topic Re: For pet adopters - need advice.... in Community Chat

For pet adopters - need advice....

betty423 — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 17:40:36 GMT

We have always adopted our pets. We currently have one dog and are want to adopt another. We have foster referrals as well as one from our vet. The problem is we moved into a new house that does not have a completely fenced yard (our old house did when we adopted our current dog). We've contacted three groups about three different dogs and we were told we could not be considered because of the yard. My husband thinks we should give up and buy a puppy from a breeder. I honestly would rather give a home to a dog that is waiting for a family through no fault of his/her own. Anyone else have this experience? Any suggestions (we can't get a fence; our property is very big and we could not afford it right now).

Betty

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

kittymomNC — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 17:44:46 GMT

I would wholeheartedly suggest you keep trying to adopt. You can be a good adoptive family with or without a fence, and there are so many dogs that desperately need a home. Do the shelters refuse to allow you to adopt because of the fence, or is it dog rescue groups, ??

Please keep trying - there is a wonderful dog out there somewhere who needs you!

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

ivanatrump — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 17:46:06 GMT

Our yard is not fenced in and had no trouble adopting a dog.

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

betty423 — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 17:48:14 GMT

We've been contacting rescue groups. I'm not sure there is a shelter nearby but it's a great thought. Thanks!

I want to hold out to adopt. We've had wonderful family pets through adoption.

Betty

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

pattypeep — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 17:48:26 GMT

Perhaps you could build a run or just a small fenced in area?

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

betty423 — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 17:49:59 GMT

On 8/5/2014 ivanatrump said:
Our yard is not fenced in and had no trouble adopting a dog.

Lucky you! I wish we were having the same experience Fingers crossed.

Betty

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

jewelfool — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 17:53:27 GMT

Go to overstock.com and they have a site to match people with animals that need a home in your area. Just put your zip in and the mile radius you want to search and if you want the breed you are looking for and the site will pull up those animals in need of a home in your surrounding area. They may not give you the problems you are having. It's really neat...I saw it on a commercial last night and tried it.

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

kittyfan — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 18:17:31 GMT

I have adopted a number of rescues over the years. The last gal I don't think they even asked if I had a fence---it was a shelter rescue (overcrowded).

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

Mama Mia — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 18:20:23 GMT

You need a rescue dog, and also, just fence a part of your yard, not the whole yard.

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

hckynut — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 18:20:30 GMT

My wife is on the board of directors of a 5 state Boxer Rescue Organization and while they prefer their prospective adoptive parents to have a fenced yard, it is not a requirement. None of their dogs are adopted to anyone without first making at least 1 or 2 in-home visits with the dog wanting to be adopted.

The foster or the person in charge of making these decision goes along on some of these visits. The last place I bought get any pet would be from a breeder. Many of the Boxer Rescues for this organization come from breeders in Kansas and Missouri. Not pups but worn out mothers or fathers and it makes me sick.

It takes a lot of work to introduce these poor animals to what should be normal for them, and that is love and care, none of which was done by any of their breeders.

Do you have a state Human Society? If so, I know ours does not require fenced in yards to be able to adopt(save)their dogs or cats.

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

betty423 — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 18:26:48 GMT

I did some net research and found an SPCA about 12 miles from our home. We are going to visit on Friday and hopefully find our next family member!!! They have no requirement about fences. Guess it was a requirement for the rescues. Either way thanks everyone for the info. I'm so excited!!!!!

Betty

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

terrier3 — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 18:28:31 GMT

On 8/5/2014 ivanatrump said:
Our yard is not fenced in and had no trouble adopting a dog.

Same here.

I did tell them that he would only be walked on a leash....and that I go for two long walks daily...at least 2 miles each time.

My dog is only about 20 pounds...I doubt I would be able to provide enough exercise for a larger animal.

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

Moonlady — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 18:29:41 GMT

First of all, continue to look for a dog to "adopt." Just be aware that, the older the dog is, the more baggage (caused by humans, of course) he may have. Maybe that's why your husband would prefer to get one as a puppy.

Second, don't get me started on some of these agencies and their "adoption counselors." Just don't.

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

hckynut — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 18:40:34 GMT

On 8/5/2014 Moonlady said:
First of all, continue to look for a dog to "adopt." Just be aware that, the older the dog is, the more baggage (caused by humans, of course) he may have. Maybe that's why your husband would prefer to get one as a puppy.

Second, don't get me started on some of these agencies and their "adoption counselors." Just don't.

I'm hoping to get you started. Most of the "agencies" in our area are all volunteer rescue organizations and that means those that volunteer a whole lot of their time for free usually are big animals lovers.

Don't know exactly what your definition is of "adoption counselors".

Ready to go now?

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

kittymomNC — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 18:42:50 GMT

On 8/5/2014 betty423 said:
I did some net research and found an SPCA about 12 miles from our home. We are going to visit on Friday and hopefully find our next family member!!! They have no requirement about fences. Guess it was a requirement for the rescues. Either way thanks everyone for the info. I'm so excited!!!!!

Betty

Good for you! Holding out for adoption is the right thing to do, and I have a feeling that you will be "selected" by your next little family member. He/she will let you know...when you see one and get that "feeling" in your heart!

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

Moonlady — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 18:48:41 GMT

On 8/5/2014 hckynut said:
On 8/5/2014 Moonlady said:
First of all, continue to look for a dog to "adopt." Just be aware that, the older the dog is, the more baggage (caused by humans, of course) he may have. Maybe that's why your husband would prefer to get one as a puppy.

Second, don't get me started on some of these agencies and their "adoption counselors." Just don't.

I'm hoping to get you started. Most of the "agencies" in our area are all volunteer rescue organizations and that means those that volunteer a whole lot of their time for free usually are big animals lovers.

Don't know exactly what your definition is of "adoption counselors".

Ready to go now?

Most? Kind of like how I said, "some." That pretty much proves my point--that some of these "adoption counselors" are more interested in treating the animals as their little domain than getting them homes.

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

hckynut — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 18:53:36 GMT

On 8/5/2014 Moonlady said:
On 8/5/2014 hckynut said:
On 8/5/2014 Moonlady said:
First of all, continue to look for a dog to "adopt." Just be aware that, the older the dog is, the more baggage (caused by humans, of course) he may have. Maybe that's why your husband would prefer to get one as a puppy.

Second, don't get me started on some of these agencies and their "adoption counselors." Just don't.

I'm hoping to get you started. Most of the "agencies" in our area are all volunteer rescue organizations and that means those that volunteer a whole lot of their time for free usually are big animals lovers.

Don't know exactly what your definition is of "adoption counselors".

Ready to go now?

Most? Kind of like how I said, "some." That pretty much proves my point--that some of these "adoption counselors" are more interested in treating the animals as their little domain than getting them homes.

Since you choose to use semantics I don't have anything else to say.

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

PuppyBreath — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 19:10:52 GMT

On 8/5/2014 betty423 said:
I did some net research and found an SPCA about 12 miles from our home. We are going to visit on Friday and hopefully find our next family member!!! They have no requirement about fences. Guess it was a requirement for the rescues. Either way thanks everyone for the info. I'm so excited!!!!!

Betty

Please do not send the message that rescues require a fence. THEY DO NOT! I work for a rescue. SOME dogs do require a fence, and their new owner will be told that, and their home screened for it. But, by and large we do not require fences. I myself do not have one, and my little girl is very happy here. It all depends on the particular dog's needs.

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

luvmyteddy4 — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 19:30:19 GMT

Unless you live in great weather 24/7 I would definitely want a dog pen, they run anywhere from 100-300 for a nice one. You could add it to some fence you already have. Petco has them on sale today with free shipping and 25% off and then there's CL.

I am happy you are adopting and when I adopted all mine they didn't check to see if I had a fence. I didn't on my first two dogs because there were no lease laws at the time but it is a hassle. I wouldn't be without one now. It would be so worth it to have one. It's not cheap to even adopt a dog anymore but at least you won't be paying for surgery or shots. There's nothing worse than chasing your dog down the street and you have to worry about the other animals around. My first one ran away for four hours and after driving around for hours I came home to find her on my porch. Never again plus I found out she hadn't been spayed at the shelter. Luckily the dog she left with was hopefully a girl.

If you don't find one on the first try go back and check often. I almost missed one that was being fostered at a home and I didn't see her until the second visit. I took one look and that was the one, cigarettes burns and whip marks and all.

Re: For pet adopters - need advice....

Clover29 — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 19:30:23 GMT

I'm going to get my first dog in the next few months. I've noticed that the "must have fence" places are always breed rescues, and county shelters don't have that rule.

A friend of mine wanted to adopt a couple of kittens from a private rescue organization (not a fancy breed, just regular pet cats). Someone from the org insisted they have a home visit, and pointed out a pageful of things that needed fixing before they'd let my friend have their kittens. It was like child-proofing a home, with baby gates and electric outlet stoppers. At that point, I'd have gone elsewhere, it's not like kittens are hard to find. But my friend complied, jumped through the hoops, and got her kittens.