Too Picky?

[StillandSilent]

I went to a local shelter today, just to look at the dogs. I brought a list with me of what I wanted, and looking at picture and bios, consulted it periodically. The staff member who saw it rudely informed me that if I was that picky, I could go to a breeder! This is the list
Non Negotiable
1) At least one year
2) Must be cat/dog friendly
3)No Pits, Rotts, Dobermans, Huskys or Standard Poodles (or mixes of these)
4) No Professional grooming more than 1-2 times a year
Things I would like
1) 35-70 lbs
2) At least tolerant of children
3)Not a huge barker
4) Medium to Medium high energy
5) Off leash reliablity (willing to train hard for this)
6) Would like to eventualy complete in Agility
Is that too picky? You would think they would be happy to have someone come in with an idea of what they want, as opposed to just picking something because "He's soooooo cuuuuuuute".

 

[Pam111]

Eh, I don't really think it's all that picky. It was very rude of the shelter person to say that to you. Way to promote adopting. They should be concerned that a dog matches with whoever is adopting it so it doesn't come back. It's good to know what you want. It's not like your list included things like "black and white fur, floppy ears" or other irrelevant things

 

[xpaeanx]

I don't think that's picky at all. I think you're really responsible. You know what you need to suit your lifestyle, and that's what your looking for. that makes a good and permedent adoption.

kudos to you, craphead points to the kennel attendant.

 

[Bunny82]

I would not call you picky but if that is the word we are using, I would rather see someone be "picky" before they choose their pet rather than just grab the first one they see only to find out it is not the right one for them.

 

[Maxy24]

I think it's a very good list, the off leash reliability will probably not be found because like you said it needs to be trained, but there are probably many dogs who are certainly not going to be good off leash who you'll be able to cross off your list (mainly hounds and possibly terrier breeds because if they see something they'll be off, but for individuals an emergency recall might work wonders). Did you check out petfinder?

 

[pacopoe]

I would not call you picky but if that is the word we are using, I would rather see someone be "picky" before they choose their pet rather than just grab the first one they see only to find out it is not the right one for them.

x2

I'm surprised the shelter staff didn't commend you for actually giving this some thought! I think your list is great. It's good to know what you want... then you can break it if the right dog captures your heart (my list involved a female Border collie cross and I came home with a black male pit bull... these things happen).

 

[elegy]

i think somebody needs to kick that kennel person in the rear end. a good idea of what you want going in and a willingness to be patient and wait for the right dog is a huge part of what keeps adopted dogs in homes!

people like that shelter worker are part of why the shelter system is in the terrible state it's in. fool.

good luck with your search!

 

[Gempress]

That isn't picky at all! Don't let some idiot at the shelter turn you off from adopting or force you to adopt a dog you don't really want. I haunted the shelter (and petfinder) for months before adopting Zeus.

 

[Zoom]

^^Yeah what she said.

 

[mwood322]

The one time I wasn't picky I ended up with a dog who attacked our other dog, terrorized the cat, and barked nonstop for about six months. Went through training, not much help. Ended up returning the dog. I should have never taken her. Last time I pick a dog on appearance and ignore my gut reaction.

My only requirement on my next attempt was the old dog tolerated her, and she had to be non aggressive. That dog I've had for 4 years now, and she's perfect for me.

So, picky is good, you're the one who is going to be living with the dog.

--Mia

 

[bnwalker2]

When I worked for the animal shelter, I wished people would have been picky! I got tired of people who just picked a dog or cat because "oh, it's just sooooooo cute!!". And then returned the dog a few weeks or months later because it wasn't working out.

 

[Sweet72947]

I'll tell you a secret. We at FOHA LOVE people like you. It makes it easier for us to help you pick out dogs if you know what you want. There are people who come and look at a zillion dogs, all quite different from each other, and they still don't make any kind of decision. Those people drive us CRAZY. There was one family who came seven different times looking for a dog. They would take half the dogs out and still wouldn't make any sort of decision. I think it was mostly the wife's problem though. The husband finally got fed up and said he couldn't do this anymore, and they haven't been back since.

 

[StillandSilent]

Good to know that it isn't me. The nice thing about living in a larger city is there are several adoption agencies, and I went 10 miles down the road to the next one. They were quite pleased with the list, we narrowed it down to four possibilities and I may just have met someone! (Listen to me gush like it's a new boyfriend-nah, it's better).
The only issue right now is that the vet feels like Angry Puss may have bladder stones, so any adoption process is stalled until it is confirmed he does not need surgery.
You can see her picture here, though it doesn't do her justice.
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=11578613
As a side note, I don't think a Catahoula has ever run by that dog in her entire life. She is tiny, only 35lbs or so, and looks much, much more like an Aussie/Cattledog mix.
She was attentive, active without being crazy and very people oriented. She is currently fostering at a daycare, which will be nice because I work at one.
Fingers crossed for a clean bill of health for Puss.

 

[smkie]

I can understand being picky. But it would be darn hard to tell some of the things on your list when looking at a dog that is young, and in such a horrid situation. IF i had looked at Victor with any expectations when i took him he would still be there. HE was a disastor with night terrors, and flailing legs, inablity to hold still for 3 seconds, no sleep no eat etc. He ended up being all of what you have on your list. IT would have been very hard to predict if he could get over his past at the point where i first met him. In fact if i hadn't made up my mind that he was the one before i arrived i would not have taken this dog home with me. ANd God knows Pepper is not the same dog i picked up off the road. I never would have guessed she had in her what she does.

 

[lizzybeth727]

Cute dog!

Of course, I also think it's great that you know what kind of dog you're looking for and won't settle for less. It's true that it's sometimes very hard to get an idea of what a dog's temperment is like after spending 20 minutes with him at a shelter. The service dog organization I work for gets all of our dogs from shelters and rescue groups, so we have a very specific temperment test that we do in shelters. Generally, in a 300-dog shelter, we MIGHT find one dog that passes the tests. After we adopt the dog we do another series of temperment tests at our facility over a 1-2 month period, and still, about 40% of the dogs get released from our program. So it's definately a challenge!

I think you get a much better idea of "who" the dog is if it's been fostered in a home, though, so hopefully this one will be exactly what you're looking for!

 

[assortedagility]

Certain characteristics such as cat/dog friendly, good with children, age, breed, grooming, energy levels, and other personality traits are GOOD things to be picky about. And even some training issues such as offleash ability and barking are good to be picky about as well, however you must understand they are in a shelter for a reason - because people are too ignorant and lazy to take the time to train them. If you truly want to save a live, sometimes you have to be willing to compromise. If the dog meets all other requirements but needs some training, surely that training can be done once adopted.

If you came into MY shelter, I'd WELCOME you in VERY happily, point you in the right direction to the best matching dogs. And then if you did not find anything you liked, woudl put you on our "wish list", and finally point you in a direction of breed rescue or all breed rescues to help you find the perfect dog.

People like that shouldn't work in shelters and do no good for the dogs. If you can't be friendly and educated with people, you are doing the dogs a disservice.

 

[Boemy]

I don't think it's picky at all. Good for you for knowing what you're looking for, I say! Better than picking a dog that's a bad match and having to return it.

 

[Gempress]

*gasp* A catahoula! :yikes:

She's a doll! It is possible that she's a catahoula. They're still very much a working breed, and come in a wide range of sizes and body type (kinda like aussies or border collies). Good luck!

 

[Psyfalcon]

Too picky? Thats actually a pretty thin list since you aren't being breeds specific.

You've just provided a list that fits many of the billion lab and lab mixes... the bigger ones wouldn't be so great at agility though

 

[StillandSilent]

Gemp-she does actually look somewhat Catahoula from the headshot, but her body is fairly stocky. Maybe though!
I met her again yesterday, but she was waayyy more interested in playing in the pool then seeing me. But they also told me several other people had looked at her, so she was probably just bored with seeing another person she didn't know.
I put in an application, and got preliminary approval, but I have to have a more detailed interview and a home visit before anything is permanent. There is one other applicant, so I might not get her after all. But fingers are crossed. I would say Angry Puss has his paws crossed, but I'm prettys sure he isn't going to think much of this idea