Shelter dogs
I don’t do puppies. We got June at 6 months old, and never again will I get a dog that young. 9 months is the minimum, and 1-2 years old is ideal. For this, and other reasons, we prefer to get our dogs from shelters.
I often don’t think of my dogs as rescue dogs. I didn’t rescue them from anything. In fact, only one of the shelters I’ve adopted from has been a “kill” shelter. And that’s where we got June. But as a beagle puppy, she was getting adopted that night, no matter what. We simply got there first.
However, Seattle Humane (and a number of other WA based rescues) often goes down to high kill shelters in CA to bring dogs up here. Larry came from one of those shelters. Still, Seattle Humane rescued him, I just brought him home.
Still, shelter dogs are different in your home than they were in the shelter. At the shelter, Larry appeared to always be sleeping and was quite shy when he met us. At home, he loves to run around and chase June. He can settle nicely, but he needs somewhat frequent bursts of physical activity.
He is also shy the first time he sees someone if we are not in the room. If we’re there, he’s good, but if we’re not, he’s back to being a wall flower.
June never made a sound while at the shelter. We had her close to two weeks before she ever barked. Now, she’s a vocal little dog. Her favorite activity appears to be barking at Larry while he chews on a bone, even though she’s surrounded by other bones.
I fully support animal shelters and have no problems paying high adoption fees. These places to a lot of work taking care of the animals and often pay outrageous vet bills for some of the dogs and cats that come in to their care.
Here is where each of my dogs has come from:
Moree – Nevada
Smokey – PAWS of Lynnwood
Junebug – Pierce County
Larry – Seattle