‘I found a sweet five-year-old pup who had the same name as me, so it felt like it was meant to be! ‘: A woman seeking comfort and security finds happiness in the loving paws of a rescued pup, whose arrival filled a void and brought peace to her home

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    I've been looking at dogs available for adoption online (mainly on adopt-a- pet.com) since I moved into my new apartment in March and was no longer living with my black lab mix, because she belonged originally to my partner. After
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    five years of taking care of her, earning her trust, and even training her (she was the first dog I've ever had/lived with), I sorely missed the presence of a dog in my life, and the walk schedule I was accustomed to. I
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    work remotely 95% of the time, so not having a reason to step outside made it very easy for me to self-isolate and as you can imagine, this did not do wonders on my mood. I also missed
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    the sense of safety I got from living with a dog, be it her barking at the door everyone someone walked by, or her appearance potentially scaring off people with bad intentions. I mean, if
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    you're a woman reading this, you know how awkward it can be to go on walks around the neighborhood on your own, just for your enjoyment, without a dog, without looking like you're heading somewhere. Existing
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    in the public space as a woman is going to expose you to unwanted attention/behaviors, catcalls, etc. So I kept checking that website every day, with some criteria in mind. A
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    dog that was good with cats was a non- negotiable, since my cat's safety was my top priority. I did not want a pitbull - I am on the fence about them (I dog-sit my friend's pit and he's quite gentle and cries when smaller
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    dogs bark at him), but I do not feel comfortable owning one, it's too much of a liability. And I also wanted a dog who was house-trained - I am an animal lover and understand accidents happen,
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    but I also won't tolerate having my home casually used like a toilet. Ideally, I wanted a female medium or large dog between 3-7 years old, with black fur (just like my cat!), and possibly a German Shepherd
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    mix (that's sentimental - my late dad had a German Shepherd he loved when he was a teenager, and I grew up hearing amazing stories about her). But I was willing to be flexible and to allow myself to be surprised.
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    The website I used listed pets taken care of by rescues, as well as some being rehomed by their owners for many reasons. Some of the latter had obvious red flags, like dogs that were obviously purebred and had "rehoming
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    fees" of $400+. Some were listed twice using the same pictures but different names, by rescues and private owners. But I wasn't expecting to see so many red flags from rescues themselves.
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    There were definitely dogs that seemed purebred and that had higher adoption fees. There were some rescues who had such tedious application processes that you'd think you were adopting a kid, not a
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    dog. Some asked for a fee to be paid before the application was even approved. Some said that they do not label dogs as "house-trained" and lectured on and on about how being a dog owner means
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    that you should basically be okay with a dog relieving itself anywhere in your home, at any time (like I said, thanks but no thanks - dogs are smart enough to know what we expect of them in
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    Cheezburger Image 10567941632
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    that regard). And some obviously were trying to pass off pitbulls as "mixed breeds". That's when I found this sub, as well as a few others, and fell into a rabbit hole of links calling out
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    rescues, highlighting the keywords they use to mask a dog's behavioral issues that could potentially endanger other animals or humans (it's so important to ask why would a dog end up at a rescue in
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    the first place!). That really changed my perspective on a lot of things (including pitbulls). And it really confirmed my instincts about some things rescues said or did that seemed unethical, or like plain red flags.
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    I decided to just look for pets being rehomed by their owners, and a week ago, I found a sweet five-year-old pup who had the same name as me, so it felt like it was meant to be! I read her description carefully (she was great with
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    cats, sweet- tempered, and only being rehomed because the owners' older dog didn't get along with her). I filled out an application, and that evening, I got a text back! The next day, we had a FaceTime call at 12pm, where
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    the owners (a husband and wife about my age) patiently answered the long list of questions I had without a hint of judgment (wish rescues could do the - same they will use anything you ask against you!). Then
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    we decided to have a meet-and-greet at the dog park outside my building (I don't have a car at the moment because I live in a neighborhood where everything, including a highly- rated vet, is within walking distance!),
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    and have them come to my home to see where she'd be living, and they offered to move her in that evening if the meeting went well (they insisted there was no pressure for me to say yes, but I very enthusiastically agreed because I'd
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    fallen in love with her just from her pictures!). Rescues make hundreds of dollars off of you and leave you with a pet that you barely know anything about, having to learn everything about
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    them on your own, as you go. And you sometimes have some very unpleasant surprises when the rescue lies about certain things. My experience, however, was the best I could possibly hope for, as a first-
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    time solo dog owner. The couple so kindly gave me all of the pup's belongings, including her crate, leash and harness, beds, toys, grooming tools, nearly-full bag of quality food, medication, bowls,
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    etc. and did not accept any cash in return - they were so grateful to me for taking in this sweet girl they loved and were truly heartbroken to have to rehome (they adopted her from a shelter a few months ago). We texted
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    every single day - they were so helpful answering all my questions about her cues, her behaviors, her quirks (adorable!). I'm constantly sending them pictures and updates. And I will definitely invite them over to see her
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    regularly after she's acclimated to her new home and has fully bonded with me (that part is going extremely well - she has made so much progress in less than a week being here! We're working on basic commands and she's
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    such a smart and fast learner!). She is doing incredibly well with my cat and with kids in my building and around the neighborhood, as well as other dogs. In a word, she's perfect. I seriously couldn't have hoped
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    for a better outcome. And I'm so grateful for everyone in this sub - while most posts aren't warm and fuzzy, they helped confirm my instincts about certain red flags from rescues, and ultimately saved me money and
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    heartache. So I wanted to share this story here in the hope it helps other prospective dog owners consider adopting from private owners seeking to rehome, instead of shelters. (Plus it prevents the dogs from ending
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    up in the stressful environments of shelters in the first place, especially if the owners have to rehome due to difficult circumstances and run out of time/options!).

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