Adoption….puppies Vs Adults?
November 16, 2009 by admin
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
This was just one of those off the wall random discussions that doesn’t mean much right now but will oneday ( i mean we can dream right)
Anyway last night my husband and I were playing with the pups and he got ahold of Sasha our mix and started playing with her and out of the blue he said “The next dog we get I want to get another rescue dog”
And I’m like “Oh really? and said that I had been thinking maybe next time adopting a retired greyhound”
But unfortuanately he isn’t a fan of the breed and said he would rather adopt another puppy….
Keep in mind Sasha is his pride and joy….
He said he kind of would like a beagle mix puppy and I asked him “What do you know about beagles?” and he said not much but I told him that we will see if you still want a beagle mix puppy after spending a few days with my dad and his beagle…..(My dad has a beagle, a maltese, a chocolate lab, and a lab mix)
But on a more serious note he said that Sasha has been such a wonderful dog and he said he wants to help another dog in the future….
so chances are we will go with another puppy if the right one comes along…..in the far off future (we got sasha at 11 weeks of age)
But what would you do
or what do you prefer
The plus side to getting an adult is you know there temperment and such and some are already trained
But the downside is you miss those puppy days
(I’m a sucker for those puppy days)
It was just one of those random thoughts that started an interesting conversation…..I wanted to add my husband wasn’t sure about going the rescue/shelter route originally but he knew I wanted Sasha so we adopted her and now he is all for it…..
Anyone else had this kind of experience
Related posts:
Everyone wants puppies, so they’re always going to be adopted.
If you want to help a dog in need, I would suggest an adult, think about how awful it must be to know a family your whole life and then have them leave you behind for a move or something. If you really want to help, get an adult dog, I got my Chocolate lab this way. Rescue dogs can be amazing companions, and all they want is a second chance.
Honestly, for me it would be a senior dog.
It’s the senior dogs that are dumped, because their owners suddenly have no time for this dog that they have had like 10 yrs. Or someone gets that new puppy, and the older dog has “aggression” or “dominance” issues.
I would love to get a senior next time around and help it through it’s last stage of life.
foster-mom of the pups and adults stray doggies of the world.
I know first hand is is way easier to adopt a pup than a grown dog. If you both are really interested in giving a abandoned-abused-neglected-pooch another chance at a forever after home Go for an adult! Their chances are far less than a pup
i’d adopt anyone because they all deserve to live and b eloved but i’d go with the puppy still for obvious reasons. im so happy and thankful to the people who take the big dogs. gracias.
i would adopt a puppy as you can train them the way you want them and also they are so cute
Puppy!
I don’t really understand your question, but I love all dogs!
I think it will just depend on what fits your lifestyle and personal preference at the time. They all need rescued!!! However, puppies are usually alot more adoptable, and it is often the adult dogs that get put down. Maybe you should consider getting a young adult, that way the energy will still be there, but you will still be saving a dog that would have potentially have had less of a chance at adoption than a puppy. Either way, you will know the right one when you see it.
I think everyone who wants to adopt a dog *should* have this experience.
Personally I prefer to adopt young adult dogs. Puppies are just so much work. They’re cute for a reason. As my husband puts it, it’s their defense mechanism so that you don’t kill them when they do “bad” things. Adolescent dogs are a challenge, but they’re almost past that obnoxious stage. And as you pointed out, you know their temperament already and even have a pretty good idea about health problems. Puppies are a total crap-shot.
When we got our second dog, we were looking for a two year old male. What we got was a 14 week old puppy. I adore him and wouldn’t trade him for the world, but I’d still rather our next adoption be an “adult” dog and not a puppy. He’s turned out to have allergies (mild, thank goodness) and as he was growing there was a lot of concern that he might have severe joint problems (he would cry as if in pain while laying in the middle of the floor…thankfully at the age of two x-rays prove that he’s skeletally sound), and he even had one episode that was probably a seizure and had us worried about epilepsy. All before he was two years old.
Puppy. Yeah, they might be hard to handle, and you have to train them, and, yeah, they can be pretty hyper, but you can establish a better relationship with it because its younger, and more trusting, therefore, you can have a stronger bond with it. Plus, it’s kinda fun training animals to do things because then you can take pride in accomplishing a goal.
I did the Greyhound thing (never again), they are usually not house trained & after they have finished racing at around 4 years of age are untrainable. Mine had to go back to rescue. I adopted a battered, overbred, raced & generally ill treated 4 year old Whippet & she is gorgeous, no mess, well behaved & hates the postman with a passion. I love the breed so much I searched the internet for an older puppy & was lucky enough to find one that old girl loved. Old girl is almost 8 years old & will not let me take the puppy away. The play fight & race around like loonies all day. The best thing I ever did was get a rescue dog. Hope I helped a little.
I always said I wouldnt get another puppy again – untill someone dumped a fluffly white bundle in my arms and said “its only for a couple of nights, he’s too small to go in kennels”. That was almost a year ago now. And I have to admit, at the beginning, I couldnt wait for him to grow out of his puppy stage as Id forgotten what it was like! But now, he’s just turned a year and I look at him sometimes and wonder where those puppy days went – though he still thinks he is one! And thats only after a year. I’m still saying now that I will never have a puppy again – but when you fall in love, you fall in love, age is but a number! (I also said I would never in my life own a terrier, let alone westie!) I see so many older dogs come in that, if I had the space, I would take on in a heartbeat and I know in the future I will. I guess what Im saying is, you’ll know the dog when you see it, regardless of age.
And to the person who said Greyhounds need a lot of exercise – NOT TRUE!! This is one of the oldest myths around! Greyhounds are known as the fastest couch potatos on earth – yes they are fast, but they need only a couple of 20min walks a day, less than a terrier! Give them a good walk and they will curl up and sleep all day if you let them!
yep, I’m a registed rottie breeder and I love my babies and I’m glad that there are people out there who also love my babies. However, not only do I breed – I rescue and retrain them. I do both sides of the coin. In my opinion, Greyhounds are rescue dogs just as much as dogs in a shelter. Greyhounds need alot of exercise, high fences and strong leashes because if it gets loose – it’s gone. It runs until it can’t anymore and then it can not find it’s way home. I mean they can run for miles and miles. Yes, puppies are great but you do have alot of expense with them the first year. And you need to have alot of patience with them . Adult dogs, can come with a whole lot of baggage and will also need tons of patience to figure out what makes them tick, what sets them off, and how to fix it. When the time comes, you should make a list of REALISTIC pros & cons for each type and see where you end up. You also might want to spend sometime doing some online research and talking to shelter personnel and greyhound rescue people. Personally, I have had my share of shelter dogs/puppys and older/ and they were all wonderful dogs.
We have done all kinds. We now have 2 retired seeing eye dogs, both black labs. The waiting list is at least a year. they are fully trained, bred for temperament and are awesome!! We had a puppy from the spca once, after a year and half we had to find her a home – she was nuts and kept running away. We then adopted a saved greyhound. They are really cool but this one bit my 10 year old in the face unprovoked so we couldn’t keep him because we didnt trust him with kids, other than that he was wonderful. SO – I would skip the puppy crap and get a retired trained dog!
I would go for an adult dog, even thought my puppy was so adorable when he was little I do not miss the potty training and behavioural training, I would much rather get a dog that has already been trained for me and is just there for me to enjoy, also it’s a lot harder for adult dogs to be placed in loving homes because everyone wants the cute puppy
personally i like adults out of rescues….i feel like they appreicate what you are doing for them!!! thats just me but i have done both and find that puppies dont seem to “get it” like adult dogs do . also i have vounteered at a shelter for about a year and seems like the need to have ppl rescue adults is way more i mean everybody comes in and wants a puppy
I have rescued an adult, and a puppy. I would definitely go the adult route again, and I would think long and hard about a puppy again. I love puppies, they are wonderful. But they also make you crazy. They whine & cry, they chew up all your stuff, they shred the toilet paper, they potty in the house, they get in the trash, and you have to watch them every second. If you want to play with puppies, go to a shelter or Petsmart when they have adoptions going on, but leave them there and take home an adult, and keep your sanity! Plus puppies find homes much faster than adults, so you will be doing an extra good thing by giving a home to an adult.
While adopting an adult dog does have definite advantages, and is a noble act- I have adopted adults as well as a pup in the past, but I prefer puppies.
Not just because all of the puppy cuteness and fun, frustrations come with it as well. But because the early training is important bonding for me and my dog and I hate missing out on that.
what is the question again?
If the question is should you adopt a pup or an adult it will depends on if you want to put up with teething, potty training for the first time, the shots and all the stuff puppies would get into vs a dog that is already more adjusted and might have already had some type of training.
Either way, you are able to adopt a pup from a shelter, you just have to keep looking. Look for a beagle rescue and you will be likely to be find a beagle pup.
It’s all up to you and your husband and your availability, puppy like babies are a lot of work. As long as you have the time for it..either one is good.
And Bravo for adopting.