Might be getting a new dog

[fartkowski]

Hi
A few years ago our black lab past away. It was very hard, she was with us for I think 12 or 13 years.
A couple of days ago we were thinking of getting a new dog. We would be adopting it from the humaine society. The black lab is pretty much the only dog I've had before, except for when I was very young and don't really remember those. Any suggestions on types of dog I should consider?
I have always wanted a husky but I read up on it and don't know if it's for me.
The one they have at the shelter says siberian husky mix. Does the "mix" part make a difference on it's behavior. They have a few huskies that range in age from 7 months to 5 years old. What is the best age to adopt? I live in a house with a fairly large yard so that's not a problem. We do have two cats tho. For sure I don't want a yappy dog, I prefer something about the size of huskies, labs, nothing too huge.
Any ideas would be appreaciated.

chris

 

[RoachGirlRen]

I wouldn't go with anything husky if you have cats, to be completely honest. Does the shelter do temperament testing to see about compatibility with other animals? A lot of dogs get blindly labeled "husky mix" if they have blue eyes, which is completely inaccurate. But if the dog truly is significantly husky-blooded, I'd be leery of having one in a home with cats.
Most shelters do have an abundance of labs and lab mixes; if you were compatible with retrievers, I would shoot for some kind of ret. breed or a mix thereof. I have met a good deal of very lovely lab/shep mixes - the blend seems to result in the best traits of each for whatever reason, though obviously you should meet each dog individually and get a detailed profile of its behavior.
I don't suppose the shelter would let you volunteer for a week or so to get to know the dogs, and do they have a program where you can take the dog home overnight or for a weekend? You learn SO much more about a dog's personality with that kind of intimate interaction than you would simply trying to pick one out based on what is being said about its personality. I especially like the home visit as you're able to rule out dogs that would be utterly incompatible right off the bat; obviously, any dog isn't 100% itself in a new environment, but you can weed out dogs who won't work because they are blatantly not fitting with a family member or other pet.

 

[fartkowski]

The shelter has a color coded system. They do tell you if it's not compatable with other pets, has special needs, and its overall temperment. I will have to ask if I am allwoed to take it home for a night. Right now I am just looking at what they have on their website, but I think they have alot more at the shelter itself. I will probably be going down there in the next few days.
If your curious about how the shelter operates the website is www.torontohumanesociety.com

 

[skinheaddave]

It may also be a good idea to look around on websites of different SPCA branches. Hamilton, Welland, Niagara Falls, Simcoe and Guelph all have pages. I'm sure lots of places on the other side of the GTA do as well.

You mentioned a yard, but a yard alone does not automatically make for enough exercise for a dog. What is your lifestyle like? Is someone home a lot, or is the dog going to be alone most days? If this is the case, you may be better of shooting for two dogs. Are you generally active? What are you interested in doing with the dog? Long walks? Playing fetch? Teaching tricks? May as well get a dog that is suited to what you want to do.

Another consideration is your location. If the dog is going to be outside then you need something that is tollerant of both hot and cold. The husky mixes are great for the latter but can have issues with the former.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[fartkowski]

The dog will get alot of exercise as well as alot of attention.
There is pretty much someone home at all times.
The weather is another problem I read about with the husky's. We don't have air conditioning. It get pretty humid in the summer. I prefer to get something under 2-3 years old.
They don't have too many labs on the websie, that's why I was searching for other suggestions just in case. I will check out those other websites.
Thanks

 

[pitbulllady]

I was kinda surprised that the shelter didn't have more Husky-type dogs, but only two were listed, and with one, I honestly couldn't see any Husky at all. I was REALLY surprised by the number of Pit Bull-type dogs, given that this is in a province where those dogs are illegal and usually killed on sight. Many of those Pit-type dogs were probably loving family pets whose owners were forced to give them up to keep from going to jail. It was kinda sad, too, to see how many elderly dogs were there, and you have to wonder how they ended up at a shelter after so many years. If you're looking for a medium-sized dog, that can tolerate a hot muggy, air-conditionless summer, and you're willing to put forth the effort to provide plenty of exercise and company, I'd consider an adult female Pit/AmStaff, one that's already gotten over that annoying puppy chewing stage(males will keep this much longer, IF they get over it at all-most male APBT's tend to be somewhat developmentally-delayed), and has a known history with people and other animals. They're not as vocal as Huskies, are about the same size, and you won't have all that freakin' HAIR to deal with! That shelter definitely had some nice-looking specimens, so surely there's one that would suit you, and you can think of it as saving a refugee from prosecution, that is, IF it's legal to have one where you are. More and more places are banning Huskies and other Arctic breeds, too, though, as "wolf-hybrids", so it's getting harder and harder to find a breed that ISN'T affected by BSL.

pitbulllady

 

[fartkowski]

My wife was there a few weeks ago and she said they have alot more than whats listed on the website. Right now I'm just looking for ideas. Probably when I go there will be that one dog that you just know is right for you. You know, gives you that sad look.
I was considering a pit bull as well but I'll have to find out if it's legal.

Thanks for all the replies. Been really helpful.

 

[skinheaddave]

If you have kept a "bully breed" before then you are allowed to rescue one. If you have not previously owned and registered a pit bull, staffy, bull terrier etc. then you, unfortunately, can't own one now.

It sounds, however, like your place would be perfect for just such a high energy, people-loving dog. Hopefully you'll luck out as we did and find just such a dog who just happens not to be a pit.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[fartkowski]

We have never had a pit bull before so I guess that's out.
We were really thinking about gettin another lab.