Why Adopt A Great
Dane?
Top Ten Reasons To Adopt A Rescue Dog
10) In a
Word--Housebroken. With most family members gone during the
work week for 8 hours or more, housetraining a puppy and its small bladder can
take awhile. Puppies need a consistent schedule with frequent opportunities to
eliminate where you want them to. They can't wait for the boss to finish his
meeting or the kids to come home from after school activities. An older dog can
"hold it" much more reliably for longer time periods, and usually the Rescue has
him housebroken before he is adopted.
9) Intact Underwear. With a chewy
puppy, you can count on at least 10 mismatched pairs of socks and a variety of
unmentionables rendered to the "rag bag" before he cuts every tooth. And don't
even think about shoes! Also, you can expect holes in your carpet (along with
the urine stains), pages missing from books, stuffing exposed from couches, and
at least one dead remote control. No matter how well you watch them, it will
happen--this is a puppy's job! An older dog can usually have the run of the
house without destroying it.
8) A Good Night's Sleep. Forget the
alarm clocks and hot water bottles, a puppy can be very demanding at 2am and 4am
and 6am. He misses his littermates, and that stuffed animal will not make a
puppy pile with him. If you have children, you've been there and done that. How
about a little peace and quiet? How about an older rescue dog??
7)
Finish the
Newspaper. With a puppy running amok in your house, do you
think you will be able to relax when you get home from work? Do you think your
kids will really feed him, clean up the messes, take
him for a walk in the pouring rain every hour to get him housetrained? With an
adult dog, it will only be the kids running amok, because your dog will be
sitting calmly next to you, while your workday stress flows away and your blood
pressure lowers as you pet him.
6) Easier Vet Trips. Those puppies
need their series of puppy shots and fecals, then
their rabies shot, then a trip to be altered, maybe an emergency trip or two if
they've chewed something dangerous. Those puppy visits can add up (on top of
what you paid for the dog!). Your donation to the rescue when adopting an older
pup should get you a dog with all shots current, already altered, heartworm
negative and on preventative at the minimum.
5) What You See Is What You Get.
How big will that puppy be? What kind of temperament will he have? Will he be
easily trained? Will his personality be what you were hoping for? How active
will he be? When adopting an older dog from a rescue, all of those questions are
easily answered. You can pick large or small; active or couch potato; goofy or
brilliant; sweet or sassy. The rescue and its foster homes can guide you to pick
the right match. (Rescues are full of puppies who became the wrong match as they
got older!)
4) Unscarred
Children (and Adults). When the puppy isn't teething on your
possessions, he will be teething on your children and yourself. Rescues
routinely get calls from panicked parents who are sure their dog is biting the
children. Since biting implies hostile intent and would be a consideration
whether to accept a "give-up", Rescue Groups ask questions and usually find out
the dog is being nippy. Parents are often too emotional to see the difference;
but a growing puppy is going to put everything from food to clothes to hands in
their mouths, and as they get older and bigger it definitely hurts (and will get
worse, if they aren't being corrected properly.) Most
older dogs have "been there, done that, moved on."
3)
Matchmaker Make Me a Match.
Puppy love is often no more than an attachment to a look or
a color. It is not much of a basis on which to make a decision that will
hopefully last 15+ years. While that puppy may have been the cutest of the
litter; he may grow up to be superactive (when what
you wanted was a couch buddy); she may be a couch princess (when what you wanted
was a tireless hiking companion); he may want to spend every waking moment in
the water (while you're a landlubber); or she may want to be an only child
(while you are intending to have kids or more animals). Pet mis-matches are one of the top reasons Rescues get "give-up"
phone calls. Good rescues do extensive evaluating of both their dogs and their
applicants to be sure that both dog and family will be happy with each other
until death do them part.
2) Instant Companion. With an older
dog, you automatically have a buddy that can go everywhere and do everything
with you NOW. There's no waiting for a puppy to grow up (and then hope he will
like to do what you enjoy.) You will have been able to select the most
compatible dog: one that travels well; one that loves to play with your friends'
dogs; one with excellent house manners that you can take to your parents' new
home with the new carpet and the new couch. You can come come home after a long day's work and spend your time on a
relaxing walk, ride or swim with your new best friend (rather than cleaning up
after a small puppy.)
1) Bond--Rescue Dog Bond. Dogs
who have been uprooted from their happy homes or have
not had the best start in life are more likely to bond very completely and
deeply with their new people. Those who have lost their families through death,
divorce or lifestyle change go through a terrible mourning process. But, once
attached to a new loving family, they seem to want to please as much as possible
to make sure they are never homeless again. Those dogs that are just learning
about the good life and good people seem to bond even deeper. They know what
life on the streets, life on the end of a chain, or worse is all about, and they
revel and blossom in a nurturing, loving environment. Most rescues make
exceptionally affectionate and attentive pets and extremely loyal companions.
Unfortunately, many folks think dogs that end up in rescue are all
genetically and behaviorally inferior. But, it is not uncommon for Rescue to get
$500-$1200 dogs that have either outlived their usefulness or their novelty with
impulsive owners who considered their dog a possession rather than a friend or
member of the family; or simply did not really consider the time, effort and
expense needed to be a dog owner. Not all breeders will accept "returns", so
choices for giving up dogs can be limited to animal welfare organizations, such
as Rescues, or the owners trying to place their own dogs. Good Rescues will
evaluate the dog before accepting him/her (medically, behaviorally, and for
breed confirmation), rehabilitate if necessary, and adopt the animal only when
he/she is ready and to a home that matches and is realistic about the commitment
necessary to provide the dog with the best home possible.
Choosing a
rescue dog over a purchased pup will not solve the pet overpopulation problem
(only responsible pet owners and breeders can do that), but it does give many of
them a chance they otherwise would not have. But, beyond doing a "good deed",
adopting a rescue dog can be the best decision and addition to the family you
ever made. Rescue a dog and get a devoted friend for life!
Regards,
Renee
Great Dane Rescue of
Northern CA
California Dreaming Great Danes
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