 2009. He was kenneled during the day but my ex could come home at lunch and let them out. After about 1.5-2 years, he had free range of the house. After my divorce, he would be home for 10+ hours sometimes but he was house trained and did just fine. No issues.

My DH now doesn’t have the flexibility to come home at lunch to let the dog out.

[lightbulbsun]

I've volunteered at a city shelter for a long time, and while we try to get to know the dogs, it's hard in a shelter environment. There are so many dogs, and usually they only get taken out of the kennel a few times a day, so they have a lot of pent up energy. When they're in a home environment they're totally different.

I've fostered five adult dogs from the shelter (and one puppy), and adult dogs are usually pretty easy to house train. Two were completely house trained from day one, and two were trained within a week. The other one had a lot of medical issues (which we knew going in) and he's the only one we ended up adopting, and he had to wear diapers, lol.

If you're worried about being away from the house, just remember in a shelter they're literally in a kennel for 22+ hours a day. Today is actually the first day we're leaving our newest foster home during the day, and it's stressful every time. Like others have said, if he's really hyper then doggy daycare is a good idea, or getting a walker around lunchtime is good, too.

Remember the 3-3-3 rule for shelter dogs; it takes 3 days to decompress, 3 weeks to learn your schedule, and 3 months to feel secure in a new home. The numbers are an estimate, it can be more or less depending on the dog, but in general remember that the dog has been through a lot and will need time to adjust. I find the people who are most likely to return are the ones who are overly enthusiastic from the get-go and have unrealistic expectations of bringing home a perfect dog.

ETA: I meant to add, you're doing a great thing by adopting! Shelters and rescues all over the country are super full right now and have been for months. You're saving a dog's life!

[katb]

Apr 8, 2024 19:35:14 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

Met the dog. Very sweet and active. But I can’t get over that we are away from the house anywhere from 8-10 hours a day. I wouldn’t want to kennel that long. What do working people do? So sadly I don’t think we are in a place to get a dog.

I work in the office twice a week and have our neighbor (College age)  come over.  She lets our dog outside (We have a large yard) and she plays ball with him, gives him a kong we leave and just lots of pets - she is here about 15/20 minutes.  She would walk him too if we wanted but playing ball in the yard he prefers right now.   Is there anyone nearby you can hire or a company that someone can recommend for dog walking?  A walk isn't too expensive - usually $20 - $30

I know 8 - 10 hours a day is a lot but he will be in a shelter for 24 hours a day.    I think being home in a safe quiet place for 8/10 hours, while not ideal, is better than a shelter all the time.  Do you have space that with time, would be safe and you could leave him out to move around a bit more, play with a toy and a bed- such as a den or back room?  

Good luck with your decision.  

[wildrice]

Apr 8, 2024 22:05:27 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

Apr 8, 2024 21:02:42 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

What arrangement did you have with your last dog? Pre pandemic a lot of people just left their dogs home during the day unless they were especially young, old or hyperactive.

Does your H have a plan in mind for what to do during the workday?

The last time I had a new dog was 2009. He was kenneled during the day but my ex could come home at lunch and let them out. After about 1.5-2 years, he had free range of the house. After my divorce, he would be home for 10+ hours sometimes but he was house trained and did just fine. No issues.

My DH now doesn’t have the flexibility to come home at lunch to let the dog out.

I think all of this sounds fine for a new dog! But I get you wouldn't want to go straight to it without knowing the dog. A dog walker through Rover has been my solution - she charges $15 and will come over for 30 minutes. Our current dog is only left home all day once a month so he is spoiled and gets a walker on those days, but I honestly probably would just leave him home all day without a walker at this point if we had to be gone every day. He would be sad but also safe and healthy so it would be fine.

So I think in your situation I would budget for a walker daily for the first couple of months and see how things go. You could continue a walker after that, or cut back depending on how the dog does.

I also realize a daily walker every week, even at $15 a day, can be unaffordable!

[followyourarrow]

I do a combo of coming home at lunch, a dog walker, and puppy daycare. It's expensive, and it can be a lot to manage. I totally get that it won't work for everyone.

[Leeham Rimes]

Apr 8, 2024 19:35:14 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

Met the dog. Very sweet and active. But I can’t get over that we are away from the house anywhere from 8-10 hours a day. I wouldn’t want to kennel that long. What do working people do? So sadly I don’t think we are in a place to get a dog.

Many of my clients work out of the house, for the most part a nice 25 minute walk is totally enough for all my dogs. Some need even less bc they hate walking. lol.

I certainly don’t want to push you into dog ownership bc it is a lot, but that one part isn’t abnormal or un-doable. I would recommend getting a dog over a long weekend or something where you have a few days to help the dog acclimate and also have enough time to meet with the sitter first.

Frank is our pound puppy. We were told he’d be 45 pounds. He’s 70. lol. So any guesstimate to me is fairly worthless. BUT he is the best dog, ever. He had issues when we got him, he’d been surrendered 4 times in his 6 months of life and was very nervous for many months but I would do it all over again. He is just the sweetest soul ever. He’s a staffy mix and not a mean bone in his entire body. He’s afraid of the neighbors chihuahua. lol.

[lucybrown]

Pre-pandemic, our dog was crated from 7:30/8-5, 4-5 days per week while we were at work. We walked him 3 times per day to make sure he was plenty worn out. When he was young, he got a potty break at lunch and went to daycare once a week. He was not crated overnight beyond potty-training.

It wasn't ideal when he was young, but it worked. We always knew who's job it was to get home to the dog right away.

Honestly, our dog was less anxious during that time than during the pandemic when our schedules were less predictable. He knew what to expect and went into the crate on his own most mornings.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Before kids, heck before marriage, when dh and I first lived together in a small townhouse, we adopted a rescue dog and both worked 5 days a week. I walked the dog very briefly in the morning, a longer walk when I got home from work, and then we took her for a walk together after dinner every night, and then I'd take her out again just to pee really quick right before bed. She was crated the whole time we were working. She was a pretty low-energy dog (a beagle), but that schedule worked well for us.

I agree with pp that I'm not trying to talk you into getting a dog if you don't think it's the best time right now, but crating a dog while you work also doesn't need to be a deterrent from getting one if you don't want it to. Like others said, at the shelter they are in the crate almost all day.

[Roc A Bee]

Thanks all! I was open to it and using the kennel while at work then my friend said that was equal to dog abuse, so I felt bad.

To be honest, we wouldn’t need to use the kennel consistently for 8ish hours until August when the puppy would be 7-8 months and would live with us for 4 months. But there would be 4-5 days a week where we would need to use it all day long while at work unless I paid someone to come walk him midday. My boxer was 5ish when I started having to leave him for 12 hours. Not ideal but he was free range in the house and slept on the couch most of them time

There’s other changes happening that make me think now isn’t the right time, but I’m happy to hear I don’t have to wait for retirement to get a dog 🤣

[gottadobe]

Apr 9, 2024 10:53:33 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

 then my friend said that was equal to dog abuse, so I felt bad.

If the dog can get up and turn around comfortably, a kennel is not abuse. 
Many, many people work outside the home and have dogs. 
On my work-from-home days, my dog literally sleeps all day.  ALL. DAY.  Granted, he's a lazy bastard.... 
However, at this point, he can be trusted outside the kennel, so when I go to the office, I leave him out. 
I'd bet you $100 he's still in his kennel with the door open.

That being said, I'm also not trying to convince you to get a dog if you feel like this is a bad time! 

[lemoncupcake]

Apr 9, 2024 11:43:19 GMT -5 gottadobe said:

Apr 9, 2024 10:53:33 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

 then my friend said that was equal to dog abuse, so I felt bad.

If the dog can get up and turn around comfortably, a kennel is not abuse. 
Many, many people work outside the home and have dogs. 
On my work-from-home days, my dog literally sleeps all day.  ALL. DAY.  Granted, he's a lazy bastard.... 
However, at this point, he can be trusted outside the kennel, so when I go to the office, I leave him out. 
I'd bet you $100 he's still in his kennel with the door open.

That being said, I'm also not trying to convince you to get a dog if you feel like this is a bad time! 

I’m also not here to convince you to get a dog if you don’t want to, but those kinds of statements from people like your friend are also super gross in the current shelter crisis. Not all pets get SAH/WFH owners, but they’d gladly have a healthy and loving home where they are alone during the day vs. being put down because of overcrowding at shelters.

[Roc A Bee]

Apr 9, 2024 15:06:16 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Apr 9, 2024 11:43:19 GMT -5 gottadobe said:

If the dog can get up and turn around comfortably, a kennel is not abuse. 
Many, many people work outside the home and have dogs. 
On my work-from-home days, my dog literally sleeps all day.  ALL. DAY.  Granted, he's a lazy bastard.... 
However, at this point, he can be trusted outside the kennel, so when I go to the office, I leave him out. 
I'd bet you $100 he's still in his kennel with the door open.

That being said, I'm also not trying to convince you to get a dog if you feel like this is a bad time! 

I’m also not here to convince you to get a dog if you don’t want to, but those kinds of statements for. People like your friend are also super gross in the current shelter crisis. Not all pets get SAH/WFH owners, but they’d gladly have a healthy and loving home where they are alone during the day vs. being put down because of overcrowding at shelters.

This crossed my mind too. But someone upthread said it would be cruel as well so I thought now is not the time.

[luckystar2]

It is not cruel! Plenty of people work and have dogs that are left at home all day. We got our dog from a shelter and at the time we both worked outside home. At first we crated her but eventually we just gated her in a room where she was safe and out of trouble. She was not a puppy and could last without having to be let out while we were at work. While it does seem like a lot of time away from home, we had plenty of time in evenings and weekends with her. I’d walk and take her on runs all the time. She was plenty spoiled and very happy.

Since Covid I work from home. Do you want to know where my dog was all day? In a different room not at all hanging with me. I’m home that I can let her out but most days she doesn’t even need to go out to potty during the work day. She mostly just sleeps during the day.

If you do work away from home, you might want to avoid younger dogs and particularly active ones. Maybe getting an older dog who isn’t as active would be a good fit. Our dog was very active so she definitely needed a lot of attention when we were home and getting lots of walks etc.

[sarahsays]

Appropriately used crates are not cruel.

Dog walkers are a great resource for people who work outside of the home, but there are dogs who can (happily) be left alone for a full workday without issue.