Unrealistic adoption?? - Doberman Forum : Doberman Breed Dog Forums

LCalvert · 02-05-2013, 08:53 PM

After four months since losing my dober boy in hurricane Sandy, I finally put in an application to a doberman rescue.

Now I am wondering if it won't happen....I asked for a female of course because I have a male dog already, also must be cat friendly. The biggest worry is I also put on my application I have a child and I always look on the rescue sites and almost all say a house with no kids, I can be patient and I know it is asking a lot but will it be impossible??

My child is 1 and a half and since she was able to crawl and grab things, she was taught to respect our animals. We have no problems with her or the animals.

lestat1978 · 02-05-2013, 08:55 PM

Your options will obviously be more limited, but not impossible.

**Dobejazz** · 02-05-2013, 09:04 PM

It depends on the rescue - I know IDR + will consider homes with children if the applicant has a fenced yard and working (doberman) experience.
Just be level headed and calmly explain why they should consider you as an exception. The majority of dogs turned in are because many people are not prepared for a dobermans energy level and need for training and exercise so if you have a plan in place it will also help.

What won't work is getting defensive, nasty or showing a dismissive attitude toward the policy. I'm not saying you will just what I've seen working with IDR +

Rednec_13 · 02-05-2013, 10:48 PM

I know the rescue I go to will. We just put big limits on what dogs we will show you. To me the hardest problem would be the cat not the kid. Impossible not from what I have seen. You may have to teach a dog that the cat is not a toy. Just dont want one that thinks it needs to kill it.

I seen very few dobermans that are afraid of kids ( some are). The biggest problem with them and kids are alot of them like to jump. It can be a problem with knocking kids down. They may not let one of them in your family. Most foster homes have no kids b/c the dogs are their kids. Would you bring dogs you know nothing about in your home over and over with young kids in the house. I would not.

LCalvert · 02-06-2013, 06:17 AM

[QUOTEThey may not let one of them in your family. Most foster homes have no kids b/c the dogs are their kids. Would you bring dogs you know nothing about in your home over and over with young kids in the house. I would not.[/quote]

Although I have a child my dogs are my kids too, but I have thought of bringing an unknown dog into my home. Especially when I hear people tell me what a bad idea a rescue would be bc I don't know what I am getting but I know rescues are particular about placing dogs in permanent homes.

Amelia_ · 02-06-2013, 06:22 AM

Best of luck in your search.

I have no experience with American rescues, but over in the UK it really does depend on the rescues indidual policies. Some say no children under 7, others say it depends on the dog. Im sure if you are patient you will find the right marcher you

I introduced a cat to my two dogs (one of which is a rescue with no previous cat experience) and I have friends who have done the same. It's easier for some dogs than others, but definitely do-able for a lot of dogs.

**Dobejazz** · 02-06-2013, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednec_13

I know the rescue I go to will. We just put big limits on what dogs we will show you. To me the hardest problem would be the cat not the kid. Impossible not from what I have seen. You may have to teach a dog that the cat is not a toy. Just dont want one that thinks it needs to kill it.

I seen very few dobermans that are afraid of kids ( some are). The biggest problem with them and kids are alot of them like to jump. It can be a problem with knocking kids down. They may not let one of them in your family. Most foster homes have no kids b/c the dogs are their kids. Would you bring dogs you know nothing about in your home over and over with young kids in the house. I would not.

Quite a few foster homes actually do have kids also. My daughter has been "kid testing" dogs since she was 5. It is really no different than people having a first child while owning a doberman that is not used to kids. I will say if there is any doubt or the slightest reaction from the dog we mark the dogs no kids or teens only depending on the reaction.

flaminscotch · 02-06-2013, 08:33 AM

Dobermans can be wonderful family dogs.
I've seen it many times.
I think it depends on the dog.

Chaos didn't really like kids.
But she was not exposed much as we don't have any.
Zachary likes kids.
Our godson and his 12yr old friend came to stay and they mauled Zack. He loved it.

Jazi · 02-10-2013, 11:00 AM

Skoll is a bit reactive with people and because of that he's not allowed to be around kids. Bummer for me because I would have liked to use him as a therapy dog but no kids is no kids. I do not plan to have children and any adoption plans will not be thought about for several years and being realistic about a doberman's lifespan I'm not sure if he will be around by the time I'm ready for kids as he would likely be 13 or 14 by then.

That said, his foster mom was completely honest with me when she told me that he needed to be rehomed somewhere without kids. Going with a reputable rescue, the peopel you contact should do the same.

Morgan3 · 02-10-2013, 11:29 AM

It's not unrealistic....we rescued our Dobergirl just before Christmas. At the time we had a 16yr old Manchester Terrier (who has since passed), a cat, and our two kids (10yrs and 8yrs). So when I contacted the Doberman rescue I told them I didn't really care what sex or age the dog was....temperment was the most important thing.

Luckily, this rescue actually *wants* to put their dogs into permanent homes, and so they worked with us to find a good candidate for adoption. They generally cat-test and kid-test their dogs, so they had a good idea which dogs might work. We went to the rescue as a family and it turned out that the first Dobe we met with was the one we fell in love with.

I will admit I was a bit worried about bringing home a full sized dog with unknown history into our home. But all that worry disappeared on our first meeting with our Dobergirl Grace. She was a smaller (40lbs) red girl who was amazingly gentle and even-tempered even though we were in a crazy situation (lots of barking dogs, she had just been spayed a few days before, the stress/trauma of having been picked up as a stray, etc. etc.).

Grace has been an amazing dog and I would not hesitate to rescue another dog in the future. She has bonded tightly with our family, leaves the cat alone (well....she does try to entice him to play but he is having none of that LOL), and even becoming appropriately protective of us. She's never shown any type of aggression to us, the kids, or the cat.

I think the important thing is knowing what type of dog you need, and taking the time to find that dog. If the rescue is any good at all, they will be able to help you. The rescue we adopted from told us that they would take Grace back if she didn't work out with our family dynamics.

Good luck in your search, I'm sure you will find the right Dobe for you.