Adopting an Anatolian Shepard

[LaFleche]

Perhaps this could be of interest to you @Ninjasquirrel :

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...l-puppies-are-sold-after-8-weeks-old.1496945/

 

[Uwish]

I would not adopt such a dog. The shelter's attitude seems rather dubios to me.

Don’t blame the dog for the shelters lack of info etc. not the pups fault sadly a lot of shelters have that type of mentality, lazyness etc

 

[LaFleche]

Don’t blame the dog for the shelters lack of info etc. not the pups fault sadly a lot of shelters have that type of mentality, lazyness etc

I don't blame the dog for anything, but this is what the OP stated so far, and one red flag for me: she has already been adopted before and the second adopter returned to the shelter for aggressive behaviour towards a member of her new family.
With a dog of this size and breed this should not be taken lightly:

because this dog has bad hips.

She's underweight and he thinks b6 her gait shes been hit by a car.

the first owner wanted to euthanize her but instead brought her there

The second adopter said she was "guarding" her husband from her.

Shes shedding like crazy

her belly is fully shaved. My hubby is worried she was hit by a car

the woman that supposedly was threatened by the dog.

they didnt leave records with the shelter or they just didnt tell us.

 

[Uwish]

I don't blame the dog for anything, but this is what the OP stated so far, and one red flag for me: she has already been adopted before and the second adopter returned to the shelter for aggressive behaviour towards a member of her new family.
With a dog of this size and breed this should not be taken lightly:

I understand that completely but people aggression most shelters will not take lightly so I believe if it were a real factor they would’ve put an extreme amount of emphasis on that and in many cases most shelters will put them down. She also stated that the household may she’s guessing of course could’ve been unstable and if the man and woman were getting physical the dog may have been trying to protect her. Also sadly people will claim that type of bs often to return a dog they have to make up an excuse so they don’t look like a complete piece of trash. I’m kinda new to raising chickens but I have a lifetime of experience with dogs dogs training shelters rescues etc.
obviously I’m not saying I’m right just stating what usually ends up happening in these types of situations. (Hope non of what I just said came across disrespectful etc it’s all meant with respect etc) it’s so hard to tell how people are Speaking to one another and comments etc. so I like to make sure what I say is understood and by no means meant rudely

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

The shelter finally contacted me today. They said the original owner had surrendered her to the vet to be euthanized and the vet contacted them (yet another fact left out) they said her vet records do not indicate that she had been hit by a car or injured herself. However she did stay in a crate too small for her when the owners werent home. So I'm thinking possibly improperly developed hips. May have to pass on her

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I understand that completely but people aggression most shelters will not take lightly so I believe if it were a real factor they would’ve put an extreme amount of emphasis on that and in many cases most shelters will put them down. She also stated that the household may she’s guessing of course could’ve been unstable and if the man and woman were getting physical the dog may have been trying to protect her. Also sadly people will claim that type of bs often to return a dog they have to make up an excuse so they don’t look like a complete piece of trash. I’m kinda new to raising chickens but I have a lifetime of experience with dogs dogs training shelters rescues etc.
obviously I’m not saying I’m right just stating what usually ends up happening in these types of situations. (Hope non of what I just said came across disrespectful etc it’s all meant with respect etc) it’s so hard to tell how people are Speaking to one another and comments etc. so I like to make sure what I say is understood and by no means meant rudely

What I met was not an agressive dog. When she was returned they said "she's a horrible dog". Not the type of attitude of someone looking to adopt another animal. Thats why Im inferring the possibility of trouble in their household. Dogs learn things from ignorant people faster than from smart people. They learn to manipulate and who is the weaker animal.

 

[LaFleche]

I understand that completely but people aggression most shelters will not take lightly so I believe if it were a real factor they would’ve put an extreme amount of emphasis on that and in many cases most shelters will put them down. She also stated that the household may she’s guessing of course could’ve been unstable and if the man and woman were getting physical the dog may have been trying to protect her. Also sadly people will claim that type of bs often to return a dog they have to make up an excuse so they don’t look like a complete piece of trash. I’m kinda new to raising chickens but I have a lifetime of experience with dogs dogs training shelters rescues etc.
obviously I’m not saying I’m right just stating what usually ends up happening in these types of situations. (Hope non of what I just said came across disrespectful etc it’s all meant with respect etc) it’s so hard to tell how people are Speaking to one another and comments etc. so I like to make sure what I say is understood and by no means meant rudely

People claim a lot of things when leaving their dogs at a shelter or returning them after adopting.
But the same is true for a lot of shelters, where human aggression is often sugarcoated by calling it "might go forward if not assisted" or even not being mentioned at all.

In any case, before adopting a dog, I think it important that all family members should agree on it and want the dog in their home.

 

[black_cat]

Regardless of issues with the rescue- Anatolians are a livestock guardian breed. They are intelligent, independant, and have guarding instincts. This is a breed that has not changed much since it has been developed. Because they are working dogs by nature, they do best with a job. You will have to work hard at training with her and ultimately, if you can't give her any job to do (a job can be come outside and sit while I let the chickens out- it doesn't have to be fancy, just give the dog a sense of purpose), I don't think that this is the breed for you.
It sounds like with this specific dog, she's had some behavioral issues develop (probably due to poor ownership originally- if you get a guardian breed and don't train it well, no wonder guarding issues have developed!). Unless you are willing to work through those issues, and possibly have a very hard time because of the breed's independence coupled with intelligence, she may not be the dog for you. It'll also be a bit of a shock if you've only ever dealt with breeds like retrievers or other very biddable dogs- I am fully immersed in the world of dog training and I wouldn't want one unless I wanted a guardian dog. If you have experience with other guardian breeds, or something like huskies, malamutes, or german, dutch, or belgian shepherds, I probably wouldn't go for it unless you're very confident in your training ability.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I think passing on this dog is the best option, unless you really want to deal with her hip issues for however long she's got left, as well as possibly quite a bit of training.

My Anatolian is a definite exception to the standard as she was raised as a pet and never worked outside, so her idea of a "job" is barking whenever she thinks someone is coming the the house.

 

[black_cat]

I think passing on this dog is the best option, unless you really want to deal with her hip issues for however long she's got left, as well as possibly quite a bit of training.

My Anatolian is a definite exception to the standard as she was raised as a pet and never worked outside, so her idea of a "job" is barking whenever she thinks someone is coming the the house.

That can be a job too! My dog's (golden retriever) jobs are 'helping' with the chickens, and alerting us to people outside at night. He'll eventually get the newspaper every morning, but he does not have enough self control for that yet.