# Suggestions Requested to Meet Requirements



## GreenFuzzer (Jun 16, 2007)

I have found a Maltese/Poodle mix that keeps pulling at my heartstrings. As of a few MONTHS ago he was estimated to be about a year old, 8 - 9 pounds, neutered, working on house training. The requirements are getting me, though I do agree with the need for standards I'm wondering if exceptions should be made, both on our part and theirs. . . . .


He has to have another little furbaby (d-o-g) to play with in the home. Gracie is 10#, so that works. However she is 9yo and Mama's girl. Because I rarely leave the house she hasn't been socialized as she should. Once she was around 2 mini-dachshund and literally climbed my leg to get on my lap. They were all on leashes and still only close enough to each other to smell the others parts. She has regular been around a 145# dog. Gracie goes Napoleon growling if she is in a chair when and Molly comes near. If Gracie is on the floor and Molly comes near her it's a beeline straight for me and climbing my body. We did have a 25# furbaby that we lost to old age a year ago, they never fought however they didn't play a lot either. Hubby is concerned it would break Gracie's heart and make her depressed if we brought another furbaby into the home. She does fine with our 3 short haired cats, seems to want to play with my mom's long haired cat. Any ideas on how to make it work bringing him into our home for a playmate/sibling to Gracie as no matter how much she playbows to the cats they won't play with her. lol 

It is required that he have a fenced in yard as he likes to run and play outside. While we have a good sized fence we could put back up it isn't safe in our area for a little one to be off leash. Besides huge hawks, we have turkey buzzards and bald eagles here. Any of which could carry off a little one. I've seen them fly off with huge rabbits before. I'm also concerned that he is being let free in a yard where he is because they have the same birds of prey we do a long with peregrine falcon that summer in that town. How can we explain we do are darnedest to keep our babies safer than what they feel is appropriate?

I don't know if he is a squatter or a leg lifter but I have never trained a male to a pad before. How do you do it if they are a lifter?

The last thing is his fee is $250, every time we get the money set aside for him so I can contact them the next day our van, my mom's van or my son's needs emergency repairs. Since I discovered him repairs have totalled $1,250! Will rescues hold a furbaby for payments for 30 days or something like that while the new parents are paying them their fee?

Thank you for taking time to read this and giving me your thoughts.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

GreenFuzzer said:


> I have found a Maltese/Poodle mix that keeps pulling at my heartstrings. As of a few MONTHS ago he was estimated to be about a year old, 8 - 9 pounds, neutered, working on house training. The requirements are getting me, though I do agree with the need for standards I'm wondering if exceptions should be made, both on our part and theirs. . . . .
> 
> 
> He has to have another little furbaby (d-o-g) to play with in the home. Gracie is 10#, so that works. However she is 9yo and Mama's girl. Because I rarely leave the house she hasn't been socialized as she should. Once she was around 2 mini-dachshund and literally climbed my leg to get on my lap. They were all on leashes and still only close enough to each other to smell the others parts. She has regular been around a 145# dog. Gracie goes Napoleon growling if she is in a chair when and Molly comes near. If Gracie is on the floor and Molly comes near her it's a beeline straight for me and climbing my body. We did have a 25# furbaby that we lost to old age a year ago, they never fought however they didn't play a lot either. Hubby is concerned it would break Gracie's heart and make her depressed if we brought another furbaby into the home. She does fine with our 3 short haired cats, seems to want to play with my mom's long haired cat. Any ideas on how to make it work bringing him into our home for a playmate/sibling to Gracie as no matter how much she playbows to the cats they won't play with her. lol
> ...



Thank you for wanting to adopt this baby! I would suggest that you ask the rescue "why" behind questions 1 and 2 for this particular pup. Here's a couple of things that I've found in my experience as a rescue volunteer.

1. Is this a dog with a high energy level who needs play with another pup to tire him out and keep him physically and mentally stimulated and healthy? If so, this may not be a good match, as the new pup will drive your older dog crazy. The reason I actually wound up with my Tessa as a foster (who I then adopted) is because she was a year old, very high energy, and in a foster home with senior dogs. She was upsetting the older dogs and she herself was not very happy. I already had a dog her same age and it worked out great. 
2. If the answer to this question is the same as #1 (high energy and needs to run) then again this may not work. On the other hand, if it's a "nice to have" vs. a "must have" for this pup, you might be able to create a nice-sized play place using the fence and a covered roof - sort of a doggy play pergola. 
3. You will have to watch him in a variety of settings, indoor and out, to see if he lifts. If the rescue has him in a foster home, they should be able to tell you.
4. No, I would not expect the rescue to hold the dog. It's far more important to us to have the fluff in a suitable home as quickly as possible. And to be very honest, my annual vet fees for a wellness exam and titers are around $300 per dog. Dental is another $400 per year, and my experience has been that most rescues require dentals on a regular basis. You want to make sure you're prepared for the financial impact of adding another fluff to your family at this point in time. 

Good luck to you! And thank you for wanting to help this pup!


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

*Expensive little critters!!*



GreenFuzzer said:


> The last thing is his fee is $250, every time we get the money set aside for him so I can contact them the next day our van, my mom's van or my son's needs emergency repairs. Since I discovered him repairs have totaled $1,250! Will rescues hold a furbaby for payments for 30 days or something like that while the new parents are paying them their fee? Thank you for taking time to read this and giving me your thoughts.


I applaud you for wanting to rescue a little life & your intentions are very, very good. I am just going to be blunt here and I really hope I don't offend you, and no offense is meant :yield:. I'm just being honest with my thoughts since you asked for our 'thoughts'. 

This is probably not what you want to hear, but here it is:
If you have a tight budget & other responsibilities at this time, which make it that you can't afford this dogs adoption fee, can you really afford his vet care & all of the other expenses that go along with owning another dog? What if that dog winds up needing surgery? Will you be able to afford pet insurance to help cover a catastrophic health event? Or pay for surgery out of pocket if you don't have pet insurance? Quality food is also expensive. These are just some things which immediately came to my mind upon reading your post. 

I apply this to myself as well, Hubby & I would love to have more than one dog, but right now one dog is what we can afford comfortably without overextending ourselves financially. When we move upon our retirement a few years from now we will be moving to a cheaper area, cheaper taxes etc. & downsizing our home to a smaller one {our New Jersey where we live now is THE WORST on taxes & cost of living is very high here} We're hoping someday when we retire & when our living expenses are less to add another dog, but not now, at this time in our lives it just costs too much for more than one.

Rescues want to make sure the people whom they are adopting to can afford to take care of the animals which they adopt properly & caring for a pet is not cheap. Unfortunately 'Love' & 'safety' alone which you so wonderfully offer a dog won't be enough 'on their own' to take care of another precious little one, unfortunately it takes a bunch of $$$ too. It would be nice if love really is all you need like the song says, but sadly that's just not reality. To me it sounds like you already have a lot of financial responsibilities without adding another precious life to the mix :wub:. Just something to think about. *Take it or leave it* --that is just my thought on the matter.


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## GreenFuzzer (Jun 16, 2007)

maggieh said:


> Thank you for wanting to adopt this baby! I would suggest that you ask the rescue "why" behind questions 1 and 2 for this particular pup. Here's a couple of things that I've found in my experience as a rescue volunteer. . . . . .


MaggieH It seems like you are confirming the things we knew but hoped we were wrong about. Thankfully where I am the medical and dental is not as high as you apparently have to deal with. Which is a good thing for us. Thank you for your thoughts.



LOVE_BABY said:


> I applaud you for wanting to rescue a little life & your intentions are very, very good. I am just going to be blunt here and I really hope I don't offend you, and no offense is meant :yield:. I'm just being honest with my thoughts since you asked for our 'thoughts'. . . .


Oh no Love_Baby you did exactly as I asked. You did state one of the things hubby and I have been discussing. It is also the main reason I hadn't asked for advice until now. This was an extreme case for us and not a 'normal' situation. We know once here we can handle the cost, the question of payments was more that we don't want to miss out on this little man if everything else is right. 

I want to thank you both for your thoughts. You both have confirmed more and more either we are not right for him or he is not right for us. Thank you for allowing me to discuss this with you and get your thoughts.
http://spoiledmaltese.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

GreenFuzzer said:


> MaggieH It seems like you are confirming the things we knew but hoped we were wrong about. Thankfully where I am the medical and dental is not as high as you apparently have to deal with. Which is a good thing for us. Thank you for your thoughts.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You're right - I'm in the Chicago area and vets here are more expensive. 

I'm sorry this doesn't seem to be working out right now. Hang in there - you never know when circumstances will change and the time/dog will be the right one for you. Thank you for wanting to help the rescue fluffs!


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