[Deke]

Hi,

New and hoping to get advice from knowledgeable people. We were the owners of a glorious Dobie for 14 years. Sinjin was the best family member god ever created, and his passing created a hole in our families heart that could not be filled. He excelled in obedience trials and was as gentle with my children and their friends as the most well heeled golden lab.

It's been 10 yrs since his passing and we've fallen out of any "loop" in regards to the breed. Recently there was an attempted break in of a house in our neighborhood, a young girl home alone, my wife and I thought at the same time, that wouldn't happen if Sinjin were here! He would make sure she knew what was going on and give her time to get out or call the police. Got us both to thinking how safe and secure we felt with our boy in the house.

I'm hoping someone can give an unbiased opinion on where to start our search. We are looking for an adult ready to be a member of the family. I guess our issues are that my daughter has a 4 year old neutered pug, and a cat that hasn't moved from the bed in 10 years Not sure if these are deal breakers, Sinjin had a cat but was raised from a puppy with it

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rosemary]

I would suggest you check with reputable rescues in your area. They will have adults that need homes, and can help you find the right dog for you. If you find you just simply don't want to go with rescue, a good breeder might have an older pup or adult dog that needs to be rehomed, but they are usually harder to find than a rescue. A good breeder will always take a dog back, but will aslo take great care in placing pups to ensure that they don't need to.

 

[GingerGunlock]

I agree with Rosemary that a rescue might be a great idea for you! Theoretically housebroken, with issues potentially known, etc.

A "dealbreaker" I might see is same-sex aggression...is your daughter's pug a male or a female? That will affect your options.

 

[Deke]

Apologies, the pug is male and he's been neutered. I know with that we would probably want a female, one that we could spay, no back yard breeding or unwanted puppies for us and probably help avoid the inevitable comparisons to our former boy.

We wanted a trained adult so that we would have those qualities, great temperment and high intelligence, that we had previously. I do remember from my club days that there were many, "guard dog" kennels, but def. not something we would want to leave alone or have our kids take to the park and with the growth of the internet in the intervening years you really, really have to be careful.

Money isn't an issue, adoption can be expensive, and this would be one of our children, a complete family member that lives and travels with us.

 

[Rosemary]

Yeah, I would say that most "guard dogs" are just nasty, unsocialized, untrained dogs that I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw them. On the other hand, there ARE highly trained, stable dogs that would be considered "guard dogs" or "personal protection dogs". However, I wouldn't want one of them, either.

As far as training, almost any dog can be taught basic obedience (even my hard-headed mutt), and that is something you would work on anyway, whether with a rescue dog or breeder rehome.