Has anybody had a good experience with a rescue dog?

[AMockingbirdCalledScout]

We were planning to buy a Pomeranian from a breeder.
However, in our local rescue a pair of dogs have been giving me heart eyes and I'm falling in love. Their background is that apparently an old lady passed away leaving her Pomeranian and Westie x Lhasa Apso, 3 years old and 4 months respectively. No family members wanted the dogs, so they sent them to the local rescue . They would prefer them to be rehomed together but they can be rehomed separately. I've never rescued before because our Alaskan Klee Kai, Bear and Finnish Lapphund, Leo are fairly rare dogs and we had been on lists for years before we got our pups. DH thinks we should go for it and so do I but I just want some reassurance that people get rescue dogs and are better for it. My sister is horrified that we are planning on rehoming both (can't bear to pass them both up and we did want a puppy) but oh well, her pugs and basset hound annoy me anyway.
Pictures would be lovely!
Btw, they're called Phoebe and Millie.
The Pom's Phoebe and the cross is Millie.

Someone dh knew was giving our girl away on fb as the rescue nearby was full.

She is the most affectionate soppy old thing and is beautifully behaved. She adores Dd and the feeling is entirely mutual.

Not read the full topic yet but all my dogs have been rescues. Some with issues but only because I don't mind taking them on. Some have been the perfect dog. The trick is to find a rescue that is honest, preferably one that grills you with questions as they will be more likely to fit you to the right dog

Also the dogs history is important, ie they won't know as much about a stray as they will about one that was given up reluctantly for some personal reasons

My two with my 5 month old

My gorgeous boy is a staff mix found on the streets at around 3 months old.
He's now 6ish and has been the best dog we could ever ask for.
He has been through multiple house moves, the arrival of two DC and two rescue kittens. Taken it all in his stride.

Go for it OP.

We had 2 old english sheep dogs many years ago, they were wonderful dogs, when they died it was terrible, i felt i couldn't love another dog ever again.
After 20 years of marriage we adopted 2 children 1 and 2 years old.
After another 20 years we adopted HANSEL, an 18 month old rescue dog from Portugal.
Hansel is wonderful, good with everyone including our 2 cats.

My Dbrother has rehomed three dogs.

Ddog 1 perfect lovely dog.

Ddog 2 separation anxiety and fear aggression...not socialised at all but had lived with another dog who may have bullied her, but otherwise lovely dog.

Ddog 3 very affectionate and housetrained but problems on walks with cars, possibly a fear reaction to the cars, and some other dogs. But they have only had her a few months so she is still adjusting. No history and picked up as a stray.

They have loved each one dearly but were hoping that Ddog 3 would have fewer issues. (The first two dogs have sadly passed away)

I have a rescue jack russell he is so loving and well behaved. He just slotted in the family like he's always been there even though he was 8 when we got him

I had a rescue lab. She was two when I got her. The previous owner had form for taking on puppies and leaving them into the rescue centre when they grew up and lost their cuteness

She was a diamond of a dog. So good natured, no behavioural problems and when dc came along the perfect dog around children. She passed away two years ago through old age and I still can't bring myself to get another dog yet as I know no-one can live up to her.

Now I've had time to read properly I say go for it.
They might be a little spoiled, if so just be firm they will soon adapt to new rules

We got our wee rescue cockapoo from dogs trust. She has been a joy since we got her 3 years ago and I'd definitely recommend rescuing.

We have three rescue dogs.

DDog1 (whippet) came from the local RSPCA centre. We got him when ds2 was just 2 years old.

DDog2 (lurcher) came from Dogs Trust. We got her when ds2 was 3 years old.

DDog3 (whippet) came to us as a foster from Just Whippets. He was adopted by a family and returned to rescue in less than a week. We re-fostered him and couldn't bare to see him passed from pillar to post so two weeks later we adopted him too.

Don't expect to get a dog who will fit in seamlessly into your life. Expect to have to do some training and do listen to everything the rescue tell you about the dogs and make sure they are something you are prepared to take on (for example, we told the people who adopted ddog3 that he was a food thief. They were then surprised when he stole food...). That said, you'd also expect to do training and put in work with a puppy too. If you are prepared to put in work, a rescue dog is wonderful. If you are not prepared to put in the work, better not to get a dog of any kind. I do hate the stigma that some people attach to rescue dogs.

All my dogs have been rescues (4 altogether). No problems with any beyond what is normal for any dog. So many dogs needing homes, it's a fab thing to do.

Here are my two rescues.

The grey one came from a family who did a midnight flit and left her to starve to death in their apartment . Fortunately, the neighbors figured out she was in there after a couple of days and from there she went to a rescue, although she bounced through a few foster homes. She's the most perfect little girl, although she wasn't treated kindly at all by her first owners - she was beaten a lot we think. She came fully house-trained, so we just had to spend a couple of weeks getting her on a schedule and she NEVER had accidents after that. She loves everyone - especially children and cats.

The little white one was found living on the streets in Los Angeles and had a narrow escape from a high kill shelter. He'd clearly been a housedog at some point as he was house-trained, but was absolutely traumized by his time as a street dog. One year later, he's no longer a scared little scrap, but a confident little chubster who can't get enough cuddles .

It takes a few weeks for a rescue to settle in and get into routine, but after that, I've found both my rescues, and my foster dogs to be plain sailing. Much easier than my one foster puppy!

We have a rescue pomeranian x shihtzu.

She is adorable and 6 months in we are so glad we got her. She is very food orientated (rustle a packet and she is there), totally stubborn, no recall and needed initial training to counter fear aggression. Even now she is a bit wary with other dogs but improving all the time.

I agree that you have to be prepared to put in work, we had to carefully manage her around other dogs at the start and address her relationship with DD, but I think that that can be the case with any dog.

She is a total sweetheart, and puts up with my DD cuddling her and teaching her endless tricks.

We had no idea of her background when we got her but we trusted the rescue and had heard lots of positive experiences about them.

I've had puppies and rescue dogs.

Rescues all the way now. Honestly. Especially on the circumstances you describe. Not being rehomed because of behaviour problems.

Please rescue!

Allfurcoat for fuck's sake! You said grey dog and I saw the picture of the large throw and wondered what the hell kind of dog you'd got!!!!!!

DDog2 and the late DDog1 were both rescues.

DDog1 came from an awful rescue (bare concrete kennels, minimal human interaction) as an adult and he was very damaged indeed but we were fully aware of that when we took him on. We were novice dog owners and they should never have let us have him but I'm so glad they did. He was terrified of the world outside our house and garden (and those of a select few family members) but inside the house he really was the most wonderful dog ever, I've never known a dog that was so absolutely rock solid around people and so incredibly good at working out exactly how to manipulate them to get what he wanted Despite his problems if we had the chance to have him all over again we would do like a shot.

DDog2 came from a well meaning but slightly clueless rescue as a puppy. Supposedly seven weeks she turned out to be younger (five weeks at most) and that has had a last effect on her. She has some inherited health and conformation related issues, a naturally rather anxious temperament and as a younger developed obsessive behaviours at the drop of a hat (we still have to be a bit careful with her now and she's nine years old!!) but in general she is a very lovely dog. She's absolutely fantastic out and about, you literally could take her anywhere and she'd be absolutely fine. Obviously taking on a rescue puppy is much more of a risk than an adult dog as it's highly unlikely they've come from anywhere remotely reputable and you don't really know exactly what you're going to be getting.

Dogs bought as puppies, even from the best breeders, can still end up with issues of their own. DWhippet1 came from a fantastic breeder but had a really unlucky run of bad experiences with rude/aggressive dogs and he's now reactive. He is improving lots and I think the fact he does have such a sound temperament (thanks to his breeding and the work his breeder put in before he came home to us) is really helping him overcome his worries.

DWhippet2 is a little mistrustful of things on wheels as he was mown down by a cyclist (who came flying round a blind bend on a footpath they shouldn't have been on ) when he was a puppy. It's not a major issue at all (he just prefers to walk on the inside when we're next to roads mainly) but it just goes to show anything can happen at any time which may have a lasting effect on any dog.

If you're happy with the rescue, their setup and the dogs themselves I'd say go for it!!

Love my two.
We had one from kennel and one from foster. We had more to 'discover' about the kennel boy, a few little foibles they'd not picked up on. The foster girl they knew back to front, we had loads more info on her from them. That's not going to be true for all of course-just our experience!
They are gentle, loving, funny, gorgeous fur babies and at 10 and 7 I hope we have many years more together.

Any dog you get either from a top breeder or a rescue centre can be an easy success, or more challenging.

My dn got a rescue 18m old collie x GSD cross. To begin with he was a nightmare, hyper, noisy, nipped, terrified and nipped the post lady (who luckily was a dog lover and never reported it).

2 years on he is still hyper and noisy. He still has guarding tendencies which they have to manage. But he's less nippy and better trained as she takes him to agility twice a week and walks daily for hours. She would class him as a successful rescue.

We rescued an elderly lab a year ago today. We are first time owners and we love her to bits. We know we are her retirement home and we hope we make her last few years happy and peaceful with lots of tummy rubs.

My beautiful rescue. Perfect dog. Everyone who meets her loves her

Rescues are the best. I got mine when my DDs were 4&1 so maybe a bit risky, but my boy is the gentlest dog I have ever met. He ADORES the kids, and has a dream temperament. He travels well in the car, has great recall, can be left alone for a few hours, and is a real cuddle monster. You won't regret it!

Mine is an old boy, rehomed from a friend of a friend as no rescue would take him as he was too old at 10, overweight and blind. He is such a sweetie, it took us 6 months to teach him some manners but he's much happier 3 years on at the proper weight, with proper boundaries and lots of cuddles. I luffs him

Rescued as a 9 year old, with us for 4 happy years.