SS Cressa Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 There is a border collie mix at a pound nearish to me(3 hour away). I was thinking of adopting her. Emailing the staff I am told she is very people and dog friendly but is very stressed being at the pound. Just wondering what I could expect if I take her home? Should I put her in a quiet room? Would it be ok to kennel/crate her? I figure for the first couple of day to keep the dogs seperate. I know get the dog vet checked and spayed. And let her progess in her time. Type of quirks pound BC have? I know all dogs are different but any general advice? She would be my first pound dog. I have dealt with feral cats and rescue cats... All I know is she was picked up as a stray on the street. She is under 50 lbs. Suppose to be young. Appears to be healthy. ANd is friendly. One of my concerns is the last female I had I was told one thing(good with dogs) and she turn out to be very aggressive to my girl. It took a bit to get my dog to play with other dogs again. Don't want to ruin her trust again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 It's almost impossible to predict what she'll be like, but your instincts are good here. If you adopt her, take it slow. Give the dog her own space, either a quiet room, a crate, or both. Let her decompress for a few days. Take introductions with your current dogs slowly, too. Don't overwhelm her with anything. She could come into your house and be a happy-go-lucky, well adjusted dog. Or, she might never have been in a house before and have to adapt to all that goes with it. She may be an instant social butterfly, or she may take a while to come out of her shell. Since there's just no way to know what she'll be like, I like the slow approach. I know at some shelters, if you've got a dog, they want you to bring your dog so they can meet. Is that a requirement? Did you talk to the shelter to see how she is with other dogs? Is she kenneled alone, or with a room-mate? They should be able to tell you something about how she is with other dogs, but even then, take it very slow with your own dogs once she's home. ETA: Ok, just read that the shelter said she is dog friendly. I missed that the first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SecretBC Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 The shelter environment can be very stressful for any dog, but it seems especially so for BC and other herding breeds. Even though the staff & volunteers try hard to give each dog adequate exercise each day, it is nearly impossible to give a BC enough exercise & stimulation in that environment. For that reason, I definitely don't think it's a bad idea to give a dog a couple of days to "decompress" before asking too much of them. I'd be sure to give tons of exercise and establish a good routine, but I'd hold off on introducing a ton of new experiences for a few days to a week (ie: going to an agility trial right away, going to PetSmart, going to a training class, going to the dog park, etc.). I would not hold off on introducing her to your other dogs. The sooner they learn to get along, the better. The other dogs could also be a good influence on her to teach her how to settle in the house. I always recommend that you work on crate training when bringing a shelter dog home. It's good for them to have a safe/quiet place to retreat and it's also best to crate them when you leave them alone, at least for a while. Since this dog was a stray, odds are that the shelter knows very little about her (re: quirks). That's part of the fun of rescuing a dog -- You learn so much about them along the way! Are there pictures posted online? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloria Atwater Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 I'd agree with those before me. There's no way to really guess what she'll be like, since no one knows where she came from, and every dog's temperament is different. There are simply far too many variables, both in her possible past and the makeup of her temperament. If she's stray, she could be anything from someone's neglected outside dog, to a former pet who just fell victim to a bad family breakup. I agree that you're on the right track with making it easy, for her. Give her a crate, give her a safe place to be, don't let your dogs overwhelm her, but don't keep them totally separated, either. If it's possible, you might bring your dog along when you pick her up, so they could meet on neutral territory. Let her integrate into your family, soon, but be very watchful of any dog politics over food bowls, favorite places to sleep, or jealousy over you and your human family. In fact, I'd recommend feeding her either in a crate or in a separate room, at first, so she won't feel the need to guard her food, or to feel easily spooked away from it. Though again, she might have no issues at all. Mainly just really watch her behaviors and how she and your dog interact. The stress a dog suffers while in the shelter may vanish the moment she goes out the door, or she may have a few glitches depending on her past. I've had 3 rescue dogs over the years. They were not in shelters but rather rescued from bad circumstances, but in each instance, they all integrated into our household swiftly and with no problems. Keep us posted if you bring this girl home, and let us know how things go. Cheers ~ Gloria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 I'm going to disagree regarding immediate intros to your dogs - for health reasons. Shelters, unfortunately, are hotbeds of disease and if she was a stray, she could be incubating diseases from both prior to and after her entry into the shelter (parasites, kennel cough, viruses, etc.) It's not a reason not to adopt, just IMO a reason to take it slow on the intros until she's been with you a couple of days and had a vet check to make sure there's nothing she's likely to pass on to your dogs. She's lucky to have you considering to adopt her and I hope it works out great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2adventure Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Thanks for looking at her I take what the shelter people say with a grain of salt. Bring your guys in to meet the possible dog, maybe take her out for a walk or two around the shelter, see how she reacts with the other dogs barking, etc. I have found that so many dogs quiet right down once pulled from the shelter setting and have actually had dogs get worse. By that I mean, a quiet dog is not always a quiet dog once home. When you bring her home, let her be for a few days. Feed them seperately or feed the new one in her crate. Let her figure out a nice comfort zone before working on a daily routine. Just go about your business and let her interact when she's ready and willing. You never know, this may be the best match in the world. You won't know until you try Good luck and don't forget the pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Cressa Posted January 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 feeding shouldn't be an issue. All my dogs get fed in the crate or are hand fed. Will be calling the shelter tomorrow to make sure she is still available and see what all I would need to bring(out-of-state adoptions). Keeping fingure cross everything will turn out ok. This is the only picture off petfinder: I already have a potential name for her: Clair short for Clarissa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2adventure Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Oooooh! a Lucia look a like She gets my seal of approval...LOL. Good luck and let us know how it goes. When it's right, it's right. You'll know when you meet her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Oh, how cute - look at those big, dark, imploring eyes. Who could resist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 She's a beauty! I hope it clicks when you meet her. I don't have anything to add to the above -- crate her, take it slow, worry initially about spread of infection or parasites to your dogs -- all good advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Cressa Posted January 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 So just found out the girl got adopted today. Hope her new owner the best of luck with her. She is a cutie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejano Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 So just found out the girl got adopted today. Hope her new owner the best of luck with her. She is a cutie! A good ending to the story....I would have added that Ladybug went straight from the SPCA to a vet check, though we didn't have other dogs at home at the time. We wanted to be sure that we could deal with any health issues right out of the gate. The last dog we'd adopted had kennel cough.... Liz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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