Quote: Wendy Lefebvre

I will definately rescue again.

Theres' nothing like that feeling when you take a tail tucked, ears pinned, shy dog and see him or her eventually come into their own and become an ears high (seriously, look at his ears!! He could fly around if he wanted to) tail wagging (full circle body wags), smiling (yes he smiles at me when i come home, or when I reach for the biscuit cupboard)dog that he was meant to be.

Yup!! The first thing Missy did when I got her home was run under the car and flatten herself against the ground. She didn't know how to handle life. It was so rewarding watching her come out of her shell and discover that life was good in her new home.

I really wanted to rescue this time around; however, I had to think of my existing pack. Overall, integrating a young pup (3 months old) has been less stressful on my older girls. Kira doesn't take too kindly to adult dogs, but loves puppies and had done very well with the dogs that entered her life as a puppy and grew into an adult. Grace is my mother-type girl and takes new pups under her wing to guide them...love that about her.

BUT - puppies are a HUGE challenge! I cannot say that enough...HUGE!

I've had 3 dogs from small puppies and probably twice that number of rescued older dogs (6 months and older) and I bonded with them all in some measure. The rescued dogs (with the one notable exception of my current dog, Daisy) did indeed bond very quickly, but to me at least those bonds seemed a tad unhealthy. Perhaps Daisy is naturally more independent than the others or suffered less, but the others always seemed very "needy" to me. Maybe it is a matter of taste. I think the way the dog changes owners also makes a difference. The dogs raised from puppies, seemed generally more stable, though perhaps more aloof. As far as behavior problems go, the two groups were probably about the same, though honestly it felt slightly higher with the rescues.

My personal experience with puppies has been very positive and I think they are worth all of the initial work. I would never hesitate to add another older or rescued dog to my home though, or discourage someone else from doing so. They are certainly wonderful and rewarding in their own way and I would like to always have one.