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Adpoting a former pet store Cav

anniespeeps

Well-known member
I learned yesterday that a local dog rescue organization has a 9-month-old male tri-color up for adoption for a nominal fee. He was purchased at 8 weeks at a pet store (Petland) by a very young woman with two small children. She is now going through a divorce, and gave the puppy up because she has too much going on in her life to care for a dog.

He is not housetrained. He is going to the vet next week to be neutered and have a thorough vet exam. He's living with a foster family right now.

We definitely would like to get another Cavalier at some point. I guess our main concern is how Annie will react to having a sibling. She just turned 1, and she's the queen of the house right now. Obviously we're also concerned about potential health problems. Because of his background, I'm sure he was bred in a puppy mill or similar environment. The last thing we need is another dog with major health issues (Annie has hip dysplasia).

Is there anyone else who has been through this and can offer some advice? Here's a pic of the little guy:

puppy.jpg


Thanks!

Dave
 
Rescue dogs don't all have health problems. Some outlive ones known to be well bred. It's a chance we take with the breed.

Your little girl is young enough to accept a companion. Monty was nearly two when I got Izzy.
 
Dave,

This is the little guy that I posted about yesterday morning under the rescue section.

As far as the answer to "how will Annie react" - each dog is different. However, after adding another Cavalier to our single Cav home and then fostering additional puppies, all I can say is that most Cavaliers LOVE the company of another Cav. This breed is the most "pack" friendly dog around. And, they seem to prefer the company of their own kind. Annie may have a period of adjustment to having another dog in her home, but would probably adjust quite quickly. She is at a great age to add a companion.

We have found with our rescues that often times the ones that are past the true puppy stage are much easier to housebreak. If you are consistent with their schedule, the training process should be pretty quick.

There are always health issues to worry about especially when you don't know anything about the dog's background. But, you can have the best breeder with the best dogs in the world and still have issues. The best you can do is have the little guy checked out by a vet and hopefully, discover any potential problems up front. Just like with your Annie, health problems can arise at any time.

I hope you will consider this little guy, rescuing a dog is about the greatest feeling in the world. Our little rescue Ella is the most grateful, loving creature on earth. It's as if she knows we saved her and gives us her all every day. She is a true joy.

The most informative and accurate article I've come across is this one:

http://www.cbrrescue.org/articles/bringhome.htm

It really helps you understand what to do and helps you set appropriate expectations from a rescue dog.

Keep us posted!

JaneB
 
Hey is that Donovan?! I think I read about him somewhere :flwr: :flwr:

OH yea jane - I just saw your respone - it was you!

I agree with Barbara on the health issues!! Luck of the draw .. ;)

Kosmo just turned one January 21st and we brought home a present..err.. sister on the 30th - he LOVES her so much!! They play for hours and hours at night. At first I was worried about how he would react but he seems to really enjoy her company. He has completely forgotten about us! :yikes :sl*p:

If your heart is calling you there - GO for it! :flwr:
 
Wesley's mom is going through something very similar with Daisy, her new baby. There have been lots of posts regarding health insurance, risks of an unknown backround, etc...Here is the thread:

http://cavaliertalk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7959

Really, owning two cavaliers is better than just one. They know their own and love to snuggle and play together. Your potential new baby is close enough in age to Annie that they will probably be best mates by the end of the first week. It just takes some adjustment time.

I really believe things happen for a reason, and there has been much talk about Donavan in the past few days in the rescue section! Sounds like fate to me ;) ;) ;)
 
I strongly believe having a dog companion is MUCH better for the mental health and often physical health of almost every dog. :) If at all possible I'd encourage everyone with a dog to think of two at the appropriate time (ideally when the first dog is at least one as this is better for everyone generally -- first dog gets chance to be trained and can then be a role model or dog two, rather than ending up with two part-trained dogs. Speaking from experience, it is very challenging to give training time to two younger dogs at the same time, even with a partner there who will supposedly take on the task of one dog... usually never happene that way! :lol:.

Very, very few dogs are truly upset long term by a new arrival. There is often some settling in time -- Jaspar was not too thrilled with Leo's arrival, for example -- but they are inseparable now.

When I interviewed the well known British trainer Jan Fennell two years ago I asked her about this and she very firmly thinks that psychologically it is far better for there to be two dogs than one. People have more behavioural problems with singleton dogs which also can become overly dependent on their humans. And as she noted, as much as a dog may love its human family, it cannot relate to them in its own language.

Those of us with one dog can always make sure our dog meets and spends time with plenty of other dogs to try and bring that enrichment that ONLY comes from being with other dogs to our singleton's life -- but if at all possible, a second dog is the way to go. You will definitely see some transformations in your dog and see it enjoy its companion and play in ways it never has before. :) Of course some of us add more than one companion... icon_whistling
 
Hear, hear!

Can't recommend a second dog enough. Now that Holly and Amber have settled together, they're great. I came downstairs earlier and found Holly on her favourite spot on the couch, with Amber cuddled beside her AND half under the cushion. Dunno how they managed that one.

And this is so wonderful because I think the adjustment period for Holly was more difficult than most- she was (we think) a single puppy (or her littermates died very young) and apart from her mother she had NO socialisation with other dogs until the age of 8 weeks. Even then she had no exposure to pups of her own age. It's taken some time- but now they're real friends and will play spontaneously together.

It's the simultaneous barking that bugs me though! :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
I'm thinking about it, Karlin....now to ESP the thoughts to Hubby! :lol: :lol:

I have told him about Donovan and Saras' trip to get Faith.

He's now teasing me, a good sign!! :D :D
 
I definitely recommend the 2nd dog. As said above, I am going thru this same thought process with Daisy. I don't want to have to end up worrying about health issues, but even then, Wesley can have them too. Like what was also said above, even the best bred Cav's have issues. With what we paid for Wesley from a really good breeder, I knew I wanted insurance to protect my investment, etc. My husband is NOT one to shell out money to keep a dog alive. Though if it comes to it, I'll find whatever way possible. And with Daisy, she's from a BYB but is in great health still at 2+ years old. Where as Wesley, scratches, has dry skin, barks, etc. Daisy doesn't bark a single bit. She is SUCH a blessing!

So Wesley is almost 5 months old and we got Daisy, who again is 2+ years. Wesley was ALL about it, but he's still just a playful little boy. Daisy on the other hand, wasn't fond of him at all to start with. But we've had her just a few days now and she's wanting to tease him and chase him. She finally kissed me the 2nd day at our house and is realizing that I'm her new keeper. She's REALLY starting to shine. Wesley is doing great with it. You can tell he misses some of my attention though. Daisy is SUCH an attention hog. She will literally lay her head on my face! But they both really compliment eachother.

I must say though, going from one dog to two is DEFINITE chaos! At least in these first few days. I hope it settles down! The crazy parts are Wesley barking his head off at her (she won't bark at all), them chasing eachother in circles around and over the couch, and trying to take two potty out on the leashes. They keep crossing! I have the problem of having no fenced in backyard, so I have to take them on leashes to potty. But I have to be out there because we have coyotes.

So anyway.... to your concerns, just have them do a physical if possible. I'm taking Daisy for a check-up tomorrow. I want to make sure everything is 100% with her right now, before I make the commitment. The family says she's in great health, and I do have proof she's up to date on shots and some for the next few years. But I want to make sure that there's not a condition they know about and aren't telling me. Which I highly doubt. They love her SO much, so they've been very thorough with me.

Anyway, good luck in your decision!
 
Is this the same dog as over on the rescue thread. I see he has now been adopted , did you get him. :p
 
Yvonne117 said:
Is this the same dog as over on the rescue thread. I see he has now been adopted , did you get him. :p

It is the same dog, and it was not us who adopted him. Actually, I hadn't even seen the thread in the rescue forum before I posted my original message. As much as we were tempted, we decided the timing just wasn't right for us. We both work full time, and we didn't feel that we could dedicate enough time to training, etc.

If it were closer to summer, when the girls would be home all day to help train him, it might have been a different story.

I knew it wouldn't take long for him to find a loving home. He looks like a little sweetie.

I appreciate everyone's comments about adding another Cavalier to the fold. We definitely would like for Annie to have a little doggie sibling sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Dave
 
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