As a matter of fact, regarding rescues, I'm totally in uncharted territory. I have no idea how good the people at our local "Société Protectrice des Animaux" are at screening.

For example, let's say that I want a dog that is not too stubborn or dominant, is there a way to evaluate that on-site, or you can only see this kind of thing after spending weeks bonding with the animal and/or take the rescuer's word for granted?

I think my question is: what are the usual steps to do when you meet a rescued dog at the shelter/rescue site?

I know when acquiring puppies some people do "Puppy temperament tests" like doing roll-overs to check dominance, get in a room alone with the puppy to see if he'll come to you to check his social attraction, hold the puppy over the ground to test his trust, etc...

I don't know what value you experienced trainers give to these tests, but I know that I certainly wouldn't try rolling-over a strange adult dog to test his dominance, not that the rescue people should let me anyway...

Here's my 2 cents FWIW.

I think most people who work at the shelters are usually very in tune with the personality types that are there in the shelter.
I would suggest on really utilizing their knowledge for seeking the type of dog you are looking for.

They will know which ones are low energy, sweet and compliant etc.
Then it would just be a matter of seeing only those dogs and seeing if you feel compatible and feel some kind of bond with that dog.
Personally, I wouldn't rely as much on any specific test, but more on the feedback from the people at the shelter.
That said, if no one at that particular shelter seems to offer up this info, you might keep looking until you do find someone who will be able to steer you in the right direction.

It does seem though, most of the time, the people at these shelters are most interested in placing the dog in the right home with the right people.
There are some really amazing dogs out there in shelters.
BTW, I knew a family that rescued a lab/chow mix and when they brought her home, she was so taken with her knew family, she followed the kids everywhere in the yard and seemed to bond immediately with the family.
It is as if they know they were saved, and seem to be utterly grateful to have a new family to love.
I wish you all the very best when that time comes when you look for a dog to bring home. Good luck Francis!

After reading your first post and your requirements and situation I am having a hard time thinking of a dog that might fit your bill. I was sitting here waiting for a light bulb to light up in my head, but it is not happening. Could also be that it is early still and my puppy had us up for potty breaks at 3 in the am.... Hahaha.

The dogs that came to mind are.
Basset Hound.
Pug.
English Bulldog.
Blood Hound.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

And not to be a wise guy. But a nice cat is always fun. I love cats.
Maybe these are not the best picks for dogs, but they are the first couple that I thought of when I read your post.

Good luck.
David.

Top-notch advice, Joyce.

My thoughts would be:

-Greyhound: Absolutely!! They are happy to lay around ALL DAY LONG. Just because they are retired doesn't make them old. I've seen dogs retired at a year old for some goofy reason or another. If you find a great group to work with, they could pair you up with a good fit.

-English Mastiff: I work with a girl who has had a couple mastiffs for years. I suppose their size could be a problem. However, you'd never know there is a huge dog in the house. The biggest training problem she ever had with her mastiffs was getting them to stand up long enough to learn something. They prefer to be crashed out on the floor sleeping. I'd like to have one some day. Even as pups, they are so easy-going that its not like having a typical puppy. They just seem low-key and thoughtful right from the get-go.

-English Bulldog: I'm on the fence about this one. A groomer I know has two. They are good dogs but also mischievious. when they get really wound up, they do "zoomies" around the house which can be bad because they are substantial little bulldozers! There's also the inherent medical issues in the breed. Good breeding will only get you so far- they are still prone to a spectrum of issues.

-Terriers (including Bostons, Frenchies, etc): They are all still terriers! And all still high energy! I just had a French Bulldog try to bite my face off over a nail trim not even 2 days ago. But there's always gonna be good and bad examples out there for every breed I suppose.

Sometimes I wish I didn't work in the pet industry because it has turned me off of a lot of breeds that I used to love... However, if its taught me ANYTHING at all, its that your BREEDER is your single most important factor in the dog's temperament. So, if you want to meet all of your own criteria that you laid out, find yourself a really REALLY good breeder if you choose to get a pup. The only exception to this is greyhounds IMO. They seem pretty resilient in that while they don't come right from the breeder to you, there really aren't a lot of basket-cases as you'd expect.

This is all just my opinion. One thing I've learned about dogs- there's an exception to every rule.

See the beautiful/Handsome, loyal, well trained, well adjusted, smart dog at the bottom of my post?

RESCUE!!!!

Do not rule out a dog just for the reason that it was abandoned by a previous owner who obviously did not want to take the time to care, love, train & take responsiblity for it.

See these dogs for what they could be, not for how they seem at the lowest point in their lives.

I purposely chose to not get a puppy after I had to put my last dog down because i knew i didn't have time for one at that point in my life. And that was only because I worked 8-4 everyday, i had no kids or a Significant other at that time.

Take a look at some rescue sites in your area....

Don't count out a dog who's only downfall in life was being chosen by an unworthy owner.

"Don't count out a dog who's only downfall in life was being chosen by an unworthy owner."

Wendy, that's a lovely statement. I'm keeping it.

I met a shelter dog last weekend. About a year and a half old, spent all of it's life before the shelter chained to a doghouse in a backyard. He got adopted after about a month in the shelter. Returned by his adopters 2 days later with the comment that he was "too affectionate".

I'm on a mission to find this dog a good home. If anyone is looking for a sweet, sweet dog, PM me.

 Quote: meredith hamilton

"Don't count out a dog who's only downfall in life was being chosen by an unworthy owner."

Wendy, that's a lovely statement. I'm keeping it.

lol...you have my permission

 Quote:

I met a shelter dog last weekend. About a year and a half old, spent all of it's life before the shelter chained to a doghouse in a backyard. He got adopted after about a month in the shelter. Returned by his adopters 2 days later with the comment that he was "too affectionate".

Some people are not meant to own a dog, let alone become parents!


I can not believe that they brought him back for being too affectionate! Unbelievable!

I keep thinking of this shelter dog that was a lab/ chow mix, just a gorgeous looking dog, but her personality was just so sweet. The neighbors brought her home, and it was instantaneous, she took to that family immediately.
She took to the kids like she had been with them her whole life.
She actually hovered around the kids and especially their little girl. I could ask the dog, "Where's Carly?" and the dog would take off to go find her.

My whole point is to say that there are just some of the most amazing dogs out there, and Wendy's comment is absolutely right on, it bears repeating for sure:

 Quote:

"Don't count out a dog who's only downfall in life was being chosen by an unworthy owner."

 Quote: joyce salazar

 Quote:

I met a shelter dog last weekend. About a year and a half old, spent all of it's life before the shelter chained to a doghouse in a backyard. He got adopted after about a month in the shelter. Returned by his adopters 2 days later with the comment that he was "too affectionate".

Some people are not meant to own a dog, let alone become parents!


I can not believe that they brought him back for being too affectionate! Unbelievable!

I keep thinking of this shelter dog that was a lab/ chow mix, just a gorgeous looking dog, but her personality was just so sweet. The neighbors brought her home, and it was instantaneous, she took to that family immediately.
She took to the kids like she had been with them her whole life.
She actually hovered around the kids and especially their little girl. I could ask the dog, "Where's Carly?" and the dog would take off to go find her.

My whole point is to say that there are just some of the most amazing dogs out there, and Wendy's comment is absolutely right on, it bears repeating for sure:

 Quote:

"Don't count out a dog who's only downfall in life was being chosen by an unworthy owner."

That is a great success story there. So nice when I dog joins up with you when put in a good environment.

As far as returning a dog because its to affectionate. Yeah, not much I can say about that that will not get me yelled at for using bad words. =(