Should I get a puppy or (more added)?

[kittykorat]

Many of you commented on the dog thread I posted a couple days ago, about adopting Molly the Lab/Dobie mix. I spoke to the foster mom again yesterday.

She called and said that she really doesn't think Molly is a good fit for our family. Molly is 70lbs and very active, like a 70lb puppy., just housebroken. She will play for hours with her other dogs, or her teenagers.
Yes, she is great with kids.. She is around kids all the way down to 2 years... but thinks the dog would do better in a more active household.. either with other dogs, or with people that run/hike etc. Basically a dog with that energy level if not exercised enough could be detructive.

I appreciate her honesty. We are chaotic... with 2 young boys and a baby, but not that active.

She recommends a puppy. Not the most active pup of a litter.
Said it would probably be better for the puppy to grow up with the kids and bond with family. It would be more work for us for awhile... but she thinks it would be a better fit in the long run for our family....

Thoughts?


She said out of the puppies - Amy, Alex, Mike or Ike would be a good fit.. she says the others are ranbunctious and have huge paws, and will be bigger.

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15354274
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15354285
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15381486
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15381497

They are all being fostered in Tenessee right now and will be shipped to New England on January 8th.

 

[vicki2x2]

That is up to you. With 3 little kids, are you up to housebreaking a puppy? Cleaning up messes, taking it out constantly, training it not to chew on all the kid toys, etc? It is a lot of work and will be as much work as another child for a while. On the other hand, if the kids are taught to be respectful and nice to the puppy, it will grow up used to their loud noises and quick movements, which some adult dogs are not used to and it makes them nervous.

On a side note, Amy & Alex are cute, but not sure where the dobe X lab cross came from, unless that is what mom is and dad is unknown, obviously. Neither would have the longer, curly hair on their ears. All four are cute pups though.

Good luck!

 

[LyonFuzz]

I guess it all depends on how much you can put into a new pet. Housebreaking, chewing, constant supervision, training, etc. I volunteer for a rescue and our group does not adopt out pups to families with kids under 5 yrs. Through experience, we've found that the dog doesn't get the care and training it deserves and then they end up being returned to us as wild teenage dogs that are going to require a lot more time. Not to say that you personally cannot devote the time that a puppy needs, but it can easily be pushed aside when you have young kids and babies in the house that need you more. I have 4 kids, two of which are 2 yr old twins, and have always found it easier to get an adult dog that is already past all the chewing, housebreaking and knows basic manners. Most rescues can tell you who would be best with kids and such. Good luck! The pups would be hard to say no to!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I like Alex....LOL

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Why not look for a puppy/dog to adopt from your own local shelter? Then it won't have the stress from being shipped from so far away, and you will also have the opportunity to see & interact with it before deciding.

 

[kittykorat]

The mom is a dobie/lab mix. Dad is unknown.

The local shelter only has pit mixes. There are local "rescues" that rescue dogs from down south where there are more dogs than the shelters can handle and ship them up here where they have a better chance of being adopted.

 

[kittykorat]

The person that runs the rescue and the foster mom most have had a chat. I just got an email from the foster mom saying that the person that runs the resue has two dogs that she thinks would be a perfect fit for our family... both are 2 years old.
Atticus or Sheba.
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15323283
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15387129

I must admit... I like Sheba. I looked at the rscue site a bunch of times, and never clicked on her... but she is pretty, and my sister has an aussie for many years.. she died of old age last year, but she was a nice friendly lovable dog.
I'm not familiar with the Blue heeler breed.

 

[Luvducks]

I have a couple of Blue Heeler/Aussie crosses. Very Loyal and dedicated to th family. 2 years is a good age for them also. They are over the puppy stuff but still like to play.
I find them easy to train because they want to please the owner. Good Luck!

 

[RiverOtter]

I have a 9 yo and a baby, I've trained dogs for a living and I would think long and hard before getting a puppy.
Puppies are lots and lots of work. Like babies, they need to develop bladder control before potty training is effective, some dogs have it at 4 months, some not till 7. And, like children, just when you think you've done a pretty good job, they hit adolesence.

With all that you have on your plate, adopt an older dog. Depending on the dog, one at least 9 months right on up to a senior citizen. I have worked in rescue ALOT and I can tell you that all the arguments against are bunk. "An older dog won't bond with your family" Nonsense. Any dog, 8 week old pup to 8 yo drifter will take about a year to be YOUR dog. With a puppy there's a lot more piddling and chewing during that year.
"It's in the shelter for a reason" Yup, and mostly the reason is the idiot who brought it in should never have owned a dog in the first place. Go work in a shelter and at least every 6 months someone will drop off a dog because "He just doesn't match the new furniture" I kid you not. Once it was the sweetest, best behaved 12 yo husky. Broke my heart, the way she'd give you the tiniest nudge with that white muzzle.
Most often, the dog is there because it hit adolesence - which brings a bout of chewing, disregard for previous rules and teenage deafness (like kids, lol). If you bring home a puppy, you are going to have to live through this. It lasts about a month with a strong leader - whether you bring him home in the middle of it or raise him yourself.

So basically, if you bring home a little puppy you can expect a month of messes on the floor, 2 of chewing, one of dashing around deaf with one of the kids toys in it's mouth (the toy may or may not survive) and zoomimg around bouncing on the furniture. Then about 2 months of good behaivior, when you breath a big sigh of relief, then adolescence. The worst of that is over in a month, but you can expect a good bit of chewing until the adult teeth settle and at least a month of working on obedience. At this point, the dog may know down, but has to see if you will make him down.

If you rescue an older dog, even lets go with an adolescent (7 to 10 month old pup) You can expect a week of housebreaking. You will need to crate train and direct chewing. You may need to UN-crate train a little, I rescued a dog who spent literally 23 hours out of 24 in a crate and didn't know he could lie down outside one. This easing in period (including the housebreaking retrain) will take about a month. Then figure on a month of obedience work. The dog will not test you as much as it would test whoever raised it as you are starting from scratch. Figure on a month or 2 of the dog not being very responsive - it is still learing it's new name and missing it's old family. But at this point the dog is settled in pretty well and just has to learn all your routines and who is the most likely to give out treats.

This is WAY easier. Especially with kids. IF you like, pm me and I will help you find some local rescues and shelters where you can meet the dog in person first.

 

[RiverOtter]

Sheba looks like a sweetie. Aussies love a job. You can chain 3 tricks Fetch or Pick it Up, Here and Drop It to teach a dog to pick up the laundry.