Wow! How times have changed.

Sorry to hear about all the trials and tribulations, Yapette.

I've had three dogs from puppydom to croakdom over the past several decades and they all came by chance or by friends or friends of friends and they all rocked and were great (for the most part) and none of them cost me a dime except for the usual neutering and shots and stuff. Got a couple of cats that way too. I've never ventured into the sweaty, competitive world of pet acquisition by bird-dogging dogs and navigating crazed animal lover-land. I'm starting to have second thoughts on this as a valid way to get another dog.

I guess I shouldn't be too shocked as I know people who have traveled cross country to the get the dog they wanted or paid over a grand for a hot breed.

That said, the timing is right and I'll be checking out a few dogs in the rescue world in the coming weeks. I'm sort of the Zen school of doggie-getting. I figure it'll just sort of come together if I remain patient.

One good thing is through that Petfinders place you recommended, Yapette, I found a place with lots of Australian Shepards/mix of which I've had good luck with in the past. My best dog ever was a German Shepard/Australian Shepard mix.

Yikes! That must be discouraging! Half the reason to get an older dog is the assurance that they will have some self control dialed in.

So I looked at one of the those foster dog places with their application but that one is not gonna work. They want way too much personal information about me, including income, house ownership, 3 references, how many dogs I've had in the last ten years and why do I not have them now and a disclaimer that they intend to remain in contact with me if they deign to hand over a precious dog.

Nope. Not going to happen.

I'm not looking to adopt a child. I grew up on farm where animals are secondary to humans and though well treated and loved, not the center of the universe. If this is the norm, I'm just gonna start looking in the local hardware store for free dog signs. I understand people are idiots and some screening is required but that is over the top.

Speaking of incontinent dogs, my aged mother took in a 3 year old runaway that has no concept of where to go and she won't let anyone try to train it either. [Image Can Not Be Found] Is this  a refection of how out of whack our culture is becoming?

And the two dogs I liked at the Oregon Humane Society are gone now. In fact every dog I thought looked decent in the last three weeks has disappeared within a day or two. At least I have good taste. Either that or the foster people are absconding with them all.

I'm fine with a puppy if it can give me the secret paw shake. [Image Can Not Be Found]

Those commercials drive me nuts, too! They seem to have replaced the starving children ones with the pedophiliac spokesman, though, which is all to the good.

My vote is for the humane society if you're going to actively look for a dog. If you're just waiting on kismet, though, there's no point in going out of your way.

Rain, rain and more rain. I woke up one dawn a few weeks back to freezing rain and realized that getting a dog during one of the wettest Januarys ever would not be the best bonding experience. Think I'll wait till the waters recede or at least until I can see my shadow when I go outside. [Image Can Not Be Found]

Yapette, it's not the dog I'm worried about. It's me resenting having to walk the mutt through the crappy weather. While I don't mind rain one bit, I like to enjoy it from the comfort of my cozy house. Yeah, it will have to be a bigger dog not so impacted by weather.

As far as house training a dog, I've always successfully prevailed on their sense of self-preservation in that department. I'm pretty determined about getting my way when it comes to that. If I get a rescue dog that will be a big deal. A deal breaker actually if it can't or won't learn.

We never had a dog in the house when I was a kid. Or a cat. Even in the winter, in the snow they stayed out in their own digs. We had like 5 coon hounds and a beagle or two that all lived in a shed/pen behind the house. Dog pile every night so they were fine. When I was about two the hounds were my babysitters. My parents would always look in the shed first if I was missing. I'd be about halfway down the pile. Farm life in the 50s you know. Kids wander off on their own early. Dogs live in the barn. Nobody was evil. Double rainbows every dawn. Later my mom started letting her dog inside and that, according to my dad, was when western civilization began to collapse..