Hey all, I'm hoping for some advice.

I am a foster home for a breed rescue. (For the record, the rescue is helping me as much as they can but there is no one else to take this dog).

I have a foster (Catahoula) who is an adult male, 2.5 years old, neutered. He was neglected (starved) as a puppy. If you guys really want the history, I'll give it. Suffice to say the dog is somewhat nervous and jumpy, this is not an "instant pet" and he will need work. He also does not tolerate being barked at by other dogs and will become aggressive (to dogs, not people). He is big (65 lbs) and strong (can pull me off my feet).

Anyway, I had this dog for 11 months in 2006-2007 before he was finally adopted to a seemingly great home that had another dog of the same breed. Unfortunately, the adoptive owner discovered that he could not deal with the dog's "issues" and returned him in February of this year. (Truth be told the dog's behaviour is a lot better with me than it was with him - not sure why)

Unfortunately, I work full time outside the home and I have too many other dogs. You all know what that means - way too much crate time and not enough training/exercise/attention for all of them. Not to mention I'm over my legal dog limit. So I want to find a new home as soon as possible.

I've been advertising on the local web like crazy but I've been really disillusioned with the other ads there (dogs wanted, actual titles)

- For stud: 9 month old Rott (or Yorkie-poo, or Shih Tzu) - TONS of these
- I would like a free small puppie
- my dog is in heat & needs to be bred NOW
- I am looking for a (specific gender, breed and colour) and we don't have a lot of money so we want it free or really cheap

There are some, what appear to be, reputable breeders advertising and other people re-homing their dogs too. But it is really pathetic.

I've posted several ads anyway, for a 2-hour driving distance radius from where I live, and have gotten a few replies. Mostly from people that obviously have NO idea what they would be getting into even with a "healthy, normal" working breed dog, let alone one who has issues. There have been 1 or 2 that seemed like decent homes, but were put off by the arduous application process (I have to make *sure*).

Local newspaper garnered no replies, and cost $50.

I was on Dogster today and there is a question and answer section, I popped on there and it was really sad. "How much is too much walking?" "How do I stud my dog???" "What foods should I not feed my Pug?"

Are people really this un-knowledgeable about dogs??? I'm almost afraid to adopt this dog out! He really really needs to go, but this dog, in his mental state, cannot afford another yo-yo home.

My question to you all is, if you have ever had to re-home a dog, how did you go about it? Where should I look to find the people who can handle a dog like this one? Any ideas appreciated.

Yes, some people are that stupid about dogs.

Stick to your guns Angela and settle for nothing less than what the dog needs to be happy.

Make sure to check up on him after placement as well and make sure that the needs the dog has are being met.

What about a ranch or farm environment? Maybe he would "come out of his shell" around something he was bred for? Might not be within two hours drive, but the serious ones will make arrangements to get the dog from you.

Thanks Carol, that's why I tried to stick to a 2-hour radius - so that I can be nearby if they need help. However - I am really not all that knowledgeable myself, so I don't know how much help I can be.

I have considered a rural home - but there are a few minor problems. One being that farmers are too busy working to have time to devote to working with a "problem" dog. The other is that most farms do not have fences - and I would hate to hear that my boy, who does chase cars - has become road pizza. I have only had 2 calls/replies from rural areas.

I would gladly take an application from a farm as from a city home. I do think he'd be much happier in a rural setting. I have even found someone who will help me introduce my dog to cows to see if he could work stock. But I had a flyer up in the farm supply store here in town for 3 months and got zero calls from it.

I'm obviously looking in the wrong places and doing the wrong thing.... but where to look?

My ads have been more practical oriented ("this dog is a working breed and needs lots of exercise and will need help to overcome his fear") could this be the wrong approach? Should I try to play more on the heartstrings? ("this dog was neglected and starved and needs a loving home to start over")?

 Quote: angela burrell

My ads have been more practical oriented ("this dog is a working breed and needs lots of exercise and will need help to overcome his fear") could this be the wrong approach? Should I try to play more on the heartstrings? ("this dog was neglected and starved and needs a loving home to start over")?

Mmmm, I would not put either in the ad. Mine would be more simple:

2.5 yr old altered M, Catahoula dog in need of home through "insert Rescue here"
Needs home with active adults and no children or other animals.

This way you will get more calls probably, but you will be able to speak with the people directly and get a "feel" for them over the phone and explain his "issues" to them as well.


If you go the "heartstrings" route, you may wind up with the exact people calling that you were talking about earlier, in that they are not very or not at all educated.

OK that's probably a good idea... I'll post my ads in a much less wordy format. As you can see I have a slight problem with that - trying to get across too much information (I guess I'm hoping to give people a clear as idea as possible to avoid non-serious inquiries).

Ah well... I guess I'll stick with the Internet ads! Thanks as always for your advice.

Angela, I applaud you for your commitment to placing this dog. I also agree with Carol that being VERY specific about the postive qualifications needed might help greatly.

The public at large does not necessarily relate to the "dog lingo" we use often around here.

But there are lots of people who can provide a very good home.

A few years ago (our first GSD), we took in a GSD rescue who was certainly challenged genetically (i.e., his mother was his sister was his aunt, or something along those lines.) He did NOT do well at all with other dogs (probably some genetic issues, but also some environmental - how he was raised issues).

We hired an "in home" trainer to assess and help with our situation. We learned a lot that we have benefited from for several years with the rest of our dogs, AND this trainer wrote a letter of recommendation to the rescue giving a VERY (and far more) detailed description of the type of home this dog might be successful in. Bottom line? Everyone agreed that this particular dog would be better off as the only dog of one or two adults who could dote on him.

I realize that's not a popular "training opinion" around here. But for this dog?? He ended up living when there could have been many reasons to put him down, and he ended up in a home that was great for him, even if it wasn't the greatest "training" home.

This dog WAS successfully re-homed. I would recommend keeping the "lingo" to things that your imaginary mediocre "home people" can relate to.

Best wishes - and I hope you find something for this dog that works. I admire and respect your efforts.

Beth

Angela, I agree w/ what Carol said regarding the wording of the ad; keep it simple.
Also, find one good attribute that the dog has and put it in there.
ie...Affectionate, good-natured, playful, friendly, etc...
You can explain his issues after you feel out the folks that respond...

Have you considered rehomeing one of your dogs without issues and keeping this boy for yourself?

Sounds horrible at first but you obviously are experienced and maybe one of your others would be equally happy with another GOOD family. This would give you room to continue working on this boys issues and maybe rehome him later in life and start again with an "issues" dog.

God knows there are tons of dogs with special needs out there.

I just want to thank everyone for the support! I'm going to post more ads today and keep it simple.

Michelle - an interesting point of view but I am NOT the ideal home for this dog. I simply do not have the facility or resources to care for him long term. I had this dog last year at a time when I had only one other, low maintenance dog.

I've PMed you my long sad story. I would love to work with this dog but the bottom line is, I can't - Rusty is simply "too much dog" for me.

I am really hoping that he will find an excellent home with devoted owners who (with my help) can give him what he needs.

Okay... so I have ZERO replies to my ad, which I posted in 3 cities.

I would like to start advertising this guy in Michigan. What online websites do you guys use for advertising dogs? I haven't had any luck in the past with newspapers, so I'd like to stick with the online route.

Oh, and he's already listed on Petfinder in a couple places at least.