I would also get in contact with the Senior Services in your area. They are often helping people and families with transitions to Nursing Homes and Assisted Living facilities where someone might not be able to keep their dog. It's such a common occurrence, maybe they will keep you in mind, or even know of an appropriate dog right now.

I remember my vet had postings on his bulletin board about pets available and one story that wrenched my heart was a woman with terminal cancer looking to place her beloved cat before she died. So check with local vets, too.

Snookums, predicting how a dog will do is a big problem for me. When I visit these pups in the Humane Society, I have no way of telling how much anxiety or agression will pass and how much will stay. I'm trying to get in touch with my instincts about such things, but I feel pretty uncertain a lot of the time.

Annie, Ceasar has kept me from getting a dog for years! He is so talented and when I watch him I feel really indequate to the task. He's what makes me believe I need a relatively issue-free pet. I watched My Cat From Hell last night. If I didn't have friends with nice pets and these shows were my only source of info I'd never get a dog. The babying danger is real, and I don't want to fall into it. A happy dog is good. A crabby dogbaby is not.

Graywings, I want your guess to be right. I want it very much.

Luckygal, I'm trying to reduce imperfection, but I know there will be plenty.

Olychick, Great advice - thank you!. I contacted one agency just now, and am on hold with another. Going around to check bulletin boards will be a good opportunity for me to vet a veterinarian's office and know the good ones in advance.

Jamies~ I got a puppy that had fear aggression .
I thought that if I loved him enough he would come around.
Eight years later he never has.
He has never bit anyone.
But to this day I've never given him the opportunity .
I only say this to caution you against thinking that you can cure a dog with fear issues.
Many dogs are surrendered for no fault of their own.
Too many times I've heard "I just had a new baby and now have no time for my dog"
To me that's like saying" I just had my second child so I no longer have time for my first."
At any rescue they should let you take the dog out of the cage into a large enclosed area .
Ideally with multiply dogs to see if any of them show interest in human interaction.
If a time comes that I choose another dog I would pay hundreds to take a pro with me to evaluate the dogs.

We spent a lot of time looking for an assistance dog for my special needs grandson, who is also allergic to dogs. We checked out several that had low shedding, poodle mix types, and what we found out is that often a person is more allergic to the dog's saliva, no matter what type of dander/shedding it has. Unfortunately, we decided not to take a chance and never did get a dog. I thought I'd mention to you to check how licking affects your allergies. I do hope you have very little reaction.

The perfect dog is out there just waiting for a perfect home like yours. Good luck in your search.

Nathan's gram

Have you thought about a pug or toy poodle? i have had friends who have had these and they were amazing dogs. The poodle was so tiny and didn't bark at all and he had the sweetest personality.

With your needs, I fully suggest looking at the Prison trained dogs in your area. They stay from 2 - 3 mos, are donated by vets, humane societies and individuals. All are trained for assistant dog requirements, but some do not make the grade. These are the ones up for adoption. Not getting through may be due to a variety of small reasons. Mine had a tennis ball addiction and would lose focus if anything round was available. But he definitely knew his commands and was far smarter than me going through them.

By having these dogs, the handlers know their personalities and complete training. I took mine through the AKC Canine Good Citizen program and then on to Therapy Dog training. He passed all and loved being back into work mode. Was so great, he even ignored balls and toys while working. Loved the people met and they loved him.

Sometimes the cost puts people off. I think this is different depending upon where you go. If you add up the vet care, training and personal love given to these dogs at the prison, the cost would be much higher outside on your own. And you know the dog's behavior, each dog l lives with the handler. They let you meet them and go through all the commands. Any dog adopted can be returned for further training at no cost. But few have done this or it depends upon what type of training wanted...hunting, companion animals for helping with specific needs, etc.

Please think about looking at their wonderful guys. There are many pure breads, mixes and sizes.

Run a search on Prison Trained Dogs with your state added.

I volunteer at our local shelter, and I wanted to make a suggestion to you.... I don't believe anyone can really get the full measure of a dog with just one visit. So if you can, I would plan to go a few times and try to get to know a few of the dogs. The alternative would be to sit with the director or other staff, describe what you are looking for, and ask them to recommend a dog for you. We know the dogs really well. At our shelter, we let potential new owners take the dogs on sleepovers, which can last a week or more. That would be a great opportunity for you to see how well the pairing might work.

On our local news, they have on a fairly regular basis dogs who had to be surrendered due to the death or illness of their senior owner. These seem like the sweetest dogs--you know they are socialized and loved, so the shelter may be able to help you.

My friend got a wonderful dog who was 8 years old. Long story, some friend of a friend got divorced and was going back to school, so he could only keep one of his dogs. This dog was some sort of spaniel mix, and was truly the best behaved dog ever. He was black and medium-sized. She had him for 6 years.

Technicolor, I never heard of that-- what a neat program. I looked for it in IL, and sadly, it looks like they closed at least one such program in IL because they closed a state prison. Not sure of there are others.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-12-01/news/ct-met-prison-dogs-20121201_1_basic-dog-comfort-dogs-inmates

Jamies, I sort of think you need to think of the worst case scenario and think what you would do. Nothing is guaranteed in life! My advice is to find a dog that you LOVE. You have to meet the dog several times to figure this out and test the dog in different scenarios. If you love, love, love the dog and the dog has accidents/chews things up/etc, it's likely you will grumble but deal with it. You are probably really good at researching (seems like people here are), so you know you can always find possible solutions, too, and problems may be temporary (and new ones may arise).

This dog made me think of you. See link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Meet Ella

Woohooooooo! I'm gonna meet Ella!!!!!!!!!!!!

SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!

I found my Sparky through this FB page. We had to travel some distance to adopt him. But he is perfect. We all adore him. He was a stray. The vet estimates him to be 2-3 years old. No one knew anything about him or his history. He is a beagle mix? The volunteer who was very experienced could tell that he was very sweet, gentle and not a barker.

When we got him home...lo and behold, he was housebroken. Clearly, he had also been well loved.

If Ella didn't work out, please consider the shelters. There are some wonderful animals begging for someone to take them home and love them.

Look at this pretty girl.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link

Good luck meeting Ella! She seems like a sweetie!

Are you really??? I am so excited for you! I stumbled upon her ad last week when I was looking for a cat. She seems so awesome. Then when you described your perfect dog, it sounded exactly like her!!!!

:)

Let us know how it goes!

I love Ella! And I'm not a dog person AT ALL. I hope it works out for both of you!

Hope it all works out with Ella. We got our current lab/mix from a local animal shelter. A friend of ours volunteers at several shelters in our area and had fallen in love with our lab. We went out to see him and fell in love with him too. We've had him for about 8 mths now and although he's driven me crazy with some of his antics, he is so full of personality and love that i've learned to overlook/accept the things that drive me crazy (i.e., on one of the slice of life threads I posted a picture of the remains of a pan of brownies cooling on the counter that he devoured while I was momentarily out of the house).

Keep us posted!

Oh, coming in so late!

Good news on Ella! Please OP keep us posted on developments!

I do have to say that I think the OP had reasonable restrictions. As a total dog-lover, she was/is not a person to whom I'd recommend a stuffed animal. She seems to have all her ducks in a row.

I'm slightly disappointed that Cesar Millan was recommended here. I thought he had been "debunked,"

Cesar is well meaning person whose "training" and very outdated "rehabilitation " techniques have been analyzed and thoroughly rejected by those in the know. Perhaps not. He still has rabid defenders.

I'd never go with Cesar Millan. If you must watch TV trainers go with Victoria Stillwell. Or, even better, go with a certified vet-behaviorist in your area who can in real life assess and train your problem pup. If you have one. Many rescue pups just need common sense, not Cesar Millan's abusive methods.

Just my opinion.

Cheen, I agree on the common sense thing. Whatever happened to just having a dog. All this alpha dog, domination, submission stuff. Back in the day, we went to the pound, came home with a dog, taught him dumb tricks as kids, played catch, hung out together, taught him "no" and spanked him if he was really bad. It was pretty simple. Now we need trainers and classes. People are intimidated and you need a degree just to have a dog. It's big business.

I have always taken in rejects, no interviews, whoever needed a home. Their personalities have run the gamut and they've always been great pets. Even with a few aggression issues in the mix, they still worked out beautifully in the end. Certainly some animals have issues that are serious but, for the most part, domestic animals are not beasts to be tamed and fearful of. And they know who butters their bread, by default. Have never met these wild animals, lol, even though we took in a "vicious" dog growing up. He was the best.

Jamies, when do you go see Ella? Hope it all works out for both of you and that little girl is going home.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Tue, Jul 23, 13 at 22:27

I think of dogs like children, the personalities and traits vary but you still love them forever. I have two rescue dogs and their personalities couldn't be more different, but they are similarly sized and shaped and the average, casual onlooker can't tell one from another.
I love them both as the most precious gifts to me but one of them wildly gets on my nerves most days and the other one always makes my heart melt just looking at him.
I wouldn't trade either one in, they have EACH enriched my life immeasurably for the past 12 years+ and when someday, I do it again, I will again let my heart decide.

Just another option for finding an adult dog. Our French bulldog came from a breeder. She was less than 2 years old and had just been bred for the first time, and had only one puppy with a cleft palate. So she wasn't a money-maker for the breeder and the breeder was offering her up for sale along with two litters of puppies. We were thrilled to get a relatively young dog who was already well beyond the housebreaking stage. And she is the sweetest dog ever. We've had her for almost two years now.

I think French bulldogs are the best dogs ever (I also have two English bulldogs...yes, we are crazy) but they do shed.

BTW, just a note since someone mentioned pugs. I'm pretty sure they shed like crazy.

When are you going to see Ella? She is such a cutie and I love that Anele posted her for you! I hope she finds her forever home with you.

If only all pet owners gave as much thought to getting a pet as you are, Jamies. Some very lucky dog is about to find a wonderful forever home:)

I hope it works out. Just saw this photo on Pinterest and thought of you!

Hope you and Ella have a long happy life. Derek just moved home from Texas ( got layed off and we are hoping he will learn the family business). He brought his, um, Great Dane. Lola is a horse! She is six years old and Isabelle, our english bulldog, has her panties in a mess. Now we have three resident dogs for awhile.sigh.

Hi again everyone. Thanks so much for the helpful replies.

I met Ella today. She appears good natured and adaptable with just the right energy level and the perfect amount of curiosity. Her background -- she comes from the home of a couple who could no longer care for her due to issues of ageing -- is just what I wanted. She took treats from me, was willing to walk on a loose leash, and submitted graciously to rubbing, petting, and hugging. She didn't bark, could sit when asked, and wagged her tail when the kennel worker spoke to her.

I made sure to really get a lot of her in my eyes and nose, and it seems I'm not allergic to her.

Now I have to make a final decision about taking on the work of a pet. I'm not compelled by love-at-first-site-itis, so the decision will have to be a rational one. I think we could grow attached to one another, and attachment is what I am seeking, but I'm not completely sure. I don't think I want to have a pet if I can't muster the emotional involvement that makes all the work seem worth it. I'm at a place in life where my emotions don't have much outlet and sometimes seem atrophied. That's probably not the healthiest. I was hoping to shape up my affection and attachment muscles again, but I'm not sure that's possible with Ella or any dog.

They say there are multiple adopters asking for Ella. The place where she is staying is just wonderful. It's like a resort for dogs. No one could feel sorry for this doggy, or feel like they were rescuing her.

I'm mulling it over. I want to do this right.

Jamies, I'll bet most here will echo my thoughts: unless your heart has atrophied into pure stone, this will take time, and in the end she will crawl into and capture your heart. i have been a rescuer, a shelter volunteer, and forever dog lover, so you'd think I'd have known better. My story: my beloved dog died, breaking my heart, just as they always do. After waiting a year, the perfect rescue pup became mine. She was unbelievably perfect in all ways. The catch is that I did not love her. I felt fond, enjoyed having her in my life, but my heart was detached.......until. Well, there was no special moment, the affection just grew and I became fully engaged and, well, Totally in love! Oh, and as for the inevitable heartbreak , it's a positive; without a beating, vulnerable heart, we aren't truly alive. And,don't forget: " nothing ventured, nothing gained. ". Keeping you in my thoughts.
Marti

I imagine that they do not necessarily want to place her with someone who falls in love at first sight. Some then fall out of love when the animal gets hard. Since she is a little older, some may not have the resources or commitment to care for her.

You are doing this thoughtfully. I am sure they see this, and know you will make the right decision.

It is OK to think about it. Getting any pet is an emotional and financial commitment. I'm glad to hear things went well.

If only more people would be more thoughtful before getting a dog then maybe shelters wouldn't be so full and breeding not so prolific.

Jamie's, I respect and applaud the way you are going about this. We have always gotten our dogs from shelters or rescue societies and my requirements have always been a non-shedding or not-much-shedding dog under 25 pounds--- simply because I know myself and our familiy's needs and have been realistic about what we can incorporate into our lifestyle.

We've gotten wonderful dogs--- a cockerpoo we had for 18 years, a Bichon we had for 11, and now a Lhasa Apso and a wire haired Jack Russell mix. All of them took at least a year to "settle in" with us and display the true love and loyalty one wants in a dog. Our Lhasa, Mr. Fluffy, took the longest---about two and a half years to completely warm up to all our family members (after me, of course!). He had been left at shelters by two families, and was a very sad dog. It became my mission to bond with this dog, who was always sweet but is now happy and playful as well. I love him dearly with all my heart, and am thankful to have had the opportunity to be his person. Good luck with your decision and I hope Ella is the one you fall in love with. If you give it enough time, it will happen.
{{gwi:1514018}}

Yes, Jamies, it will happen. Of course you'll "like" her right away. The deep love and committment come with time as you both settle in and her true personlity emerges. She will show her love for you in so many ways and your heart will truly melt and grow. They're such amazing companions.

Again, I admire they way you are approaching this venture. On the one hand I want to encourage you to not go forward if you're not feeling it but also am fearful you could miss out on the most wonderful relationship and best of times. Sending good thoughts your way:)

I am indifferent to the love aspect, it's a feeling; so as such it grows, retreats, misleads, vanishes.
The most important thing when getting a dog is to provide what it needs: the basics, of course, but also, when it needs to snuggle and be held (often!, 4x+ a day) you do it whether you feel like it or not. Whether the "love" is there or not. Maybe the dog just did something wildly annoying, yet, 30 minutes later it needs snuggle time. Do it anyway.
It's financially tight, don't cut back on frontline, heartguard or needed meds and vet visits.

Wanted to follow up. Brought home a shelter dog today, went to the vet first. She has lots of physical issues but no problem at all attaching to me.

Aw...she looks like a sweetie! I am so glad you followed up. I know she will be so happy to have found her forever home and glad you adopted her from the shelter. Congratulations to you both-and your DH, too.

So sweet-looking! Congrats!

Congratulations. She's adorable! Do you have a name picked out yet?

I'll call her Pink.

Very cute - love the name!

Congratulations on the new member of your family! Pink is an adorable girl! Any idea what breed(s) she may be? She will benefit by some good feeding, she looks a bit thin. I hope you will feed her meat, dogs do so much better with that type of feeding rather than just dry chow.

Oh, this is more than I bargained for!

But speaking of meat, she has already lost some teeth and may have to have more pulled --vet will determine when he cleans them. (her breath is so bad I can't stand it). Probably because of the teeth her tongue behaves weirdly. I'm glad she drinks, but it really gets all over for such at tiny mouth.

When we first got home I fed her some leftover chicken and potatoes, a green bean. She ate them very happily. We then got her some canned food and some chunk food In individual plastic bags and fed her again this AM. She only picked at it.

I really had not intended to get all into researching homemade dog food and nutrition requirements. I hope I don't have to. So far she is a cute little
bother. Hate to say it. Have to perservere.

Another big concern is she doesn't seem playful AT ALL. The shelter said she like squeaky toys but that was a big lie. I don't know how to get her to play. I feel so inadequate. She just wants to sit in my lap forever. She must be so bored. She does love being in the car -- she is alert and interested. She likes going out, too, but gets tired and cold very quickly.

The shelter also said she was freed of fleas due to their treatment -- another big lie. I can't believe she hasn't scratched her skin right off her body.

We have a long way to go.

She has surgery on Wed for a big mammary tumor (xrays indicate no metastisis to lung) and they will clean her teeth at that time. Is there anything I can have them do about the fleas/scratching? My house was flea free before she got here. She is old and I don't want to give her anti-flea stuff to ingest.

She has a part down the middle of her back, so I think maltese, and, because of her long nose, poodle? She doesn't have the maltese tail.

She does this reverse sneezing thing that is kind of disturbing but everyone kept saying it was ok - ?

I'm making dog food for my nine year old. Not by choice but she developed IBD. She loves my food and looks so much healthier than she looked on the commercial food. Her coat shines. Her eyes no longer need lubricated. If you are interested, I can share my recipes. Our vet told us many Senior dogs are allergic to chicken...

Hang in there jamies! Sounds like she needs the love and is so grateful to you for giving her a home. It is true that dogs are a bother! But it is so worth it, and after she adjusts she will likely be much less of a bother. I wouldn't worry about her being bored by sitting in your lap- she just wants to be close to you and since she is older maybe she doesn't need to be entertained so much.

Awww she's so cute. I would give her time to come out of her shell and adjust to her new environment. She may be more playful or as mentioned, because she's older, she may just sleep and cuddle more than play.

There are natural flea products you can try like Flea free, or (Food grade) Diatomaceous Earth, etc. Monthly bathing can help with flea control too.

I ended up putting my dogs on a homemade fresh food diet 3 years ago because one of them had chronic colitis, they have both been so much healthier since doing so and my yearly vet bills have decreased. To me it makes sense, commercially processed foods really aren't nutritionally good for us, why would it be any different for our pets?

Hi jamies. Your little girl has gone through quite an ordeal. A dog's true personality may take 2-3 weeks to fully come out once you bring it home from a shelter. Her playfulness may come out more and more as the days pass. It also sounds likeshehas whites bit going on medically. She may need to heal or get over the entire vet experience.

Why don't you want to treat her with flea preventative? Her age eont influence her ability to tolerate it. Unless she has an allergy to it (collies are very sensitive to heart worm and flea preventative), I highly recommend you treat her.

Taking on an older dog can come with a large learning curve as you and the dog adapt. Good luck!

How long was she at the shelter? When I was 16 adopted a shelter dog. He was around 4 years old. For the next 12 years he would voluntary fast a few days a week (never on any set schedule but it averaged to 2 days per week in the first 5 or 6 years then only 1 day a week once he moved in to my first apartment) The vet told us it was because he grew up scavenging and gorging. Dogs in the wild don't eat on a daily basis. One of our schnauzers is the most finicky eater and it took a long time to find a food he enjoys. The other would scarf down anything. Let her go a few days, she will eat when she's hungry or her appetite may turn aft the surgery. if she isn't eating after 4 or 5 days then I would worry.Our guys love wellness dog food.

Try not to stress out to much. It will all be okay.

Roobear, I can't believe the difference in my digs health. It is a pain but I freeze it. Belle is on a easy digest, low fat diet for the same reason as your dog. We spent $1,000 on vet bills before my sister talked me into doing this and Belle hasn't looked this healthy in years.

I use my food processor and change protein source weekly. I use beef, pork and turkey. Our vet said chicken is in everything, even if it isn't listed in the ingredients. (Dog food isn't regulated.) Many dogs with colitis develop allergies if they have the same protein source. Belle was eating Salmon based protein, so I'm avoiding Salmon for now.

Do you give your dog Probotics?

Jamies - I just want to add that allergies don't have to be permanent. I had allergies to dogs from when I can first remember, along with many other allergies. I started getting allergy shots when it became unbearable, and last time I was retested, I was no longer allergic to dogs, along with many of my other allergies. I used to get hives if a dog licked me, and my eyes and respiratory system were a mess, but now (and for the last 6 years) I have no issues at all. So if you started getting shots now (they are shallow, not deep muscles shots, and are only a minor discomfort) you would have a greater choice when it comes time to get another dog.

Have a wonderful time with Pink.

Golddust, sounds like Belle is so lucky to have such a caring owner.

I give my dogs fresh raw green tripe on occasion, which is essentially a non dairy, food sourced version of a probiotic for them. Smells unpleasant lol, but my dogs go crazy for it.

I feed a Prey model raw diet, which is simply a diet of a variety of raw meat (certain bone in meats and boneless) and raw organs.
http://preymodelraw.com/page/articles.html

I do give them a little bit of veggies, or fruit on occasion, but it's usually just as a treat. As long as a PMR diet is fed with enough variety in meats and organs, it can actually meet the NRC nutritional numbers for dogs without the need to feed vegetables/fruits, or any carbohydrates etc.

I have two small chest freezers in my garage and buy meat (sometimes in bulk during sales, or from a raw feeding coop, or I get meat donated from local hunters). Their usual weekly variety includes fish, chicken, beef, pork, eggs, and turkey, other meats they also get include lamb, venison, quail, buffalo, and duck. Each meal is usually just one single protein source. I just cut up the meats and organs into meal sized portions for them, freeze, defrost in the fridge, and feed.

Feeding raw is just easier for me because it's far less calculating and less supplementing nutrient wise than most cooked diets. The natural enzymes still present in the food aids in digestion, making food intolerances and allergies less likely. I know some dogs who are allergic to a cooked protein, like chicken or beef, but can still have the raw version of it and be fine. Lola had chronic colitis for 3 years with episodes occurring 1-2 times a week, they cleared up within a few months on the raw diet.

I don't usually feed much ground meat, my dogs get more satisfaction and dental/gum cleaning when I feed the bone in meats with the raw bones as a natural source of fiber, and calcium. My dogs are 8 and 12, and haven't needed Vet dentals due to eating and chewing raw bones (properly). Raw bones, fed properly to dogs can be a great teeth/gum cleaner.

I've been feeding PMR for over 3 years now, and have had fantastic results according to regular blood work etc. done on them. The difference in health is interesting and my vet is very supportive of it. However, I don't think raw diets are for every dog or owner, and they certainly have their controversy.

This post was edited by roobear on Fri, Feb 21, 14 at 15:26

Pink is such a sweet looking dog. Please keep us posted on how things are working out!

We adopted a small 2 year old dog about 4 months ago. It took about 3 months to see her playful side. It takes time for them to trust you and relax. When we first started to play she was simply scared of us. We now do the play/chase game and she loves it. We also tried throwing a ball outside and she had no interest. It took us a few weeks to discover that she loves to play fetch, but you have to use a small stuffed animal and not a ball. She loves to fetch her stuffed ducky ... who knew a small terrier mix had these retriever genes mixed in!!!

Yes, please give her time. All of our dogs have been shelter dogs and all were stressed. Even if they came from a good home, living in the shelter is stressful.

She really looks sweet but the uncertainty in her eyes is evident. She will thrive with love and a routine but it will most likely take a little while.

Yes, they should be able to do her teeth while she is under. She may need to have some pulled.

They should be able to treat the fleas while she is there, too. Many pets need additional treatment. I would recommend a monthly treatment. Our cats gets Revolution which is also anti-heartworm and anti-ear mites along with flea repellant.

She will come around. It will take her awhile to adjust.