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Subject: Getting older dog - consider adopting a rescue Posted by LoveBrownDogs on September 05, 2008 at 12:06:49: In Reply to: Advice on getting a chessie. posted by flyboy56 on September 01, 2008 at 14:49:55: Another option is to consider adopting a rescued dog that meets your criteria rather than a puppy whose temperament and quirks will not be truly known until the dog is older. With a child on the way, an older Chessie could be a lot easier on your daily life too. I help out NY CBR Rescue out of Watkins Glen, NY by photographing the dogs that come in and maintaining our website. ACC has a rescue arm and then there is also the national group, CBR Relief & Rescue. Most of the people in these 3 groups know and help out each other. A lot of rescued Chessies are not bad dogs at all but just victims of our disposable society. People often don't understand how to train a puppy or that dogs need daily exercise and attention. Some dogs get turned in because their owners are going through a divorce too. Anyway, I've seen some beautiful middle-aged Chesapeakes in rescue with no bad habits but simply need a loving home and maybe a little more basic training. This is the route I'd consider if I were in your shoes. I once helped a couple with two little kids decide on adopting an 8 year old happy-go-lucky female Chessie over a 3 year old high energy Chesapeake and they wrote to me that their new dog fit into their family like she had been with them all her life. The kids were really happy with their new Chessie girl too. An easy-going 5-8 year old Chesapeake could blend into your lifestyle more easily than a puppy right now. It can't hurt for you to fill out an application to adopt a dog, get approved, and then start looking. You could also indicate a date when you'd be ready to consider taking home a new dog. Or maybe later when Mom's ready, you get a puppy or dog #2?! Puppies are a lot of work for the first two years of their life...especially the first year. Any new Chessie you get - puppy or older dog - will benefit from weekly group obedience classes for at least 6 months. This will help them learn to obey under the stress or distractions of other dogs and strangers. My first Chessie was a female puppy I raised (lived to age 11). My second and third dogs are rescued male Chessies we adopted at age 18 months and 11 months respectively (now age 9 and 7) And my fourth Chessie is a rescued female Chessie, adopted at age 6. If I could help you, I'd look for a middle aged male Chessie who is good with people and dogs....I think the boys are more eager to please and the girls are more territorial, but that's my opinion. An established rescue group can also help you with good advice after you bring a new dog home too. And the person fostering a rescued dog will be able to tell you about the dog's training potentional and how that dog reacts to situations. To me, this is a great advantage to bringing a rescued Chessie home. Heather in Bloomfield, NY p.s. bookmark www.nycbrrescue.org....you could contact Sandie, the head of the rescue group - her info is on the main page...and she often posts here.
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