Can you rescue an animal in need?

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SUMMARY

This discussion emphasizes the importance of rescuing abandoned animals, particularly dogs, rather than purchasing them from pet stores or breeders. The participants share personal experiences with their rescue dogs, Duke and Lola, highlighting the emotional rewards of adopting pets in need. They advocate for spaying and neutering to prevent overpopulation and stress the significance of patience and love in rehabilitating abused animals. The conversation also touches on the challenges and joys of integrating rescue dogs into a home environment.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of animal behavior and rehabilitation techniques
  • Knowledge of spaying and neutering practices
  • Familiarity with local animal shelters and adoption processes
  • Basic training methods for dogs, including leash training and the use of collars and harnesses
NEXT STEPS
  • Research local animal shelters and their adoption procedures
  • Learn about effective dog training techniques, including positive reinforcement
  • Explore the benefits of spaying and neutering pets
  • Investigate the psychological effects of rescue animals and their rehabilitation needs
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for animal lovers, prospective pet owners, rescue organizations, and anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of adopting and caring for rescue dogs.

  • #31
She's a good-looking dog, turbo! It's nice that she and Duke are getting along as well.

We love animals and would probably consider adopting one, but my wife is allergic to both cats and dogs. Even the "hypoallergenic" breeds. :frown:
 
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  • #32
Just an update. Rescue dogs can throw you curves. A few days ago, I was looking for Lola and walked back to the bedroom thinking that she might have grabbed the warm spot on the bed when I got up.

Nope. She was standing in the business end of our tub waiting for somebody to turn on the water. Later that afternoon, and the next day and the next, she found a mud-hole and came back home with muddy legs and belly, so she got her nice warm bath. I have never seen a dog that is so intent on getting a bath.
 
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  • #33
My wife and I will be looking into adopting a retired greyhound and a mutt from the local humane society. Couldn't ever think of going anywhere else.
 
  • #34
Greg Bernhardt said:
My wife and I will be looking into adopting a retired greyhound and a mutt from the local humane society. Couldn't ever think of going anywhere else.
Thank you! All dogs need loving homes. Greyhounds are dumped here in Maine at an alarming rate, and this time of year (kids going to college, people changing apartments) the shelters have lots of dogs.

Thank you for adopting!
 
  • #35
Here is my rescue! We have had her nearly a year, and are still dealing with trust issues. No one is home often enough to really work with her well, but she is a very good girl and fairly well adjusted. She just has some trust issues with men, and prefers to sit by herself instead of in your lap. But we are happy with her.

We were told she is about 3 when we got her, which was a couple of days before Halloween. Since she is black, I have decided Halloween will become her birthday. So Oct 31 she will be 4.

407661824.jpg
 
  • #36
Ms Music said:
Here is my rescue! We have had her nearly a year, and are still dealing with trust issues. No one is home often enough to really work with her well, but she is a very good girl and fairly well adjusted. She just has some trust issues with men, and prefers to sit by herself instead of in your lap. But we are happy with her.

We were told she is about 3 when we got her, which was a couple of days before Halloween. Since she is black, I have decided Halloween will become her birthday. So Oct 31 she will be 4.

407661824.jpg
What a beauty! What's her name?
 
  • #37
Oops, I meant to post after the picture! Her name is Pixie. Fits her rather well, actually. Pointy eared, small statured, mischievous creature.
 
  • #38
Ms Music said:
Oops, I meant to post after the picture! Her name is Pixie. Fits her rather well, actually. Pointy eared, small statured, mischievous creature.

She's lovely :!)!
 
  • #39
What a sweet-looking girl! I have never been a cat-person, but I have been adopted by cats in the past. I was adopted by a long-haired white Persian many years ago. She was as deaf as a post, but she always knew when I was in my neighbors' house, and would greet me and walk along with me until I sat down, and then I was hers. She would get on my lap and purr like crazy while rubbing her face on my chest.

BTW, if you are having trust issues with a cat,; rule #1 is never to look the cat in the eyes or confront them. Cats prefer to cuddle with those that look askance at them. That's why I got adopted by so many cats over the years, until I figured it out. Dogs like direct gazes and cats definitely do not.
 
  • #40
turbo said:
What a sweet-looking girl! I have never been a cat-person, but I have been adopted by cats in the past. I was adopted by a long-haired white Persian many years ago. She was as deaf as a post, but she always knew when I was in my neighbors' house, and would greet me and walk along with me until I sat down, and then I was hers. She would get on my lap and purr like crazy while rubbing her face on my chest.

BTW, if you are having trust issues with a cat,; rule #1 is never to look the cat in the eyes or confront them. Cats prefer to cuddle with those that look askance at them. That's why I got adopted by so many cats over the years, until I figured it out. Dogs like direct gazes and cats definitely do not.

I think another reason cats are drawn to non-cat-people is because sometimes a cat just wants a warm, still lap to sit on. No talking, petting, or scratching, thanks - just heat, please.
 
  • #41
lisab said:
sometimes a cat just wants a warm, still lap to sit on. No talking, petting, or scratching, thanks - just heat, please.

Only "sometimes?"

Some of my farming relatives used to keep working cats, that fed themselves from whatever they could catch at night. (They also reproduced as and when they saw fit, without any human intervention). But during the day, there was always a large heap of cats as close to the open coal fire in the farmhouse as they could get.

There was a shepherd's crook kept next to the fire, for use when the smell of burning cat fur got too strong and you needed to pull them away without getting too many fingers bitten off.

And for REAL emergencies, there was a bucket of water next to the fire as well.
 
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  • #43
AlephZero said:
Only "sometimes?"

Some of my farming relatives used to keep working cats, that fed themselves from whatever they could catch at night. (They also reproduced as and when they saw fit, without any human intervention). But during the day, there was always a large heap of cats as close to the open coal fire in the farmhouse as they could get.

There was shepherd's crook kept next to the fire, for use when the smell of burning cat fur got too strong and you needed to pull them away getting too many fingers bitten off.

And for REAL emergencies, there was a bucket of water next to the fire as well.

:smile:

We have an outside cat here. She's not feral at all, in fact she's sweet, but she really doesn't want to be inside. So we make the basement available to her, and I insist on running a heated pad for her down there 9 months of the year.
 
  • #44
Thanks guys!

turbo said:
... rule #1 is never to look the cat in the eyes...

This one is easy. If she doesn't want you to look at her, you get her butt in your face. :) (pat me here!)

AlephZ, my dad was a farmer growing up, and all their animals were working animals. ONLY. You didn't have pets. He let it slide for us kids to always have a cat, but he put his foot down for a dog. No dogs! :sadface:
 
  • #45
Lola has fitted in well here. She barks loudly (I discourage the loud stuff) and then talks to me, saying "Roo-Roo". I am encouraging her to sneeze afterward, and she's getting good about that.
 
  • #46
Lola is evolving, and she is such a sweetie. She knows a lot of words, and if I say something that she doesn't understand, she will pick up her ears and tilt her head. (too cute!) She doesn't need many repetitions to pick up the meaning, especially in context. Duke is kind, sweet and loving, and Lola the pit-pull is too intelligent for our own good. Please rescue a dog. Based on our experience with Lola, I would strongly suggest a pit-bull that doesn't have a fighting background. They are cuddly, kissy, and want attention.

One of our neighbors is afraid of Lola because she is a pit-bull. Her elderly husband came over here to apply water-seal to our detached garage, and he fell in love with Lola. She just wanted touching and attention, and that was enough. He loves dogs, and would probably have stolen her if she would leave my wife and me, but he says that after putting down so many dogs to health problems that he can't possible adopt another one.
 
  • #47
I should mention that contrary to the bad press that pit-bulls get these days, they were long considered "nanny dogs" that should be brought into one's family to take care of the kids. Lola is no exception. When young family members visit, she hangs with them, brings them back to the fold and prevents them from wandering out in the road. I don't know if she has herding instincts, but she is quite effective at keeping little kids out of this busy back road.

She often is not well-acquainted with these little kids (including toddlers), but she has to take care of them anyway. Rescues can be such sweet dogs, and the shelters are full of them. No need to shop for pure-blood dogs. There are so many available.
 
  • #48
Lola got into the garden yesterday, and feasted on left-over broccoli plants, apparently. She can weaponze any food, but cruciate vegetables are very potent on their own. Oh, well.

When she jumps up on the bed, I encourage her to face me, and my wife can suffer the gas-leaks. :devil: Duke was never allowed on the bed, but my wife changed the rules for Lola, who changes the rules for herself. She wants to not only get on the bed, but gets under the covers.

A younger friend showed up with her pickup truck to drop off some ramps that we had loaned her so that she could move. Lola was fascinated by her and stayed pretty close. She asked if Lola stays around reliably, and I told her yes, but that if she left a door of her truck open, she would have a free dog. Lola loves rides. The UPS driver thinks that she is a hoot, since it can take several attempts to get her out of his truck. You don't always know what you get from a rescue dog, but it has been fun.

If you want a dog, please rescue one. I am so happy that Greg will take in a greyhound. Greyhounds from the NH/NY tracks get dumped in Maine, and many homes can't accommodate them due to lack of room and lack of exercise space. Some dogs really need to run.
 
  • #50
My cat was a rescue. She was left at the shelter 3 times in her 4 year old life.

She was a gift for a child as a kitten, who quickly bored of her once she wasn't cute anymore. Then she was put in the shelter, only to be adopted by a couple who falsified rental documents and when the landlord found out they had an animal, demanded they get rid of her. The last time was a couple who adopted her, and when they split up, neither wanted her.

She's easily the best cat I've ever had. I will keep her until she passes.
 
  • #51
I've got 2 rescue kitties. When I adopted them they were 10 and 18 years old (according to the shelter). Now they are 12 and 20. They are doing great.

This is a picture of my old man cat. The small inset picture was from the shelter website. He looked horrible when I first got him, but he grew into a big, fluffy, beautiful guy.
 

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  • #52
Math Is Hard said:
I've got 2 rescue kitties. When I adopted them they were 10 and 18 years old (according to the shelter). Now they are 12 and 20. They are doing great.

This is a picture of my old man cat. The small inset picture was from the shelter website. He looked horrible when I first got him, but he grew into a big, fluffy, beautiful guy.
Yep, the old guy went from scruffy to fluffy!
 
  • #53
Has anybody here rescued a shelter animal this year? The holidays are a peak time for animal abandonment, and shelters (at least around here) are full.

Ironically, when the animal control picked up Duke, she called him a pit-bull. Apparently, the lanky legs, big paws, and webbed toes didn't tip her off that he is a Lab/mix. He spent 5 months in a shelter after being called a a pit-bull. The guy who cleaned the cages and took dogs for walks wanted to rescue Duke, but he already had 3 medium-sized dogs and couldn't afford to support another. When I told him that we'd take Duke, I thought he would kiss me.

My wife and I did a direct adoption of Lola, knowing that she is a pit-bull. She is one of the sweetest dogs ever, and friends and family want to steal her.
 
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  • #54
HayleySarg said:
My cat was a rescue. She was left at the shelter 3 times in her 4 year old life.
That is so sad!
 
  • #55
We have no idea how old Duke is. He was abandoned on the streets of a local town, and when we adopted him from the local shelter, the shelter personnel gave us some very enthusiastic and (too generous IMO) estimates of his youth. He was emaciated and fearful. When he acclimated to us, he suffered terribly from separation anxiety and I couldn't spend much time away from him without coming back home home to a distressed dog.

I went out that fall to plant garlic, and when I came back home he had climbed onto the bed (forbidden!) and took a dump on the comforter. He was ashamed when I came back in the house. There have been no similar instances. When you rescue a dog, you have to expect the unexpected.
 
  • #56
A few months ago I came across Toby, the one on the right. He belonged to an elderly lady who couldn't take care of him anymore. Daisy, the tree climbing mutt on the left has been remarkably good with him. Toby is a bit of a mystery. He is a cross between a toy poodle and a Spaniel, but doesn't really have the size nor weight of a Cockapoo.

He looks a bit bigger in the photo because he is in the foreground.

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  • #57
Daisy really is a tree climbing mutt.

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