A poster pet for adult adoption

Mr Harley makes this foster thing look easy. Here's a dog that came to us all ready to get into his next home.

-He is fully potty trained; he can comfortably hold his bladder for hours.
-He is leash trained; he walks incredibly and can even jog next to a bike.
-He doesn't climb on furniture.
-He is submissive, and does not bite or snarl at people.
-He knows where his bread is buttered; he is eager to please, and looks for affection.
-He won't wander off; he is content to just sit by your feet.
-He adapts to new dogs quickly.

I had worried about adopting a rescue adult dog, for fear of having to try and rehab unwanted behaviors, but I the case of Harley, he came completely trained, and I wonder if I could have done better. Besides, knowing how many months it took to train Relay, and how much head ache and  trail and error went into that process, who wouldn't want to cut to the good natured and reliable family dog stage?

Ultimately, adult dogs have a harder time finding homes because people often mistakenly feel that they must have done something wrong in order to have been turned in. More often then not, dogs are turned in because of a change in living situations (divorce, move, loss of job), because people were unprepared for the cost and responsibility of dog ownership, a developed allergy, or because the dog was found with no success locating the owner. In none of these circumstances is it the dog's fault.

To set one more at ease, a good rescue will conduct personality assessments, will allow multiple visits and interactions, and, if it should not be a good fit, will accept the dogs back. So, what I'm trying to get at is this: why not give a good dog a look, and forget what his age is? Harley is a dog owner's dream, and at 3 years old he has a whole lot of life left in him.

Posted in: PSA