Adopting a Dog

[iamwhatiam]

I'm looking to adopt a dog from a shelter soon. But I have no idea the steps involved. Like will they not adopt to you if they know you are "homeless" or on the road? What does the paperwork involve? etc.

 

[hobogestapo]

try not to look homeless. look up your local animal shelter online. they have fees for spaying/neutering, but if the dog has already had that done they can be free.

 

[Puckett]

befor you get a dog make sure you can take care of yourself first. having a dog is big, being able to take care of it and feed it and making sure you always have enough water for it. dont just get one because you think it would be cool to travel with a dog. its not so cool when you get drunk and loose it or if you go to jail so does your dog.

i like collies, they are smart and good for traveling because they are such an active breed. if your going to doing alot of walking then make sure your dog can handle it. when adopting a dog you have to realize they are there for a reason and might have some issues. get to know the dogs you are thinking about adopting and get one that suites you. not just because you think it looks cool.

also some places do a major backround check on the people adopting because they dont want the dog to end up back in the shelter. and some can be pricey. i would say look it up on the internet. look at different shelters.

 

[iamwhatiam]

ii've wanted a dog for over a decade now and i think its about time. i'm familiar with how much work and committment they can be. i once lived in a place where she had 5 dogs and numerous cats. the dogs were all rescued and were either disabled or had emotional,etc issues. cleaning up after them, feeding, walking, etc, seemed like a full time job. And altho I've never traveled with one, I'm pretty sure I have enough experience under my belt to care for an animal on the road. . . . .but yea, I'm curious about the background checks and such - and like willl they require an address, etc? (this is for san diego shelters in case anyone has experience with them)

 

[hobogestapo]

you take of your dog and she will take care of you

 

[bucksaw]

someplaces ask for an id w/ a local address on it not sure if they do that in san diego . if theydo. an id isnt that expensive. and youcould use any address to put on the card.

 

[Jawline]

Check out craigslist. You can get one pretty cheap on there. I got mine for a small rehoming fee with all his shots and whatnot.

Like a shelter just try not to look homeless and you shouldnt have trouble.

 

[Earth]

Puckett is right on the money - it's a major responsibility,
and I'd like to add that it's like having a child that never grows up.
But it's great....

I mean,
I can no longer do half the things I used to by now having a dog,
but my life is far better because of it.

My ex (for lack of a better word) tried adopting dogs from rescue centers and found it almost impossible, due to the strict requirments most of them have - which if I say so myself, are for good reason - because, again as Puckett mentioned - they don't want to see the dog back out on the street.

In fact - many rescue agencies would rather see a dog put to sleep than be adopted out to the wrong person, which today as incredible as it sounds - I completely agree with - because there is nothing worse than a dog that's neglected.

My dogo was slated to be put to death, and my woman rescued her.
It was easy, because it was from a kill pound.

BUT, she soon realized that she could not handle this dog of chaos, meanwhile I bonded with the dog (which interestingly enough was when OUR relationship started to fall apart) and adopted her, and the dog became the dog of love, because all she wanted was love - and a stable home...........

At one point, she wanted to adopt the dog out to some traveling squater punk kid.
Believe me, that would have been a huge mistake.............

- because that's not what my dog wants.
I saw from the first day / night I met Loki (at her place) that all this dog needed was hugs and attention and a home.
I was able to provide this, and in turn she gives me new reason to live.