Adopting adult dog

Am I crazy? We have baby #3 on the way and we are considering adopting a lab mix from a friend of a friend. Dog is completely house broken, crate trained and out of the puppy stage.

I grew up with a large dog and remember him being pretty low maintenance. Just wanted to get opinions on whether my memory serves me correctly or if my parents were doing a lot of work that I didn't notice as a kid.

Our backyard is fenced in so the dog will get plenty of outside time, even if we can't walk him all the time (I work ~20 hrs per week). Advice/opinions welcome!!

Re: Adopting adult dog

Not crazy but I would certainly meet the dog and get a history of the dog. Has the dog been around kids, any aggression, vet record. Why is the dog being given up for adoption? If everything checks out and you really trust the dog than you should go for it.

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Impo, I would wait. You have a new baby on the way with two other children and a job. The dog won't get the proper family training with you and it could result in you giving the dog back. We've all seen it. Not saying you would, but you do have a lot on your plate.

We rescued a dog. AMAZING dog. Has mAjor separation issues. An hour trip out of my house could be fine, or I can walk into my house minus blinds. Just something to consider

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Message edited 5/22/2016 7:45:01 PM.

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Message edited 5/22/2016 8:25:57 PM.

Adopting adult dog

Not crazy! I adopted an adult puppy mill dog. First few weeks were rough since she was so terrified. Now she's an AMAZING dog. Truly so different. We also had to house break her and deal with medical issues. We also work a good amount but she is so well adjusted. I would definitely meet the dog first before committing to anything

Adopting adult dog

Not crazy. IMO, much less crazy than adopting a puppy. I adopted a 7 year old dog many years ago. Never had an accident until he was old and sick. Completely trained and beyond walking him he honestly didn't add any stress on the household (I lived with my parents at the time). He lived to be 16 and was an absolute joy. I still miss him.

It is often difficult to place older dogs. If you are able to properly care for the dog I think you'd be doing a wonderful thing by giving this pooch a good home.

Message edited 5/22/2016 10:47:36 PM.

Adopting adult dog

I would wait to get a dog. Bringing a dog into a new environment requires an adjustment period for the dog--this could be weeks or months or longer- you also need to consider the time you will need to invest in training the dog- there is more to a well mannered dog than being house broken and crate trained-Also keep in mind every dog is different--just because your childhood dog was low maintenance does not mean this dog will also be low maintenance. I am all for adopting an adult dog I just think the timing may not be ideal for you to bring home a new dog.

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Adult dogs require much less than a puppy. However, they do come with predispositions and will require several months of adjusting to the new home/family. Considering you only work 20hrs/week, I think you'll be home enough to handle the transition period with the new dog.

Our dog is a lab mix and we have a fenced in yard. He pretty much lays around in the backyard most of the day. When he comes in, he just lays around the couch He really doesn't require much of anything other than feeding twice a day and some cuddle time at night (and a bath each week since he's outside a lot). We never walk him because when he's in the yard he runs around and plays enough that he gets plenty of exercise.

I would make sure you know exactly why the current owners are giving him up and make sure the dog has no issues with children.

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We adopted a 3 or 4 yo from a shelter. It took her about a week to acclimate to her new home. Our particular dog is very low maintenance (after I figured out that she can dig her way under our fenced in yard! .... "terrier" is in her breed name.... should have figured that one out beforehand.... )

However, every dog is different. With an older dog, you'll have a good idea up-front what their disposition is like, but it's still a gamble.

I would go for it, but then again, we got our dog when DC were 9 and 12, so much different family environment to bring a dog into.

For us, it is less work having the dog than not having her. When DD complains about "being bored....", we just tell her to play with the dog. The dog loves being played with, DD is occupied, and DD stops bugging us about being bored.
Our dog also kept me from having to convince the CableVision door-to-door salesman that I wasn't interested. He apparently doesn't like 60lb dogs....

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