If you aren’t having any luck finding a dog that fits your needs, you might also want to check out dog rescue organizations. Full disclosure, I am a volunteer with Max’s Pet Connection which is a small dog rescue. Here is a
link to their adoptable dogs web page.
Some things to know, at least as it pertains to Max’s rescue:
The dogs that enter Max’s come to the rescue in 1 of 3 ways: Owner surrender, rescued from a kill shelter, or as a stray. Owner surrenders are usually from the passing of an owner, or the owner moving into assisted living and the family not wishing to keep the dog.
The adoption fees are higher than those of a shelter. At Max’s, all dogs available for adoption are already spayed or neutered, microchipped and current on their vaccinations (the shelter adoption fees don’t always include spaying or neutering, but are required to be done as part of the adoption process and that fee would be paid by you. You would need to verify with the shelter)
The adoption fees for puppies and purebreds are typically higher than for adult dogs, older dogs or special needs dogs.
You would have one week with the dog and if it did not work out, most of your money would be returned. The rescue retains a portion of the adoption fee to cover the expense of having the returned dog health checked by their vet.
All dogs are kept in private homes by volunteers (the fosters are the backbone of the rescue) who assess the dogs behavior and work on housebreaking as needed.
Typically there is no guarantee that a dog is housebroken. Any dog could have an accident in a new home environment for any number of reasons, but the foster can give you an idea of what they have experienced.
The fosters can usually let you know about interactions with other dogs as many fosters have their own dogs or foster more than a single dog. They can’t always attest to children friendly or cat friendly, but will tell you if they know. Don’t be afraid to ask.
You will need to complete adoption paperwork and provide references. A home visit will also occur before a dog would be released to you.
Remember that a rescue is looking to put the dog into a forever home and looks to make the best match possible. Your heart might pull towards a dog that is just not a good fit, but this is where the big picture comes in and the rescue will ALWAYS do what is best for the dog.
I have personally fostered dogs, and have adopted my last 6 dogs through a rescue, and I always say that “rescue is my favorite breed”.
Please take a moment and read these
10 Commandments of a Dog Owner. The dog you adopt through a rescue most likely will not be trained as well as Lassie, but the joy they give you as you come out “on the other side“ is incalculable.
Good luck in your search.