Adoption?? Opinions please?

[anita]

I totally think she chose you.

[Me & Tess]

Will be thinking of you tomorrow. I will be away most of the day and can't wait to know if you adopt her. Will keep a pray in my heart that everything will be a go. My first Chow (I was about 6) was a Chow mix - shep & collie. My dad said he was the smartest dog he ever had.

[deemsnyd]

Whew!! What a day...meet and greet went well, she loves everybody, loves riding in the car, took her to the vet, had her groomed/shots and they said she was perfect, never snapped or was afraid even under their high-powered dryer! Then we got her home and she is the perfect house dog...never offeres to get on the furniture, put a quilt on the floor and she went straight to it and went to sleep. Not sure if she's house trained or not but so far no accidents, however, there is a "But" coming. She is pretty aggressive with other dogs, at the pound and at the vet... and that's exactly what I didn't want because of the neighborhood dogs that I want her to socialize with. I've got her signed up for obedience classes next week. She's been through a lot so she needs some time to get used to things. So please, any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you all for the support!! For some reason I've had a lot of anxiety since she was so agressive with other dogs but she responds well to people so I guess there's hope.

[Me & Tess]

I want to tell you the best thing I can. Just give her time, let her know that your home is her space and she doesn’t have to worry. Life has changed for her. She doesn’t have to be defensive, or aggressive if she knows it’s not being taken away from her. Being in “her” home will give her “self esteem.” That was taken from her when she was put in the shelter. You & and your family will have to give that her back that. It took Tess time, but she was a constant alpha. Even to her last days Tess tried to make sure that be known. In time it was more a dominant position that she took - no longer wanting to fight. Just love her and let her to be herself, try not to give her worries. Let her settle in. You will see positive changes. I am pulling for all of you. This was a big day for her & for your family.

[deemsnyd]

Me & Tess,
Thank you...several people have said the same thing, she should improve with time and love...

[Boogie and Linda]

I am glad you got her but it sounds like you may have a little work to do. You don't know what kind of a past she had so it is hard to tell why she is so aggressive toward other dogs. When I got my foster Fozzie, they told me he got along fine with other dogs. It turned out that was not the case at all. He had come from a hoarding situation and he hated other dogs. I had 2 others here. He reluctantly followed our first chow Boogie but he hated our other chow Teddie with a passion and he would bark and growl at him all the time. He didn't even want Teddie to look at him. We made it work and Teddie learned to leave him alone when they were outside together. Fozzie was old and couldn't jump so Teddie had places he could go to get away from him. When we were home we just kept them separated. I always felt bad that Fozzie was stuck with us where he wasn't 100% happy. I know he would have loved a home with out any other dogs but it wasn't in the cards for him and we did the best we could.

I know you want her to be friends with the neighborhood dogs but that may not be for her. You may just need to be satisfied that she is good with your family and other people. She does have to learn to tolerate the other dogs though. The trainer should help you with that. And who knows, everything is still new for her. Once she settles and knows you are her forever family, she may become a lot more tolerant.

[CoraP.]

I agree with what the others have said. She needs time to adjust to all the changes in her life. I think the obedience classes are a very good idea. That should help with the dog aggression. She sounds like a sweet girl who has more positive than negative characteristics. Good luck!!

[Judy Fox]

Congratulations and I wish you every happiness with your little girlie.

Regarding socializing with other dogs, maybe, as has been said, this is not for your girl. Chow Chows smell different - not like other dogs - this is why you will hear sometimes on this site that chows are not dogs, they are chows.

Subsequently, you might find that other dogs either ignore her or dislike her and if she is showing a little aggression to other dogs, maybe she senses this.

She might be just happy having a home and people she can love and be loved back.

Have you decided on a name yet?

[chowpups]

I know this is all new to you and overwhelming at times. I would get to know my new chow and her ways with humans, before introducing new dogs. See what she can learn to help with socializing. Can she , sit and stay, if she knows recall please let me know how mine still doesn't like that one when there is a distraction.LOL
Its alot easier if you know your dog and what her reaction is to certain things. I know Nikki if she sees a child running around the coffee table she thinks its game on and zoomies are expected so I know that my grandson who is much smaller will get trampled over if hes in the way.. so we are very careful around the coffee table area..things like that you need to find out about your new chow. Nikki has learned over the yrs that when the g.son is here she is not allowed her zoomies inside. But when my son who is 29 is here thats where they play.. (I can't stop the human).. LOL
My other chow Oneill was not as dog friendly while she was younger but later around 5yrs she was fine???? And that was our fault cause there really wasn't any other dogs around here ...

[MickChick]

Brandy was in a rescue with other dogs for 7 months before I got her. Prior to that she had been an "owner turn in" at a kill shelter, with no other info available. I was told she got along fine with the other dogs, but when I brought her home, she snarled and growled at every other dog she met when we were out on our walks. EVENTUALLY she started making friends and she is friendly toward many dogs now, and plays with two maltese that she just loves to go visit. It took time and, I think, the realization that she was in her forever home, and that these other dogs were not a threat to her in any way. There are still some dogs she meets that she will growl at. I accept and acknowledge that, just like people, dogs don't have to like and want to socialize with everyone they meet!

Good luck and give her some time to adjust to her new home and new family!

[fings1]

Hi...I just wanted to share the story of my boy, Kensy. In October of '08, close to Halloween, my sister was visiting from NY. At the time we had two dogs, one was a 5-year-old from a puppy mill that had been horribly abused, the other our older girl, Copper, who didn't really like to play. My husband and I had been thinking about adopting another dog because we thought it may help Logan, the puppy mill dog, come out of his shell. My sister and I went over to Petco to get some Halloween costumes for the pups. As we were driving up I noticed it was pet adoption day so I told her we would go tomorrow since I hate walking by all the dogs.

Well, before I knew it she was shouting there was a dog that looked like our 16-year-old chow mix that we had recently lost, and she jumped out of the moving car. By the time I parked and got to the adoption area she had him on a leash and told the lady "We'll take him." Remember, she lives in NY, I'm in GA. So, I pick up the phone and call my husband, who was watching football at the time, and told him I was at pet adoption day. His response "What are we getting?"

I found out from the rescue that Boone, now Kensy, was pulled from death row. He had been adopted the previous week and returned because he had worms. Obviously that wasn't the real reason. I think it was because he was young and they just didn't feel like training him, they wanted a perfect dog as soon as they brought him home. She also told me that his profile on Petfinder kept disappearing, which had never happened with any other dog.

I ended up adopting Kensy, with a little help from my sister, and it turned out he is the most gentle, sweetest dog you could ever come across. I took him to obedience training shortly after adopting him and it was a great bonding experience. Recently he went for his therapy dog test. He is now a certified therapy dog with Happy Tails. We visit a nursing home twice a month and a preschool for kids with disabilities once a month. Along with special events, like a doggy fashion held at a senior center last weekend, Bark The Runway. Everyone loves him and tells me what a natural he is at dog therapy.

So there you have it, two time throwaway to therapy dog. I truly believe this was meant to be. As someone before me posted, sometimes they find you.

Good luck.

[fings1]

Pic of the kids...Kensy (front), Logan (RIP 10/15/09), and Copper