# Rescues, puppies, or both



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I picked the second option, but I'm not sure if it is worded correctly for me? 

I am like that woman in that I prefer to raise my dogs from 8 weeks. This mainly because I love obedience training and there is just something about working with a puppy that young. It's like you feel you can control the type of dog you have later because you teach everything right the first time? My instructor just brought a new puppy home and she's been posting pics and comments on facebook, and it has me feeling like I can't wait until I can go through the same fun too. 

The trick thingydo about just adopting a puppy doesn't quite work here, because to a certain extent - if you want to do sports with a dog, you like to feel like you can control how healthy, strong, trainable, and predictable that dog will be by choosing his parents first. 

But I definitely would adopt rescues or surrenders, and we have done exactly that with our collie. We love him so much and definitely I see us adopting again when the time comes. In our case we are limited to keeping only 3 dogs tops at a time. Which means that in the next 10 years or so, I'm only going to be getting one dog. At this point, I want that to be our next puppy.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

I got a puppy and raised a puppy. I do not want to do that again for many, many years. My next dog will likely be a rescue that's 5+ years old, both because I don't want to deal with a puppy again and also because Flora does much better with older dogs.

Maybe some day I'll reconsider the puppy thing, but not now!


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

I picked the first one. I love puppies and I really enjoy the training involved with a puppy. I will most likely bring one more puppy into our lives and that will be it. 

I have absolutely nothing against rescue dogs whatsoever and do plan on rescuing in the future.


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## Golden123 (Dec 6, 2009)

It really doesn't matter to me. The only reason I decided to get a puppy was because we have another dog (miniature pinscher), and since she is very small (only 7-8 pounds), I didn't want to risk her getting hurt/stepped on/etc. With getting a puppy, I felt it would be alot better for Roxy, plus we also have 3 cats and they would acclimate alot better to a pup then a large strange adult. I did look around online at resuces to see if they had any young pups, but they didn't.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I adopted both of my goldens. Roxy was adopted through CFGRR and Remy was adopted from my County Humane Society. They were both 2 when I got them. Roxy will be 7 in Dec. and Remy is 2.5. 

I use to help CFGRR with Intakes before they closed down in Jan. 2011. I quickly learned how many dogs are in need of homes, they are either turned into shelters , picked up as strays, or surrendered to Rescue Groups. Puppies, young adults, and older dogs can be found in shelters and Rescue Groups all throughout the U.S. 

I recently saw that approximately 4-5 million animals are in shelters throughout the U.S., 3-4 million are euthanized yearly. About 25 % are purebreds.

I will continue to adopt in the future.


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## Rob's GRs (Feb 25, 2007)

I pick both. I have had a pup as my first dog. It was a lot of work but I enjoyed the watching her (Lyndi) grow from a pup. After Lyndi I wanted to take a break from the puppy hood stages for my next dog so and adopted Liam. He was about 18 months at the time. What a joy it was to adopt him and giving him a home he so needed. Same with Hogan that I adopted. I do not doubt someday in the distant future I will get a pup again, but for the near future it will probably just remain that I adopt.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I've adopted two puppies, one from an animal shelter at 4 months, and one from a rescue at 5 months. I've also adopted an almost 7 year old rescue. 

Given we are getting older, given we want the opportunity to get a puppy from a breeder with all the health clearances, and since the golden rescue we adopted 2 of our dogs from will not allow owners to put their contact information on a microchip, even as an additional contact (a no go for us) we will be purchasing our future puppies from a breeder.

Both hubby and I prefer puppies to adopting adults. We want as much time as possible with them.


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## Sterling Archer (Feb 8, 2011)

> *I prefer to only have dogs as puppies I purchased or got for free. *


I went the rescue route once and it didn't work out. We got Butter for free from a "woops" litter that one of my wife's co-workers had. 

I would consider doing a rescue again at some point, but I would likely want a younger dog. One reason for that is that large breed dogs don't tend to live very long. I wouldn't want to adopt a senior dog and have it die in short order. As that woman said to you...I do admire someone that could do that though. I had that rescue dog for two weeks and was at wreck about having to send him back. I can only imagine how I'll be when my critter eventually passes.

Another reason is that I REALLY got a kick out of Butter as a tiny puppy. If I got another dog, I would want to be able to enjoy that phase again. Just my $.02...


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

I grew up with Collies and mixes, some we raised from puppyhood while others showed up on our doorstep. I would rescue in a heartbeat, it's the hubby who wants to stick with a purchased puppy...thinking he has more control over the future, the dog's and ours.


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

I picked the last option. 

I actually prefer seniors...or at least over 3 yrs. old. Chance was 1 yr. old when I adopted him, but he's always been extremely low-key. Savanah was 9 and I had no issues with her at all. I knew exactly what I was getting with her.

Lucy was 6 months, but little dogs are born old.  They mature so fast, it was just like getting an older dog anyway. I may consider a puppy after my daughter leaves for college, but again, it will be a rescue. Just a personal choice.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

I chose option #2 because it really wouldn't matter to me. I figure that when the time comes, the right puppy or the right rescue dog will sort of find us.

Our next probably will be through some kind of rescue or adoption, though. When we got Riley, mom and I pretty much agreed that he would probably be the last puppy. We've done the puppy thing enough - it would be nice to give an unwanted dog a second chance.
Besides, if we add another dog, it would likely have to be a small breed since those are the only ones (as of now, anyway) that Riley sort of tolerates.


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## OldeEnglishD (Aug 21, 2011)

I have done both, and hopefully will do both again in the future. I adopted Griffey who is 6 and I have to say that he has been the perfect dog for our family. Sometimes I think the rescue dogs know you are giving them a second (or third) chance for happiness and the seem to really be thankful for it.


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## C's Mom (Dec 7, 2009)

I adore puppies (spend way too much time here squealing over all your pups) but I doubt I will ever have one again. I don't think I have what it takes anymore to be constantly on guard and then do all the training. Give me a dog around a year old who has some training and I'll take it from there.

I have looked at so many of the dogs from the various breeders on this site and fantasize about owning one of their dogs but knowing me my next dog will be a rescue too. 

I'm also old enough to know to never say never about anything.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I thought about this thread last night when I was at class... 

When I arrived, my instructor was sitting in a chair in front of the ring, holding her new flatcoat puppy in her lap. 

I was 40 minutes early so I grabbed a seat behind her to watch the class before mine and zen out with my guy. 

And for those 40 minutes, I was thinking "WOW, the puppy is just sitting there in the lap. Sleeping. What's wrong with her."

Finally I asked and found out that she had been mouthing a toy the entire time. And mouthing the instructor. And the reason why she was being held was because she had been fussing up a storm in her crate. 

She still was better behaved than my guy had been at the same age though. He was a mellow puppy, but there is no way he would have been OK with sitting in my lap for 40 minutes - chewing on me or not. 

That's not for everyone - especially people with kids and people who do not have time or patience. That's why some people might want to consider adopting an older dog.


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## Tuckers Mom (Nov 12, 2010)

I picked #3. Both My Boys were/are rescues. I just sent Carolinamom this in an email on this very subject. Here is a copy of what I wrote:

I will only every own a golden if it's a rescue due to Poor circumstances. I have no interest in adopting a troubled golden. sorry, but it's true. Tucker came from Gaston County ( High Kill Shelter). a good samaritan pulled him and took him to the Humane Society of Charlotte where I found him on a fluke, after GRRCC did not have a dog that " spoke to me". It was fate that I found Tucker, and I am CERTAIN of it. Tucker's story (is as most rescue stories are) vague. Gaston labled him as dog aggressive. Why? Because they fed him in a pen with 3 other dogs at the SAME TIME, and Tuck was still intact. What kind of idiot does that? Tuck has taken ALOT of work, basically starting with a large puppy, with nothing more than housebreaking accomplished when I got him ( thank gawd for that). Establishing routine, the help of an e-collar and obedience training gave me the most amazing dog i've yet to own. He's a handful every single day of my life, but I love it all. and more importantly, SO DOES HE. He has good food, love, a plethra of stuffies to seek and destroy each day, lots of balls to roll under the sofa's and chairs, squirrels to drool over, and million chuckit balls to fetch. To think he would have missed out on this life makes me both sick and happy at the same time.* He is why I rescue.*


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