Adopting a Rescue?

[ArmyWife9707]

Hello! I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice. I have been wanting a GSD for many years, having been around my uncles since I was little. Well, I have been talking with the husband about adopting from a rescue I was told about by a neighbor (apparently it's the only reputable rescue around). I contacted this rescue and they have been great about responding and answering any questions. My thing is, lately I hear horror stories about GSD's (though I know a lot of it's breed discrimination), I an unsure about not knowing the dogs history. We have 2 children (7 and 3) and a 1.5 year old Maine Coon Cat (my lazy boy) I got from a rescue. I hear people say that GSD are prone to biting, and not knowing it's history can make it risky so I should get a puppy. Honestly, I would rather not get a puppy, I'd rather rescue one. The rescue says with children, they bring each GDS in to meet the children and see how they interact, which I feel is great. I was just wondering if anyone else has had experience with rescues. Oh, and the one's I'm looking at are 1.5-3 years old if that matters. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank You everyone!

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Hi-thanks for considering a rescue! And an adult dog!

YES - German Shepherds SHOULD be aggressive. Appropriately so, but it's there and should be - they should be a courageous dog. Unfortunately there are a lot of dogs being bred who have inappropriate aggression and that will bite for no good reason. When you get an adult dog from a good rescue, or an adult from a good breeder, you should have a pretty good idea of the temperament of that dog.

Before You Own has some info on the breed.
German Shepherds: What's Good About 'Em? What's Bad About 'Em?

The thing with adopting a dog to a home with one 3 and one 7 year old is that they will, over time, have friends over. So, as a rescue, you are really adopting to a home with several children and you do not know how those kids will interact with the dog, or how their parents will respond to that dog too.

SO I would be looking for a dog that has been fostered in a home with children, 24/7 and that this dog still continues to seek the children out and enjoys interacting with them.

You need to ask a lot of questions about what types of things the dog has been socialized to how they reacted to those things.

Good luck - I think an adult dog can be a great way to go!

[Emoore]

Lots of us have had plenty of experience with rescues. There are several rescue fosters on the forum, myself included. I've been fostering GSDs for nearly 10 years and have fostered over 25 of them. What I can tell you is that the dogs in rescue are as varied as the dogs anywhere else. Since you have kids, you absolutely want to go with a rescue group that has their dogs in a foster home situation where they live in a home with a family, not in a shelter situation where they live in kennel runs. I like the fact that they bring the dog to interact with the kids.

Do your children have experience interacting with dogs? Of course you must always supervise interaction between children and dogs-- you never leave a dog and a child unsupervised. Also, teach the kids to respect the dog. I highly recommend reading the book The Other End of the Leash so that you can learn to read dog body language and understand when the kids are making the dog uncomfortable. As an example, most dogs dislike being patted on the head and really don't like being hugged. Many times a child will hug a dog and the parents miss the signs that the dog is uncomfortable and end up with a bite that was totally preventable.

For the first month or so, your kids should treat the dog more like they'd treat a strange dog or a friend's dog than their own family pet so the dog and kids get a chance to know each other

[Remo]

Some GSDs are wonderful with kids - some are terrible with kids. It is a unique situation for every dog. I storngly agree that you should find a dog that is being fostered in a home with children and a dog that enjoys interacting with them. Also, if your kids are not old enough to respect a dog and listen to you when you tell them to leave the dog alone, you might want to wait until they are a little older.

Might I suggest that you read some of the Happy Tales on our web site which is www.shepherdrescue.org - you can read things folks have posted about adopting GSDs from our rescue. I also would lean toward getting a dog that is at least two years old.

All the best and thanks kindly for wanting to add a rescue dog to your home. A good rescue will provide you with all the support you need and be there to help with any questions or problems.

[ArmyWife9707]

Thank You for all the quick replies! My 3 year old is actually good with dogs, it's the cat she has a problem with LOL. She likes to carry him around everywhere, though that's more than likely because he's smaller than her. I have read the links you all posted, and they were very helpful, so thank you guys! I have been looking up all I can find about the breed, rescues, adults vs puppies, etc. Everything I am seeing says the GSD is perfect for us, I just need to make sure that the rescue dog has a good temperament. I have been asking the rescue questions, but was wondering what questions you would recommend? I don't want to miss anything, and sometimes the most important questions are forgotten. Thanks again!

[law1558]

I'm so glad you're considering a rescue! We rescued our first GSD this past year and it's been absolutely wonderful.

As others have said, most reputable rescues will have some info on the dogs in their care, based on first-hand knowledge by the fosters or the rescue care-takers themselves. They should be able to give you some insight on how the dog behaves with cats, dogs and kids. Many will specifically test for a dog's reaction - for example, the rescue we used housed dogs in their facility and so they brought in dog-tolerant cats to see how the dogs responded. Same with kids, however, like was mentioned above, knowing that your dog was fostered in a home setting with kids 24/7 would lend itself more credibility than a dog that had limited exposure to kids when they visited with their (volunteer) parents.

As for questions to ask, I'd evaluate your home life and consider what qualities YOU want in your dog, then create your questions around those. Also, be prepared that most rescues will have questions for YOU...they want to make sure you're going to be a good match for the dog, too! If you plan to just keep the dog in your backyard, with limited interactions with your family, don't be surprised if the rescues deny your request to adopt. Rescue organizations want to place their dogs in forever homes with loving families who understand the breed - the good, the bad and the ugly. Making sure your situation benefits their dog will be a top priority for them.

With that in mind, don't be surprised if the rescue "chooses" the dog for you...just like reputable breeders don't often let potential puppy buyers pick their own pups, reputable rescues will look at the totality of the situation (yours and the dogs) and make the decision on what dog will best suit your needs. I've heard families say, "I want a 2 year old female black/tan dog because that's what kind of dog my grandfather had when I was growing up...." and they end up with a 6 yr old male sable because that's the dog that fit into their current home life. Breed rescues can be much more discriminating than the average animal shelter and that can be a little off-putting to people if you're not prepared for it.

I've had both breeder and rescue dogs and although I wouldn't change a moment spent with my breeder pups, I'm a rescue convert now. Looking forward to hearing all about your new family member....

[msvette2u]

Here's a great resource to help familiarize yourself with proper child-dog interactions.

Family Paws

[katieliz]

another rescue convert here too!!! if you adopt a dog who is fostered by a family thru a reputable rescue, you will be doing just about everything you can to ensure a really good match. i believe you can ask here about rescue reputations...good things can be said in the public part of the board, negatives are required to come to you thru personal messages. wishing you great luck and hoping you post, especially pictures, when you get your new family member.

[onyx'girl]

law1558, is your rescue in your profile pic? Beautiful dog!
Welcome to the site, ArmyWife9707! I wish you luck in your search.

[law1558]

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

law1558, is your rescue in your profile pic? Beautiful dog!

Yep - that's him! Thanks for your kind words! We think he's pretty awesome, too!



It's amazing to me how many absolutely gorgeous dogs end up in shelters and at rescues. Giving them a second (and sometimes third, fourth and fifth) chance at a forever home does our hearts good!

PS) Not sure where the O/P is from, but our rescue will send dogs out of state if that will get them to their forever family (we're in southern CA).