Am I being unrealistic? (ACD in Apartment)

[bubby348]

@thanushpoulsen Also check out Project Freedom Ride! They bring pets from overfull shelters in Texas to homes in the PNW - this is how I adopted my cattle dog mix! He was in an overfull foster home in Texas during the pandemic, and Project Freedom Ride drove him and a bunch of other pets from Texas to sites in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho so that they could be adopted to loving homes!

I’ve found that PNW rescues have the strictest requirements - my husband and I lived in a townhouse and worked from home and still didn’t qualify. We found our boy and have been happy for 4 wonderful years!

 

[roonwit]

@rabecca Seconding this - I've had herding dogs for decades, have a good sized yard, no children, am a responsible owner, my dogs were all well cared for, we'd lost our last one at 12 yo due to lung cancer, but did everything we could with palliative care. I've also fostered many dogs in the past.

I still got declined from several rescue programs. I had glowing refernces from non-family members, and my vet. I was even looking for 1-3 yo and was okay with heart worm positive, and other manageable diseases (my prior pup had pancreatitis that we managed, and my older pup has mobility issues that we were giving shots and pills for.) Both on and off paper I was exactly what a rescue says they look for.

I know they work hard to ensure the dogs end up in the best homes, but I kind of feel like sometimes they go a bit too far - maybe as a result of being burned in the past. They can push it to unrealistic requirements.

 

[kendawg]

@rabecca I had rescues giving me issues before I got my dog, and I had a full fenced in back yard, but one side was shorted because I was next to a greenbelt. When I got my dog, he definitely put his feet up on it, but never tried to hop it (almost though when a coyote ran by lol)

 

[horified1]

@thanushpoulsen It sounds like you’ve done your research and have a good plan that could definitely work for a heeler. Thank you for choosing to adopt!!!!

Perhaps try a rescue instead of a shelter. They sometimes have more flexibility and can use more discretion. I’m not super familiar with heeler rescues in WA, but Corgipalooza in Oregon works with herding breeds, although I don’t know how often they get heelers. Herding Haven in Utah comes across heelers all the time and will work with dedicated adopters to adopt dogs out of state. Feel free to message me about Herding Haven if you would like an introduction.

 

[thanushpoulsen]

@horified1 Thank you! I will check out Corgipalooza first as it is closer, but will definitely message you about Herding Haven if it makes sense for me!

 

[monicaduncan]

@thanushpoulsen Going to be honest these places make it WAY too hard to adopt a dog. I get the wanting to make sure they go to a good home and won’t be used for anything abusive or nefarious but just because you live in an apartment does not mean you cannot give that dog an amazing life. And having their own human and home is FAR better than going from foster to foster or being stuck in a kennel at the pound. I say do/say what you need to, to get your dog. Just know you are making a commitment to that animal and it’s YOUR family from that moment onwards. Maybe this is unethical… I’m not going to argue the point. Let’s get a dog adopted to someone who can love and care for them.

 

[thanushpoulsen]

@monicaduncan Ha, thank you. I feel the same way, but wanted to check myself as I've never owned the breed before and don't know what I don't know. I agree, I think I need to advocate a bit more for myself. I know this dog will go to a loving home who will put him/her first in most ways, and am fully prepared to be exhausted, lol. It would be so worth it!

 

[monicaduncan]

@thanushpoulsen It’s is so worth it. I’m going through a health scare with my girl rn. (She’s 15 and still a bossy little thing) and seeing her exhausted and tired when we were still walking 2-5 miles several times a week is hard. These are high energy dogs for their entire lives. They mellow out some around 5 but my girl would chase a ball till she couldn’t breathe up until she couldn’t see them anymore. The ball/prey drive is GREAT for training though. If they love the ball they will do anything for the ball… anything… roll over… army crawl… high-five… probably drive a car lol. Lots of socialization and it needs to be ongoing… heelers are kind of known for not enjoying other dogs but if you keep up with it- it’s manageable. And if you can manage having a silly, bossy, house gremlin that wants to be right next to you at all time you’ll have an amazing, loyal friend that would take a bullet for you. good luck OP your dog is out there