Howdy Outdoor Board! I'm in the market to adopt a pup in central Texas, but am having a hard time with the high demand in applications due to circumstances. Anyone have any leads on where to reach out?

We've been looking at German Shepherd, Boxer, Golden Retriever, Border Collies etc. Really just want a good family dog, and are open to other breeds, and going to other Texas cities to do so.

Thoughts/Suggestions? TIA

Your local pound probably has an abundance of supply and a lack of demand.

Very strange post. High demand in what? General public demanding too many dogs, or adoption folks demanding too much of you? Getting a dog is not very hard.

Tell that to Michael Vick.

OP isn't wrong. We've found most people with puppies of any sort have a growing waiting list right now. They all say the same thing- so many people stuck at home looking for a puppy.

That said, if you are open to an older dog, start at your local shelters and work out. You will find one in short order

I've looked twice in eight years at shelter dogs. What I've seen is around 80% pit bull types. Not going there. So yes puppies in his breed are fairly rare.

OP narrow your list of breeds, then contact those breeds foster rehomimg orgs for adult dogs. If a puppy is a must then be prepared to pay a breeder.

Boxers are awesome! This Doc, and he's fantastic with our almost 2 year old son.

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Very strange post. High demand in what? General public demanding too many dogs, or adoption folks demanding too much of you? Getting a dog is not very hard.

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Adopting a dog is harder than buying one. Twice now I've given up and just bought one. It's easier to buy a firearm than it is to adopt a dog.

McDadeTXAggie said:

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Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Very strange post. High demand in what? General public demanding too many dogs, or adoption folks demanding too much of you? Getting a dog is not very hard.

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Adopting a dog is harder than buying one. Twice now I've given up and just bought one. It's easier to buy a firearm than it is to adopt a dog.

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#Truth

McDadeTXAggie said:

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Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Very strange post. High demand in what? General public demanding too many dogs, or adoption folks demanding too much of you? Getting a dog is not very hard.

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Adopting a dog is harder than buying one. Twice now I've given up and just bought one. It's easier to buy a firearm than it is to adopt a dog.

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Can you expound on why adoption is difficult? I'm considering adopting and would like to know what I'm in for before heading to the shelter.

A neighbor dog dug into my fence and bred my Australian Shepherd..... so I'll have pups ready in 9-10 weeks depending on when she pops if you're interested. I know it's a little way off. I believe it was a silver lab that knocked her up. Not sure what the puppies will look like but PM me if interested.

siclaro said:

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McDadeTXAggie said:

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Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Very strange post. High demand in what? General public demanding too many dogs, or adoption folks demanding too much of you? Getting a dog is not very hard.

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Adopting a dog is harder than buying one. Twice now I've given up and just bought one. It's easier to buy a firearm than it is to adopt a dog.

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Can you expound on why adoption is difficult? I'm considering adopting and would like to know what I'm in for before heading to the shelter.

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If you already have a dog they will require updated shot records, vet name and phone number

Depending on who you adopt from, they may require a background check, age of children in the home etc. There will probably be a list of questions

Claytond1195 said:

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A neighbor dog dig into my fence and bred my Australian Shepherd..... so I'll have pups ready in 9-10 weeks depending on when she pops if you're interested. I know it's a little way off. I believe it was a silver lab that knocked her up. Not sure what the puppies will look like but PM me if interested.

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Make that man raise the *****'s little ones

So much BS in this thread. If adopting is so hard why have shelters across the country had so many adoptions/fosters over the last two months, some even emptying?

McDadeTxAggie hit the nail on the head, lot of people quarantined right now and submitting applications to adopt. Lots of central Texas shelters depleted of supply and asking us to submit an application to be waitlisted. Strange times we live in; I would have never expected this...

The only adoption we did was from the no kill shelter in Hearne. Few if any questions. Dunno if they still handle things that way. Great pup, still have her. I've heard about the background checks and red tape elsewhere, especially with rescue groups. Agreed, that's a turnoff.

Potcake said:

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So much BS in this thread. If adopting is so hard why have shelters across the country had so many adoptions/fosters over the last two months, some even emptying?

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It's not "so hard"
It is harder to adopt than it is to buy. In some cases it can be hard. You can search and search, find the perfect dog to find out a list of people have already applied, and are approved but the dog hasn't been taken yet. So if you apply, and there's typically a non refundable application fee, the dog you want is on a list of people that will end up with the dog because they applied before you... that's fair but it sucks.

Or

The dog you want and apply for may not "be ready until he gets the proper training first, he has issues with food aggression"

Or

In most cases, you will HAVE to have the dog spayed or neutered within 90 days or the dog can be taken back by the adoption agency.

It's a pain in the butt

SouthernRaisedYankee said:

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McDadeTxAggie hit the nail on the head, lot of people quarantined right now and submitting applications to adopt. Lots of central Texas shelters depleted of supply and asking us to submit an application to be waitlisted. Strange times we live in; I would have never expected this...

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It was easier for me to drive up to North East Oklahoma and buy our red male doberman a few weeks ago than it was to adopt. I've tried to adopt 2 or 3 times and have given up everytime

I did adopt a cat years ago but don't recall what we had to do.

My problem is I have no idea which neighbor it is lol. I've never seen the dog before but he did have a collar.

I adopted this guy from the local shelter last year. His ribs were nearly sticking through his skin and I felt sorry for him. I assumed he was mostly lab, but had his DNA tested for fun. Turns out he's 50% American Stafforshire and only 37% lab. But he's a sweetie. Found a baby cottontail the other day and brought it up to the house and dropped it in the grass unharmed.

Please consider adopting. Most shelters have more dogs than people looking for them.

Lost our oldest dog about a year ago and we had been kind of looking for a few months. The COVID situation has caused a bit of an issue with everyone home and able to help with a new pup.

We have had Mastiffs or Mastiff mixes for the past 25 years, and the last we got from a great rescue called big dogs huge paws. The process took several months before we were approved and the right dog was available. I you have time the rescues are good. His adoption fee was about $400 and he had all shots, chipped and neutered. The rescue we used really tries to get the animals into a good home and situation.

This round we started looking and most shelter dogs tended to be pit mixes, older or too small for our current dog. Most crosses are now "designer" dogs and cost as much as full blood dogs. We stumbled onto a litter of accidental pups from an AKC brindle mastiff, they were free to a good home. We drove from Little Rock to Madisonville to pick up the "free dog". We will likely have $300-$400 in all the shots and having her spayed, so that will be a wash. I think the dad had to be a lab as she is all black and has webbed feet. If we had not met momma, they I would swear there was no mastiff in her except for her size.

Just keep looking and you can find the right one for you.

Humane Society of North Texas is an amazing facility. It's worth the drive to Fort Worth.

If you're looking for a specific breed, check for rescue groups, Hound Rescue, Gold Ribbon Rescue (Goldens), etc. that get them from shelters and have fosters until someone adopts them.

Breed rescues are usually pretty difficult to adopt from. Questionnaires, character references, even home inspections. We looked at doing it from a Great Dane rescue in Houston but it was more trouble than it was worth. The pound is usually pretty easy.

maverick2076 said:

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Breed rescues are usually pretty difficult to adopt from. Questionnaires, character references, even home inspections. We looked at doing it from a Great Dane rescue in Houston but it was more trouble than it was worth. The pound is usually pretty easy.

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Agreed. When I look, I'm looking at specific breeds and this is true about them. A typical humane society is probably much easier. I certainly hope so

NM

McDadeTXAggie said:

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It was easier for me to drive up to North East Oklahoma and buy our red male doberman a few weeks ago than it was to adopt. I've tried to adopt 2 or 3 times and have given up everytime

I did adopt a cat years ago but don't recall what we had to do.

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How's uncle Slayton? Was Ruth Ann and Lynn from Baxter Springs there?

I foster for Texas GSP Rescue. They'll want to visit your home to check out the surroundings and your capabilities for dealing with an energetic dog. But after that, you just submit an application for the dog you ar interested in. The foster will contact and set up a meet-and-greet with the prospective dog, which gives you a chance to get to know the dog and it's temperament.

It's really not a big deal and works out for the best interest of the dog AND the adopters.

https://texasgsp.org/collections/available-dogs