what dog to get

[phil2]

we have been looking not yet but getting ideas to get a new dog since our passed one :(. it will be ages away but we may get another dalmation ,also looking at cats but look at my cat posts to see problems we face. i love huskys but there too dear really,we also said ack russells but ar they yappy?

[ritabooker]

Have you considered adopting a dog from the humane society? You may find breeds or mutts, but that way you could interact with the dog and see if it seems like it would make a good pet. The humane society in our area evaluates the dogs, so that can help you get an idea as to their temperment(good with kids, ok with cats, etc.).

I would also recommend you research the various breeds for traits, if you have not already done so.

Also, if you have a fenced yard for a dog, so it can be active outside and still be safe from traffic, other dogs, etc., then you will have more options for selecting a pet.

[countrychic10]

I agree with the previous poster. Looking at your local humane society or rescue group is a great place to start. You can get a lovely lil mixed breed or you can contact specific breed rescues and rescue a pure breed of your choice that is in need of a loving home.

Also..be sure your not getting a dog just based on it's apperance. Research throughly before jumping in. Dogs like Husky's and such require LOTS and LOTS of excercise and mind stimulating activities and can be very troublesome if not given the mental and physical excercise they need.

What energy level are you looking for in a dog?? How much time per day can you spend excerciseing it and what sort of activities would you be able to do with it? Also look into the common health concerns that affect each breed and other care requirements such as grooming that each breed would need. Everyone has their favorite breed, personally I don't think I could survive without a Great Dane in the house, but every breed of dog is not right for every family or situation so lots of research on the part of the potential owner is an absolute must in order to help prevent serious issues in the future.

[celtechfarms]

I also want to add, if adopting, make sure the shelter gives you the dogs history. If they are too vage and wont answer your questions about how the dog came to them, walk away, unfortunatly around here shelters are badly run and don't do their jobs when trying to adopt their dogs. Thy should be trying to match the right dog to you, not just shoving any animal in a cage at you. Ask about trial periods and refunds on adoption fees if it doesn't work out and you are forced to return the dog in the first two weeks.

We have adopted two dogs in our home, one we had to return, he had major issues that we could not work through and after he attacked our small 16 year old female beagle lab, the hubby had had enough. We were never told his history, they intentionally didn't tell us it to get him adopted and they neer refunded the adoption fee, 145 dollars gone. Then the second was the darling pup that had to be euthed after her spay because of liver failiar, and all we got was an oh my, we very sorry. No offer to help with another adoption, or an offer on any of the adoption fee, 175 dollars gone. Thats alot of money, not that I mind on the second, but I did on the first.

So try to adopt from a shelter that is doing its job and not one that is simply trying to off load their animals on the first person who walks in the door.

[countrychic10]

Good point Celtech...so glad you brought that up. Many of my "fosters" have been from the local kill shelter. this is by no means a rescue group and is mainly just a place to unload animals. In the past few years I have adopted 4 Great Danes and my Weimaraner from there. The price was about $60 per dog and I got a certifcate to take to my vet for them to be spayed and nuetered. There was never any follow up to see if the dogs were altered, they didn't care what kind of person I was...it was basically "give me your money and take the dog" sort of thing. Needless to say there were numerous behaviour and health issues with all of these dogs.

A reputable rescue however is concerned about where the dog goes, will most likely have you fill out an application, may do home checks and the animal will already be altered before going home with you. A majority of these dogs would have been in foster homes who have been teaching them about living in the home and trying to socialize them. If they weren't in a foster home then the rescue staff would have spent several hours working with the dogs and evaluating their temperments. For less stress and heart ache I would highly reccomend looking into a reputable rescue...though shelter dogs are just as wonderful...if your willing to deal with possible unknown medical issues and are prepared to handle some of the behaviour issues that most of these dogs come with.

Don't get me wrong...I have a wonderful Weimaraner who is a shelter dog and was horrible as far as health and training when I got him. With lots of work and love he's now a wonderful companion.

Anyways...guess the important thing is to do plenty of research on the type of dog your wanting and where you want to obtain your dog from...don't rush into any situation without first doing your homework. :)

[celtechfarms]

Yeah, rescues hand pick their dogs, can turn away issues too difficult to handle and will spend the time needed on issues that shelters may have been unable to handle. My own rescues went out altered already, fully up to date on shots, had two home checks before and drop ins after, I had the right to remove the dog at any time after the adoption if I believed the dog was not being properly cared for and did three refrence checks including the attending vet. My dogs also wet with either already attended eight week obediance class, or a hundred dollar voucher to attend an eight week obediance class to an approved trainer from our list of trainers. We were very strict about who you were allowed to take the dog to in that way because some people aroundhere wont allow rotties in their classes or will discriminate against the breed.

So as you can see a rescue will often do more for you then a shelter or pound ever will. We have more one on one with the dog then a shelter does, they just dont have the help or man hours to do it in unfortunatly, they get over whelmed.

[phil2]

ive been looking at huskys and dalmations another but there oth very dear,well something that would have a 30 minute walk twice a day (maybe once a day sometimes) and a walk at the weekends for a hour,also one that will be good when we go in the caravan.

we haev a safe garden.

[albyguest]

The huskies are beautiful

[BelleKitty]

I would not discredit the attributes of a breed, but like anything, it is also the characteristics of the individual.

Go to the shelter and spend time there with an animal! Also, know what you want in a dog... if it is retrieving, going swimming with you, being small so you can hold the, being big to protect you? Learn about the breeds that do that... but that said, hang out with the dogs and see if you bond with any.

[domsriltz123]

I also want to add, if adopting, make sure the shelter gives you the dogs history. If they are too vage and wont answer your questions about how the dog came to them, walk away, unfortunatly around here shelters are badly run and don't do their jobs when trying to adopt their dogs.