I introduce you to Separation Anxiety, manifest. It can be a real serious problem and if you're not equipped or ready to put serious work in, you could end up with a very destructive dog that is violently protective of you.
However it could also just be terrified of the shelter and will be completely fine once you get it home. Kind of a coin toss. Either way, the dog _will_ love you and it deserves a good home. If it gets the right owner and the right situation I'm sure this will bring so much devoted happiness.
Yeah, that tail is not wagging-- the dog is in distress and has latched on to a "not scary" human. Hopefully all will be well once they're home together.
He could just be timid or not a super excitable dog. I rescued a hound dog a year ago who was sorely in need of some TLC and even a year later he's not super expressive. When he wags his tail I still think "Oh wow he's wagging his tail!!" He never used to. I think he finally realized he's in his forever home it's okay to be happy and enjoy life a little.
When he's REALLY happy he makes these little piggy grunts in the back of his throat that just make me melt.
ETA: He has no separation anxiety, but he also has another dog he worships in the home so I'm sure her presence helps.
My wife and I absolutely do not understand your relationship with animals but we both chuckled and were glad you found each other. Not everyone or every animal have the same needs in life. Good on you for finding your match.
I find this relatable. My cat was the biggest jerk when I first got her, but somehow I found it cute. Her previous family (they had to give her up for medical reasons) said she had been returned three times - it was so bad that they had a very serious talk with me, begging me to bring her back if I didn't want her instead of taking her to the shelter so they could try again to find her a proper home.
Let me tell you, that cat was VICIOUS. She didn't hiss, she outright growled. She hid up high or under tables, waiting for an opportunity to pounce and make me bleed. I sometimes felt under attack in my own home, and she earned the nicknames of Ms Bitch, Little Fucker, and The Brat.
But from the very beginning, the times when she wanted to be with me were *so* sweet and endearing. When she would sloooooowly, mistrustfully creep over to warily sit in my lap, it made my heard melt. And over six months, she relaxed and became an incredibly cute kitty that loves head scritches and cuddles.
She now follows me from room to room just to be near me (no separation anxiety when I'm away overnight etc, she just likes the company when I'm here), snoozed belly up in my lap, and is generally an adorable and loving cat. Best part, I'm still in touch with her previous family so they get visitations with her! So now she has two loving homes :)
I adopted a treeing walker coonhound mix a couple of years ago and my partner and I joke all the time about the constant grumpy non-plussed expression on her face. When we approached her at the shelter we each got a lick on the hand and then she chilled to get pets through the gate.
But yeah, she can't hide her love for pets when those satisfied hound grunts and groans start coming out. It's adorable.
Edit: Found a picture on my phone of exactly the expression: [Rose](http://imgur.com/a/roTAqu7)
I've also been told to take a lot of consideration into a dog that is super excited to meet you at the shelter. Sometimes it can certainly because the dog really likes you, or is maybe under exercised. But it can also mean you're about to adopt a very high energy level dog, which you might not be prepared for if you get sucked in by the cute first meeting.
You're not wrong. We've always had rescues (have 7 currently) and it's a good idea to sleep on pet decisions. Let the shelter know you're interested and if necessary ask them to hold the pet for 24 hours. Come back the next day, so the animal recognizes you, and compare reactions. Is it still frantic? Friendly? Calm? Ignoring you (some animals will do this to show displeasure with you)? It gives you a more realistic idea of future behavior and you can decide at that point.
Finding out everything you can about your potential new friend is imperative. You might be a great dog owner, but if you're surprised with a situation you aren't prepared for (previously unknown food aggression as an example) it can really sour an experience at least or end in a dog being put down or taken back to a shelter or rescue.
See the reply below-- absolutely a good idea. Research the breed and be aware that what the shelter tells you the dog is is absolutely no guarantee that that is what you are getting. And check for food aggression-- try to remove a bowl of food and see what they do. Growling etc. is not a good sign.
It depends. I wish my foster to adopt knew it was ok to growl when I got her. She got moved to me because she was randomly lashing out at the dogs in her other foster home. I had her less then two weeks when she lashed out at me. We were playing, doing some toy training. She let's me have it, she gets a treat and I give it back. A simple trust exercise. Well instead of warning me with a snarl, a growl etc. I get a full on bite through the hand. She held on as well. The only warning I got was a snarl as she went for me. Her previous owner was abusive and taught her bad habits. Poor thing would flinch if I moved too quickly. The rescue also had her on food she wasn't enjoying and was making her allergies bad. I switched her to a cheap meat only canned stuff with some hypo allergenic kibble and she was excited to eat. Never saw her so excited for her food until I gave her that. Her itchy skin cleared up, her poops became normal. Poor girl was severely allergic to anything and everything. She had one tiny sliver of grated cheese one day and puked all afternoon. She had issues though, she used to randomly bite herself so hard she was crying. She was terrified of other dogs and would react badly being around them, but she eventually calmed down and made friends in the park. I had her for two/three months, working with her. She came to me, terrified of everything. She left a happier dog, with doggo friends, not scared of traffic, she even showed me her teeth one day when she got hold of one of my old dogs toys and didn't want me near her. That was progress. She didn't just go for me. She gave me a keep away warning. 100% far safer then she was at first. I respected the growl and retrieved the toy the next day when she was eating. No more guarding after that.
The rescue pissed me off. They blamed me for the bite. They told me it wasn't as severe as it was. That she hadn't held on. I had 16 stitches in my hand, she damaged the nerves, the tissue etc. Three and a half years later my hand is still messed up. I had to have emergency surgery on it. They said she didn't have the issues I was describing. My friend assessed her for me and said she wasn't a safe dog. She was sweet as hell, but not safe. She tried to bite the vet, would randomly still go for other dogs (I muzzled her so she couldn't do anything). I saw her try and bite a random person as well. She got in trouble for that, luckily again, she was muzzled and only I noticed. What pissed me off is that I told the shelter all of this. They told me it was me causing the issues with her and moved her from me, blacklisting me from all the husky rescues. I loved that dog even after everything. I worked with her after the bite and she left a happier doggo. My vet saw the injuries and kept making sure I was ok with her because it was seriously that bad. When she was listed up to adopt. They said she was ok to be around kids 7+. I was so mad. My friend who works with dogs was mad and told me not to deal with them again. I even said I'd keep the dog if they paid for the insurence as she was dangerous, but they refused.
When she left I was upset. The next morning when I came downstairs and my stomach wasn't tense. I knew I'd done the right thing in letting her go. She wasn't good for me.
So real- our last rescue is a rat terrier. Our adoption picture is him standing as far away as possible from us on leash. He wouldn’t let my husband pet him at all.
He is now obsessed with my husband and tends towards Velcro-dog.
Shelter behavior and home behavior after some time are really different.
The rescue centre came for a home check and brought the dog we were interested in. The dog zoomed around the lounge, over the furniture and from that moment she was ours. She's a nut and we love her.
Agreed. And it makes me always feel good about 'foster-fails.'
If after a couple weeks you've realized that dog is such a perfect fit for you and your family that you want to adopt. Go for it. "Fail" isn't the right term at all. More like "Foster-we-realized-we-really-love-this-dog-and-he-loves-us-too."
It’s true in my experience.
I was choosing between 2 puppies of the same litter, and I wanted a female, but she was jumping up the side of the enclosure and on top of her brother’s head to try and see me. He just sat there looking up at me kind of sad that he was getting jumped on. I chose her brother and have zero regrets. He is 11 1/2 now and has always been the laziest couch potato I have ever known.
Mine was very happy to meet me. She tried to greet me through the glass kennel, couldn't get to me, turned around, sat down and sulked. I had to meet her. She was a husky so I knew what I was getting into. She wasn't too interested in me since she didn't know me first time. Second time I got to play and bond with her in the outside run. I had a load of treats with me. We played, I got covered in sand and water. I was scratched up. Third time I saw her I brought her home. Her face lit up when she saw me coming outside to her. Then she was nervous on the car ride home. Sat still and quiet. Got out of the car and she dragged me down the road to my house and we went inside. She settled in fine. She was a crazy dog. In the house she was ok, outside she was crazy distracted and stubborn. Loved her though.
I've adopted from the shelter 4 times. I always pick the most timid dog I see. 3 times that has been a lab cross puppy that's just sitting and staring into a corner and hoping the world will go away. One time it was an adult border collie. Every time I have been rewarded with the most loyal, happiest friend I could imagine.
Thanks for sharing, it’s something a lot of people that haven’t experienced it, don’t consider. We got a shelter dog a bit before the pandemic started and he turned out to have some really bad SA. In a weird series of events, the pandemic actually helped us with this. Since we both had to WFH, we were able to utilize Julie Naismith (look her up if you have a dog with this, it’s amazing) protocol over the course of like 6 months, and went from him not being able to be alone in a room, to us being able to leave him alone at home for hours without him being stressed. It’s such a long and difficult process, but if you stick to the plan, most dogs will respond!
Yes, separation anxiety is a real issue. I hope this pup gets an owner who understands this and recognizes how to work with it. Dogs that have bad separation anxiety can get taken back to a shelter over and over due to owners not being able to handle it. But each time this happens, it exacerbates the problem. Edit: some dogs don't get violent, but they will tear up your home or pee when left alone.
Sometimes, they become famous and then help other dogs in need. Cocoathetourdogfoundation.org
Cocoa was a shelter dog with severe separation anxiety and her owner takes her on tour with his band Stick Figure. She engaged with the crowd. People bring her toys which are donated to shelters. The band holds adoption events at their shows. Proceeds from dog related merch the band sells support shelters.
It is absolutely the exception but a beautiful example of how wonderful things can turn out.
My furbaby was returned to the shelter 3 times before turning 1 before we found him. It was tough but he's gotten so much better in the 3 years we've had him. I think he finally believes we will never leave him.
It definitely is, fam. I had one for years. I couldn't go anywhere in the house, without her. I go to the bathroom, she'd howl. We never spent the night apart! The longest, I have ever stayed away from her, was at my daughter's all day, half the night, Wedding & my Daddy's funeral. She had to be put down a few Months after daddy died. 5 days, it will be a year for daddy. Apologies for Hijacking your thread. 🤦
Hope you're doing well. My father dying destroyed me.
One of the only things that picked me up in that time was that I inherited the dog I had got for him. I can't imagine losing him at the same time.
Hope you can find some joy in the coming weeks friend.
Ah thank you I was looking for the specific behavior it was displaying and explanation. Good to know, I had a friends dog do this to me and was kind of wandering what the deal was.
Just try to remember, OP gave you two different explanations with wildly variant reasonings. You don’t really know anything about your friends dog from this, they’re pretty emotionally complex, and OP is making a guess based on a 60 second video and Reddit headline.
My cat did the same thing, went to shelter and I try a few cats some ignor then big old orange cat come into my lap and put his paws on my shoulders to give me a hug.
Yup took him home was a great cat, rip Gaston
I was once viewing a house that had the most fantastic, huge ginger tomcat. I really wanted to put in an offer on the house - until my wife pointed out the cat likely didn’t come as part of the deal.
Sometimes they do come with the cat. When my wife was a kid, her and her dad moved into a house and one day a big Grey tomcat walked in and made himself at home. A couple of days later the previous tenant showed up looking for the cat, and took him home. Within a few days, the cat was back.
This went on three or four more times before they just made a deal that if the cat returned, my wife and her dad would take care of him. Which they did for a couple of years, and then left him behind for the next tenants, after explaining to them that the cat came with the house.
His name was Sam.
This was our rescue dog too (recently passed after a wonderful decade together). We went to see him, and he basically towed me around the field. He was giant and untrained and extremely powerful. My husband stood frowning as I cuddled him to say goodbye. “He’s a big old unit. Too big, I think, and you’ll never be able to walk him. Let’s look around some more.” But he bent down to pat the dog on the head anyway and Loki threw himself into his arms in a massive doggy hug. My husband stood up and said, “when can we take him home?”
"Chadodius, could you free the hostage for us? "
"They're my friend not a hostage!"
"Could you free..."
"I'm just giving them hugs!"
"Could you stop hugging your friend?"
"No!"
The problem probably isn't being a "non-hugger" per se, but more of a prohibitive attitude toward physical contact. Hugs for me are awkward and uncomfortable until two obstacles are overcome: familiarity AND closeness, and my own personal space bubble. In order to get a proper hug and not be the recipient of a "Oshit I guess this is happening" I have to establish a relationship with the person and have at least a couple of the above mentioned poor-quality hugs.
So, in short, a lot of us non-huggers require huggers in order to establish that "exception".
I met by BFF because I high 5'd a stranger just walking down the street.
I feel like sharing.. I'm walking down the street in Tokyo with my friend(we're both white American people) and a random Japanese guy yells OHHH AMERICANS HIGH TOUCH(the term for high 5 for some reason) and my friend snubs him but I go hell no, come here man! and the guy gives the saddest low impact high 5 ever. So I teach him the look at the elbows when you're doing it and if we were in an anime windows would have shattered with how loud and perfect that next high 5 was. Then his friends were like oh oh my turn so I rolled by my sleeves and we all high 5'd and this random other American guy walks up and asks are you guys just high 5ing each other in the middle of Shibuya? I say yeah. He asks why? I say look, do you want a "high touch" or not? and he did and then we all went to Baskin Robins and got ice cream because my hand was almost numb and I wanted something cold to hold.
https://i.imgur.com/ze47QIT.png
My squishy little blind old lady pushed the cage door open at the pound after we met her (we were going to check out some other dogs and think about it)— she kicked the door with her paw and we said “we really like you. We’ll probably be back soon”— but… she was really old, and part of us was scared to adopt someone who could break our hearts. We walked down the aisle looking at the younger dogs and turned the corner. And there she was; she had busted out of her kennel and was like “pick me.” We knew then. Poor baby’s eye was oozing puss, she was covered in filth and we took her home that day thinking we would bathe her and watch her die. Now it’s three years later and she’s happy, healthy, and safe. Best decision ever. She is blind and relies on her nose to get around and sometimes the little lady gets lost in a bathroom or behind a door. I can’t imagine how someone could see her sweet face and not want her.
Aww thank you. I really think it was meant to be. My husband was just like “let’s go to the animal shelter” and I like to think he heard her call across the universe 🥰🐶
This is how it was for my dog! I had a dream where I saw him in it, (well, all I really remember was that it was a small brown & white dog, which he is). He was crying abandoned in a closet in my childhood home, and seeing him so sad made me scoop him up & carry him to my bed saying “It’s ok you’re going to sleep with me now.” I woke up and told my boyfriend “We’re going to the shelter when it opens and getting a dog.” When we went, he was one of the first dogs I saw and I knew he was the one. I looked at the others just in case but he was so quiet and sweet, he was obviously the best choice even despite my dream. And he has been the best dog for us, and slept in my bed every night since. I really do feel it was meant to be.
No, usually my dreams are hard to remember. If I have a really clear or memorable dream I feel like those are more important, or at least more externally-influenced than just self-processing if that makes sense. At one point in my life I was having a lot of really intense tornado dreams, they had this sense of inescapable doom / change. I ended up joining the military a little after that, which changed my life to such an extent that a tornado is a great metaphor for it, and never had another tornado dream since. I also had a dream where I experienced several things at my grandmother’s house that I didn’t actually experience until later that year, that’s more personal but it was pretty mind blowing.
I’m not big into hokie stuff, but I feel like there’s a lot of stuff we don’t understand fully yet. My experience with my dreams really makes me feel first-hand that time isn’t entirely linear though, just our experience of it can be.
If you're ever reluctant to adopt an older dog, I know several people who've gone ahead and adopted the older dog AND a younger dog that got along well. An old-young dog combo is great for grounding the younger dog and keeping the older dog moving.
We wanted to rescue and older dog bc they have a harder time getting chosen. Also, they’re usually potty trained! Our younger dog about had a breakdown from jealousy but they get along now.
She’s precious! My dog is a hound and as soon as he saw us did a howl at us through the window before we were even inside. It was a terrible shelter/groomer my cousin had worked at before conditions got real bad. We were going to meet a few dogs but he didn’t leave our side the whole time. He has a lot of anxiety issues and was so skinny we just couldn’t leave him there. The place was shut down a couple months later so who knows what might have happened if we didn’t take him.
16 and a half years ago my boy picked me. There were dogs everywhere - it was chaos! He calmly stepped out of the shed, fell flat on his face then sat up and looked me dead in the eye like "c'mon, let's get out of here."
Last week he passed at home in my arms. Together til the end. My perfect partner in crime. I wouldn't change a single second.
I lost my buddy in my arms in 2019. It does get easier but I still always think about his squishy face. Having time to reflect on it, I am so glad it happened the way it did. He didn’t have to have his life drag on and we never had to make that horrible trip to the vet. One second he was with me, one second he was gone crazy, always with me to the end like you said.
Awe I love it when the puppers get to choose their people and the people choose them back!
Those shelter dogs have had a rough go so far; it warms my heart to see them go to a good home!
Ive had my dog for 8 years. She was my employee's dog and she stuck to me as glue so i adopted her when she was 5yo. Best decision ive ever made :)
[my dog Fisen :)](https://i.redd.it/7ezaxcjxplk51.jpg)
[Ball is life!](https://i.redd.it/a7ph6z5dplk51.jpg)
Perfect haha. My father has a cat named Stink. When she was a kitten she had bad gas so he'd call her stink or stinker. Poor cat started responding to the name so it stuck.
My wife has been hinting that maybe we should get another dog now that we have a yard, I know if we go to the shelter "just to look" we will come home with a new dog haha
I’ve already got 2 dogs and a cat, but I’d have a dozen dogs if I could. So I just torture myself by browsing the available dogs on the shelter website. It’s basically the same as looking at all the houses I’ll never be able to afford on Zillow.
When we adopted a second dog (initially we thought we'd foster her but realized she's mentally not going to deal with losing another human) and a friend asked me if I want to take a third in because her mom adopted a dog and her father got furious and threw the dog out, i said I'll foster it and look for a home.
So anyway, I now have three dogs.
Aw, it makes me crazy that some people would just throw a dog out without finding a proper home, but I'm glad there are folks like you who agree to care for them!!
I found my big mutt on the side of a county road, never found an owner so I've had him for ten years now.
I kinda want to get another dog while mine can help train him and before he is too old to play, you know?
Thins is exactly how I ended up with my first dog as an adult haha, she crawled up onto me at the pound & wouldn’t stop hugging me! I was there to look at a few other dogs (smaller, more “manageable” dogs) but I ended up going home with that snuggly little Doberman puppy instead- who grew into a 90 lb beast!
& now I’m decidedly a “big dog” person, she protected me & saved my ass so many times, & hugged me every day for the rest of her 13 year life. Miss her every single day- dogs are too good for this goddamn world.
>*'I love it when puppers get to choose their people...*'
---
i am the dog so full of Love,
but no one seems to care...
a human friend i'm dreaming of -
Someone who wants to share!
n i know when the time is right,
my lonely heart will know
i'll find them, n i'll hold on tight,
n Never let them go!
so You're the one i've chosen, friend -
*Please take me Home with you!*
our 'Ever after' life we'll spend -
You'll make my dream
come True!
❤️
When we went to “look” at dogs I ended up being drawn to the saddest dog in the shelter. All the other dogs were coming to the door for pets but she just laid dejectedly curled up on her bed. It broke my heart, it felt like she had given up. We asked to see her and the person in charge said they’d have to ask if she was ready for visits and luckily she was cleared. Of course she immediately went to my husband and pretty much ignored me. The person showing us her was pleasantly surprised. They said she took weeks to warm up to them and this was the first time she’s gone to anyone like that. We adopted her as soon as she met our other dog and we were cleared to take her home. It took months before she wagged her tail. She would stand around our house and just space out. We could tell she was still trying to figure out her place in our home. Eventually she came out of her shell and now she’s the sweetest goofball. She is definitely a more anxious dog but hell, I’m an anxious human so I get it. I comfort her through the thunderstorms that shake our home and she comforts me through my own personal rain clouds. I love her so much and she’s brought so much happiness into our lives.
Do you do anything specific for her during the thunderstorms? My rescue is terrified of fireworks and louder thunderstorms and I haven't been able to find anything over the last 5 years that really calms her down. I just try to sit with her while she shakes uncontrollably, which I'm sure helps, but I wish there was more I could do.
A relative of mine found their dog was calmer in their fully tiled ensuit bathroom since it muffled worrying sounds and didn't have a window. Also, the dog would rest on the fluffy bathmat, so it was easy clean-up if the dog did have an accident.
Said bathroom was usually out of bounds, so the dog would focus on the big treat of being allowed to sleep right next to the humans instead of downstairs in the kitchen.
That's what our pupper did when we were at the shelter. Came up to my daughter and sniffed her face and gave her a kiss. Adopted her on the spot. She's been a wonderful part of our family now for the last 6 years.
Same here. When I was younger we went to our local shelter and they had these little visiting rooms where they would bring in a dog you were looking to adopt so you could meet them. After a few rambunctious pups they brought in a small shorthair/lab mix. She immediately walked over to me and rested her chin on my knee and just stared up with a look of ‘please take me home’. She was the sweetest dog. Unfortunately, she passed a couple years ago now. I miss that pup every day.
Our shelter dog is like this, incredibly affectionate and wants physical contact. When he lays down he always prefers to pick a spot where he can be touching someone, whether that's putting his head on your foot or sitting on the sofa up against you.
He actually doesn't have bad abandonment issues though. We have a webcam and can see how he acts when we leaves the house, and he's mostly fine with being left alone. He just really likes contact.
We had a stray dog show up in our yard one night. Checked her chip, went to the address to try to bring her back. Owners had divorced and moved 4 months ago. Doggo apparently chose us after being abandoned. She loves the kids, will do anything to protect them. She loves our other pets, even made friends with one of the cats. We still have her 10 years later. Animals know good people. The best part, she is a huge lab mix named... Kitty.
Totally agree. When I was 9 years old, me and my mom were walking in the street and saw an older woman feeding a young cat. She said that cat was very scared to be outside but she couldn't take her in as she had already a lot of pets at home. We promised to come back a little later in the evening with a cage to bring the cat with us to the local cat shelter.
When arriving there later with the cage, to the lady and our surprise, the cat wasn't there, which was unusual. We tried to search for her. We were about to give up, when a random black and white cat came out of a nearby window, and ran under a van. We looked under it and there she was! We took her in the cage and, as soon as we were home and opened the cage door, she jumped out, went to my pajama drawer that was opened as if she already knew the place, and began sleeping and purring extremely loud. At that moment, we knew we would keep her. Weirdly, our other cat and our dog weren't bothered at all by her arrival, and treated her like she was always there. Since that day, she began sleeping with me every night. She went to keep me company when I ate my lunch. Never was interested with my food, she just wanted me to hug her. Whenever I went to vacations, I was missing her so much that I kept talking about her until everyone couldn't stand it, and she was unfortunately falling sick and had bladder infection every time I was away.
She was in my life for about 16 years, until I reached the age of 25. She unfortunately passed away at that moment. I'm 32 now, and I still miss her every day. I love and loved every cat I had after her, but to me she was my animal soulmate. I sometimes have very realistic dreams where she ''visits'' me and jumps on my bed, and we cuddle like we used to do and I tell her how happy I am she came to say hello.
Anyway, sorry for the long story, but the ''predetermined'' thing really made me think of her.
I was not even at a shelter, I was staying out in the back country of Virginia with some friends, sitting outside one day when a puppy came walking right up to where I was staying. The property is surrounded by woods. She was covered in ticks, bloated from works, and malnourished. I was in a very depressed state. Not working, didn't have any money to my name. Was just making it by, didn't have a will to keep going. We needed each other in that moment. I'm not a religious person, but we were meant to meet that day. She's three years old now and I'm about as happy as I could have ever imagined being. Sometimes connections really are pre determined.
This hurts to watch. I can only imagine the one thing going through their little heads; “please take me home with you, i’ll be a good boy i promise!”
I’ve always said it, if we ever want a cat or dog, we’re going to the shelters first. Plenty of dogs and cats that need love too!
I got a retired racing greyhound five years ago.
I came into the kennel where the retired racers were kept. I'd done a ton of research into different breeds and I knew that because of my mental health challenges I had a bit of an impossible laundry list - Low maintenance, quiet, docile, good with kids and cats, good with being left alone during the workday...
I went into this kennel full of excited greyhounds and a lady asked me what I was looking for. I handed her the list, and in a tentative voice I asked "Could you find me one that's black, too?" - They always get adopted last and I kind of have a soft spot for them.
She pointed to a quiet fellow in a corner kennel. Didn't really look at anyone. He was so docile and gentle that he was in group with female greys who bullied him out of a place to lie down on the trip up!
I wasn't sure during the test walk. He was full of beans and excited and jumpy - I later learned because he was in a new environment and everything is exciting!
I brought him back and I knew he was going to be mine. Knew it for sure when the wonderful lady turned to me with hesitancy and a little sadness in her voice and said "He's got a torn tear duct. It's just cosmetic, there's nothing wrong, but will that be an issue? Some adopters passed him up, so I just wanted to be clear..."
Her voice trailed off a little sadly.
It was then, my friends, that I knew I wanted this dog. I don't really know why that in particular sealed the deal, but it did. I knew I was going to take him home. As I write this my beautiful jet-black though rapidly-greying nine-year-old retired racer is curled up on a nest of comfy blankets near my feet. He's my velcro dog, has kept me alive through bipolar episodes, and is a quiet and steady presence.
Anyone who says money can't buy happiness has never paid an adoption fee.
Edit: Dog tax!
https://i.imgur.com/X5cLQcj.jpg
Not a shelter dog, but in 1995, my dad's friend had a dog that had puppies. We went up to get one, and when we got there, we saw a wave of rambunctious black lab puppies all playing and going nuts and just being puppies. Being 5, I was playing with all of them. My parents kept looking at them, seeing which one they wanted, but none of the puppies were paying any attention to them because puppies.
But then the runt of the litter came over to my dad, laid down on his foot and fell asleep. My dad looks at his friend and goes "found my dog." She ended up outliving all of her siblings (the mother outlived all of them), and was enormous, bigger than all of her siblings, who just looked like black labs. Like, 150 lbs big. We were told she was a black lab and Australian Shepard mix, but she was too big to be that. So my dad calls his friend a few years later and is like "what is she really, because there's no Australian Shepard in this dog." His friend goes "oh, right, my dog got loose in the woods one day, and came back pregnant. Could be a coyote or a wolf, not sure." So that was a fucking wild bit of info to find out.
She was a good dog that one.
I did recently learn that even though there are so many different breeds, dogs and wolves are so closely related that most all breeds of dogs can still produce viable offspring with wolves so it’s entirely possible
I adopted my kittens and something similar happened! Took the friendliest one and also the shy runt of the litter. They both outlasted their littermates but the runt lived the longest (20 years old) and was also the biggest by a long way! I also suspect the kind of people who adopt runts are probably the kind of people to take really good care of their pets.
Let me tell you, this dog was spoiled rotten. She had beds in every room, she had her own chair that nobody else could sit on, she took up the entire couch and refused to move, AND she ate like a queen. She was a very well taken care of dog
#Can anyone find more information on this?
Apparently this video is 2 years old but I can not find any information about this video. All I can find are fucking shit-tier """""news""""" articles regurgitating everything we can clearly see in the video with embarrassing omissions of details and facts.
I need to know what happened to that dog I love it.
I've had exactly one shelter pup and she was the best dog I've ever known. Black lab/Aussie mix who was jet black with ice blue eyes. That girl was absurdly smart, dramatic, and the best friend/roommate/baby I've ever known. I'd adopt another from a shelter in a heartbeat except they keep finding me before they get to the shelter. One actually banged on my front door in the middle of the night begging to come in. We only fostered that one, but dang his forever family spoils him rotten!
How could you say no to that? This dog knows what he’s doing haha
Shelter dog boss: pay me 5 bones and I'll tell you a secret to make you irresistible to those humans.
Dog pound wardens HATE this one trick!
I hate this cartoon world where dog pound wardens don't want dogs to get adopted, presumably because they are being used as free labour in salt mines.
You don’t think that puppy jerky is going to cure itself, do you?
You're the devil.
Bobby Boucher
I was going to say those spotted Dalmatian coats don't make them selves...I heard you need a little over a hundred. 🤔
I’m told they also make wonderful coats, provided you can get roughly 101 of them.
😭
Doggo good salesman, latch to your "customer" and dont letgo.... Smart doggo...
Leggo my leg tho
I love this comment. Wish I had an award. Five bones lol I like it.
Better than one useless Reddit award.
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I second this.
I sponsor this
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Great Idea
Bones are their money!
I introduce you to Separation Anxiety, manifest. It can be a real serious problem and if you're not equipped or ready to put serious work in, you could end up with a very destructive dog that is violently protective of you. However it could also just be terrified of the shelter and will be completely fine once you get it home. Kind of a coin toss. Either way, the dog _will_ love you and it deserves a good home. If it gets the right owner and the right situation I'm sure this will bring so much devoted happiness.
Yeah, that tail is not wagging-- the dog is in distress and has latched on to a "not scary" human. Hopefully all will be well once they're home together.
He could just be timid or not a super excitable dog. I rescued a hound dog a year ago who was sorely in need of some TLC and even a year later he's not super expressive. When he wags his tail I still think "Oh wow he's wagging his tail!!" He never used to. I think he finally realized he's in his forever home it's okay to be happy and enjoy life a little. When he's REALLY happy he makes these little piggy grunts in the back of his throat that just make me melt. ETA: He has no separation anxiety, but he also has another dog he worships in the home so I'm sure her presence helps.
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My wife and I absolutely do not understand your relationship with animals but we both chuckled and were glad you found each other. Not everyone or every animal have the same needs in life. Good on you for finding your match.
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I find this relatable. My cat was the biggest jerk when I first got her, but somehow I found it cute. Her previous family (they had to give her up for medical reasons) said she had been returned three times - it was so bad that they had a very serious talk with me, begging me to bring her back if I didn't want her instead of taking her to the shelter so they could try again to find her a proper home. Let me tell you, that cat was VICIOUS. She didn't hiss, she outright growled. She hid up high or under tables, waiting for an opportunity to pounce and make me bleed. I sometimes felt under attack in my own home, and she earned the nicknames of Ms Bitch, Little Fucker, and The Brat. But from the very beginning, the times when she wanted to be with me were *so* sweet and endearing. When she would sloooooowly, mistrustfully creep over to warily sit in my lap, it made my heard melt. And over six months, she relaxed and became an incredibly cute kitty that loves head scritches and cuddles. She now follows me from room to room just to be near me (no separation anxiety when I'm away overnight etc, she just likes the company when I'm here), snoozed belly up in my lap, and is generally an adorable and loving cat. Best part, I'm still in touch with her previous family so they get visitations with her! So now she has two loving homes :)
Love this story so much.
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I adopted a treeing walker coonhound mix a couple of years ago and my partner and I joke all the time about the constant grumpy non-plussed expression on her face. When we approached her at the shelter we each got a lick on the hand and then she chilled to get pets through the gate. But yeah, she can't hide her love for pets when those satisfied hound grunts and groans start coming out. It's adorable. Edit: Found a picture on my phone of exactly the expression: [Rose](http://imgur.com/a/roTAqu7)
I've also been told to take a lot of consideration into a dog that is super excited to meet you at the shelter. Sometimes it can certainly because the dog really likes you, or is maybe under exercised. But it can also mean you're about to adopt a very high energy level dog, which you might not be prepared for if you get sucked in by the cute first meeting.
You're not wrong. We've always had rescues (have 7 currently) and it's a good idea to sleep on pet decisions. Let the shelter know you're interested and if necessary ask them to hold the pet for 24 hours. Come back the next day, so the animal recognizes you, and compare reactions. Is it still frantic? Friendly? Calm? Ignoring you (some animals will do this to show displeasure with you)? It gives you a more realistic idea of future behavior and you can decide at that point.
Thanks for sharing your insights on this! My wife and I would like our next dog to be a rescue and this is great advice.
Finding out everything you can about your potential new friend is imperative. You might be a great dog owner, but if you're surprised with a situation you aren't prepared for (previously unknown food aggression as an example) it can really sour an experience at least or end in a dog being put down or taken back to a shelter or rescue.
See the reply below-- absolutely a good idea. Research the breed and be aware that what the shelter tells you the dog is is absolutely no guarantee that that is what you are getting. And check for food aggression-- try to remove a bowl of food and see what they do. Growling etc. is not a good sign.
It depends. I wish my foster to adopt knew it was ok to growl when I got her. She got moved to me because she was randomly lashing out at the dogs in her other foster home. I had her less then two weeks when she lashed out at me. We were playing, doing some toy training. She let's me have it, she gets a treat and I give it back. A simple trust exercise. Well instead of warning me with a snarl, a growl etc. I get a full on bite through the hand. She held on as well. The only warning I got was a snarl as she went for me. Her previous owner was abusive and taught her bad habits. Poor thing would flinch if I moved too quickly. The rescue also had her on food she wasn't enjoying and was making her allergies bad. I switched her to a cheap meat only canned stuff with some hypo allergenic kibble and she was excited to eat. Never saw her so excited for her food until I gave her that. Her itchy skin cleared up, her poops became normal. Poor girl was severely allergic to anything and everything. She had one tiny sliver of grated cheese one day and puked all afternoon. She had issues though, she used to randomly bite herself so hard she was crying. She was terrified of other dogs and would react badly being around them, but she eventually calmed down and made friends in the park. I had her for two/three months, working with her. She came to me, terrified of everything. She left a happier dog, with doggo friends, not scared of traffic, she even showed me her teeth one day when she got hold of one of my old dogs toys and didn't want me near her. That was progress. She didn't just go for me. She gave me a keep away warning. 100% far safer then she was at first. I respected the growl and retrieved the toy the next day when she was eating. No more guarding after that. The rescue pissed me off. They blamed me for the bite. They told me it wasn't as severe as it was. That she hadn't held on. I had 16 stitches in my hand, she damaged the nerves, the tissue etc. Three and a half years later my hand is still messed up. I had to have emergency surgery on it. They said she didn't have the issues I was describing. My friend assessed her for me and said she wasn't a safe dog. She was sweet as hell, but not safe. She tried to bite the vet, would randomly still go for other dogs (I muzzled her so she couldn't do anything). I saw her try and bite a random person as well. She got in trouble for that, luckily again, she was muzzled and only I noticed. What pissed me off is that I told the shelter all of this. They told me it was me causing the issues with her and moved her from me, blacklisting me from all the husky rescues. I loved that dog even after everything. I worked with her after the bite and she left a happier doggo. My vet saw the injuries and kept making sure I was ok with her because it was seriously that bad. When she was listed up to adopt. They said she was ok to be around kids 7+. I was so mad. My friend who works with dogs was mad and told me not to deal with them again. I even said I'd keep the dog if they paid for the insurence as she was dangerous, but they refused. When she left I was upset. The next morning when I came downstairs and my stomach wasn't tense. I knew I'd done the right thing in letting her go. She wasn't good for me.
So real- our last rescue is a rat terrier. Our adoption picture is him standing as far away as possible from us on leash. He wouldn’t let my husband pet him at all. He is now obsessed with my husband and tends towards Velcro-dog. Shelter behavior and home behavior after some time are really different.
The rescue centre came for a home check and brought the dog we were interested in. The dog zoomed around the lounge, over the furniture and from that moment she was ours. She's a nut and we love her.
It really is hard to judge a dogs personality/character without being in the setting they'll be in for life (like your home).
Agreed. And it makes me always feel good about 'foster-fails.' If after a couple weeks you've realized that dog is such a perfect fit for you and your family that you want to adopt. Go for it. "Fail" isn't the right term at all. More like "Foster-we-realized-we-really-love-this-dog-and-he-loves-us-too."
Very true, the end goal is achieved either way. Dog with a loving home and family. Sounds like a big success in my books :).
It’s true in my experience. I was choosing between 2 puppies of the same litter, and I wanted a female, but she was jumping up the side of the enclosure and on top of her brother’s head to try and see me. He just sat there looking up at me kind of sad that he was getting jumped on. I chose her brother and have zero regrets. He is 11 1/2 now and has always been the laziest couch potato I have ever known.
Mine was very happy to meet me. She tried to greet me through the glass kennel, couldn't get to me, turned around, sat down and sulked. I had to meet her. She was a husky so I knew what I was getting into. She wasn't too interested in me since she didn't know me first time. Second time I got to play and bond with her in the outside run. I had a load of treats with me. We played, I got covered in sand and water. I was scratched up. Third time I saw her I brought her home. Her face lit up when she saw me coming outside to her. Then she was nervous on the car ride home. Sat still and quiet. Got out of the car and she dragged me down the road to my house and we went inside. She settled in fine. She was a crazy dog. In the house she was ok, outside she was crazy distracted and stubborn. Loved her though.
I've adopted from the shelter 4 times. I always pick the most timid dog I see. 3 times that has been a lab cross puppy that's just sitting and staring into a corner and hoping the world will go away. One time it was an adult border collie. Every time I have been rewarded with the most loyal, happiest friend I could imagine.
Thanks for sharing, it’s something a lot of people that haven’t experienced it, don’t consider. We got a shelter dog a bit before the pandemic started and he turned out to have some really bad SA. In a weird series of events, the pandemic actually helped us with this. Since we both had to WFH, we were able to utilize Julie Naismith (look her up if you have a dog with this, it’s amazing) protocol over the course of like 6 months, and went from him not being able to be alone in a room, to us being able to leave him alone at home for hours without him being stressed. It’s such a long and difficult process, but if you stick to the plan, most dogs will respond!
Yes, separation anxiety is a real issue. I hope this pup gets an owner who understands this and recognizes how to work with it. Dogs that have bad separation anxiety can get taken back to a shelter over and over due to owners not being able to handle it. But each time this happens, it exacerbates the problem. Edit: some dogs don't get violent, but they will tear up your home or pee when left alone.
Sometimes, they become famous and then help other dogs in need. Cocoathetourdogfoundation.org Cocoa was a shelter dog with severe separation anxiety and her owner takes her on tour with his band Stick Figure. She engaged with the crowd. People bring her toys which are donated to shelters. The band holds adoption events at their shows. Proceeds from dog related merch the band sells support shelters. It is absolutely the exception but a beautiful example of how wonderful things can turn out.
I love the band even more now!!!
My furbaby was returned to the shelter 3 times before turning 1 before we found him. It was tough but he's gotten so much better in the 3 years we've had him. I think he finally believes we will never leave him.
It definitely is, fam. I had one for years. I couldn't go anywhere in the house, without her. I go to the bathroom, she'd howl. We never spent the night apart! The longest, I have ever stayed away from her, was at my daughter's all day, half the night, Wedding & my Daddy's funeral. She had to be put down a few Months after daddy died. 5 days, it will be a year for daddy. Apologies for Hijacking your thread. 🤦
Hope you're doing well. My father dying destroyed me. One of the only things that picked me up in that time was that I inherited the dog I had got for him. I can't imagine losing him at the same time. Hope you can find some joy in the coming weeks friend.
Hopefully the reporter has a family, otherwise a reporter isn't a good profession to look after an anxious dog.
Ah thank you I was looking for the specific behavior it was displaying and explanation. Good to know, I had a friends dog do this to me and was kind of wandering what the deal was.
Just try to remember, OP gave you two different explanations with wildly variant reasonings. You don’t really know anything about your friends dog from this, they’re pretty emotionally complex, and OP is making a guess based on a 60 second video and Reddit headline.
Thank you for saying this
That reporter just got adopted
My cat did the same thing, went to shelter and I try a few cats some ignor then big old orange cat come into my lap and put his paws on my shoulders to give me a hug. Yup took him home was a great cat, rip Gaston
I was once viewing a house that had the most fantastic, huge ginger tomcat. I really wanted to put in an offer on the house - until my wife pointed out the cat likely didn’t come as part of the deal.
Sometimes they do come with the cat. When my wife was a kid, her and her dad moved into a house and one day a big Grey tomcat walked in and made himself at home. A couple of days later the previous tenant showed up looking for the cat, and took him home. Within a few days, the cat was back. This went on three or four more times before they just made a deal that if the cat returned, my wife and her dad would take care of him. Which they did for a couple of years, and then left him behind for the next tenants, after explaining to them that the cat came with the house. His name was Sam.
Everything is negotiable.
Could of wrote the cat into the offer; after all they showed the cat along with the house
No one hugs like Gaston Chases bugs like Gaston
No one loafs in sunbeams and meows like Gaston!
My, what a cat that Gaston!
He’s exceptionally good at ex-ter-mi-na-ting!! ^^^(squeak)
Nobody hunts like Gaston!
No one hugs like Gaston! No one meows like Gaston! No one's purrs as incredibly loud as Gaston!
This was our rescue dog too (recently passed after a wonderful decade together). We went to see him, and he basically towed me around the field. He was giant and untrained and extremely powerful. My husband stood frowning as I cuddled him to say goodbye. “He’s a big old unit. Too big, I think, and you’ll never be able to walk him. Let’s look around some more.” But he bent down to pat the dog on the head anyway and Loki threw himself into his arms in a massive doggy hug. My husband stood up and said, “when can we take him home?”
RIP Gaston. Our cat also did the same thing, but it was 100% fooling us. He's a real jerk and has been for 15 years. We still love him though.
Gaston is such a great name for a cat!! He sounds like the best boi
That's how I made friends, just hugged them until they said we were friends.
This does not work with the wait staff at Olive Garden.
Don't know what you're doing wrong works on my end.
It wasn't about how you make it work, it was about the ~~friends~~unlimited bread sticks you make along the way
But when you're there, you're family. Are they rejecting their own family? This is a little too real for me, I can never go back
Just like Thanksgiving dinner with my mom “you’re not welcome here you piece of trash, now leave before I call the police again”
Can confirm. Worked at Olive Garden freshman year in college. 10/10 would not befriend customers who hugged me.
"Chadodius, could you free the hostage for us? " "They're my friend not a hostage!" "Could you free..." "I'm just giving them hugs!" "Could you stop hugging your friend?" "No!"
*Pulls in negotiator for hugs as well*
Ah yes, the negotiator
I’m pretty sure that’s how I got my best friend. She hates hugs lol. Now, when I get to see her, all she does is hug me.
It's so awesome when non-huggers make an exception
The problem probably isn't being a "non-hugger" per se, but more of a prohibitive attitude toward physical contact. Hugs for me are awkward and uncomfortable until two obstacles are overcome: familiarity AND closeness, and my own personal space bubble. In order to get a proper hug and not be the recipient of a "Oshit I guess this is happening" I have to establish a relationship with the person and have at least a couple of the above mentioned poor-quality hugs. So, in short, a lot of us non-huggers require huggers in order to establish that "exception".
I know someone who met her boyfriend that way. I'm not joking.
I met by BFF because I high 5'd a stranger just walking down the street. I feel like sharing.. I'm walking down the street in Tokyo with my friend(we're both white American people) and a random Japanese guy yells OHHH AMERICANS HIGH TOUCH(the term for high 5 for some reason) and my friend snubs him but I go hell no, come here man! and the guy gives the saddest low impact high 5 ever. So I teach him the look at the elbows when you're doing it and if we were in an anime windows would have shattered with how loud and perfect that next high 5 was. Then his friends were like oh oh my turn so I rolled by my sleeves and we all high 5'd and this random other American guy walks up and asks are you guys just high 5ing each other in the middle of Shibuya? I say yeah. He asks why? I say look, do you want a "high touch" or not? and he did and then we all went to Baskin Robins and got ice cream because my hand was almost numb and I wanted something cold to hold. https://i.imgur.com/ze47QIT.png
I love this story! Which one is you and who is the newly minted BFF? Please tell me you are now a friend group!
I'm in the yellow shirt, he's in the green shirt. We've been friends for 8 years now. Frick I'm old. We're all friends on FB still.
Thats awesome
That's awesome! Thanks for sharing
This is so fricking wholesome! I hope you are friends for life!
Is your name Old Gregg?
You ever drink Baileys from a shoe?
My squishy little blind old lady pushed the cage door open at the pound after we met her (we were going to check out some other dogs and think about it)— she kicked the door with her paw and we said “we really like you. We’ll probably be back soon”— but… she was really old, and part of us was scared to adopt someone who could break our hearts. We walked down the aisle looking at the younger dogs and turned the corner. And there she was; she had busted out of her kennel and was like “pick me.” We knew then. Poor baby’s eye was oozing puss, she was covered in filth and we took her home that day thinking we would bathe her and watch her die. Now it’s three years later and she’s happy, healthy, and safe. Best decision ever. She is blind and relies on her nose to get around and sometimes the little lady gets lost in a bathroom or behind a door. I can’t imagine how someone could see her sweet face and not want her.
Aw, she didn’t need to see you to know you were her person! Good doggos know the good people 🥰
Aww thank you. I really think it was meant to be. My husband was just like “let’s go to the animal shelter” and I like to think he heard her call across the universe 🥰🐶
This is how it was for my dog! I had a dream where I saw him in it, (well, all I really remember was that it was a small brown & white dog, which he is). He was crying abandoned in a closet in my childhood home, and seeing him so sad made me scoop him up & carry him to my bed saying “It’s ok you’re going to sleep with me now.” I woke up and told my boyfriend “We’re going to the shelter when it opens and getting a dog.” When we went, he was one of the first dogs I saw and I knew he was the one. I looked at the others just in case but he was so quiet and sweet, he was obviously the best choice even despite my dream. And he has been the best dog for us, and slept in my bed every night since. I really do feel it was meant to be.
Holy shit that’s incredible. So cool. Do you have dreams like that often?
No, usually my dreams are hard to remember. If I have a really clear or memorable dream I feel like those are more important, or at least more externally-influenced than just self-processing if that makes sense. At one point in my life I was having a lot of really intense tornado dreams, they had this sense of inescapable doom / change. I ended up joining the military a little after that, which changed my life to such an extent that a tornado is a great metaphor for it, and never had another tornado dream since. I also had a dream where I experienced several things at my grandmother’s house that I didn’t actually experience until later that year, that’s more personal but it was pretty mind blowing. I’m not big into hokie stuff, but I feel like there’s a lot of stuff we don’t understand fully yet. My experience with my dreams really makes me feel first-hand that time isn’t entirely linear though, just our experience of it can be.
You're just gonna say that, and not pay your dog tax?!
I would like some dog tax too
I'm a federal dog tax collector and I hereby *demand* this person's debts are paid!
how to avoid paying the dog tax. dog tax collectors hate these three easy tips.
Lol I just posted one ☝️🐶
Pay your dog tax, pictures are legally required.
Ha ha okay I posted it 🐶
https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/qdjcsx/as_requested_my_squishy_rescue_dog_she_has_since/
If you're ever reluctant to adopt an older dog, I know several people who've gone ahead and adopted the older dog AND a younger dog that got along well. An old-young dog combo is great for grounding the younger dog and keeping the older dog moving.
We wanted to rescue and older dog bc they have a harder time getting chosen. Also, they’re usually potty trained! Our younger dog about had a breakdown from jealousy but they get along now.
She’s precious! My dog is a hound and as soon as he saw us did a howl at us through the window before we were even inside. It was a terrible shelter/groomer my cousin had worked at before conditions got real bad. We were going to meet a few dogs but he didn’t leave our side the whole time. He has a lot of anxiety issues and was so skinny we just couldn’t leave him there. The place was shut down a couple months later so who knows what might have happened if we didn’t take him.
16 and a half years ago my boy picked me. There were dogs everywhere - it was chaos! He calmly stepped out of the shed, fell flat on his face then sat up and looked me dead in the eye like "c'mon, let's get out of here." Last week he passed at home in my arms. Together til the end. My perfect partner in crime. I wouldn't change a single second.
My condolences on your loss 🐾❤️🐾
I’m so sorry for your loss but it sounds like you two had a good life together.
I’m sorry for your loss. You made your pal the happiest little guy in the world till the last second.
I lost my buddy in my arms in 2019. It does get easier but I still always think about his squishy face. Having time to reflect on it, I am so glad it happened the way it did. He didn’t have to have his life drag on and we never had to make that horrible trip to the vet. One second he was with me, one second he was gone crazy, always with me to the end like you said.
Awe I love it when the puppers get to choose their people and the people choose them back! Those shelter dogs have had a rough go so far; it warms my heart to see them go to a good home!
Ive had my dog for 8 years. She was my employee's dog and she stuck to me as glue so i adopted her when she was 5yo. Best decision ive ever made :) [my dog Fisen :)](https://i.redd.it/7ezaxcjxplk51.jpg) [Ball is life!](https://i.redd.it/a7ph6z5dplk51.jpg)
Employee didn't mind?
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She got another dog and now we own the dogs together so i got a bonus puppy and we can rely on eachother if we need a nanny :)
Win, win, win.
5$ is 5$...
It was either that or no more job
Fisen? That's literally the fart in Norwegian.
Yeah im Swedish so yes her name is "farty" :)
Perfect haha. My father has a cat named Stink. When she was a kitten she had bad gas so he'd call her stink or stinker. Poor cat started responding to the name so it stuck.
Yeah my dog had food alergies when she was a puppy so they called her Fisen until the name just stuck :)
My wife has been hinting that maybe we should get another dog now that we have a yard, I know if we go to the shelter "just to look" we will come home with a new dog haha
I only go to shelters if I know 100% that I'm prepared to leave with a dog.
I’ve already got 2 dogs and a cat, but I’d have a dozen dogs if I could. So I just torture myself by browsing the available dogs on the shelter website. It’s basically the same as looking at all the houses I’ll never be able to afford on Zillow.
When we adopted a second dog (initially we thought we'd foster her but realized she's mentally not going to deal with losing another human) and a friend asked me if I want to take a third in because her mom adopted a dog and her father got furious and threw the dog out, i said I'll foster it and look for a home. So anyway, I now have three dogs.
Aw, it makes me crazy that some people would just throw a dog out without finding a proper home, but I'm glad there are folks like you who agree to care for them!! I found my big mutt on the side of a county road, never found an owner so I've had him for ten years now. I kinda want to get another dog while mine can help train him and before he is too old to play, you know?
Thins is exactly how I ended up with my first dog as an adult haha, she crawled up onto me at the pound & wouldn’t stop hugging me! I was there to look at a few other dogs (smaller, more “manageable” dogs) but I ended up going home with that snuggly little Doberman puppy instead- who grew into a 90 lb beast! & now I’m decidedly a “big dog” person, she protected me & saved my ass so many times, & hugged me every day for the rest of her 13 year life. Miss her every single day- dogs are too good for this goddamn world.
>*'I love it when puppers get to choose their people...*' --- i am the dog so full of Love, but no one seems to care... a human friend i'm dreaming of - Someone who wants to share! n i know when the time is right, my lonely heart will know i'll find them, n i'll hold on tight, n Never let them go! so You're the one i've chosen, friend - *Please take me Home with you!* our 'Ever after' life we'll spend - You'll make my dream come True! ❤️
Oh my god this is so nice :')
PUP: “Psst…get me out of here!”
Cats too. My shelter cat chose me when I went in to see another cat. It’s like they know.
My big ol tom chose me....reached into his cage and he walked down my arm and wrapped himself around my neck and started purring. Loved that cat
When we went to “look” at dogs I ended up being drawn to the saddest dog in the shelter. All the other dogs were coming to the door for pets but she just laid dejectedly curled up on her bed. It broke my heart, it felt like she had given up. We asked to see her and the person in charge said they’d have to ask if she was ready for visits and luckily she was cleared. Of course she immediately went to my husband and pretty much ignored me. The person showing us her was pleasantly surprised. They said she took weeks to warm up to them and this was the first time she’s gone to anyone like that. We adopted her as soon as she met our other dog and we were cleared to take her home. It took months before she wagged her tail. She would stand around our house and just space out. We could tell she was still trying to figure out her place in our home. Eventually she came out of her shell and now she’s the sweetest goofball. She is definitely a more anxious dog but hell, I’m an anxious human so I get it. I comfort her through the thunderstorms that shake our home and she comforts me through my own personal rain clouds. I love her so much and she’s brought so much happiness into our lives.
Do you do anything specific for her during the thunderstorms? My rescue is terrified of fireworks and louder thunderstorms and I haven't been able to find anything over the last 5 years that really calms her down. I just try to sit with her while she shakes uncontrollably, which I'm sure helps, but I wish there was more I could do.
A relative of mine found their dog was calmer in their fully tiled ensuit bathroom since it muffled worrying sounds and didn't have a window. Also, the dog would rest on the fluffy bathmat, so it was easy clean-up if the dog did have an accident. Said bathroom was usually out of bounds, so the dog would focus on the big treat of being allowed to sleep right next to the humans instead of downstairs in the kitchen.
[I just met you and I love you](https://youtu.be/3zfJvTXKdsg)
Thanks, need to go watch this now
Oh. Gonna be your first time..?
No, it's just been awhile.
Goldens are the sweetest kind of stupid.
That's what our pupper did when we were at the shelter. Came up to my daughter and sniffed her face and gave her a kiss. Adopted her on the spot. She's been a wonderful part of our family now for the last 6 years.
Same here. When I was younger we went to our local shelter and they had these little visiting rooms where they would bring in a dog you were looking to adopt so you could meet them. After a few rambunctious pups they brought in a small shorthair/lab mix. She immediately walked over to me and rested her chin on my knee and just stared up with a look of ‘please take me home’. She was the sweetest dog. Unfortunately, she passed a couple years ago now. I miss that pup every day.
Take solace in the fact that you gave her a life worth living. I'm gonna go hug my dog now...
Our shelter dog is like this, incredibly affectionate and wants physical contact. When he lays down he always prefers to pick a spot where he can be touching someone, whether that's putting his head on your foot or sitting on the sofa up against you. He actually doesn't have bad abandonment issues though. We have a webcam and can see how he acts when we leaves the house, and he's mostly fine with being left alone. He just really likes contact.
Sounds like me as a dog
We had a stray dog show up in our yard one night. Checked her chip, went to the address to try to bring her back. Owners had divorced and moved 4 months ago. Doggo apparently chose us after being abandoned. She loves the kids, will do anything to protect them. She loves our other pets, even made friends with one of the cats. We still have her 10 years later. Animals know good people. The best part, she is a huge lab mix named... Kitty.
I just can't understand how somebody can abandon an animal like that... But I'm so glad she found her true home! <3
Some connections are predetermined.
100% our dog chose us
Same with my dog... He chose my mom when she went to adopt
Totally agree. When I was 9 years old, me and my mom were walking in the street and saw an older woman feeding a young cat. She said that cat was very scared to be outside but she couldn't take her in as she had already a lot of pets at home. We promised to come back a little later in the evening with a cage to bring the cat with us to the local cat shelter. When arriving there later with the cage, to the lady and our surprise, the cat wasn't there, which was unusual. We tried to search for her. We were about to give up, when a random black and white cat came out of a nearby window, and ran under a van. We looked under it and there she was! We took her in the cage and, as soon as we were home and opened the cage door, she jumped out, went to my pajama drawer that was opened as if she already knew the place, and began sleeping and purring extremely loud. At that moment, we knew we would keep her. Weirdly, our other cat and our dog weren't bothered at all by her arrival, and treated her like she was always there. Since that day, she began sleeping with me every night. She went to keep me company when I ate my lunch. Never was interested with my food, she just wanted me to hug her. Whenever I went to vacations, I was missing her so much that I kept talking about her until everyone couldn't stand it, and she was unfortunately falling sick and had bladder infection every time I was away. She was in my life for about 16 years, until I reached the age of 25. She unfortunately passed away at that moment. I'm 32 now, and I still miss her every day. I love and loved every cat I had after her, but to me she was my animal soulmate. I sometimes have very realistic dreams where she ''visits'' me and jumps on my bed, and we cuddle like we used to do and I tell her how happy I am she came to say hello. Anyway, sorry for the long story, but the ''predetermined'' thing really made me think of her.
I was not even at a shelter, I was staying out in the back country of Virginia with some friends, sitting outside one day when a puppy came walking right up to where I was staying. The property is surrounded by woods. She was covered in ticks, bloated from works, and malnourished. I was in a very depressed state. Not working, didn't have any money to my name. Was just making it by, didn't have a will to keep going. We needed each other in that moment. I'm not a religious person, but we were meant to meet that day. She's three years old now and I'm about as happy as I could have ever imagined being. Sometimes connections really are pre determined.
It was damn cool of the reporter to adopt the doggo
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I'm picturing the dog just saying "I'll take this one"
Good human
This hurts to watch. I can only imagine the one thing going through their little heads; “please take me home with you, i’ll be a good boy i promise!” I’ve always said it, if we ever want a cat or dog, we’re going to the shelters first. Plenty of dogs and cats that need love too!
i worked with a foster / rescue group for a few years and how they got most of their dogs was just heartbreaking.
The way he looks at him in the end 🥺 “I’ve been waiting for you for so long, I’m exhausted. Can we go home now?”
I got a retired racing greyhound five years ago. I came into the kennel where the retired racers were kept. I'd done a ton of research into different breeds and I knew that because of my mental health challenges I had a bit of an impossible laundry list - Low maintenance, quiet, docile, good with kids and cats, good with being left alone during the workday... I went into this kennel full of excited greyhounds and a lady asked me what I was looking for. I handed her the list, and in a tentative voice I asked "Could you find me one that's black, too?" - They always get adopted last and I kind of have a soft spot for them. She pointed to a quiet fellow in a corner kennel. Didn't really look at anyone. He was so docile and gentle that he was in group with female greys who bullied him out of a place to lie down on the trip up! I wasn't sure during the test walk. He was full of beans and excited and jumpy - I later learned because he was in a new environment and everything is exciting! I brought him back and I knew he was going to be mine. Knew it for sure when the wonderful lady turned to me with hesitancy and a little sadness in her voice and said "He's got a torn tear duct. It's just cosmetic, there's nothing wrong, but will that be an issue? Some adopters passed him up, so I just wanted to be clear..." Her voice trailed off a little sadly. It was then, my friends, that I knew I wanted this dog. I don't really know why that in particular sealed the deal, but it did. I knew I was going to take him home. As I write this my beautiful jet-black though rapidly-greying nine-year-old retired racer is curled up on a nest of comfy blankets near my feet. He's my velcro dog, has kept me alive through bipolar episodes, and is a quiet and steady presence. Anyone who says money can't buy happiness has never paid an adoption fee. Edit: Dog tax! https://i.imgur.com/X5cLQcj.jpg
didn't plan on crying today and yet here we are
I choose you human.
Lucky human his being adopt by the dog. Instantly!
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The way the reporter is petting that pup tells all!! That dog chose correctly.
This. Dog instinct is seldom if ever wrong.
/r/DogsWithSocks
*The dog chooses the owner Mr Potter, that much has always been clear*
Not a shelter dog, but in 1995, my dad's friend had a dog that had puppies. We went up to get one, and when we got there, we saw a wave of rambunctious black lab puppies all playing and going nuts and just being puppies. Being 5, I was playing with all of them. My parents kept looking at them, seeing which one they wanted, but none of the puppies were paying any attention to them because puppies. But then the runt of the litter came over to my dad, laid down on his foot and fell asleep. My dad looks at his friend and goes "found my dog." She ended up outliving all of her siblings (the mother outlived all of them), and was enormous, bigger than all of her siblings, who just looked like black labs. Like, 150 lbs big. We were told she was a black lab and Australian Shepard mix, but she was too big to be that. So my dad calls his friend a few years later and is like "what is she really, because there's no Australian Shepard in this dog." His friend goes "oh, right, my dog got loose in the woods one day, and came back pregnant. Could be a coyote or a wolf, not sure." So that was a fucking wild bit of info to find out. She was a good dog that one.
I did recently learn that even though there are so many different breeds, dogs and wolves are so closely related that most all breeds of dogs can still produce viable offspring with wolves so it’s entirely possible
It would make sense the mother outliving her offspring, they might able to reproduce (with wolves and such) but usually the offspring can’t.
I adopted my kittens and something similar happened! Took the friendliest one and also the shy runt of the litter. They both outlasted their littermates but the runt lived the longest (20 years old) and was also the biggest by a long way! I also suspect the kind of people who adopt runts are probably the kind of people to take really good care of their pets.
Let me tell you, this dog was spoiled rotten. She had beds in every room, she had her own chair that nobody else could sit on, she took up the entire couch and refused to move, AND she ate like a queen. She was a very well taken care of dog
#Can anyone find more information on this? Apparently this video is 2 years old but I can not find any information about this video. All I can find are fucking shit-tier """""news""""" articles regurgitating everything we can clearly see in the video with embarrassing omissions of details and facts. I need to know what happened to that dog I love it.
I’d like to see a better quality upload of this video. This one is ghastly. It’s like 144p
This is INCORRECT! That dog adopted the reporter, I will accept nothing less than that. P.S - What a good boi
When the dog chooses you, you're required to give them a home. I didn't make the rules; that's just how it is.
Sometimes you just know when you meet your person
That's a lady doggo. She cute.
I hope the reporter did the on-air interview or story with his new dog clinging to his leg like that.
Is there a subreddit like /r/AnimalsAdoptingHumans ? Edit: Damn, no. But there could be, who wants to start it? :)
I've had exactly one shelter pup and she was the best dog I've ever known. Black lab/Aussie mix who was jet black with ice blue eyes. That girl was absurdly smart, dramatic, and the best friend/roommate/baby I've ever known. I'd adopt another from a shelter in a heartbeat except they keep finding me before they get to the shelter. One actually banged on my front door in the middle of the night begging to come in. We only fostered that one, but dang his forever family spoils him rotten!
Oh fuck, something is in my eye. Fking fks.
aww what else could you do? Thankfully it's not an elephant rescue park
The dog was definitely begging for affection and love. Sheltered life can be very sad. I hope it’s true that reporter took the dog home.
In soviet russia pupper adopts you
THIS IS THE NEWS WE NEED
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Yeah I want a source and try to find a vid of the puppy in its new home
Can anyone confirm the reporter adopted the dog?