This document will describe my experiences during the dog adoption process.

Over the last 15 years I've adopted about half a dozen dogs. Mostly these have been just companion animals, but lately I've gotten into animal sports (mushing) and have become a far more demanding adopter. I started mushing because my (then) new collie, who was tremendously athletic, insisted on it. She had apparently not read the chapter that says collies herd, not mush.

If you are reading this you presumably already know never to get a dog from a pet shop because of problems with dicey genetics and poor living conditions during early puppyhood. So I'll skip that part ... of course, you can contact me for details if that isn't clear.

There are (as near as I can make out) five good possible sources of  dogs:

1. Breeders: Some are good, some are not. I've only used a breeder once. She was a good friend, she most certainly did her homework regarding careful breeding. The litter from which my dog came from, however, has had some problems. A good breeder will stack the deck in favor of good puppies; but nothing is certain.
   
2. Breed rescues: These organizations rehome dogs as best they can. They will usually be honest describing dogs because these folks want adoptions to work. You are more likely to be determined to be unworthy than to be given a bad dog. Most of my dogs have come from breed rescues. Most of these rescues are money losing operations run on a shoestring.
3. Private all-breed rescues: A few of these are well funded, most are not. They too are money losing operations.
   
4. Muni rescues: Most cities and/or counties have some sort of humane society.
   
5. Friends

The sources are listed in approximate cost order, with the most expensive being listed first. Breeders can be quite expensive. A good breeder spends a lot of money on a puppy. Both parents should be screened for genetic defects, including expensive specialized X-rays. Puppies should be vaccinated and inspected by a vet. Puppies need intense exposure to humans in their first 8 weeks of life to assure adequate socialization. This is all expensive and time intensive.

Most good breeders also offer an unconditional life-long return policy on all dogs. No, you don't get  a refund if you return a dog, but the dog does have a guarantee of a home. Breeders will try and rehome a returned dog. Most breeders have a strict no-kill policy; unless a dog is dying or dangerous, it will not be euthanized.

There are (of course) some crappy breeders, and there does not appear to be any correlation between price & good breeding practices. If you are fond of a particular breed, get involved with that breed rescue. Not only will you get to know the breed better but the folks in the rescues are likely familiar with the local breeders: if you really, really want a puppy they can tell you where to go.

If you are not getting a puppy (and in my opinion the joys of owning a puppy are over sold) you should consider the other four sources. Most of the breed rescues will evaluate a dog and be willing to share their observations with you. This is a very valuable service. I like to mush with my dogs: I want a fairly high energy dog, amiable with people and other dogs. Some rescues have very specific philosophies regarding training or feeding, and insert requirements regarding these into the adoption contract. Read the contract, and don't sign anything onerous. You don't want to end up in court because some awful rescue is complaining that the brand of kibble you are feeding your dog violates the contract.
If you are adopting from a friend there should be a token exchange of money (preferably by cheque), and a signed bill of sale, one copy for you, one for the the seller. This will get rid of any possible misunderstandings later.

Return policies vary widely between rescues. It is good to find out what the return policy is. Most Muni rescues will not allow returns. The Munis tend to be very cheap, but you get very little beyond the physical dog; there is no temperament testing, and no support after the adoption. They tend to be high throughput operations, and are kill shelters.

Kill shelters are not kill shelters because they like killing dogs. They kill dogs because they have only a finite number of dogs they can take in at any given time. They cannot refuse to take in strays. 50 slots for dogs, 49 dogs already in, 6 more are coming. What are their choices?
Since I am into doggie sports, I have some pretty unusual requirements. I want a high-energy dog (most people want a low energy dog). I want a dog that can tolerate cold weather (most people don't really care). I want a dog with very, very good movement conformation - no hip problems whatsoever, no knee issues. Very minor deformities that would not matter for most adopters are a serious concern for me because my dogs are athletes, stressing their frames and muscles. As a consequence I have a non-negotiable requirement that any dog I adopt undergo a fairly extensive physical (at my expense) prior to finalizing the adoption. This includes a hip X-ray, somewhere around $350-$400 in 2013.
The reaction of various rescues to this requirement was very interesting.

• Samoyed rescue (NISA) said they had a one week return policy, no questions asked. This was, of course, long enough for my vet to do the inspection, and I did end up adopting Zephyr from them. The next time I was looking (after Zephyr died) and the time after that they didn't have a suitable candidate.The lady who started NISA (Jean) did however help me find other rescues. NISA hasn't been getting a lot of dogs in recently, which is a good thing.
• National Samoyed Rescue has a Facebook group. I found someone who was in the process of rescuing a Sammie from a tie-out situation through them. I started communicating with Yvette, who was doing the rescue. I managed to convince her I had a very good home to offer the right dog (with help from NISA's Jean and others) and the result is currently sleeping upstairs. It was a pretty expensive adoption, which included air shipping the dog from Utah to Chicago. I recommend against even attempting a long distance adoption unless you have very special requirements for a dog. This particular dog was not X-rayed ... the decision to not X-ray him was mine. Both parents were known, and both parents had OFA evaluations. This is the gold standard for breeders. OFA evaluations are pricey, and are used to demonstrate excellent structure in animals being considered for breeding. It is quite rare to know a rescue dog's lineage, and rarer to find a rescue dog with parents that are OFAed. The X-rays were allowed, but I decided it was redundant.
  
• Collie Rescue of WI and MN said they did not normally allow returns BUT offered to do the X-ray on my behalf if a suitable candidate dog came in. Actually, they were quite supportive. I was told they had never received such a request before, but given my plans for the dog they thought it a great idea. There was no suitable candidate while I was looking ... although, wouldn't you know it, a day or two after I adopted Vita they contacted me and told me they had just gotten in a great dog for what I wanted. Sod's law.
  
• Collie Rescue of Greater IL (with whom I have extensively worked in the past) offered to make me a foster so I could evaluate a dog's temperament and get my X-rays. I should point out that I have been working with them at various events over 12 years. I'm kind of an insider.
  
• Aussie Rescue was horrified at the thought of one of their dogs being used to mush. End of discussion. For the record, I have contacted numerous vets including specialists to verify that non-traditional mushing breeds can safely participate. All have told me that aside from some breeds with unusual conformation (like dashunds) all dogs big enough can participate. Of course, some breeds will be better at it than others; but that is a performance issue, not a safety issue.
• Golden Retriever Rescue (As Good As Gold) were more than okay with my requirement for an X-ray. No suitable candidate came in while I was looking, but they were actively screening dogs on my behalf as they came in. I contacted them when I was looking for my second sled dog, but once again no suitable candidates cropped up while I was looking.
  
• No Muni rescue would consider my request for an X-ray. This was no surprise. I must have contacted half a dozen different Muni rescues.
  
• A Sammie rescue in Texas (North Texas Samoyed Rescue) was willing to work with me ... we got as far as starting to arrange shipping logistics. Just prior to booking a slot on an airplane the rescue's vet did the X-rays I wanted and pulled the plug on the adoption due to dysplasia. This is exactly why I insist on X-rays. I can't say enough nice things about the rescue. They performed extensive temperament tests on my behalf, and were generally really wonderful.The local Samoyed rescue (NISA) referred me. Once the vet's recommendations came back they were very matter of fact about it. We were all sad, but there was no attempt to convince me to ignore the vet's recommendation.
  
• Rover Rescue, an all-breed rescue, offered to allow me a one week return, no questions asked. I ended up adopting Vita from them. I'm not sure what breed she is ... part Golden, part Sheba Inu, maybe some Husky? Rover Rescue - at least the branch near me - is an interesting organization. It was started by someone who apparently heard of a high kill shelter in Southern IL. She offered to foster dogs in Northern IL until they could be adopted out near her. The dogs they adopt out would almost certainly be euthanized but for the organization. I also want to mention that one dog I was considering from Rover Rescue had a seizure 2 days before I was to meet him. They contacted me to let me know; they were very up-front about it, even though they knew it would result in me not adopting the dog. As it turned out I adopted Vita from them a couple of weeks later.
  
• Adopt-A-Husky refused to adopt to me because we had a cat; they believe no husky with sufficient drive to mush can ever be trusted around a cat. Ironically, our cat died a few months later from natural causes. During my next adoption they advised me to get a dog from a kennel and NOT from rescue because rescue dogs could not be relied on to pull. When I pressed, they suggested this was for my own good as I was likely to be disappointed in a rescued dog. After some back-and-forth, in the end they said that if I became an approved adopter they would allow me to X-ray a dog prior to adoption but no anesthesia  could be used. Of course, a proper Xray requires anesthesia.  The person I emailed was overwhelmed with my list of traits I wanted. I still think the list is a good idea, at least if you keep it to yourself. I've reproduced it below with a few annotations.
  
• Free Spirit Husky Rescue balked when I insisted on an X-ray prior to adoption. Huskies, it should be pointed out, have very low incidence of hip dysplasia but it is not zero. I was really amazed I was refused, as I have worked with them in the past. When I bumped into one of their officers at a race after adopting Vita he apologized; but when I contacted the organization for my next adoption they did not return my email.
  
• ADOPT, a local private rescue, refused my request to X-ray prior to adoption. This came as quite a shock to me: the kennel manager was very supportive when I told her what I was looking for in terms of temperament and they have an excellent reputation. The manager even offered to help me find a dog with a suitable temperament. But ADOPT found my X-ray requirement unacceptable.
  
• Illinois Alaskan Malamute Rescue was willing to work with me but warned me that it would be difficult to find a mal who would get along with my collie.
• Lenawee Humane Society in MI deserves special note. They had a sammie available; when I contacted them and told them what I wanted, they discouraged me from adopting that dog because that particular dog was a couch potato. (Yes, even sled dog breeds have couch potato individuals). They suggested I consider another dog they had available, a pit mix. They were very supportive of my X-ray requirement. My wife doesn't like pit bull mixes, so I passed ... but this is a group I would recommend without a moment's hesitation.
• I heard about Door County Sled Dog Rescue after I had started the process to adopt the Sammie from Utah. Wow, what a great rescue. They were 100% supportive of my desire to do X-rays, already knew how to screen dogs for pulling and offered to do so on my behalf. I had a very nice phone conversation with the lady who runs it. We also knew quite a few people in common - as we both mush in the same area, and remembered seeing me years ago racing with my collie (who was the only collie in the country doing sled dog races).
  
• I also contacted several breeders to see if they had any dogs they were looking to re-home. These would be dogs with known parents. The parents would have been screened for genetic defects, so I wasn't sure an X-ray was indicated. I talked to a couple of collie breeders, none seemed upset at the notion of their dogs being used to mush. But breeders only rarely get returns. Since I come with excellent references I could have put myself on a waiting list for a puppy ... but I'm not keen on getting a puppy. Interestingly, breeders I've contacted have been very supportive even when they found out I wanted to participate in an activity not normal for the breed. I communicated with a couple of collie breeders who assured me their dogs would perform well (not at championship levels, but well).
  

I should point out that while I am a bit distressed at the rescues that refused my request, it needs to be remembered that they are still doing good work. The muni rescues just don't have the time to deal with anything unusual, their fees are half what the other rescues charge. A lot of folks just aren't aware that their dogs can do things not normally associated with the breed. Aussies, for example, can mush - but they aren't going to beat out Eurohounds, specifically bred for that job. As for the others that refused to allow X-rays ... not much I can say. They are simply inflexible. I am admittedly a difficult adopter, but there aren't many folks who would spend hundreds of dollars on a strange dog prior to adoption. Some of the rescues considered my requirement for X-rays evidence I was a good adopter, others considered it a huge impediment.

I am not suggesting you not consider the rescues who didn't want to work with me, especially if you are looking for strictly a companion animal. That is the demographic they are designed to serve. I was really, really astonished and upset that many rescues didn't welcome me as their perfect adopter. Not only do I have excellent references, but I also had obviously thought long and hard about just what I wanted in a dog. I'm not sure I would do anything differently if I were to do it again, but I certainly would not allow myself to get upset. Dog aficionados (myself included) hold some very strong opinions; the rescues are doing a good service to the community. Not everyone really and truly likes to live planning as much as I plan. The bottom line is that the rescues are saving dogs that would otherwise die, and they are not doing it in the hope of personal gain.


Here is my annotated list some rescues (most notably Adopt-A-Husky) found onerous:

This list will explain what I am looking for in a dog. Please note that any dog I adopt is likely to end up skijoring with me and/or scootering. This will not be a couch potato dog.

1. Must get along with other dogs. Aloof is acceptable.
2. Must get along with strangers.
3. Must get along with kids. Aloof is acceptable.
4. Should be 1 1/2 years to 5 years of age or thereabouts
5. Must have excellent movement conformation.
6. Must be neutered, or acceptable for me to neuter. This is not negotiable.
7. Weight: 45 – 80 lbs or thereabout.
8. Must be X-rayed (at my expense) to verify freedom from hip issues (like dysplasia). This is not negotiable.
9. No known health issues. I will have my vet do a full physical shortly after I receive the animal, and any adoption will be unwound if health issues are evident. This is not negotiable.
10. Should be housebroken. I expect there will be some accidents, especially initially, but I cannot keep a dog who is not housebroken.  Editor's note: This was included because many sled dogs from serious mushers have never set foot in a house. This statement was explicitly quoted by Adopt-A-Husky as evidence that I wasn't willing to commit to a dog. 
11. 80% or more of my dog's calories come from a high quality commercial kibble. I will not accept restrictions such as required raw food diets, or use of a particular brand.
12. I have a parrot, a cat, and another dog living in the house. The parrot and cat are kept physically separated from the dogs; nevertheless, a dog with a very strong prey drive would not be a good choice.  Editor's note: during my initial contact with Adopt-A-Husky they told me huskies cannot ever be trusted with a cat, I assumed that was the reason I was discouraged from applying.
13. The dog must get along with my aging collie.
14. The dog must like to run.