Dog Adoption Home Visit

^i was always worried about getting a lab just because in the rare event that it doesn't get enough exercise, i don't want an obese lab :sad: all the labs i've met seem to have joggers as owners or else the labs are very overweight. a neighbor up the street has 3 labs in her townhouse and each one is obese :sad: i've always read that labs are more prone to weight gain compared to other breeds.
 
^i was always worried about getting a lab just because in the rare event that it doesn't get enough exercise, i don't want an obese lab :sad: all the labs i've met seem to have joggers as owners or else the labs are very overweight. a neighbor up the street has 3 labs in her townhouse and each one is obese :sad: i've always read that labs are more prone to weight gain compared to other breeds.

Its true that you do have to exercise them but you also have to watch how much food you give them. Labs are notorious for having voracious appetites.So if you are not able to exercise a lab then its not a good idea.
 
^ :yes: how active was your newf when she was a puppy? i read it's not good to over work such large dogs when they're young and still growing...

You have to be careful with any puppy not to over-do it, but especially so with large breed dogs. They may look like they are full grown and can handle it, but their bones are still growing. Exercising or training a large breed too hard when they are too young can cause serious damage to those bones because they take longer to ossify than those of smaller breeds.

^i was always worried about getting a lab just because in the rare event that it doesn't get enough exercise, i don't want an obese lab :sad: all the labs i've met seem to have joggers as owners or else the labs are very overweight. a neighbor up the street has 3 labs in her townhouse and each one is obese :sad: i've always read that labs are more prone to weight gain compared to other breeds.

Its true that you do have to exercise them but you also have to watch how much food you give them. Labs are notorious for having voracious appetites.So if you are not able to exercise a lab then its not a good idea.

Yep! We have always had labs or goldens. Both are great family dogs. Labs are notorious for hoovering food, so you really should not free feed them. You just measure out their food and feed them. Sometimes, you have to time feed them (ie only let them eat for 5 minutes, then take the bowl away). Labs can get kind of stir crazy if they are not exercised enough. They will definitely let you know when they want to get out and play.
I also want to add if you are not able to exercise/walk a dog daily or plan on hiring a dog walker, you really shouldn't get a dog. All dogs need exercise outside (not just running around in the backyard) daily.
 
^i intend on exercising a dog. i just always read that labs in particular tend to get obese, and i've never really heard of any other breed being that same way. i know every dog needs exercise- i just don't know how much labs need compared to other breeds i've looked into.
 
The Lab will not be obese if you control his food. There are so many fat Labs around because people can't resist the begging or have food around all day long. There are quite a few breeds around with a good appetite (including my American Bulldog) and you need to learn how to ignore it. ;) Labs are wonderful dogs.

Just like any other average mid-size dog you should calculate 2 hours for walks (with lots of running, not only on leash) per day. One walk of at least an hour and two or more shorter walks.
 
^ :yes: how active was your newf when she was a puppy? i read it's not good to over work such large dogs when they're young and still growing...

Panda was not super active. Very playful and exuberant and up for anything but exercise mostly consisted of playing and some swimming. On advice we didn't lead walk her for some months, and it's true that young giant breeds shouldn't be overworked and should be grown slowly i.e. not overfed.
Newfs eat about as much as smaller dogs such as Goldens, because they don't burn off as much fuel.
Panda was never, ever destructive - no chewed shoes, no shredded socks and her soft toys (she loved them!) were only mauled, not torn. There was only one hole dug in the lawn over almost 12 years :biggrin: I work from home though so she wasn't lonely.
Once you get over the size issue and all that entails, Newfs are the best companions you could imagine. Endlessly kind, sweet and steady - we didn't see one snap or snarl from Panda in her entire life - just smiles and an ever wagging tail. Also they're super fast to house train and they're not barkers.
 
^i love newfs for their gentle and sweet tempers. their size really doesn't bother me, and IMO a townhouse can be enough room for a newf although i'm sure most rescues would disagree. there's even a good pet store nearby that has an indoor pool, so i could look into renting it out every week for some newf swimming. this may be a dumb question but do newfs run fast? we can't let my sister's dog off a leash because he'll run away, but i'd love to have a dog i could freely play with without a leash on at all times.
 
^^^ They're not a sighthound like a greyhound or even a whippet so they aren't as easily distracted by potential prey. Newfies were bred as a water rescue dog, so they work differently with people than hunting dogs. Playing off leash shouldn't be a problem with the right training.
Renting a swimming pool sounds like great exercise that would be perfect for a newfie.
 
i'm bumping my thread just to express a few concerns i currently have so i apologize in advance for my rant.

it has been a few months since i tried the whole adoption process, and i have to admit i'm still upset by how it all went down. i've been looking into adoption again but i'm actually SCARED to fill out an adoption application again for other rescues. i've looked at ads on craigslist to see if there are any pets in my local area who need a good home, but i'm worried about where these pets come from- if they were obtained from puppy mills for example.

lately i've been wanting to adopt from a high kill shelter. it breaks my heart to even think about how many dogs are euthanized. how am i suppose to get over my fear of adopting and being rejected again?
 
Don't be scared but don't put your godfather down as a reference again. I know that getting from St. Bernard rescue they were very concerned that we had a 6' fence. You aren't the only one traumatized, though.

I am pretty sour on rescue orgs right now. Corgi rescue was completely a bunch of jerks to us, because our other male at the time wasn't neutered. The reason he wasn't neutered is because he had chronic pneumonia and would die if we put him under. They literally came out and said we were horrible people for not neutering our dog.

Well, one day, Corgi rescue called us because there was a Cardigan in the (high-kill) city shelter. None of the people on the Corgi rescue list wanted him because he had a tail. So apparently we were good enough once no one else wanted him. The non-neutered dog got along just fine with the neutered one, and then the non-neutered one got well enough to neuter. So so much for that issue.

If I were rescuing again I'd just go to the shelter. When we went to meet the Corgi they basically let us adopt on the spot. We're experienced dog owners, so if you stress your experience (if you have any) plus use veterinarians and dog trainers as your references, you shouldn't have a problem.
 
^thanks. i've actually seen descriptions of some rescues that will not adopt out a pet to homes that have pets that aren't fixed. some of the restrictions are completely ridiculous i swear!

it's amazing how they can actually make you feel like you're a bad person just because they don't feel you're an ideal pet owner...