Couple adopted dog, now it has major issues

[gertie06]

I do some volunteer work with a local rescue, and I had a very difficult phone call yesterday.

This couple adopted a puppy from us about 6 months ago. It was a normal (but very high-energy) puppy, but now it’s having major issues. It is, like, anti-housetrained. They can spend an hour outside with her, and then she’ll come in and pee/poop in the house immediately. Accidents are every day, multiple times a day. She’s also crazy destructive. They’re at their wit’s end.

They both work outside the home, so the dog is admittedly crated too much. She’s peeing and pooping in her crate, playing with her poop, eating it, etc.

They say they live paycheck to paycheck. They can’t afford a trainer, or even to take the time off work to try and train the dog themselves. The rescue can’t afford to bankroll the training either (and honestly, if they’re not home to reinforce it, what’s the point?).

What the heck are we supposed to do? We can’t rehome this dog. Nobody wants to take on these issues. If they take her to the shelter, I fear she’ll just get adopted and returned ad nauseum. I feel like there’s no good answer here. And the poor dog is just a baby…less than a year old.

[FjordBCRF]

What, formally, does your rescue state about rehoming a dog that doesn’t work out? I have rescued twice, and in both cases it was clearly stated that if the dogs were not to work out or I needed to rehome either one, they would go back to the rescue I adopted them from. I think that is pretty common?

It seems like if the dog isn’t suited for the couple it needs to find a family that has more time and resources to work on training. Likely being in a crate all day at that age is playing a big role to the behavior as well. Doesn’t sound like a great match.

[lenapesadie]

I would expect a legitimate rescue to take this dog back. It’s not working out, clearly, with its current family. The rescue can then determine if they have a foster willing to rehab / train the dog into a good citizen or if euthanasia is the best course of action.

[trubandloki]

@gertie06

I do some volunteer work with a local rescue, and I had a very difficult phone call yesterday.

This couple adopted a puppy from us about 6 months ago. It was a normal (but very high-energy) puppy, but now it’s having major issues. It is, like, anti-housetrained. They can spend an hour outside with her, and then she’ll come in and pee/poop in the house immediately. Accidents are every day, multiple times a day. She’s also crazy destructive. They’re at their wit’s end.

They both work outside the home, so the dog is admittedly crated too much. She’s peeing and pooping in her crate, playing with her poop, eating it, etc.

They say they live paycheck to paycheck. They can’t afford a trainer, or even to take the time off work to try and train the dog themselves. The rescue can’t afford to bankroll the training either (and honestly, if they’re not home to reinforce it, what’s the point?).

What the heck are we supposed to do? We can’t rehome this dog. Nobody wants to take on these issues. If they take her to the shelter, I fear she’ll just get adopted and returned ad nauseum. I feel like there’s no good answer here. And the poor dog is just a baby…less than a year old.

I agree with the above posters. I can not imagine a rescue not taking the dog back in this situation. It sounds like a poor placement (not the right dog for the family, not saying the family is bad or anything) on the rescues part.

[gertie06]

Thanks, guys. I guess it’s a call for leadership/administration, which I’m not part of. I just feel involved since I was on the front lines for this call. I feel sorry for these people. The wife was crying on the phone.

I went back and looked at their original application. I totally agree this was a very poor match on the rescue’s part. The people said they’d be leaving the puppy crated 4-6 hours a day. And they lived in a condo with no yard. The rescue knew these pups were super high energy. So.

[Moon_River]

Sorry you’ve had the emotional burden dumped on you when it should have been obvious to decision makers that this was going to happen. I would not assume at all that this dog is as bad as they are finding it, or as unrehomeable as you think from the call, without actually having the dog in a good home to discover it’s real personality. If the application form said they were going to crate it for 4-6 hours I would have read it as it’s going to be crated for 8+ hours a day and no dog at all for you, people rarely tell the truth on forms so admitting to a half day crated would have been a massive red flag to me. So, puppy is now going to be 8-9 months old? It’s learnt inside is where you toilet because that’s what they’ve taught it, it can learn in an appropriate home that outside is preferable. It’s being destructive - no shit! It’s both hit adolescence and been left to find it’s own entertainment all day, no wonder it’s bouncing off the walls. Yes, it will require some more intensive work to help it work out how to actually cohabit with humans but it’s quite likely just a fairly normal dog that’s in a bad situation.

[FjordBCRF]

@Moon_River

If the application form said they were going to crate it for 4-6 hours I would have read it as it’s going to be crated for 8+ hours a day

100%

[gertie06]

Seriously. Now I’m peeved at the rescue. And truthfully, the adopters too. What business do you have adopting a high energy puppy when you are gone all day, live in a condo, and don’t have funds for training or doggy daycare? This poor dog is the victim of bad human decisions.

Also, I can 100% confirm that people lie on their applications. Happens constantly. I check vet references and you wouldn’t believe the sh*t I find out.

[seeuatx]

Locally there is a well reputed dog trainer that fosters for a rescue. Are there any trainers the rescue could contact that might be willing to volunteer. In this case hopefully the rescue has a clause that allows them to take the dog back and then place into appropriate foster…

[Angela_Freda]

The rescue I got most recent doggo from uses fosters, and would (because they have) take this dog back putting it with a foster able to untangle this.

But they’re very thorough and probably wouldn’t have sent a puppy, of a high energy breed, to a home where it would be crated as much and where funds weren’t there for training (cause its a puppy).
Poor doglet.

[gertie06]

@Angela_Freda

The rescue I got most recent doggo from uses fosters, and would (because they have) take this dog back putting it with a foster able to untangle this.

I want to know where these type of fosters come from! We have fosters, of course, but we’re all just normal people living normal lives. We’re not trainers. We have jobs and kids and other pets. I personally could not take on a dog like this. It needs so much training at this point.

My hope is that the rescue will use its resources to pay for the dog to go to intensive, professional training.

[lenapesadie]

Oof. Shame on that couple for lying.

Plenty of high energy dogs do fine in no yard homes, but puppies can’t hold their potty 10+ hrs in a crate all day every day.

If peeps work standard 8 hrs plus an hour lunch plus 1-2 hrs commute/errands to and from work that adds up to 10/11 hours 5 days a week. No wonder the dog potties in its crate. Poor dog hasn’t had a choice.

[lenapesadie]

Eh. Real house training isn’t terribly difficult. Even when dogs like this one have been basically trained to go in the house. Needs a stay at home foster with some experience sounds like. Board and train isn’t a bad option either imo.

ETA: folks that seriously misrepresented themselves on their application are likely seriously misrepresenting the dog’s behavior. So I’d take their sobbing story with a big cup of salt

[trubandloki]

@lenapesadie

Eh. Real house training isn’t terribly difficult

It is difficult to retrain a dog that has grown to accept that it can live in its own waste.
Yes, it is doable. But it is not near as easy as actual house training a dog.

@lenapesadie

ETA: folks that seriously misrepresented themselves on their application are likely seriously misrepresenting the dog’s behavior. So I’d take their sobbing story with a big cup of salt

No one here knows this family lied about how many hours they were not home. It is assumed.

[lenapesadie]

Is it a bit more laborious sure. But not nearly as difficult as many other problematic behaviors. Totally doable.

OP said she saw the app and the hours listed there don’t match what the fam told the OP on the phone? I mean I guess we can say that we don’t know for sure, but based on the OP’s comments they fam sure enough lied.

[Zu_Zu]

Unfortunately, the good intentions of the rescue and the adopters, blinded them to this puppy’s needs for a successful placement.

Jingles for this puppy to receive the retraining he needs and an appropriate placement / location/ fenced yard as well as owners ( with time and energy) to ensure he enjoys a happy life !

[Lunabear1988]

Poor puppy. It sounds like many humans failed this puppy.

Shame on the adopters for not thinking ahead. But also shame on the rescue. I have an acquaintance that is not animal experienced at all. They were talking about getting a puppy. This family is so unsuited to really any animal, let alone a puppy. When I explained to her how much work puppies are, she was shocked. She seriously thought they could check it in the backyard and feed it everyday and call it good.

When we adopted our Parson Terrier/ Miniature schnauzer mix puppy, we not only had to explain our dog experience but we had to submit a video showing our backyard and fencing. Also an agreement was that you had to do some type of puppy obedience class. For good reason! She’s intelligent and a firecracker. Although she’s not nearly as high energy as our border collie mix.

[trubandloki]

@Lunabear1988

Parson Terrier/ Miniature schnauzer mix puppy

This sounds like the cutest thing ever! I think we need photos of it. One can not bring up something that cute sounding and not share a photo.

[gertie06]

The great irony of puppy demand. Everybody wants a puppy, but most of them would be better suited to an adult or senior dog. Puppies are serious work.

[Angela_Freda]

@gertie06

I want to know where these type of fosters come from! We have fosters, of course, but we’re all just normal people living normal lives. We’re not trainers. We have jobs and kids and other pets. I personally could not take on a dog like this. It needs so much training at this point.

shrug its how this one functions.