[John Howard]

Okay, I have been looking on rescuetheanimals.org through all the animal shelters for several counties around me. I looking at every dog they have. I would say roughly, 60% of what they have is some kind of Pit mix, 30% is Chihuahua mix, 8% Random Large breed dogs, 2% very old small dogs. I have no interest at all owning anything with pit in it, not really fond of Chihuahuas, I don't want any large breed dog, and I don't want to make an emotional investment in a dog that might die in the next couple of years.

I have tried using adoptapet.com to locate a dog to go check out, and it keeps saying no dogs match. It also does not work very well. If I choose, "YOUNG" it comes up with 10 year old dogs.

I also went down to the local SPCA and looked through their dogs and found nothing.

I want to go dog hunting today, but I can't even find a place to start. Can anyone recommend a good site for searching?

 

[Aspen726]

Hi @John Howard !

Welcome to DF!

What are you looking for in a new dog? Have you ruled out buying from a reputable breeder? I'm not sure where you are located but perhaps you should try a Google search for a rescue local to you (if you choose to use a rescue). If you're on Facebook, you could look at various groups on there as well.

If you give us some info about what you are looking for, people here may be able to suggest something.

 

[timber]

You can try adopt-a-pet. Have you tried googling "dog rescues texas" and see what rescues come up?

 

[Aspen726]

@timber - thanks for pointing out that he's from TX... I missed that!

There are LOTS of lab rescues in Texas, if you were interested in a lab...

 

[John Howard]

Hi @John Howard !

Welcome to DF!

What are you looking for in a new dog? Have you ruled out buying from a reputable breeder? I'm not sure where you are located but perhaps you should try a Google search for a rescue local to you (if you choose to use a rescue). If you're on Facebook, you could look at various groups on there as well.

If you give us some info about what you are looking for, people here may be able to suggest something.

Thanks. I am looking for a small breed (not tiny) dog between 12 and 20lbs (full grown) that will be a low to medium energy family lapdog dog. I do not like hyper dogs. I am looking for a dog that is under 1 yr old. Breeds I have been considering are the Beagle and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, of course a good mix of one these would be acceptable as long as it was not a mix with a Pit or a larger breed dog, or a high energy dog like a Rat or a Jack Russel.

 

[mathilda]

breed specific sides are good. especially if they're from FCI breeding clubs.
I expect from these people that they know their breed very well and so can screen the applicant for the dog very specifically to find a good owner and not one that is overchallenged with this kind of breed.
This is especially important with working dog breeds or breeds that have very special requirements.

In Germany these sides are often called "[Breed] in Not" or "[Breed] Nothilfe" and are easy to find via google.
I'm sure there's also such a thing in America.

 

[StormyPeak]

I used Petfinder in the past. It will list shelters within 500 miles of your zip code.
With Petfinder I saw photos and descriptions of animals that I ended up adopting.
Information about the shelter is usually listed so I would just call and talk to them about the pet I was interested in

With many of my pets I adopted them based off their photo and the conversations I had with the shelter workers, I never saw the actual animal until I went to pick them up, and the trips were a good ways from my home town. But I knew what I wanted in a pet as far as personality and even as far as what they looked like.

I love grey tuxedo cats, but around my hometown they are few and far between. I also love dogs with some longer fur on them...but my shelter has mostly slick coat dogs...pitbull mixes, hounds, blue heelers, rottweilers..etc.

Also, there were a lot of animals I called about that I thought about adopting, but in talking with the shelter workers, I found that the pet I was inquiring about wasn't going to work for me due to it being high energy, or a determined resource guarder...etc.

I've adopted:

1 cat, Shayle, from my home town shelter
1 cat, Kayla, from Haley Idaho
1 cat, Song, from Butte Montana

1 dog, Harper, from Dillon Montana
1 dog, Jaya, from Boise, Idaho
1 dog, Lacey, from my hometown shelter
1 dog, HaHa, from my hometown shelter.

Over the years, I have had to put some of them down due to old age, or illness, but I still have Jaya, HaHa and Song. Every pet I got from out of town ended up being wonderful pets, those I adopted from my hometown shelter ended up being great pets too, it's just that with them, I got to run up to the shelter a few times to observe the animal before making a decision.

Maybe I just got lucky in getting such great pets just based upon looking at a photo and relying on the honesty and forthright opinion of the shelter workers about the pet's personality and issues... I don't know, but I'll probably do it again given it's worked for me so nicely so many times.

Best of luck in finding your next pet...hope you end up with exactly what you are looking for.... don't get discouraged either if it takes Time! Some of my hunts lasts several months before I found a pet that looked the way I wanted one to look like and I got back reports from the shelter people about it's personality. Like I said, I skipped past a lot of beautiful animals I would have loved to adopt but felt they had issues I didn't want to deal with.

Stormy

 

[kmes]

Ditto petfinder.com
IME it's one of the most popular listing sites for shelters and rescues.

 

[PoppyKenna]

How far are you willing to travel? You can set the parameters in adoptapet to anything within 250 miles, and petfinder I think you can go as high as 100 miles or 500 miles.

Another suggestion would be to contact dog rescues, as @timber suggested, and just let them know what you're looking for. Even if they don't have a dog in their care, they may know of one. Many pull from high-kill shelters that are swimming with dogs, so may be willing to help you find a dog in that situation (the rescue I got my dog from did this).

My dog came from Oklahoma, near OKC, and they are constantly packed with dogs. I can only imagine what the bigger Texas cities deal with.

 

[Aspen726]

I also recommend Petfinder.

Also, important to note- even breed specific rescues have other breeds that they take in. I would recommend putting your name in with a few rescues near you and let them know what you're looking for. Perhaps they can match you up, or at the very least, direct you.

 

[TruckersMom]

Petfinder.

I found my dog there. But while waiting for him I saw a tone of dogs that fit my criteria (Hound, Adult, Good with Cats).

 

[Rain]

Thanks. I am looking for a small breed (not tiny) dog between 12 and 20lbs (full grown) that will be a low to medium energy family lapdog dog. I do not like hyper dogs. I am looking for a dog that is under 1 yr old. Breeds I have been considering are the Beagle and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, of course a good mix of one these would be acceptable as long as it was not a mix with a Pit or a larger breed dog, or a high energy dog like a Rat or a Jack Russel.

In your other thread you mention no known genetic health problems, considering that I'd steer clear of King Charles Spaniels. They are lovely dogs, but if you do not get one from a very good breeder they stand a good chance of having a few horrible genetic health problems Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - Health & Genetic Diseases Now nearly every breed of dog has at least some genetic health problems but CKCS are, as a whole, not a healthy breed. http://www.ckcsc.org/ckcsc/ckcsc_inc.nsf/Founded-1954/inherithealth.html

Have you checked out PetFinder? I used Dallas as the town since I wasn't sure which part of TX you're in https://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?location=Dallas%2C+TX&animal=dog&breed=&age=young&filtersUpdated=false&distance=500&size=small&name=

 

[StormyPeak]

I would like to add that the the pets I listed were just the ones I did find using Petfinder - even the ones I got locally, I first spotted their photos on Petfinder.

Before the age of home computers, I had adopted just one pet from our local shelter. There were two pups (born there) and I really wanted the female white one, but the shelter decided to give it to someone else, and gave me the chance to take the black and brown one...which I did...and ended up loving her for 16 years...her name was Shilo...a very small poodle x terrier mix.

The internet sure made pet searches much easier...and faster when it did come to finding the right kind of pet that one would like to adopt, as least for me, where I live in a very small town and the shelter is very limited in the variety of dogs that show up there....as I said, most are slick haired dogs...forgot to say that many are border collies too, and those are just too high energy for me.

And, as some said about Petfinder, you can put in the distance parameters to broaden searches. But in my case, 100 miles would land me out in the middle of no where - or I should say - would land me 100 miles from the center of no where...lol...Then it would take another 60 miles just to get to an interstate...and probably 20 to 30 miles on it to get into a city.

So, for pet searching, the internet has been a huge help. Petfinder has been a great tool for me, I usually just stuck the parameter at 500 miles and it would usually list sights closest...like those in Montana, or Southern Idaho...the Utah and after that Nevada and California.

I was willing to drive 300 miles or so to get a pet, but I did a lot of calling and emails with the shelter before committing.

Stormy

 

[SusanLynn]

Another site to check out is: ― Rescue Me! ― Adopt Dogs, Cats & More ―.

It shows the available dogs by state.

 

[traciek88]

There are loads of Beagles for adoption in private Beagle rescues, such as Beagle Freedom Project, and many southern states have small hound dog mixes. A Basset might suit you as a low energy dog but they are larger. And if you want a dog that is calm then it's actually best TO get an adult dog. That doesn't mean a senior but one 2-5 years old.

I also agree petfinder is one of the best sites. And you can google Beagle and Cavalier (or other desirable breed) rescues in your area. You might even look into finding a shelter that allows you to put an alert or hold on a small breed, younger dog. Small breed dogs get adopted VERY fast. I worked in a shelter and some would literally get adopted within 5 minutes of being put on the floor. There ARE most definitely dogs that fit what you want, but you just need to look a bit harder than if you wanted a larger dog.

 

[John Howard]

Thanks everyone. I have been on petfinder all day looking at dogs. Texas is over run with pits and chihuahuas. I found a few dogs that pulled on my heart strings though, unfortunately, I can get a single shelter to answer their dang phone or return me call or email. I am kind of moving away from beagles to cocker spaniels. A lot of advice against beagles have been given. Maybe a mix that would tone them down a bit is still doable.

 

[John Howard]

How much trust should I put in the breed classification that is listed on petfinder.com dogs. I mean some of the look good but some are like, "What"

Here is a picture of a dog. I am curious to see what ya'll think it is. Make your best guess and then I will tell you what petfinder says it is.

 

[traciek88]

How much trust should I put in the breed classification that is listed on petfinder.com dogs. I mean some of the look good but some are like, "What"

Eh, take it with a grain of salt. Some people at shelters are not very good at classifying the breeds. Some want to make the dog sound exotic or less common (or less like an "undesirable" breed like a Pit Bull) and more adoptable, so they call it something else. Some are really common "alternatives" to certain breeds. For example if you put in "Dalmatian" you'll get a lot of Pit Bull mixes with spots that come up! Also, even for dog experts, sometimes exact breeds are difficult to pin down in dogs. Those are often called "Heinz 57" or "could be anythings"! So when they're listed online they just say whatever the dog sort of looks like, and it can be very hit or miss.

Hm...That dog looks to me like a Pug mixed with something larger. Maybe with a Boxer or random Mutt. What's it say?

And just curious but what's making you shy away from Beagles? Usually people don't like their barks or shedding, but I like them better than Cocker Spaniels. Everyone's different, but I've seen plenty of Cockers or Cocker mixes in shelters and rescues too.

 

[Rain]

Brindle chihuahua x dach maybe, BUT it's really hard to tell going by that picture, I can't tell body length, size, chest shape, or tail.

 

[John Howard]

Beagle Pug