In this article, I am going to discuss why choosing a retired show dog as a pet is a good idea. I will compare and contrast the experiences with raising a puppy, or going to the Humane Society and getting a dog, verses getting a retired show dog as a pet and as a companion.
How hard do you want it to be in having a dog as a pet?
I have heard of people getting puppies for Christmas, only to find themselves taking the puppy out in the wintertime to go pee and poop. Not much fun, especially as you, the pet owner, gets older. I have personallly bought puppies and have had to do this. Also, I have potty trained puppies, and that is no fun with them having accidents. Everybody likes puppies because they are so cute, but I am here to tell you that adopting retired show dogs is the way to go to get a new pet. You have to ask yourself, do you want to take the time to raise a puppy? Do you have the energy, the patience, they money to get all of the shots that are required for a puppy? With a puppy, you don’t know exactly what you are getting, though you may have some idea.
Why adopting a dog at the Humane Society did not work for me
I have adopted older dogs from the Humane Society. I really did not know what I was getting when I chose a dog that looked like a mixture of a Rockweiler and a German Shepherd. The dog seemed fine in the petting area. I liked how it looked, but had no idea of its background, what it had been through, what its nature was really like, and whether it really liked other dogs or people or not.
When I got this dog home and took him for a walk, I noticed that he would get excited and aggressive when he saw another dog. He actually lunged at them. He was dog agressive, and I did not know this when I got him from the Humane Society. When I took him downtown to an event with people and other dogs, he actually bit a dog that was in front of him and turned around to say hi. When I took him to the vet, he actually bit another dog as we were passing by to get a seat. I knew I had a problem on my hands.
I hired a trainer who used a shock collar to try to stop him from being dog aggressive. I had my neighbor stand in the street with his dog, while the trainer walked my dog past him. The trainer had to use the highest voltage to make my dog behave. After an almost tearful time, I decided I had to take this dog back. I learned the hard way that adopting a dog that you hardly know anything about, what it had been through, what its pedigree was, and what its history was was not a good way for me to get a good dog.
How I found my ideal dog breed
Yes, I took some online quizes about dog breeds and yes I thought long and hard about what kind of dog I wanted to have. My wife and I had had a chocolate, female, American Lab in the past and really loved that dog. I decided to go to a dog show and see all of the breeds. Then, I went to an only English Labrador Dog Show and saw black ones, yellow ones and chocolate ones. I loved how they looked and they seemed to have a smile on their faces. They had such good personalities also. I made up my mind then, that I wanted to get an older show dog, about 5 or 6 years old.
I started looking online and eventually make a list of all of the UKC and AKC English Lab Breeders in my area. I did not find any that met my criteria. So, I decided to expand my search. I used the Internet to find all English Lab Breeders and started calling them, telling them what I was looking for- a female, chocolate English Lab retired show dog. I talked to a lady up North and she told me that she had heard on Facebook about a breeder in North Carolina who had a retired chocolate, English Lab show dog that she was trying to match with someone for a “forever home.” I knew that dog would be mine.
Why that retired show dog was the right pick for me
I knew when I saw her that she was going to be my dog. She was beautiful! She was friendly and came right up to us. We also hit it off with the owner of the dog. We found common ground to talk about. Her mother was on in home hospice and my wife is the Bereavement Coordinator of a Hospice. They had plenty to talk about. We agreed on a trial run of two weeks and knew that if it did not work out within two weeks, we could bring Tina back and get our money. There was no bringing her back.
Having had her now for seven years, she has proven to be the best dog I have ever owned. I work from home and she sits beside me or near me all day. She seems to like my company as well. I did take her to be trained in Canine Good Citizenship and to be a Therapy Dog. Tina also took a nose work class. As I said, she is driven by food, and the smell of a morsel she will find in a box. Speaking of food and morsels, retired show dogs just need good, quality food that you would give any dog. Get the dog food appropriate for their age. Click on the below image to view all sorts of good dog foods for your dog. I would add that if your dog gobbles their food down too fast, you can get a food bowl with ridges or grooves in it, to make them have to work for each bite of food.
In Conclusion
Tina is the best dog I have ever owned. She likes people more than she likes other dogs, but she has not an ounce of dog aggression in her. She just prefers her human companions. Getting a retired show dog was the best decision I have ever made. Its a decision that affects my life every day, and almost every waking moment. She is there. So, if you do not want to go the puppy route, and you do not want to try your luck at adopting a dog from the Humane Society or some other place, you should seriously consider getting a retired show dog. They are push button easy to live with, to train, to be around other dogs and people. They are great companions.