I am wondering

[Kathee]

I have checked with a few boxer rescue groups in our area (Northern California) and most will not adopt to a family with a child under 6. Granted, my daughter will be six at the end of October. We could put off adoption until November, but I was just wondering if anyone can tell me why the age 6?

 

[kactus]

not sure to be honest...our rescue dont have a policy like that but we only rehome boxers to homes with kids if the boxer in question came from a house with small children too. i guess its maybe because some parents are clued up with education their children & boxer to behave together...maybe you could have a chat to them and introduce them to your kids etc (take them to meet some of the boxers) so that the rescue staff can see how they behave around the dogs?
most rescues are so gratefull for loving forever families that the will bend the rules if they think there is good reason too. no point depriving a boxer in need of a loving home if theres no serious reason to. id say its worth a go.

 

[Claudia807]

I can't speak for other rescues but in our case we do have a similar age requirement in place - but just for strays. We won't place a formerly stray dog in a home with a young child.

I think a lot of rescues have probably been burned by placements with young children in general. One of the main reasons for surrendering a dog is "new baby." Sometimes people surrender dogs because they are too busy with their kids, too. A lot of what it boils down to is liability, too.

Quite frankly . . . a lot of times when a dog bites the child it is probably the child's fault. (I once attended a seminar with a trainer who told her kids: "If the dog bites you, you're grounded.") But, nonetheless, if a rescue gets sued, they are done. Period. And then they can't help any dogs at all.

Six is a good age because at that point the child can understand things like: don't bother a dog when he is eating, don't bother a dog when he is sleeping, pet the dog nicely, etc. I have a toddler and holy cow, she is so hard on our poor dogs. I mean, we watch her like a hawk and the dogs (and cats) are oh-so-tolerant, but words like "Gently, gently!" mean nothing to her at this age.

But to answer your question . . . unfortunately I think in some ways you are essentially paying the price for irresponsible parents who have come before you.

 

[Kathee]

Thank you both for your prompt replies! I suppose that the rescue has to draw a line somewhere. I never even considered anyone would ever sue! I wonder if I should fill out the forms even though they are clear about the age requirement or if I should just start to check the pound daily .....
It does make me sad that so many people think of a puppy or a dog as a pet and not a life long family member.
My husband and I actually have 2 children a 9 & 1/2 yr old boy and a 5 & 1/2 year old girl.
When my son was little we still had zeek (our old boxer) he was about 14 (when our son was born) and I swear our boxer, as old as he was, taught the baby to crawl (god bless his heart) and yes as a toddler our son didn't understand that the dog was a DOG not a horse I can understand issues with babies.
My daughter is very responsible and has now completed kindergarten. The deal we made with both kids was good grades & chore completion would prove to us they were ready for the huge responsibility for bringing a new family member into the home. We are finally moving out of our apartment and into a house (we didn't want to bring a dog into an apartment) and the first thing the kids (and the husband) asked was when can we get a new boxer.
We have explained over and again that there is a very real likeliness that they will get scratched, bitten, drooled on and farted out of the room . They know that our new "baby" will be the star of our house and that they will have to be patient and helpful.
We had a long talk about a rescue puppy or dog and the fact that it will probably need more love and time to adjust... The kids are okay with that. My daughter had sponsored a horse that she never even got to meet until he passed away due to complications after Katrina.
So it was only natural to consider adoption of a rescue boxer because my husband had rescued zeek when he was just a pitiful little pup (when my husband got him the poor little dog had a broken leg :( ) that we would see about another unloved / unappreciated little guy. I'll tell you zeek was the best dog there ever was and he has a special place in heaven. He was my husbands and eventually my sons best friend (and almost shadow) Zeek was the most well behaved and loved dog I have ever been blessed to know. He was so amazing that we now have three different friends who ended up purchasing a boxer. They are all such amazing dogs too. You cant help but smile when they wag their entire bodies and sneeze snot all over you.
We are fully aware of the fact that our life is about to be turned upside down and we are fully looking forward to it I will shut up now thanks for reading my long drawn out post. Its just so difficult to decided the right path to proceed in such a life changing decision.

Does anyone have an opinion of pound verses rescue ?

 

[courtney323]

Does anyone have an opinion of pound verses rescue ?

Both situations offer animals that desperately need a good home. I actually have one rescue female, and one male from the pound. In my experience, the difference between the two is the amount of background information you receive on the dog (which in your case might be very important, since you have kids). A rescue usually operates via a network of foster homes, so the fosters know the dog quite well and and they are able to tell you if the dog is good with other dogs, kids, etc.. and also tell you more about their personality in general, and in lots of cases even their medical background. With the pound on the other hand, you are usually dealing with a lot of overworked volunteers in a big shelter environment that have little-to-no background or temperament information on the dog in question. With my male, I had to spend some time trying to assess his personality myself. He's a great dog, but he does best in a home placed by himself where there are no other dogs (he's dog aggressive). The shelter never offered this information, probably because they never spent the time to analyze his behavior.

Just a few things to think about

 

[kactus]

i would say fill in the forms and try. let them know you understand the responsibility, and at 51/2, youre not far away anyway.
obviously, im biased, but i say rescue over pound, purely as has been said, for the reason that rescues tend to know more about their dogs, and therefore, make time & effort to find you 'the right' boxer for your family (even more important with the kids involved???) not sure about there but the pounds here, you walk in, tell them you want a dog, pick one, pay the £35 and away you go. half ourboxers are boxers that they have rehomed to toally unsuitable families. its all personal choice & both ultimatly do the same job. dont be afraid to visit your local rescue & pounds to 'suss' them out before deciding. chat to the staff, meet some of their dogs, and check out what sort of conditions the dogs are in.
GOOD LUCK!!! you wont regret adopting a boxer in need regardless of where you go!

 

[sminoleboxer]

Another benefit of rescue is, at least with the one I work with, is..
their shots are all UTD and they are spayed or neutered, heartworms are treated if they are positve and any other medical issues are taken care of. Many shelters just do not have the resources to take care of medical issues. Sure rescues usually require a larger donation than a shelter but many many of the rescues that come through our group have medical expenses that far exceed that amount. Just another thing for you to think about.

 

[SandyHG55654]

When we were looking for a second dog we looked at rescues and I have 3 kids ages 4,7, and 10. I talked with a local rescue who said they had that rule in place but they do make exceptions placing the right dog with the right family. I would fill out the papers and explain everything and be honest. Rescues know Boxers are good with kids and they know their dogs need loving homes. They may be willing to over look the 6 months you're missing, also keep in mind it may take you the 6 months to find the right one anyway! Good luck!

 

[LLANGE1852]

Nor Cal Boxer Rescue adopts to homes with kids 5 and up

Have you checked out www.ncbr.org? We adopt dogs to homes with kids age 5 and up (we do make exceptions for homes with younger kids if the boxer they are interested in has a known history with kids or is in one of our very few foster homes with younger kids). NCBR has quite a few great boys and girls in search of forever homes. Good luck!

-Laurie,
Mom to Bud and Boo

 

[Kathee]

thankyou thankyou thankyou

oh Laurie thankyou so much! I could have sworn it said children over six just last week! I was just reading about JoJo and she sounds like a dream! I cant wait for my husband to get home and see her profile! I am sure he will just adore Gracie (who doesnt love a baby) but JoJo sounds PERFECT for our family. Thankyou from the bottom of my heart!

** I edited this post because I had included where we live and after I re-read the post I remembered the rules prohibit that, I apoligize and I will pay close attation to try and not make that mistake again **