Getting a rescue

[oldjoe]

I have been thinking of getting a Yorkie, mostly for my wife, and have thought of maybe adopting a rescue.

My question is:

Is it hard to find a good dog like this? I know some would have special needs (maybe from mistreatment or abuse) but surely not all? Also, even with a special needs, then as long as it was loved, and taken care of properly, there would be no reason that it wouldn't make a great pet, right?

I am trying to convince my wife that this is better idea than buying a baby. I have always championed spay/neuter programs and I just think that we all should rescue any unwanted dogs, lol. But she has this thing that they "all" have serious problems, mostly from her sister.

Does anyone have any positive stories about rescues?

[RoscoesMommy42]

I think getting a rescue is great. Roscoe is a rehome that had been in 3 different homes already at 9 months. He is great and I just love him too pieces. It is true that they can have some issues, but with patience, it would be so worth it to know you saved a little baby and gave it another chance at life.

[Bellaandhelen]

I got my Bella from a rescue and my Baci is a rehome. Both of them have no medical issues and are 2 y/o- so pretty young. Bella definitely had/has some fears, but nothing that caused major problems. I think they are both just so appreciative for a loving home- they are so loving and sweet! There is just something special about adopting. I think the rescue that you adopt from is important though- you want to know as much about the dog as possible so that the rescue and you can make sure that particular dog will be a good fit for your family and lifestyle. The application process for these really good rescues can be extensive, but that's really a good thing! You want them to be picky about who they place the dogs with - because you know they will only place a dog with your family that will really be a good long term fit. I hope you do decide to rescue! Good luck in your search!!! I know the rescue I adopted with isn't too far away from you and has some yorkie puppies that will be available in a month or so- they recently rescued two females who turned out to be pregnant and the father. I'll PM you their website.

[BonBon]

Originally Posted by oldjoe

I have been thinking of getting a Yorkie, mostly for my wife, and have thought of maybe adopting a rescue.

My question is:

Is it hard to find a good dog like this? I know some would have special needs (maybe from mistreatment or abuse) but surely not all? Also, even with a special needs, then as long as it was loved, and taken care of properly, there would be no reason that it wouldn't make a great pet, right?

I am trying to convince my wife that this is better idea than buying a baby. I have always championed spay/neuter programs and I just think that we all should rescue any unwanted dogs, lol. But she has this thing that they "all" have serious problems, mostly from her sister.

Does anyone have any positive stories about rescues?

To answer your first question, no I don't think it's hard at all to find a good dog from a rescue group. Unfortunately, there are so many yorkies needing good homes today that a lot of rescue groups are completely full. You should read this wonderful thread about those on YT who have adopted rescues. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...ed-yorkie.html

[rockbaker]

I have two rescue dogs (4 total) and they are all wonderful.....

sometimes folks just can't afford to keep a yorkie (lost job, fire, death, etc), it's not the dogs fault (rarely is).

try "fostering" a rescue from a yorkie rescue Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue Adoptions and Shop

then if you want to adopt you can, or if it doesn't work out, you've tried.


roxanne

[ladyjane]

Jumping into fostering just because you want a pet is not something I suggest to people; especially those who are concerned about possible medical issues.
Rescues all need foster homes, but not those who are sampling. Just my opinion.
If your wife is already concerned about medical issues and she ends up with a bad experience with a foster, it could ruin her for rescue altogether.
Fostering is a heavy responsibility and rarely without issues. Most of the pups ending up in rescue need attention, whether it be medical or emotional. Most DO get better, but it takes time.
There are many people on YT who have adopted yorkies and love them to little pieces. There are so many absolutely wonderful yorkies in need of a good home.
All of my pets are rescues and each one is wonderful. Some do have issues, some do not; but the ones who do were my choice! When adopting a rescue, you do have choices if you go to a reputable rescue.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Bellaandhelen

I got my Bella from a rescue and my Baci is a rehome. Both of them have no medical issues and are 2 y/o- so pretty young. Bella definitely had/has some fears, but nothing that caused major problems. I think they are both just so appreciative for a loving home- they are so loving and sweet! There is just something special about adopting. I think the rescue that you adopt from is important though- you want to know as much about the dog as possible so that the rescue and you can make sure that particular dog will be a good fit for your family and lifestyle. The application process for these really good rescues can be extensive, but that's really a good thing! You want them to be picky about who they place the dogs with - because you know they will only place a dog with your family that will really be a good long term fit. I hope you do decide to rescue! Good luck in your search!!! I know the rescue I adopted with isn't too far away from you and has some yorkie puppies that will be available in a month or so- they recently rescued two females who turned out to be pregnant and the father. I'll PM you their website.

[TLC]

Pet adoption: Want a dog or cat? Adopt a pet on Petfinder

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Best Wishes

[Lucia]

Welcome to YT

It's true that there may be rescues who are there because of 'issues', but I think there are many more who are being rehomed for reasons such as the recession, or death of the original owner etc. When I was looking to get a yorkie I saw some adorable rescue yorkies and yorkie mixes. Unfortunately I wasn't eligible to rescue because I have young children and it was against the shelter's policy, but I certainly would have taken that route if I had been able to.

Good luck to you and your future furry family member xxx

[addevo]

Originally Posted by oldjoe

I have been thinking of getting a Yorkie, mostly for my wife, and have thought of maybe adopting a rescue.

My question is:

Is it hard to find a good dog like this? I know some would have special needs (maybe from mistreatment or abuse) but surely not all? Also, even with a special needs, then as long as it was loved, and taken care of properly, there would be no reason that it wouldn't make a great pet, right?

I am trying to convince my wife that this is better idea than buying a baby. I have always championed spay/neuter programs and I just think that we all should rescue any unwanted dogs, lol. But she has this thing that they "all" have serious problems, mostly from her sister.

Does anyone have any positive stories about rescues?

As others have posted, there are plenty of Yorkies who end up in rescue who have been well loved and looked after - they are not all victims of abuse and neglect that are going to take months of training and hundreds of dollars at the vet to rehabilitate. Owners pass away or go into nursing homes, get deployed with the military, lose their jobs and have to move in with family who won't let them bring their dog, etc.

What's worse, as hard as it is for most pet owners to understand, there are alot of people in the world who have friendly, healthy, well behaved little dogs that are quite willing to dump them at a shelter when they have a new baby or start dating some dope who doesn't like dogs.

Rescues are actually MUCH more trustworthy about telling you all of the negative aspects of a particular dog - particularly known health and behaviour problems - because they want to make a permanent match and don't want the dog to end up homeless again. Breeders just want the cash, and people who are "re-homing" their dogs through Craig's List or the newspaper often conceal the real reason they are getting rid of them, such as they aren't housebroken or they eat their own poop or they throw up all the time and they don't want to spend money at the vet to find out why. These are true stories from friends who have purchased dogs from breeders and newspaper ads, but that's not what you originally asked about.

But I just realized that I haven't answered your original request for a "real life" positive story about rescues. I have one - a woman dropped off a pregnant Yorkie at the shelter where I volunteer. Misty is a WONDERFUL dog. Beautiful shiny silver and gold coat, well mannered, housetrained and sweet as can be. Her owner had never bothered to get her spayed, so when she turned up pregnant, little Misty got dumped at the shelter because her owner didn't want to deal with taking care of and then finding homes for puppies that weren't purebred. (meaning she couldn't SELL them).

Misty gave birth to her puppies, and despite her inexperience with motherhood, she was an excellent mother to them. Once they were 8 weeks old, she was adopted by a woman who'd previously adopted a Yorkie from the shelter. "And they lived happily ever after" I was heartbroken that I couldn't adopt her myself, but already have a Yorkie female in the house and the shelter recommended that I look for a male. So we adopted one of her puppies. And like his mommy, he is sweet and calm. Once he grew out of puppyhood, we got him certified to do pet therapy, and he now visits nursing homes. So there are two happy ending stories for you about adopting from a shelter. Actually, there are 5 happy endings. We've kept in touch with the owners of the other 3 littermates, and they are all over the moon with their dogs, too. So please tell your sister-in-law - respectfully - that I can show her 5 examples of healthy and wonderful little dogs that have come from a shelter.


Whatever route you take on getting your Yorkie, please remember that there are no "perfect" dogs and you need to expect to spend a significant amount of time and money on keeping them happy and healthy. The more time you invest in training them, the happier you all will be. And according to a study I just read a study by the research firm IBISWorld, the average dog costs $13,330 over an estimated lifetime of 13 years, and as much as $1966 during the first year. And that number is probably low for Yorkies - they often live longer than that and are prone to problems with their knees and teeth that may require significant vet expenses down the road.

My recommendation would be to engage in serious discussions with as many of the Yorkie Rescues and your local animal shelters as you can. The rescues are run by volunteers, and shelters are always understaffed, so it sometimes take a long time to hear back from them, but please be patient. Tell them what you are looking for and let them work their magic. They are excellent matchmakers, they truly DO have YOUR best interests in mind (they want satisfied adopters more than you will ever know) and if you are willing to wait, they WILL find what you and your wife are looking for.

So in my long-winded way, what I'm saying is that No, not all dogs from shelters have serious problems. But also, No, it isn't easy to find one. If you follow an ad in the paper, you can have a puppy tonight. Getting one from a rescue takes longer. It will take perseverance and patience, but the rewards are more than worth it. Please at least look into it.

[ltret0294]

I do not have much to add, the previous posts have pretty much said it all. All of our "kids" 1 shep mix (no kill place called Save a Pet) when we lived in Illinois and the 4 Yorkies in FL have been older rescues. They have returned our act of kindness hundreds of times over. Since I work shifts I would not have the time to properly go through the the puppy phase. The rescue groups are very thorough with their interview and adoption process as they want to place their dogs in good "Forever Homes". There are several YT members who are very knowledgable about rehoming, rescue, fostering and adoption. Browse through this forum and ask questions. Keep us posted and welcome to YT.

[manina]

Originally Posted by addevo

As others have posted, there are plenty of Yorkies who end up in rescue who have been well loved and looked after - they are not all victims of abuse and neglect that are going to take months of training and hundreds of dollars at the vet to rehabilitate. Owners pass away or go into nursing homes, get deployed with the military, lose their jobs and have to move in with family who won't let them bring their dog, etc.

What's worse, as hard as it is for most pet owners to understand, there are alot of people in the world who have friendly, healthy, well behaved little dogs that are quite willing to dump them at a shelter when they have a new baby or start dating some dope who doesn't like dogs.

Rescues are actually MUCH more trustworthy about telling you all of the negative aspects of a particular dog - particularly known health and behaviour problems - because they want to make a permanent match and don't want the dog to end up homeless again. Breeders just want the cash, and people who are "re-homing" their dogs through Craig's List or the newspaper often conceal the real reason they are getting rid of them, such as they aren't housebroken or they eat their own poop or they throw up all the time and they don't want to spend money at the vet to find out why. These are true stories from friends who have purchased dogs from breeders and newspaper ads, but that's not what you originally asked about.

But I just realized that I haven't answered your original request for a "real life" positive story about rescues. I have one - a woman dropped off a pregnant Yorkie at the shelter where I volunteer. Misty is a WONDERFUL dog. Beautiful shiny silver and gold coat, well mannered, housetrained and sweet as can be. Her owner had never bothered to get her spayed, so when she turned up pregnant, little Misty got dumped at the shelter because her owner didn't want to deal with taking care of and then finding homes for puppies that weren't purebred. (meaning she couldn't SELL them).

Misty gave birth to her puppies, and despite her inexperience with motherhood, she was an excellent mother to them. Once they were 8 weeks old, she was adopted by a woman who'd previously adopted a Yorkie from the shelter. "And they lived happily ever after" I was heartbroken that I couldn't adopt her myself, but already have a Yorkie female in the house and the shelter recommended that I look for a male. So we adopted one of her puppies. And like his mommy, he is sweet and calm. Once he grew out of puppyhood, we got him certified to do pet therapy, and he now visits nursing homes. So there are two happy ending stories for you about adopting from a shelter. Actually, there are 5 happy endings. We've kept in touch with the owners of the other 3 littermates, and they are all over the moon with their dogs, too. So please tell your sister-in-law - respectfully - that I can show her 5 examples of healthy and wonderful little dogs that have come from a shelter.


Whatever route you take on getting your Yorkie, please remember that there are no "perfect" dogs and you need to expect to spend a significant amount of time and money on keeping them happy and healthy. The more time you invest in training them, the happier you all will be. And according to a study I just read a study by the research firm IBISWorld, the average dog costs $13,330 over an estimated lifetime of 13 years, and as much as $1966 during the first year. And that number is probably low for Yorkies - they often live longer than that and are prone to problems with their knees and teeth that may require significant vet expenses down the road.

My recommendation would be to engage in serious discussions with as many of the Yorkie Rescues and your local animal shelters as you can. The rescues are run by volunteers, and shelters are always understaffed, so it sometimes take a long time to hear back from them, but please be patient. Tell them what you are looking for and let them work their magic. They are excellent matchmakers, they truly DO have YOUR best interests in mind (they want satisfied adopters more than you will ever know) and if you are willing to wait, they WILL find what you and your wife are looking for.

So in my long-winded way, what I'm saying is that No, not all dogs from shelters have serious problems. But also, No, it isn't easy to find one. If you follow an ad in the paper, you can have a puppy tonight. Getting one from a rescue takes longer. It will take perseverance and patience, but the rewards are more than worth it. Please at least look into it.

:thum bup:

[nanahas3]

There are lots of advantages to getting a rescue. I put a lot of thought into it before we got our little Lolita. I like your wife had a lot of concerns but as soon as I saw her little face I knew we had to have her in our home. Her only real medical issues are her little teeth (she only has 8 left) so we spend time daily taking care of those she has left. She is such a little bundle of joy. These babies are the most lovable little ones. She thrives on attention and snuggling. I after getting Lolo have talked with my husband and when we decide to add another furbaby from now on it will be a rescue. Welcome to YT and good luck. You might try showing your wife the pictures and stories of some of the rescues listed here on YT.

[llcornell]

Originally Posted by addevo

As others have posted, there are plenty of Yorkies who end up in rescue who have been well loved and looked after - they are not all victims of abuse and neglect that are going to take months of training and hundreds of dollars at the vet to rehabilitate. Owners pass away or go into nursing homes, get deployed with the military, lose their jobs and have to move in with family who won't let them bring their dog, etc.

What's worse, as hard as it is for most pet owners to understand, there are alot of people in the world who have friendly, healthy, well behaved little dogs that are quite willing to dump them at a shelter when they have a new baby or start dating some dope who doesn't like dogs.

Rescues are actually MUCH more trustworthy about telling you all of the negative aspects of a particular dog - particularly known health and behaviour problems - because they want to make a permanent match and don't want the dog to end up homeless again. Breeders just want the cash, and people who are "re-homing" their dogs through Craig's List or the newspaper often conceal the real reason they are getting rid of them, such as they aren't housebroken or they eat their own poop or they throw up all the time and they don't want to spend money at the vet to find out why. These are true stories from friends who have purchased dogs from breeders and newspaper ads, but that's not what you originally asked about.

But I just realized that I haven't answered your original request for a "real life" positive story about rescues. I have one - a woman dropped off a pregnant Yorkie at the shelter where I volunteer. Misty is a WONDERFUL dog. Beautiful shiny silver and gold coat, well mannered, housetrained and sweet as can be. Her owner had never bothered to get her spayed, so when she turned up pregnant, little Misty got dumped at the shelter because her owner didn't want to deal with taking care of and then finding homes for puppies that weren't purebred. (meaning she couldn't SELL them).

Misty gave birth to her puppies, and despite her inexperience with motherhood, she was an excellent mother to them. Once they were 8 weeks old, she was adopted by a woman who'd previously adopted a Yorkie from the shelter. "And they lived happily ever after" I was heartbroken that I couldn't adopt her myself, but already have a Yorkie female in the house and the shelter recommended that I look for a male. So we adopted one of her puppies. And like his mommy, he is sweet and calm. Once he grew out of puppyhood, we got him certified to do pet therapy, and he now visits nursing homes. So there are two happy ending stories for you about adopting from a shelter. Actually, there are 5 happy endings. We've kept in touch with the owners of the other 3 littermates, and they are all over the moon with their dogs, too. So please tell your sister-in-law - respectfully - that I can show her 5 examples of healthy and wonderful little dogs that have come from a shelter.


Whatever route you take on getting your Yorkie, please remember that there are no "perfect" dogs and you need to expect to spend a significant amount of time and money on keeping them happy and healthy. The more time you invest in training them, the happier you all will be. And according to a study I just read a study by the research firm IBISWorld, the average dog costs $13,330 over an estimated lifetime of 13 years, and as much as $1966 during the first year. And that number is probably low for Yorkies - they often live longer than that and are prone to problems with their knees and teeth that may require significant vet expenses down the road.

My recommendation would be to engage in serious discussions with as many of the Yorkie Rescues and your local animal shelters as you can. The rescues are run by volunteers, and shelters are always understaffed, so it sometimes take a long time to hear back from them, but please be patient. Tell them what you are looking for and let them work their magic. They are excellent matchmakers, they truly DO have YOUR best interests in mind (they want satisfied adopters more than you will ever know) and if you are willing to wait, they WILL find what you and your wife are looking for.

So in my long-winded way, what I'm saying is that No, not all dogs from shelters have serious problems. But also, No, it isn't easy to find one. If you follow an ad in the paper, you can have a puppy tonight. Getting one from a rescue takes longer. It will take perseverance and patience, but the rewards are more than worth it. Please at least look into it.

very well said

also getting a puppy in no way will insure that you will get a dog without health issues

[danjr68]

Originally Posted by addevo

As others have posted, there are plenty of Yorkies who end up in rescue who have been well loved and looked after - they are not all victims of abuse and neglect that are going to take months of training and hundreds of dollars at the vet to rehabilitate. Owners pass away or go into nursing homes, get deployed with the military, lose their jobs and have to move in with family who won't let them bring their dog, etc.

What's worse, as hard as it is for most pet owners to understand, there are alot of people in the world who have friendly, healthy, well behaved little dogs that are quite willing to dump them at a shelter when they have a new baby or start dating some dope who doesn't like dogs.

Rescues are actually MUCH more trustworthy about telling you all of the negative aspects of a particular dog - particularly known health and behaviour problems - because they want to make a permanent match and don't want the dog to end up homeless again. Breeders just want the cash, and people who are "re-homing" their dogs through Craig's List or the newspaper often conceal the real reason they are getting rid of them, such as they aren't housebroken or they eat their own poop or they throw up all the time and they don't want to spend money at the vet to find out why. These are true stories from friends who have purchased dogs from breeders and newspaper ads, but that's not what you originally asked about.

But I just realized that I haven't answered your original request for a "real life" positive story about rescues. I have one - a woman dropped off a pregnant Yorkie at the shelter where I volunteer. Misty is a WONDERFUL dog. Beautiful shiny silver and gold coat, well mannered, housetrained and sweet as can be. Her owner had never bothered to get her spayed, so when she turned up pregnant, little Misty got dumped at the shelter because her owner didn't want to deal with taking care of and then finding homes for puppies that weren't purebred. (meaning she couldn't SELL them).

Misty gave birth to her puppies, and despite her inexperience with motherhood, she was an excellent mother to them. Once they were 8 weeks old, she was adopted by a woman who'd previously adopted a Yorkie from the shelter. "And they lived happily ever after" I was heartbroken that I couldn't adopt her myself, but already have a Yorkie female in the house and the shelter recommended that I look for a male. So we adopted one of her puppies. And like his mommy, he is sweet and calm. Once he grew out of puppyhood, we got him certified to do pet therapy, and he now visits nursing homes. So there are two happy ending stories for you about adopting from a shelter. Actually, there are 5 happy endings. We've kept in touch with the owners of the other 3 littermates, and they are all over the moon with their dogs, too. So please tell your sister-in-law - respectfully - that I can show her 5 examples of healthy and wonderful little dogs that have come from a shelter.


Whatever route you take on getting your Yorkie, please remember that there are no "perfect" dogs and you need to expect to spend a significant amount of time and money on keeping them happy and healthy. The more time you invest in training them, the happier you all will be. And according to a study I just read a study by the research firm IBISWorld, the average dog costs $13,330 over an estimated lifetime of 13 years, and as much as $1966 during the first year. And that number is probably low for Yorkies - they often live longer than that and are prone to problems with their knees and teeth that may require significant vet expenses down the road.

My recommendation would be to engage in serious discussions with as many of the Yorkie Rescues and your local animal shelters as you can. The rescues are run by volunteers, and shelters are always understaffed, so it sometimes take a long time to hear back from them, but please be patient. Tell them what you are looking for and let them work their magic. They are excellent matchmakers, they truly DO have YOUR best interests in mind (they want satisfied adopters more than you will ever know) and if you are willing to wait, they WILL find what you and your wife are looking for.

So in my long-winded way, what I'm saying is that No, not all dogs from shelters have serious problems. But also, No, it isn't easy to find one. If you follow an ad in the paper, you can have a puppy tonight. Getting one from a rescue takes longer. It will take perseverance and patience, but the rewards are more than worth it. Please at least look into it.

Very well said