I understand your worries about adopting an older dog. I lost my boxer mix, Cassie, last September to cancer. Several weeks later we adopted a small, one year old, mixed breed from a shelter. I took her to my vet that same day for a check-up only to discover she had a severe heart defect. I couldn't bring myself to return her so we kept her and she died four months later of heart failure.
So when I found Odin on Petfinders I was very cautious to say the least. We drove the 1.5 hours to the pound/shelter he was at. I had brought a copy of a temperament test for shelter dogs that I planned on using to help me decide if this was the right dog for us. Well, when we got to the shelter Odin took one look at us and barked rather threateningly. I have three small children and he was very intimidating.
The shelter staff insisted he was a big baby. The shelter was probably the worst I've ever been in and there was literally nowhere to do the test I had brought with me, it was freezing outside. Odin wouldn't even look at us. He was aloof and showed little interest in us though he seemed very attached to one of the men who worked at the shelter. He had already been there for six months. He had been taken from his previous owner because she was starving him. He could have been a dog with a lot of issues.
I didn't know what to do. I stood there basically just staring at him for almost an hour trying to figure out what his temperament was like because he just wouldn't interact with me. Someone said I could take him for the weekend and bring him back if it didn't work out (yeah,right!). So I said I'd take him, paid the fee and walked out. Sad thing was that shelter did nothing to make sure he was going to a good home, not even an application of some kind. Just handed him over, no questions asked.
But anyway, I took him to the vet the following Monday and he tested positive for heartworms. We had him treated immediately. Trust me, we have spent a lot of money in the past year on vet bills for my last three dogs. Also the shelter told me he was 4-5 years old but my vet said more like 5-10.
He's had different health problems that any older dog could have but there has not been any problems with him bonding with me. Quite the opposite as he is my constant shadow. He cannot stand to be in a different room than I am. He does have some seperation anxiety which I completely understand after what he's been through. I'm a stay-at-home-mom so he rarely has to be away from me. He is wonderful with my children, just adores them. He's very calm which I love with three kids in the house.
I think the reason he was so aloof at the shelter was that he's insecure, shelter's are so stressful, and was very attached to that one staff member. He's that way with me now. He can barely take his eyes off me. You should see how well he does with the attention exercises at obedience classes!
That temperament test I took with me that day would have said to pass on him right away. I'm so glad I didn't. A couple of days ago at our obedience class our trainer said "sometimes you look into a dog's eyes and you just know it's a great dog". I think that was what convinced me to bring Odin home, it was his eyes.
I'm not going to have him that long. I realize that I could lose him tomorrow from some old age related disease but I'm really enjoying him while I have him. It also makes me feel good to know that after years of what was probably hell on earth for him I'm giving him a second chance. He deserves it. He's an awesome dog!
What does the shelter say about about the dog your looking at? They're pretty good at reading their dogs. IMO, depending on the shelter, a shelter dog is still pretty much a gamble since we don't usually know much about their past.
Odin's original name was Chuckie. Some people say to use both names as one for a while. I didn't and he learned his name in about a week or so. Another easy way to teach them their name is to say it and every time they look at you pop a treat in their mouth.
Odin fit right in to our family. It took a couple of weeks before he was completely comfortable with us. I've heard that many rescued dogs won't show their true personalities (whether good or bad) for a couple of weeks after they're brought into their new homes. That has been the case with both of our shelter dogs.
Hopefully I was somewhat helpful with my VERY long reply. I hope it works out for you.
Kerri
It took my Lily a good 2 months to even go near my dad (shes scared of men) but now she adores him. She has just started to go up to people at the dog park and every day she is getting better. Dogs like that will always be very weary of people but thats not always a bad thing.
