UPDATE :-)! Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

Hello there! This is my 1st time posting on this board. DH & I are finally ready to adopt a dog. We recently bought a house which has ample space both inside and out. We hope to visiting shelters this weekend ! What shelters would you recommend? Also, what breed would you recommend (we prefer large dogs)? Lastly, we plan on having a child or if that does not pan out adopting one, so we'd like a breed that is kid friendly. So far we are both fond of:
Boxers
American Bulldogs
Siberian Huskies
German Shepards
Great Danes
Pit bulls
Labs (but DH is not on board due some past family baloney )

Are we overlooking a breed you would recommend?
Thank you in advance for reading and hopefully replying!

We are now the proud owners of a female boxer mix. She is a true pleasure and very good girl. We adopted from Town of North Hempstead Animal Shelter in Port Washington. The staff there was amazing and very helpful.

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Message edited 7/13/2009 11:47:32 AM.

Re: Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

Yay for you for adopting! Town shelters are a great place to start looking and have lots of large breed dogs and the fees are usually a lot less than private shelters. We adoped my parents dog from Town of Islip Shelter and she is amazing.

Here's a list:

A Right to Life for All Animals
PO Box 930345
Rockaway, NY 11693
631-473-6332

Angel's Gate
18 Josephine Lane
Fort Salonga, NY 11768
631-269-7641

Animal Lost & Found, Inc.
PO Box 293
Levittown, NY 11756
516-796-LOST (5678)

Animal Lovers League
40 Shore Road
Glen Cove, NY 11542
516-676-5913

Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons
Daniel's Hole Road
Wainscott, NY 11975
631-537-0400

Bide-A-Wee Wantagh
3300 Beltagh Avenue
Wantagh, NY 11793
516-785-4079

Bide-A-Wee West Hampton
118 Old Country Road
Westhampton, NY 11977
631-325-0200

C.A.R.E of America Inc.
PO Box 413
East Islip, NY 11730
Email

Elsas Ark Inc.
PO Box 2900
East Hampton, NY 11937
631-329-2900

Grateful Greyhounds
20 Penny Lane
Levittown, NY 11756
516-735-5070

Grateful Paw Cat Shelter
104 Deposit Road
East Northport, NY 11731
631-757-4517

Greater Sayville Animal Rescue - P.A.W.S.
PO Box 894
Sayville, NY 11782


Kent Animal Shelter
2259 River Road
Calverton, NY 11933
631-727-5731

Last Hope Animal Rescue
581 W Jericho Tpke
Huntington, NY 11743
631-425-1884

League for Animal Protection of Huntington
PO Box 390
Huntington, NY 11743
631-757-9373

Little Shelter Animal Rescue & Adoption Center
33 Warner Road
Huntington, NY 11743
631-368-8770

Long Beach Animal Shelter
770 Park Place
Long Beach, NY 11561
516-431-5699

Long Beach Humane Society
3644 Long Beach Road
Oceanside, NY 11572
516-889-PETS(7387)

Long Island Golden Retriever Rescue
PO Box 566
Plainview, New York 11803
516-578-3803

Long Island Grey Hound Transfer (L.I.G.H.T.)
89 Pengon Circle
East Meadow, NY 11554
516-735-6073

Long Island Humane and Dog
Protective Association aka
Freeport Humane Society
2 Rider Place
Freeport, NY 11520
516-378-4340

Long Island Sheltie Rescue
2 Bandix Lane
Stony Brook, NY 11790
631-873-5776

MCM Rottweiler Rescue
5 Thelma Place
Deer Park, NY 11729
631-242-7158

New York All-Breed Referral
PO Box 218
Greenlawn, NY 11740
Email

New York Ferrets Rights Advocacy
94 Jeffery Lane
Oceanside, NY 11572
516-536-6615

Noah's Animal Rescue Corps, Inc.
PO Box 2125
Patchogue, NY 11772
Email

North Fork Animal Welfare League
Peconic Lane
Peconic, NY 11958
631-765-1811

North Shore Animal League
25 Davis Avenue
Port Washington, NY 11050
516-883-7575

Riverhead Animal Control
Youngs Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
631-727-3200

Rockys Fund Dog Rescue
1569 Noyac Road
Southampton, NY 11968
631-287-5428

Save-A-Pet Animal Rescue
608 Route 112
Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776
631-473-6333

The PURRfect KITTY
Shelter & Adoption
100 Newtown Road
Plainview, NY 11803
516-586-5555

Town of Babylon Animal Shelter
51 Lamar Street
West Babylon, NY 11702
631-643-9270

Town of Brookhaven Animal Shelter
300 Horseblock Road
Brookhaven, NY 11719
631-286-4940

Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter
3320 Beltagh Avenue
Wantagh, NY 11793
516-785-5220

Town of Huntington Animal Shelter
Deposit Road
East Northport, NY 11731
631-754-8722

Town of Islip Animal Shelter
210 South Denver Avenue
Bay Shore, NY 11706
631-224-5660

Town of North Hempstead Animal Shelter
75 Marino Avenue
Port Washington, NY 11050
516-944-8220

Town of Oyster Bay Animal Shelter
150 Miller Place
Syosset, NY 11773
516-677-5784

Town of Smithtown Animal Shelter
410 East Main Street
Smithtown, NY 11745
631-360-7575

Town of Southampton Animal Shelter
102 Old Riverhead Road
Hampton Bays, NY 11946
631-728-PETS(7387)

Re: Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

I think if you planning a family I would stick with the Boxer, Pitbull or Bulldog family...Shepherds are great, but hairy so they aren't high on my list...

Re: Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

I STRONGLY recommend a siberian husky...I grew up with one and they are extremely loving docile dogs

A few things to keep in mind with huskies though

They howl (mine never barked but would howl sometimes)

They LOVE to run off (my Nikki used to climb the fence and run away once a week - always came back though)

They shed like crazy


I have a soft spot for them though, such gorgeous dogs

Re: Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

I have had 3 Dobermans and they were all wonderful animals- very little shedding very loving!
good luck

Re: Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

We have gotten our last 3 dogs from shelters.

I personally prefer town shelters to the big name no kill places such as BIDEAWEE or NSAL. Town of Hempstead, Town of Babylon, Town of Islip, Brookhaven Animal Shelter are all good shelters. They also have many large breed dogs. You can go on Petfinder.org and preview some of their dogs too!

All the breeds you picked were good,
since shelter dogs are usually mixes I think you have to base it more on that particular dogs personality.

See how the dog reacts to you. If they are friendly and excited to see you, they will probably be good with kids.

We took our Nieces & nephews with us to pick out our dog ( they wanted to come). You could tell a dog's response to kids when they walked by a cage. A couple dogs would stare down the child or edge to the back of the cage. But almost all the dogs got very excited when they saw the children!

Good Luck! Have Fun!
Shelter dogs are great!

My shelter dog is a boxer/pitbull/hound mix and is GREAT with children.

Beagles are also good with children.

Message edited 4/16/2009 12:03:47 PM.

Re: Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

I really really wanted a bulldog. an while they are GREAT they are ALOT of work. they tend to have a lot of health problems and cannot be out in temps over 80 degrees. they also live a shorter life usually 8 years. As much as they are a great dog, they may be more work then you can handle when you have kids.

Also- beaware that a lot of shelter dogs are mix breeds. Which IMO are the best. they usually have the least amount of problems, etc.

I think you should focus more or the dogs personality/needs once you meet him or her, then breed specific. A dog is WHAT you make it. I have met really mean dogs, and just because the breed "says its supposed to be a calm, sweet dog" doesn't mean the owners/or pet read the book on that

things you should think about-hair, sheding, and size. small dogs are easier to crate, keep clean bath, etc.
When we get another dog, short hair is a must. I can't take the dog hair everywhere. I vaccum almost everyday!

Good luck! post pics when you get one!

Re: Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

I'd consider how much time you can devote, before and after a child on:

Exercise
Training
Grooming
Tending to medical issues

I only have personal experience with Labs and my collie/lab mutt that I grew up with. Our lives are made MUCH easier by giving our Lab at least 30 minutes of medium exercise a day (walking and jogging, not just letting him out) and at least another hour a week in training.

Working dogs (many of those you listed are working dogs) have a standard requirement of training and exercise to ensure a good temperament. No breed has any guarantees, I've known people with aggressive Labs that bit people, so it's best to take each dog individually.

I know for a fact there is a Long Island Labrador Retriever Rescue, and there are probably other local rescues for the breeds you mentioned. They don't only hold purebreeds so you can still get a nice mix (Pitt/Lab is really common) through them too. They will pull these types of dogs from kill shelters to give them better chances too.

Do some research on how to evaluate temperaments in dogs so you can be prepared when you meet them. We wanted a more calm demeanor than energetic so we took on a dog with fear issues. We are so glad we did, because with some work, he's now 100x better than when we met him. But we were ready for a challenge and don't plan on a family.

Lastly, there's cost of ownership. There's a thread I started here last year "the cost of dog ownership" or something like that. I've spent hundreds of dollars for routine things on my dog since we got him six months ago! It's good to be prepared for that.

Good luck with your search! We expect lots of pictures!!

Re: Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

UPDATE!

So after a couple of months looking in shelters and going to adoption events DH & I have not found a match for our family.

We then looked on Petfinder, Craigslists, sought out Boxer Rescue Organizations. Tonight the adoption application was filled out for Pickles, Rock, and Oscar. Can you keep your fingers crossed that either one of these cuties becomes a future "insert our last name here", or the rescue organization can recommend another dog for us . TIA!

edited-Pickles's image was too large-eventhough she is the smallest and youngest of the three.

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Message edited 6/17/2009 12:17:32 AM.

Re: Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

Oh how exciting! I hope everything works out for you!

Re: Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

good luck, they are all so cute

Message edited 6/21/2009 7:45:45 PM.

Re: Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

Good Luck!! Keep us posted.

Re: UPDATE :-)! Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

Bump for the newest family member.

P.S. We never heard back from either of the boxer rescue organizations. I left follow up voicemails to the adoption applications we submitted.

Re: UPDATE :-)! Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

she is beautiful! congrats!!!!!

Re: UPDATE :-)! Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

What a beauty!! Congratulations!

Re: UPDATE :-)! Planning to adopt :-) & have a couple of ????'s

She's adorable!! Congrats!