Adopting a rescue. What should I be asking?
Discussion
The back story first. We are looking at adopting a rescue dog from a rescue charity. We will hopefully be meeting the dog and current fosterer ( is that a word?) this week. I know a little about the dog's history, he was starved and found abandoned on a road. As he was chipped, the owner was traced, but the owner said the dog sometimes bit, they didn't want him back and to put him down.
The dog is a Basset, we already have one, and the rescue charity say he is friendly, good with other dogs, house trained and putting on weight. They put the biting down to the Basset tendency to mouth enthusiastically when playing. Ours does this so that seems plausible.
We'd love to give him a home, but need to be as sure as possible we can handle any issues he has. My main concerns are whether there is more to the biting and if he will get on with our own dog. We' aren't the only people interested in him, but the rescue centre said they would prefer someone who knows Basset's which would potentially favour us.
I'm really just after advice from either people who are involved with rescues, or have rescued in similar circumstances. Our intentions would be to go and see the dog, if all goes well then introduce him to ours and see how it goes. Other than that, and asking how much of a donation the charity want, what else do I need to ask or do?
The dog is a Basset, we already have one, and the rescue charity say he is friendly, good with other dogs, house trained and putting on weight. They put the biting down to the Basset tendency to mouth enthusiastically when playing. Ours does this so that seems plausible.
We'd love to give him a home, but need to be as sure as possible we can handle any issues he has. My main concerns are whether there is more to the biting and if he will get on with our own dog. We' aren't the only people interested in him, but the rescue centre said they would prefer someone who knows Basset's which would potentially favour us.
I'm really just after advice from either people who are involved with rescues, or have rescued in similar circumstances. Our intentions would be to go and see the dog, if all goes well then introduce him to ours and see how it goes. Other than that, and asking how much of a donation the charity want, what else do I need to ask or do?
Can you spend some time with him? Take your current dog for a walk with him or have some home visits? When we adopted ours, Dogs Trust would let us come and visit her, take her on walks etc before she came home for good. Some of the stories we were told about her character from somebody who'd adopted her for a whole week, were just nonsense, but I got the feeling like Dogs Trust didn't want to hide anything about her beforehand. One of the complaints was that she'd bark at things on a table, not once has she done that with us.
My advice would be to try and spend some time with him, if you've been around dogs before you'll be a good judge of character and will give him time to get to know you too which should bring out any problems with mouthing. Good luck though, it's a very rewarding experience rehoming a dog.
My advice would be to try and spend some time with him, if you've been around dogs before you'll be a good judge of character and will give him time to get to know you too which should bring out any problems with mouthing. Good luck though, it's a very rewarding experience rehoming a dog.
I should get a call in the next day or so to arrange to spend some time with him. I'll certainly want to spend some time with the two dogs together too. I need to ask, but I think they offer a sort of home trial if the charity is happy with prospective adopter.
Any thoughts about health? Could a dog that has been underfed or malnourished in the past be harbouring any health issues? Should I be expecting any kind of health check or anything?
Any thoughts about health? Could a dog that has been underfed or malnourished in the past be harbouring any health issues? Should I be expecting any kind of health check or anything?
I would try to get to spend as much time as you can with the new dog in as many different environments as you can, both with and without your existing dog. Hopefully the fosterer will be willing to help with this. Our previous dog was great with others when out, ok with dogs in his garden but a nightmare if they came into the house. our current one is fine with anyone, he just wants to make friends and play.
I'd be asking the fosterer, just in general conversation, how he is now with food, what types he likes and any general health issues. If the fosterer agrees, see how he is when being fed, given treats etc. Some dogs guard their food and will gobble it down, others are more relaxed. What is your own dog like?
My parents often had two dogs. One pair they had, the younger one would always leave about a quarter of her breakfast in her bowl. The elder one knew this and would try to pinch what was left, which caused everyday "fighting", just play but sometimes sounded quite fierce.
Have you thought about feeding, sleeping arrangements etc?
I'd agree with the comments above re Dogs Trust. Both our dogs came from them and they have helped sort out any behaviour issues.
Good luck, hope it works out well for you.
I'd be asking the fosterer, just in general conversation, how he is now with food, what types he likes and any general health issues. If the fosterer agrees, see how he is when being fed, given treats etc. Some dogs guard their food and will gobble it down, others are more relaxed. What is your own dog like?
My parents often had two dogs. One pair they had, the younger one would always leave about a quarter of her breakfast in her bowl. The elder one knew this and would try to pinch what was left, which caused everyday "fighting", just play but sometimes sounded quite fierce.
Have you thought about feeding, sleeping arrangements etc?
I'd agree with the comments above re Dogs Trust. Both our dogs came from them and they have helped sort out any behaviour issues.
Good luck, hope it works out well for you.
It's the dynamics with our existing hound that are a big concern. So I would like ideally, to trial this dog at home for a few days, in addition to any visits/walks etc.
Our dog is a bit of an odd character, maybe due to him not spending much time with other dogs. He is definitely not an alpha male and often very submissive, but once he starts playing he likes to dive around like lunatic, which means he has, in the past, wound up other less bouncy dogs with his enthusiasm. He doesn't read the signs when another dog isn't in the mood to jump around. Like most Basset's he immediately demolishes anything edible, which could be problematic if the other dog eats more slowly or is protective. Ours is not at all protective/aggressive/territorial with anything.
I take what you say about Dogs Trust, but breed, location and circumstance mean this particular dog appeals. If he isn't right for us we won't be actively searching for another.
Our dog is a bit of an odd character, maybe due to him not spending much time with other dogs. He is definitely not an alpha male and often very submissive, but once he starts playing he likes to dive around like lunatic, which means he has, in the past, wound up other less bouncy dogs with his enthusiasm. He doesn't read the signs when another dog isn't in the mood to jump around. Like most Basset's he immediately demolishes anything edible, which could be problematic if the other dog eats more slowly or is protective. Ours is not at all protective/aggressive/territorial with anything.
I take what you say about Dogs Trust, but breed, location and circumstance mean this particular dog appeals. If he isn't right for us we won't be actively searching for another.
blueST said:
It's the dynamics with our existing hound that are a big concern. So I would like ideally, to trial this dog at home for a few days, in addition to any visits/walks etc.
Our dog is a bit of an odd character, maybe due to him not spending much time with other dogs. He is definitely not an alpha male and often very submissive, but once he starts playing he likes to dive around like lunatic, which means he has, in the past, wound up other less bouncy dogs with his enthusiasm. He doesn't read the signs when another dog isn't in the mood to jump around. Like most Basset's he immediately demolishes anything edible, which could be problematic if the other dog eats more slowly or is protective. Ours is not at all protective/aggressive/territorial with anything.
I take what you say about Dogs Trust, but breed, location and circumstance mean this particular dog appeals. If he isn't right for us we won't be actively searching for another.
Sounds like you need an overnight test drive Our dog is a bit of an odd character, maybe due to him not spending much time with other dogs. He is definitely not an alpha male and often very submissive, but once he starts playing he likes to dive around like lunatic, which means he has, in the past, wound up other less bouncy dogs with his enthusiasm. He doesn't read the signs when another dog isn't in the mood to jump around. Like most Basset's he immediately demolishes anything edible, which could be problematic if the other dog eats more slowly or is protective. Ours is not at all protective/aggressive/territorial with anything.
I take what you say about Dogs Trust, but breed, location and circumstance mean this particular dog appeals. If he isn't right for us we won't be actively searching for another.
The only way to really see how they get on is for them to be together. It took a couple of weeks for any issues between our SBTs to surface, until Ace settled in he was submissive. Now he stands his ground & the pack dynamic has worked itself out.
Well, that was interesting and not as expected. More questions than answers really. We went for a long walk last night, in neutral territory with our dog and the prospective rescue. He's a lovely dog, very affectionate and massively under weight. He was very playful with ours, lots mouthing and growling, but plenty of submission and bowing etc. he needs a bit of discipline and boundaries as he still behaves like a puppy, but is a strong adult. So from that point of view theirs potential, but one problem became apparent that we should have thought of.
We always walk our dog on the lead, we've never fully mastered recall when there are distractions. The same would apply to the new one at least to begin with as he has had no training of any sort. My Wife is only small. When there's only on of us around, walking two eager bassets on the lead could well be too much for her. We rely on a dog walker two days a week too, and she isn't certain she could handle two either, especially as the rescue has no self restraint at all and pulls like a train. Now that problem could be resolved with training, time and patience, but we can't put that onto the dog walker.
We always walk our dog on the lead, we've never fully mastered recall when there are distractions. The same would apply to the new one at least to begin with as he has had no training of any sort. My Wife is only small. When there's only on of us around, walking two eager bassets on the lead could well be too much for her. We rely on a dog walker two days a week too, and she isn't certain she could handle two either, especially as the rescue has no self restraint at all and pulls like a train. Now that problem could be resolved with training, time and patience, but we can't put that onto the dog walker.
What a dog is like for an overnight stay or half hour visits is very different to what they will be 6 months or a year down the line. I appreciate that you can only judge on wat you see first hand. There are some theories out there suggest that you won't really know what a rescue dog is like for two years!
We have had ours for 18 months now and I am beginning to think there is some truth in that.
We looked at Bassets and found we just counldn't get the dogs quick enough. They went very quickly
We have had ours for 18 months now and I am beginning to think there is some truth in that.
We looked at Bassets and found we just counldn't get the dogs quick enough. They went very quickly
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