First, I would like to thank you for deciding to rescue! It is very rewarding and I can assure you that you will not be sorry. :) I would say to ask a lot of questions when you get to meet his foster mom at Petco this weekend. Don't expect much in the way of interaction because of the setting but just let the 2 kind of feel each other out and see how it goes. There is no one answer for every dog. It is entirely possible that after nuetering he will no longer mark but it is no gurantee.

My suggestion would be to make a nice long list of questions to take along with you when you meet him. Take a friend or family member along as well so that you can spend time alone with him as well and consentrate on your opportunity to speak one on one with his foster mom. Here are a few that I can think of off the top of my head:

1. How does he interact with his other foster brother and sisters now?
2. How long has he been in foster?
3. How long has he been in this foster home?
4. Does he mark?
5. Will he wear a belly band?

Hope this was helpful. :)

Good luck!!!

He is adorable - I don't know why you think he came from a puppy mill - it says on petfinder that he came from the home of a former show breeder :confused:

I think he will adjust fine. He is used to being with other dogs. I adopted my 2 when they were 2 and they had no trouble adjusting

He is adorable! Just remember to be very patient and that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. Congrats on deciding to go the adoption/rescue route.

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!

Hi there - I just wanted to say good for you for adopting a rescue... I just adopted a yorkie from a rescue exactly 4 weeks ago today! His name is Trooper and he was fixed, but had a problem with marking... I've been trying to be very consistent about him being with me at all times so that he doesn't do it. Sometimes he goes to give a squirt and I just raise my voice a bit and say "no, go outside", and then bring him outside to pee. I've never had a male dog that did this before, but I think I've made pretty good progress in the month that I've had him. I still might find the odd teeny tiny puddle in the house, but it's alot better from the first week. Just consistency will help him learn. Good luck, I hope all goes well for you both.

He is adorabe. I think given time to adjust they will get along fine. I hope you get him!