To Adopt Or Not?

[heidi.p]

Hey folks just new to this forum! My name is Heidi and I have a 2004 Rav 4, so I thought I would register and chat to some like minded people!!

A wee bit off the subject of cars but I have been thinking of taking on a needy dog for sometime now, as I have always loved dogs and would rather give a homeless dog a better life than buy a puppy! Anyone had any experience of this?? Any help or advice would be very useful!! Thanks

[GIDDLEPIN]

Hi and welcome to the club Heidi

As long as you have the time and space to give a dog I don't see a problem

Then as a dog lover I would say that wouldn't I ;)

Les

[heidi.p]

Hey folks just new to this forum! My name is Heidi and I have a 2004 Rav 4, so I thought I would register and chat to some like minded people!!

A wee bit off the subject of cars but I have been thinking of taking on a needy dog for sometime now, as I have always loved dogs and would rather give a homeless dog a better life than buy a puppy! Anyone had any experience of this?? Any help or advice would be very useful!! Thanks

Thanks for the welcome Les

I certainly do have the time as I work in the evening and my husband works through the day, so there would always be someone at home!! I was thinking of getting a bouncy boxer as I have always loved the breed and they have such sad faces! :( I also am a big animal lover, they are so much nicer than some people!!!

[GIDDLEPIN]

You need to speak to Davy (cfc1 on here) he has two boxers and resides north of the border in Bo'ness ;)

[Bizarra]

Welcome to the club, Heidi I hope you enjoy your stay with us :D

Back in the times when I had dogs, I always adopted a stray & never regretted it. In one instance, my much loved Irish red Setter (RIP) walked in off the Street & adopted me. We had a long & happy relationship.

I no longer have dogs :( But took on 2 kittens from the Cats Protection Society. They are totally family now & rule the roost ;)

In short, all my experiences are good, so Go for it

[dave.m]

Hi and welcome to the club, look forward to seeing you on the Rav Forum. There is a member (well he is actually a moderator)

on here called CFC1. From your neck of the woods as well (Bo'ness) he has just adopted 2 boxers, I'm sure he would be happy to give any

advice you need. If he doesn't catch this thread try sending him a PM.

edit, see Les has just posted the same (my typing's getting slower)

[Pat2u]

Hey folks just new to this forum! My name is Heidi and I have a 2004 Rav 4, so I thought I would register and chat to some like minded people!!

A wee bit off the subject of cars but I have been thinking of taking on a needy dog for sometime now, as I have always loved dogs and would rather give a homeless dog a better life than buy a puppy! Anyone had any experience of this?? Any help or advice would be very useful!! Thanks

Hi and welcome,

I got a dog from the staffie bull terrier rescue in cumbria, he was ten months old when we got him he is now 5 years old and has given us many good times of fun with his antics, however it was not all good at the beginning, one has to be very aware of how these dogs came to be in a rescue center, in our case i fear it was a cruelty case and we had a time of convincing our dog that the days of cruelty and ill treatment was well and truly over for him, to cut a long story short it took about 18 months for him to gain our trust, however we now have a very well tempered dog and he loves our grandchildren to bits, just bear this in mind when you are choosing your dog and you will have a friend forever from any rescued dog.

[Demonic Angel]

Hi Heidi, welcome to TOC

Just to reiterate what others have said, make sure you have enough time etc, especially for a rescue dog as they could have been neglected or mistreated by previous owners and you may have to work a bit harder with them but the rewards will far outweigh anything.

Don't have dogs myself, just a couple of cats and we've all been through the mill a bit but seeing their little faces just makes my day. Be prepared to give a lot of love and get loads back in return! :)

[kimi]

welcome to TOC Heidi :D

i have a rescue dog he adopted me, knocked on our door with his little dirty paw

that was 4 years ago

As we had no way of telling what happened to him in the 6months before he found us,

we had to give him lots of time & love, as he was very timid.

He is so worth it though, gives so much love back to us.

Its his house now not ours

So i would say if you have the time do it.

[plus one]

my family have just taken on another dog! her name is sasha and she is a 3 year old springer spaniel! she should have been a working dog but she didnt want to work.

if you have the time and think you can look after another dog which may have some problems them deffinatley do it!!!!

xxx

[heidi.p]

Hey folks just new to this forum! My name is Heidi and I have a 2004 Rav 4, so I thought I would register and chat to some like minded people!!

A wee bit off the subject of cars but I have been thinking of taking on a needy dog for sometime now, as I have always loved dogs and would rather give a homeless dog a better life than buy a puppy! Anyone had any experience of this?? Any help or advice would be very useful!! Thanks

Hi folks!! thanks for all you wise words of wisdom!!! I am seriously considering the adoption thing!! I will definitely keep all your advice in mind!! It's amazing how many homeless hounds there are!! I daren't go to a homeless shelter at the moment as I fear I'll come home with them all!!

[cfc1]

Hi Heidi...

1st of all welcome to TOC, I hope you enjoy your time here :)

Now... the doggy... As has been said I adopted two Boxers in August...

Meet TJ (white male) and Rojo our little female.

I adopted mine from Boxer Welfare Scotland who were absolutey fantastic during the whole adoption process. There were certain criteria I had to meet, as will probably be the same with other rescue centres..

Each rescue boxer is assessed when it comes into our care and every effort is then made to match it to a family that we have assessed and deemed suitable for that particular rescue dog.

Dogs are rehomed by order of suitability, NOT on a first come first served basis.

* You agree to provide love, food, shelter and vet care (including routine vaccinations, worming and flea treatment) for the lifetime of the dog. You must also provide adequate exercise.

* You agree that the dog will be neutered/spayed within 3 months of adoption (maximum - no extensions allowed).

* Boxer Welfare Scotland can offer 4 weeks free insurance through PetPlan. It is YOUR responsibility to activate this insurance immediately. To activate this insurance you must call 0800 1979017 and quote ref no: 1300020052. Boxer Welfare Scotland WILL NOT be held responsible for any vet fees incurred through lack of insurance.

* You cannot, under any circumstances, breed from an adopted dog. If your dog becomes pregnant prior to being neutered then the dog and any pups must be returned to Boxer Welfare Scotland.

* If you can no longer care for the dog, you agree it will be returned immediately to Boxer Welfare Scotland.

* You MUST NOT profit from the dog in any way. You cannot sell the dog or use the dog for entertainment or experimental purposes.

* Boxer Welfare Scotland cannot be held responsible for any damage caused by the dog after rehoming.

* You agree not to leave your dog unattended with young children.

* You MUST inform Boxer Welfare Scotland immediately if your address, phone number or circumstances change.

* DO NOT allow your dog off lead within the first six weeks of adoption.

* You MUST NOT use a choke chain, shock collar or any other pain-causing device on your dog.

* You MUST NOT use physical punishment on your dog. If you need advice on positive training please contact us.

* Adoption fees of £200 are non-refundable.

* If your dog is lost/stolen you will inform Boxer Welfare Scotland immediately.

* You must allow a volunteer access to the dog, at a mutually agreed date and time, to carry out a follow- up check. If you fail to do so then Boxer Welfare Scotland have the right to remove the dog from your care.

* If you do not follow the terms of this agreement, Boxer Welfare Scotland has the right to remove the dog and cancel your adoption agreement.

Although all the points above are important (for obvious reasons) I have highlighted some of the more serious conditions to which you must agree. I will also point out that most rescue centres won't rehome a dog where there are children under the age of 5 or 7, can't quite remember sorry.. due to the fact that they cannot be fully 100% sure on ANY dogs nature and they wouldn't want to put a young child at risk.

Also worth pointing out at this point that Boxer Welfare Scotland won't rehome a dog to anyone who doesn't have experience of the breed.. this is due to their nature, they are very very bouncy dogs who want a lot of attention, full of fun and constantly love playing.. baisically they remain as daft puppies till their last breath.. I suspect other rescue centres may possibly have similar rules.

Part of the adoption process is a Home Check, don't worry about this as they aren't there to inspect your dusting and hoovering abilities, they check that your house is large enough (if it's a large dog) and that your garden is suitable with fencing etc to keep your dog within your boundary (I had to make my fence higher lol) and that there is nothing dangerous to the dog in your garden.. such as an unsecure garden shed which may contain poisonous chemicals etc etc.. you know the type of thing, as long as your house is safe and secure with a descent sized garden you will be fine... but make sure your dusting is up to a high standard just in case

It's good to see someone willing to adopt rather than buy, but I would also like you to consider an old dog too, these dogs will give you just as much love as a young dog and all they want in return is somewhere loving, safe and warm to live out the rest of their lives...

An Old Dog's Prayer

One by one, they pass by my cage,

Too old, too worn, too broken, no way.

Way past his time, he can't run and play.

Then they shake their heads slowly and go on their way.

A little old man, arthritic and sore,

It seems I am not wanted anymore.

I once had a home, I once had a bed,

A place that was warm, and where I was fed.

Now my muzzle is grey, and my eyes slowly fail.

Who wants a dog so old and so frail?

My family decided I didn't belong,

I got in their way, my attitude was wrong.

Whatever excuse they made in their head,

Can't justify how they left me for dead.

Now I sit in this cage, where day after day,

The younger dogs get adopted away.

When I had almost come to the end of my rope,

You saw my face, and I finally had hope.

You saw thru' the grey, and the legs bent with age,

And felt I still had life beyond this cage.

You took me home, gave me food and a bed,

And shared your own pillow with my poor tired head.

We snuggle and play, and you talk to me low,

You love me so dearly, you want me to know.

I may have lived most of my life with another,

But you outshine them with a love so much stronger.

And I promise to return all the love I can give,

To you, my dear person, as long as I live.

I may be with you for a week, or for years,

We will share many smiles, you will no doubt shed tears.

And when the time comes that God deems I must leave,

I know you will cry and your heart, it will grieve.

And when I arrive at the Bridge, all brand new,

My thoughts and my heart will still be with you.

And I will brag to all who will hear,

Of the person who made my last days so dear.

If you have any other questions on the subject just ask and I'll do my best to answer them for you... what kind of dog are you looking for?

[heidi.p]

Hi Heidi...

1st of all welcome to TOC, I hope you enjoy your time here :)

Now... the doggy... As has been said I adopted two Boxers in AugustW

Aww Davy they are beautiful!! Is the white one quite old? he has such a sad wee face!!

I have always had dogs when I was younger but I am so in love the boxer breed, they are so full of beans aren't they!! Our neighbours up the road have a boxer and she is sooo friendly!!

I have had loads of great advice today it's been really helpful! Did your two have any problems at all with previous abuse or anything? did they settle in ok, did they take to you straight away? one of my work mates took on a homeless dog and it sat at her window for about a week as if waiting for its old owners?!?

[cfc1]

TJ isn't that old.. infact.. he's a big baby...

8 years old and still not out grown his dummy He has lovely big sad eyes that are very hard to resist when he wants a treat Rojo is ball daft.. everywhere she goea she wants to take one of her many balls with her, she teases us with it by holding her nose in the air and shaking it as if to say "come and get it" and whenyou try she plants her nose firmly on the floor so you have to fight her for it.

The previous owners of my two were/are/have emigrated, the dogs were well looked after and loved very much, the owners phoned the kennels every week during their 4 months at the kennels to check if they had been rehomed.

When we first went to visit them they were barking and pulling on their leads to get to us, we played with them for an hour or so at the kennels... got covered with slobbery kisses from both of them. We were then asked if we wanted them (this was after the home checks etc etc) and we said yes, we asked when we could take them home and were told we could take them there and then if we wanted, so it was a quick dash back home to get the funds, when we returned it was obvious that both dogs knew us and seemed to know they were coming with us as Rojo jumped into the bck of the car right away. When we got them home they both explored their new surroundings, eventually finding a place to lie down for a rest.. they settled in right away, but over the next couple of months they came more and more out of themselves and we got to see all the little things they do, how they let you know they want something... how they like to play etc etc... so I would say the fully settled within about 6 weeks but were really quite relaxed with us from day one.

[heidi.p]

TJ isn't that old.. infact.. he's a big baby...

What an absolute sweetie!!! I love that pic what a gorgeous baby!!

Sounds like you were very lucky to land that pair Davy as I have heard a few horror stories re previous abuse!! Thanks for all your advise and showing me the pics of your two beautiful rescue babes!! I am definitely going to sit down tonight and seriously discuss this with my hubby! I have had a wee look at the boxer welfare site and there are some beautiful dogs looking to rehomed or have been rehomed!! I just home i'm as lucky as you when it comes to getting a dog like your 2!! Thanks Davy and everyone for your help and advice!!

[cfc1]

Good luck with it... please let us know how you get on :)