Garron is precious and good for you that you want to rescue!
As others have suggested, ask lots of questions - the more that you can find out from his foster home, the better. Also, ask if he has never bitten a person or dog. If he has, that doesn't mean you shouldn't adopt him but just that you should be aware of it.
When you meet Garron, see if there is an enclosed/secure area where you can allow him to be with SophieKate. This way, you can make sure that the two of them will at least be polite with one another. You will not get a true sense of their relationship during this meeting but you will at least know that her young energy won't make him mad! If you take him home, things will be so very different a year from now so as long as there is no fighting during the meeting, you should be just fine. He is still young so they have years to bond to one another and watching him blossom will be the ultimate reward!
You are right that he may mark. This could be a temporary thing or it could be a forever thing. Either way, a belly band will help and if you expect the worst (forever marking), you won't be disappointed. Since SophieKate is a female, chances are that he won't mark forever but as others have said, there are no guarantees.
Socialization can come in many ways. Always take Garron where you take SophieKate. If you take her to the store, take him too - never leave him and only take her. Check meetup.com to see if there are any Yorkie or Small Dog Meet Up groups near you. Those are always great for socializing your dogs and are fun for you too!
Even though he has a sketchy background, treat him like you would SophieKate. A big mistake that people make when rescuing a dog is that they feel so sorry for the dog that they forget to treat them like a dog and that can result in other, undesirable behaviors. They live in the now and while their past has molded them into what they are today, they don't hold onto it like humans do.
Best of luck to you with your meeting and thanks for thinking rescue! |