My husband and I live in San Antonio and have been fostering Mal puppies for the MWD program. We have fallen in love with the breed and would like to adopt one. We like the idea of rescue dogs in general but so far there don't seem to be many suitable Mals out there.

We have applied to the Belgian Malinois Rescue group and the MWD Adoption program. If neither of these work out, we are interested in purchasing a puppy. We aren't looking for a show dog or one that would compete or do protection work. The kennels I've found on-line all appear to cater to that type of dog. Would they even be interested in selling a dog to us that isn't headed for an actual working career? We want to avoid puppy mills and kennels that exploit the breed. A healthy, sound dog is important to us.

We understand the need for exercise and intellectual challenge of these dogs and believe we can provide that for a dog with medium drive (for a Mal). Does anyone have suggestions for us? Thanks!

If you are mainly looking for a pet, ABMC rescue has a number of dogs at any given time that should be suitable. Unfortunately there has been a big increase in the number of Malinois needing to be rescued in the last 5-10 years, as more and more people breed them thinking they are going to make lots of money, then discover they can't sell the puppies. Or the pups are sold to inappropriate homes, who then later dump them because they shouldn't have had a Mali in the first place, and the breeder won't take the dog back.

Although some breeders like to claim that every pup they produce is an excellent choice for whatever their stated goal in breeding is (ie every pup is a working prospect, every pup is a show prospect, etc) it's really not true. Most breeders will have some pups in a litter who just don't meet all their expectations, in a working bred litter it might be the drive isn't high enough, or grip isn't good enough, pup is going to be to small, etc and that pup could easily make someone a nice pet or performance prospect.

Personally I don't place pups in newbie pet homes anymore, on the occasion I have a pup I feel would be best placed in a pet home, it's still got to be a home with prior Malinois experience. I'm finding that even my "pets" are to much for many homes. If they haven't owned a Malinois in the past, and are looking for strictly a pet, I will refer them elsewhere for a dog. If they are a newbie but plan to do something with the dog, FR, MR, Sch, SAR, performance events, etc then I will still consider the home.

Anyway, keep looking at ABMC Rescue, I bet something will come up soon. You might also contact breeders about a "wash out", which many times is just a dog who was raised/trained for work, and ended up not having the drives needed. Good foundation, raised well, already has some training, and is just looking for a home because the drive levels weren't high enough, which might be exactly what you are looking for.

Thank you so much for your detailed and specific reply to my inquiry. I have contacted ABMC Rescue and submitted an application. Apparently they have many requests and not so many dogs. I like the idea of giving a dog a home that might not otherwise have one. I agree that too many people breed dogs expecting to make money and are just not able to deal with what it takes to be successful. I don't want to purchase from people like that and encourage the practice.

Should we not find a suitable dog through rescue, we honestly don't know which breeders are ethical. We love the drive of these puppies we foster, but really don't need to have a pet with all of the potential to be a working dog. Those that can be working dogs or performance dogs, should be given that opportunity. Our concern is finding a well-raised, healthy dog that we can obedience train, work with, and enjoy.

Thanks again for taking the time to assist me!

Nancy,

ABMCR is BEGGING for foster homes in the Tx area- there have been a ton of Mal dumps latley in FL and TX. Contact your area coordinator and fill out an application to foster (there is a list on their web page of coordinators and contact info). Many foster homes end up keeping the dogs- since you have prior foster experience with Mals, you should be a shoo in for foster approval. Foster homes also play a big part in who the dog is eventually placed with.

ABMCR also has a facebook page if you haven't checked it out yet. Lots of behind the scenes stuff, and first hand info on available dogs. Transports are often available if you find a dog that is suitable for your situation and is in a different part of the country.

You can also contact Woof Project- they handle most of the Mal rescues on the West Coast as there is not a Coordinator for ABMCR in CA. Lots of Mals in CA shelters lately too....

There have even been lots of pups recently- a couple of 8-10 week old pups a few weeks ago out of Miami-Dade in FL. So if you are looking for a pup, they do get them in rescue.

Good luck!

Thank you for this information. We will definitely check it out. If they don't need us for MWD fosters, we will look into the ABMCR foster program. I'll check with the coordinator at Lackland when we turn in our present puppy in early July. (It is Hharpy's picture on my signature. Who could resist that face?)

I so appreciate having this kind of forum where we can obtain reliable, helpful information on dogs and training. We have purchased several training videos from Leerburg and they have been incredibly helpful in working with our own dog and the little foster Mals. Your suggestions and advice are most welcome.

I followed the advice given above. We had no luck with Malinois Rescue and it's over a year wait for a MWD unless one of my fosters fails; we don't want to do anything less than our best to prepare them for what they were bred to do--serve.

However we were fortunate to find a quality breeder who had a 16 month old male with a nice disposition, the outgoing, enthusiastic Malinois temperament, but not a high drive for performance or a working career. The breeder approved us based on the detailed file I had kept on our latest foster, which showed a lot of socialization and basic obedience training. There were references checked, discussions with her vet and ours, lots of emails, and phone conversations before a final decision was reached.

We picked Sizzle up on June 20th, our vet loved him, and he is adjusting to us and our home well. It appears to be a good match all around which is what we all wanted. Sizzle and our dog, Regal, are fine together with at least one dog on leash and both closely supervised. No aggression shown from either, but we are taking it slowly and working to avoid any problems. Sizzle is in love with Hharpy, the little foster, but she is leaving in two weeks.

We expect to enjoy our dogs for many years and to keep learning from all of the resources at Leerburg as well as local trainers and dog handlers here in San Antonio. We will continue to foster MWD puppies if asked. It's a lot of fun, and I believe it is helpful.

Thanks again for your excellent advice.

Nancy

Congratulations! Sounds like another LUCKY dog.

Sizzle is working out well. He is affectionate, energetic, interested in learning new things to make us smile (and get good treats), and fits into our family well. He will never jump out of planes or go on night raids against the bad guys,
but he brightens our days and is a happy, optimistic Malinois.