Dog rescue/adoption?

We recently moved to SOMA (why didn’t we move here sooner ??!?). Thinking of adopting a dog to add to our brood of cats. What are the best local animal rescues for dog adoption? Thinking of a pittie mix, but any sweet dog would be wonderful. 

St. Hubert’s.

Welcome to the neighborhood.

Second on St. Hubert's, or one of the national breed rescues. (Lots of discarded hunting dogs make great house pets: pointers, setters etc.)  Would avoid Home for Good Dogs, which is a whole big bag of mishigoss. 

jimmurphy said:

St. Hubert’s.

Welcome to the neighborhood.

 Thank you! 

Also check out adoptapet.com and/or petfinder.com.  They aggregate many shelters / rescues so you can search for a dog based on size, age, primary breed, etc.

My suggestion for dog newbies would be not to get one this time of year as it is the worst time for house training (if needed) & getting on a schedule because of the weather.  That being said there are a lot of dogs who need homes so if you are ready then go for it!

wendyn said:

Also check out adoptapet.com and/or petfinder.com.  They aggregate many shelters / rescues so you can search for a dog based on size, age, primary breed, etc.

My suggestion for dog newbies would be not to get one this time of year as it is the worst time for house training (if needed) & getting on a schedule because of the weather.  That being said there are a lot of dogs who need homes so if you are ready then go for it!

 Actually apply now because it can easily be months before you are approved at some rescues.

Apparenty its tough to get shelter dogs these days.  A hot commodity during the pandemic.  St. Huberts is the elite dog shelter but I agree with going broad and using Petfinder.  I can't comment on them generally or how they compare with others but we got our dog through Home for Good Dogs and we love him.  It's been years but I don't recall anything bad about the experience. 

 We have fostered 7 dogs/puppies over the last few months through www.louieslegacy.org. They're based out of Staten Island. https://louieslegacy.org/adoptable-pets-new-york/

Joe Rispo, who represents Lost Paws Animal Rescue of Pittstown, NJ, here in South Orange has posted an adorable lab puppy named Stanley, who's up for adoption on the SOMA for Animals Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1528738440726692/permalink/2792816310985559/

According to the Petfinder entry, Stanley is good with cats, but I'm not sure how that's been established.  

We adopted our current wonderful guy from louie's legacy, so I second jfinnegan's recommendation.

We have had recent experience in this field.  Our first rescue, almost 4 yrs ago, was a beautiful, sweet, SERIOUSLY anxious 2 yr old female pointer/pit mix, who despite medication and lots of training, was unable to overcome her issues and ultimately was put down (3 1/2 yrs later) after an unprovoked biting attack.

Our current rescue, is a 7-8 yr old neutered male english lab, who is probably the sweetest, most easy going, chill dog I have ever known.

Both dogs came from (different) rescues, which primarily brought North abandoned dogs from the South.  I found both dogs on petfinder.org.  

Perhaps I didn't know the right questions to ask with the first dog.  My prior experiences with dogs was purchasing a puppy from family.  

Regardless of the questions you ask, you can probably assume that the story you get from any rescue is questionable at best. They only can tell you what they have found out from the shelters.   However, I did have very different experiences with the rescues.  The first one, in retrospect, was a bit sketchy. The one we worked with recently was very involved and seemed to really care that we got the RIGHT dog for us.

Please feel free to PM me for specifics of the rescue organizations we worked with.  Although I do feel very comfortable giving a shout out to :

Save One Soul Animal Rescue League

P.O. Box 498, Wakefield, RI 02880info@sosarl.org | www.sosarl.org | 401.206.0727

[This rescue is located in RI but our dog was delivered to NJ]

Good luck!!!

Elle_Cee said:

Joe Rispo, who represents Lost Paws Animal Rescue of Pittstown, NJ, here in South Orange has posted an adorable lab puppy named Stanley, who's up for adoption on the SOMA for Animals Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1528738440726692/permalink/2792816310985559/

According to the Petfinder entry, Stanley is good with cats, but I'm not sure how that's been established.  

 OMG. He’s gorgeous!

snowmom said:

We have had recent experience in this field.  Our first rescue, almost 4 yrs ago, was a beautiful, sweet, SERIOUSLY anxious 2 yr old female pointer/pit mix, who despite medication and lots of training, was unable to overcome her issues and ultimately was put down (3 1/2 yrs later) after an unprovoked biting attack.

Our current rescue, is a 7-8 yr old neutered male english lab, who is probably the sweetest, most easy going, chill dog I have ever known.

Both dogs came from (different) rescues, which primarily brought North abandoned dogs from the South.  I found both dogs on petfinder.org.  

Perhaps I didn't know the right questions to ask with the first dog.  My prior experiences with dogs was purchasing a puppy from family.  

Regardless of the questions you ask, you can probably assume that the story you get from any rescue is questionable at best. They only can tell you what they have found out from the shelters.   However, I did have very different experiences with the rescues.  The first one, in retrospect, was a bit sketchy. The one we worked with recently was very involved and seemed to really care that we got the RIGHT dog for us.

Please feel free to PM me for specifics of the rescue organizations we worked with.  Although I do feel very comfortable giving a shout out to :

Save One Soul Animal Rescue League

P.O. Box 498, Wakefield, RI 02880info@sosarl.org | www.sosarl.org | 401.206.0727

[This rescue is located in RI but our dog was delivered to NJ]

Good luck!!!

 Thank you!

OP asked “Dog rescue/adoption?”

To me, rescue means you go to the kill shelter and get the dog.  I’d call the transactions discussed here adoption - someone other than the adopting family did all the hard work. Rescue is tough to do. That’s why it is so respected.

Whenever I’m taken for a walk, and I meet an interesting dog, I ask the other human where their dog came from. 75% of the time it’s Home for Good Dogs. They are all good dogs. In the last few months, I’ve been meeting some good dogs from Lost Paws, via this Joe guy, and from Louies. A well known name may get your attention, but in the end, it’s all about the dog. Same principle that applies to humans.

@birdwatcher,

We've had four dogs in NJ.  First was a puppy from a litter here in M'wood found by a card posted on a supermarket bulletin board.  Greatest dog EVER!!!

After his time came we mourned- about 6 mos. then started our hunt for the next one.  We searched for months, using among other resources Petfinder, going to many shelters. Finally we wnt to Newark pound and found her.  She was abandoned in a park and taken to Newark pound.  I don't know why we didn't got there earlier.

Next dog we searched again for months- again using Petfinder a lot and just going to the 'usual' places.  Indeed we finally found our next guy thru one of their listings-- just a bit out of our search area.  Our guy had been neglected and the local animal control office took him from the owner.  Very nice people at the shelter; unfortunately they closed.

Our next (current) guy came from St Hubert's.  It's probably the largest and most respected shelter in Northern NJ.  I don't recall ever seeing listings for their animals on any web site other than own.  One thing- they are very high volume.  

On a couple of occasions we went back, within a few days, to look at dogs we were luke warm about, only to find the dogs had been sent to other shelters (often out of state).  In fact, we went to St. H on a Tues afternoon and left empty handed again.  I insisted on going back Thur morning- we found him.  He had become available late Wed afternoon.  He had been picked up as a stray in Arizona and came as part of a group dogs flown in.

Our experience has been that you can find a love machine by lots of different means.  Just take your time.

GL

My Isabella was unexpected. I'd had dogs growing up, and during my married/kid-raising years, but hadn't thought of getting one for myself.  My then-landlady asked me to foster her for 2 weeks.  A Parvo scare forced the shelter in S.O. (that's now closed) to scramble for temporary homes for all the animals.

After a week, I couldn't give her up.  She was a year old, came up from Georgia by train, arrived at the shelter and immediately delivered 9 puppies.  My former landlady found homes for all of them, and I adopted her.  That was nearly 9 yrs ago!.  She's been a godsend!

I started poking around on Petfinder for a possible companion to keep Isabella feeling young, (though I can't afford 2 dogs) or as a " void-filler" when I out-live her.  I'm impressed by the very specific filters I can use to find a dog that would be a good fit, & have been smitten by several they've sent profiles on in  just a few days.

I recommend at least registering at petfinder to see if they've got your next furry friend there.

I would check out the Newark shelter, as they are a kill facility from what I understand.  They have mostly bully breeds, but have a room where they house mostly smaller dogs that they don’t advertise.  I would encourage you to ask a lot of questions about the dogs you are interested in, as some shelters are less than forthcoming about behavioral/medical issues.

Okokokok said:

I would check out the Newark shelter, as they are a kill facility from what I understand.  They have mostly bully breeds, but have a room where they house mostly smaller dogs that they don’t advertise.  I would encourage you to ask a lot of questions about the dogs you are interested in, as some shelters are less than forthcoming about behavioral/medical issues.

 Yes, particularly if you're looking for a pittie mix, Newark is a good place to check out -- save a soul before time runs out & they're put down.  Even tho I adopted Isabella from the now defunct S.O. shelter, I think they sent her there to be spayed, & I picked her up.  Or that may have been our previous dog, who we found ar the Union shelter.

Thank you for considering a pit mix! They are awesome dogs. Please consider adopting an adult dog, especially a senior. Puppies are a ton of work and it can take forever to get one, while the adults languish in shelters.

Also consider fostering a dog. If you're new to dogs, it's a great way to learn what dog personality traits (activity level, etc.) will be a good fit for your household while having the financial, medical, and training support of the rescue organization. It's a hugely important part of the animal rescue process. 

You might submit an application to a couple of rescue organizations, then let the rescue find the right dog for you. They are always scanning the shelters, taking in owner surrenders, and networking with other rescues, so chances are good the right dog would turn up pretty quickly. 

I'm a long-time supporter of Pick Your Paw Rescue in Red Bank, a small but mighty rescue specializing in pit mixes. They tirelessly support their dogs and their foster/adoptive families. Read the About Us page and wipe away a tear. 
http://pickyourpaw.org/ 
https://www.facebook.com/PickYourPaw/

 I also have some suggestions for German Shepherd rescues if that's an option.

I hope you will consider going to the Newark shelter. Lots of great pit mixes there. My suggestion for finding the right dog in a shelter is to befriend the volunteers and ask them which dogs are the volunteer favorites. They spend one-on-one time with the dogs and get a good feel for their personalities. I can give you the names of some volunteers at the Newark shelter who would be happy to show you around.

You can trust kthnry on this.  She's the one who brought my beautiful Isabella to me, & found homes for all her babies!

Juniemoon said:

You can trust kthnry on this.  She's the one who brought my beautiful Isabella to me, & found homes for all her babies!

 I will always be grateful to juniemoon for providing such a great home to Isabella.

In fact, I'm fostering an incredibly sweet young pit mix here at my winter home in San Antonio. She's house-trained and knows how to sit and shake. Gets along well with the other dogs. Just a great little dog. I'm working with a couple rescues to get her transported up north. 

bub said:

Apparenty its tough to get shelter dogs these days.  A hot commodity during the pandemic.  St. Huberts is the elite dog shelter but I agree with going broad and using Petfinder.  I can't comment on them generally or how they compare with others but we got our dog through Home for Good Dogs and we love him.  It's been years but I don't recall anything bad about the experience. 

Home for Good Dogs has gotten in legal trouble for falsifying health histories of dogs to hide illnesses. The criminal charges may still be pending as they were charged in Dec. 2019. 

susan1014 said:

bub said:

Apparenty its tough to get shelter dogs these days.  A hot commodity during the pandemic.  St. Huberts is the elite dog shelter but I agree with going broad and using Petfinder.  I can't comment on them generally or how they compare with others but we got our dog through Home for Good Dogs and we love him.  It's been years but I don't recall anything bad about the experience. 

Home for Good Dogs has gotten in legal trouble for falsifying health histories of dogs to hide illnesses. The criminal charges may still be pending as they were charged in Dec. 2019. 

 Wow.  Sorry to read this.

I adopted two dogs from Puerto Rico right after the hurricane.  It took 6-8 weeks.   It's a route that is not for everyone but my girls are beyond incredible.  

A friend of ours adopted a dog from Puerto Rico last year also. He's a great dog. Louieslegacy.org is having dogs available for fostering the next couple of Saturdays if you're interested. 

Another smaller, local shelter is Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter on Route 10, behind the PetSmart, in East Hanover.  My daughter got a long-term cat resident, and we adopted our MinPin mix from them.  

njshelter.org