Readers Respond: Adoption and Rescue - tips for a successful pet adoption

Responses: 23

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After 14 years, we lost our beloved pet. Each night at grace my daughter would pray for the dog we lost and the new dog she hoped we would find. I contacted rescue organizations in hopes of finding a pet who would fit well with our family's 3 young children. When the call came in, my daughter located a photo of the dog online. For her it was love at first sight. When we arrived to meet her we were introduced to a temperamental dog named Trouble! She earned her name as she had health and behavior issues which had wreaked havoc in her first home to the point of eviction. As a busy mom, I knew I already had 3 kids named "trouble". I didn't need any more "trouble". But we brought her home! We changed her name to Daisy and began researching the cause of her angst. We soon realized she was allergic to grains. Switching to a grain-free diet & lots of TLC -and she became a new dog! She is absolutely the BEST dog we've ever known - no trouble - an answer to my daughters prayers!
—kate_k9cuisine

We have two fantastic dogs that came from shelters. I've always loved beagles, and they are often dumped at shelters in our area when they no longer hunt or can no longer breed - very sad. We found a beagle on Petfinder at our local shelter and went to visit her. She was so spunky and seemed to have a great time with the other dogs. As soon as we came in to see her, she rolled over on her back for a belly rub. We were sold! She's the greatest dog and just another reason to adopt an older dog from a shelter.
—Guest Anne W.

Once I got my husband to agree to a cat, we put out the word we wanted an adult cat already housebroken. Our first cat was about 7 years old. She didn't get along with the new baby in her current family. But she fit perfectly with us, a childless couple, and was endlessly loving and spoiled by us. After she passed, we waited a couple of years and my hairdresser decided I needed to adopt her mama cat. Their household had 5 kids and 2 dobermans and other assorted pets, while the mama cat seemed to crave peace and quiet. Her tail was bent from an encounter with one of the dogs. I took her home and she immediately became queen of the house. She treats us like her kittens. Like our first cat, she has thrived being the sole cat in a quiet, childless house.
—Guest WB

We had been thinking about getting a pet for months. Visited the humane society multiple times. Alas, none of them picked us. Til one lucky day. I walked into the cat room, saw a fluffy brown kitty. Went over to his cage. He looked up me, rubbed against the cage door, and told me he was the one. He was 8 years old. Set in his ways for sure. He slept on my feet the first night at home. Every time I moved, he'd come up to my pillow to get patted. Six years later, I am thankful I was picked by such a loving cat. Sonny came home to us when my son was a toddler. He loved to chase him and pat him. Now he patted him kinda rough, but Sonny never snarled or raised a paw to him. Sonny now goes to bed with my son every night. Falls asleep on the pillow right next to him.
—Guest Joy

In our quest for a bunny, we went to a shelter, and found dozens of sweet ones to choose from. Then we saw Patience, a small, white bunny with one cartoonishly huge and sweet eye--and one closed lid. (We were told it was probably a birth defect.) My kids, small at that time, were a little creeped-out by the one-eyed rabbit, and choose a cool, black one. I let them pick (it was their pet!), but was haunted by the sweet nature of Patience, named for his temperament and ability to withstand the sometimes painful eye-cleanings he had to endure on his 'bad' side, and worried that other families wouldn't be able to get past his 'defect', either. Finally, a week later, I went back and got him. "Shadow", our black bunny, ended up keeping his eye clean for us (!), and it was never a problem. We all grew to love Patience SO much. He was our sweetest bunny, and a lesson in love for our kids. Now they seek out the under-dogs and give them extra love.
—Guest Elizabeth

I looked online for shelter dogs, and when I called, they reassured me he was medium size. Not true -- he was a lot bigger than we wanted but he had a sweet face and we felt so sorry for him. He and his brother had been brought to the shelter when they was 5 weeks old. When they got to be 10 months old, his brother was adopted. He was so sad he dug his way out of the new kennel and dug back into the old one. He wasn't housebroken, he was freaked out by stairs, cars, strangers -- you name it. But he's turned out to be a WONDERFUL dog. He was housebroken in two days. He chewed a pair of my slippers, got scolded, and never touched a slipper or shoe again. He learned to sit in one lesson. He's still shy with strangers, but he's non-aggressive and he's slowly getting better. I can't believe we got so lucky -- who would believe that such after such a deprived puppyhood, he could turn into such a wonderful dog? Moral: look at the dog, not the "purebred papers."
—Guest Susan

I went to "the little shelter" in Huntington, NY, because my husband wanted to volunteer. While on the tour, a toy Poodle was loose in the small dog room. She repeatedly came up to me, licked my fingers, retreated back to her bed, and staring at me. I "heard" her clearly in my mind, "take me out of here" even though we had another dog at home, we took Penny. She was 10 years old and going blind. Turns out she's the BEST dog we EVER had. She's smart, sweet, intuitive, and a snuggler. Everyone who meets her falls in love. All of our dogs have been shelter dogs, but all were young. She's the first old dog we adopted, and it was a wonderful decision. She is past all the young dog problems, and seems truly grateful to be home with us. Se know her time with us may be a short time, but so far it's 1.5 yrs and counting, and we cherish every minute. She's truly a blessing. My husband volunteers there now in thanksgiving for helping us have such a wonderful dog.
—stillakidrn

I'm a shelter vet in a no-kill shelter in New Jersey. Luther was a 16 year old black cat left at our doorstop with minimal records. We diagnosed him with hyperthyroidism. A geriatric black cat with health problems doesn't have the greatest outlook, but i contacted a group in NYC that was hosting a seniors for seniors event, and Luther was adopted by a wonderful woman who cared for him, hosted a birthday party for him, and gave him a loving home. He was euthanized about 10 months after his adoption, giving him a wonderful last year of life. It's sad he's gone now, but I think his finding a loving home for his end rather than meeting it in a shelter is one of the greatest gifts we can provide. Reaching out to other groups, working together, and not giving up on difficult cases make happy endings like this possible.
—Guest Adam