# Possible Private Adoption Questions



## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

We only adopt dogs. Different places and situations. We have been asked to look at a dog in a couple weeks from a private source. This is not a Golden, but an Aussie. We have Tayla, our Golden and we want a companion for her. My husband would like an Aussie to "replace" the Aussie we lost over a year ago and I don't mean replace in that way, as no dog can replace another, but we have had an Aussie and a Golden for 13 years and now we have lost the original pair and we have a Golden who is 20 months. Frankly, I want another Golden, but I said we would look. OMG I'm rambling. Anyway, this is a dog that was being shown in confirmation but was getting nowhere because of a over/under bite. I'm getting information from a good friend who is the Aussie Rescue coordinator in our state and knows this person. I'm trying to find out if this is the only reason they want to get rid of this 2 year old male. I'm assuming that because he is being shown he is not neutered so that would probably be a cost on us. What are your thoughts on an adoption price. I don't want to go higher than the normal adoption fee for Aussies in our state which is $250 to $300 just because he was being shown. I wanted your thoughts because I think I'd get some good objective opinions. Is it reasonable to pay a rescue price for a private adoption?


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

What is the usual fee for a pup from an Aussie breeder in your area?

Do you know what a breeder would charge for a young adult?

I know someone that got a Golden girl from a breeder, she was 1-3 yrs. in age. She paid considerably higher than what she would have for this girl if she had adopted through a GR Rescue in my state.


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

In general no, I do not think you would be paying the normal rescue fee for a dog raised by a reputable breeder. The fact is if this dog is from a reputable breeder you are gaining quite a bit over a normal rescue. You would have access to health information from generations behind this dog. At the age of two he would have probably some, maybe all of the recommended tests for his breed which you can see here Canine Health Information Center: CHIC Information. I would double check to make sure he has not failed a clearence and that is why he is being placed. Failing a test may not be a deal breaker since, you would know about the issue as aposed to most rescues where you would not have that information. Also, if he is a show dog that has washed out simply because of a bite going off, he would generally be a much more structurally correct dog than most rescues. Some folks think showing is all about pretty, but it is really about meeting the standard, structure, movement, type, etc. Pretty is usually a nice by product. Any way, these traits mean a dog that will tend to age more gracefully and will be able to go and do longer becuase good structure allows for it. Also, dogs retained for competition usually receive quite a bit of training and socialization that might be missing from rescue situations. A show dog is the one a breeder keeps or another breeder gets to be the next step in their program. This means a great deal of care in the raising of the pup.
So, I think in this case if he is washing out for bite and is from a reputable breeder he would be worth substantially more than a typical rescue, especially if he comes with some or all the recomended health tests.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

LJack said:


> In general no, I do not think you would be paying the normal rescue fee for a dog raised by a reputable breeder. The fact is if this dog is from a reputable breeder you are gaining quite a bit over a normal rescue. You would have access to health information from generations behind this dog. At the age of two he would have probably some, maybe all of the recommended tests for his breed which you can see here Canine Health Information Center: CHIC Information. I would double check to make sure he has not failed a clearence and that is why he is being placed. Failing a test may not be a deal breaker since, you would know about the issue as aposed to most rescues where you would not have that information. Also, if he is a show dog that has washed out simply because of a bite going off, he would generally be a much more structurally correct dog than most rescues. Some folks think showing is all about pretty, but it is really about meeting the standard, structure, movement, type, etc. Pretty is usually a nice by product. Any way, these traits mean a dog that will tend to age more gracefully and will be able to go and do longer becuase good structure allows for it. Also, dogs retained for competition usually receive quite a bit of training and socialization that might be missing from rescue situations. A show dog is the one a breeder keeps or another breeder gets to be the next step in their program. This means a great deal of care in the raising of the pup.
> So, I think in this case if he is washing out for bite and is from a reputable breeder he would be worth substantially more than a typical rescue, especially if he comes with some or all the recomended health tests.


Thanks for that incite. I've never shown dogs, but the ones I have seen and been around seem to have much less training than other dogs. I've been to shows to watch and seen many dogs poop and pee in buildings. My concern is that at 2 they have less training in many areas because they may be crated so much and under socialized. I have a list of questions but if the price is more than adoption, say they want over $500 I'm just not going to be interested. There are many dogs out there that need good homes.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

To me, this scenario really doesn't sound like a rescue situation, but a breeder ( if it is a breeder that is selling him ) selling an adult dog. The price might be the same as a puppy, or maybe even more if they include the time and money they have put into him for training. 

As for breed rescue prices, I was charged $500 for my MacKenzie in MO. A shelter would probably charge $100.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

cubbysan said:


> To me, this scenario really doesn't sound like a rescue situation, but a breeder ( if it is a breeder that is selling him ) selling an adult dog. The price might be the same as a puppy, or maybe even more if they include the time and money they have put into him for training.
> 
> As for breed rescue prices, I was charged $500 for my MacKenzie in MO. A shelter would probably charge $100.


My understanding is it's not the breeder selling the dog, but the person who purchased the dog from the breeder. Was the breeder good? I don't have a clue. Lots of questions and no answers at this point since it was just presented to me last night.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Tayla's Mom said:


> My understanding is it's not the breeder selling the dog, but the person who purchased the dog from the breeder. Was the breeder good? I don't have a clue. Lots of questions and no answers at this point since it was just presented to me last night.


 
That's interesting. One of the questions I would ask the person who bought the dog through the breeder, is do they have a contract with that breeder. If so, there may be a clause in the contract stating they have to return the dog to the breeder instead of rehoming the dog on their own.


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## CStrong73 (Jun 11, 2012)

For what it's worth, my dad got a lab from a breeder who had kept her to show. She was 1 year old when my dad bought her from the breeder. She turned out not to have the right temperament for the show ring....too submissive.

But she was DEFINITELY not undersocialized or undertrained. In fact, she's spoiled him for any future dogs because she was so perfectly trained. My dad didn't have to do any training at all, and she passed her therapy dog test and did all kinds of therapy work with my Mom & Dad, she was reliable off leash, perfectly well mannered.

But in this case, it sounds like there may be more to the story, if this is someone who bought the dog to show. Why is the dog not being returned to the breeder? 
In your shoes, I'd want to know a lot more about the situation.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

It is a question I posed to the person who contacted me. She is the coordinator for Aussie Rescue in Florida and knows lots of people. She sent me a message last night asking if we would be interested in seeing this dog. I said yes, but then I came up with all these questions to ask. I haven't heard back from her yet. Frankly if it's the case of a breeder getting rid of a dog, I'm not that interested as I know she can get someone to take the dog. I'm more interested in a dog that needs a home for other reasons. I actually never thought about the breeder getting rid of the dog.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

I know a little more about the situation. I've actually met the dog before and slightly know the owner. It's not a breeder, but someone who purchased the dog for show and can't because of a overbite. Beautiful dog and has been well socialized. Only catch is she may take him to have his teeth fixed if not too expensive. I actually hope she goes this route. She has had him for 2 years and I would like to see him stay with his original owner. What I don't know at this point and may be no issue if she keeps him is why he is not going back to the breeder. I still have to find that out. I hope things work out for them and he goes on to have a wonderful show career.


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

I hope she keeps him but I hope she does not "fix" his teeth. The whole point of showing a dog in conformation is to assess breeding stock. Fixing issues like teeth which has a definite hereditary connection will not stop it from being past on if he is breed. Then you would have a new generation for dogs that would DQ for bite faults. 
I hope she keeps him and does something fun and competitive like herding, obiedence, rally, or agility. 
As far as not going back to the breeder I imagine and this is my guess, it sounds like the dog is not being rehomed because of a hardship but because of a wash out. The breeder may trust this person enough to rehome and may even be involved but not directly in the process. Definitely an interesting situation all the way around. I hope this works out for the best all the way around as well.


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