thanks @Tuckersmommy impression with shelter dogs is that there isn't much history on them... where as the adoption/rescue groups know more about them and also have observed the dog's behavior.my concerns are; 1. I have a cat and I want to keep him alive! (and happy too, don't want to be cleaning cat **** all the time) and 2. needs to be trainable.... if the dog can't obey basic commands, then it's going to be nearly impossible to get him to retrieve or take on a hike (at times may not be on a leash when crossing a creek, going down a ravine, etc.)but will have to go check once I decide to get one...

We have both our 14 year old yellow lab and 3 year old Pekinese mutt from the Houston SPCA since they were 1. There are pets there that have been abandoned, found or brought to them due to people moving. You can visit all animals walking past their kennels and ask to see the ones you would like in a private room. I stopped a few times before I found ours. Pricing is the best!! Large dogs are less than the smaller ones. All pets are spayed or neutered prior to leaving. I think the total was $95 for our last one. They also will pay the Vet bill for prior problems on a limited basis. www.houstonspca.org/ site/PageServer?page name=homepage_new

@sandman Price depends mostly on age and how long we've had them. Puppies are most expensive and older dogs are less . I've just started volunteering with them so don't can't answer some of your questions. As far as hunting- I'm not sure that would raise eyebrows as long as you are committed to having the dogs a part of the family- ie not kept in a pen 24/7.
As far as training the fosters try to teach the basics when they can. There are no guarantees that any particular dog will be a great retriever . We adopted our foster, Hunter. He's 7- and he's great. He's not the best mannered or obedient dog BUT hes a work in progress. As far as cats -we have 3 and Hunter had not been around cats- it was chaotic for a while but we have a peace in the house. A lot depends on you and how much you can work with the dog. Lol- but that goes without saying whether you get a pup from a breeder or a dog from a shelter or rescue. There are a ton of dogs in shelters and rescues that need good homes!! I agree with you about rescues- while we may not have a detailed history ( we pull dogs from shelters when we have fosters) our dogs go into foster homes so the fosters get to know the dogs. A shelter dog isn't a bad choice tho- I got my old guy from an SPCA and he's been the best dog ever-he's now 14!!. Come by the tent on Sunday and say Hi- we'll be at West Lake Houston and Kingwood Dr- out fron of Pet Ranch from 12-4.

thanks @Astrokatz and @jpgurl for the info & comments.No, if I get a retriever it's not to keep him in a pen 24/7... I go for a 45 minute walk at least 3 times a week... my "walking partner" is always making up excuses not to go, so looking for a partner that won't say no... also, I'm starting to go for hikes at the forest twice a month... these are a few hours long... 7-10 miles. The bad thing is that after the summer, the dog will need to be crated from morning when my wife leaves, until afternoon when I arrive. During the summer, there's people here during the day, but by the end of August, my kids will be off to college...

We are presently looking to adopt a Golden Retriever. We have one and would like another to be part of our family. We are working with Golden Beginnings and Golden Retriever Rescue of Houston. Both are very organized and focused on finding good matches for each dog/family. They take into consideration the dogs temperament, tolerance to other animals, being alone during the day, etc. Goldens are wired to be very loving animals and dogs my friends have rescued have been the greatest additions to their family. Btw...one of the adoption coordinators for GB lives in Kingwood. Let me know if you would like contact info.

I'll write my comments from my pc in a little while. Too much to say and I'm close to my bus stop!

@Sammee Do you have young children ? Are plan on having more children ? I'd read up on the temperament of all kinds of different dogs . Basset Hounds was the ONLY dogs my aunt would have because they are so good with children . Growing up we had golden retrievers & they are very very sweet natured dogs . Collies also are great with children . Yorkies & such are to small for young kids .

Basset Buddies Rescue Texas (bbrtx.org) takes care of all health issues before we adopt a dog out. They are in foster homes, so we know all about their personality and (with few exceptions) they are already potty trained. We encourage you to babysit the dog for a few days before you decide if you want to adopt the dog. We charge around $200 for our dogs depending on age, but on average we spend probably about $500 per dog to get him ready for adoption: a rescue exam, shots up to date, spay/neuter, fix any medical issues. Like a lot of rescues, you have to go online and fill out an application and let us come and do a home visit to make sure it's safe and loving. We also check vet records if you have had any pets before to make sure they were cared for. The process takes a few weeks, but we do this because we care about our dogs and want the best for them. If you want a dog quickly, you can go to a shelter and get one for cheaper probably, but you don't have the advantage of it being observed in a foster home before you adopt it and you can't "try before you buy." Whatever dog you choose, please choose rescue! The pics below are of the 1-year-old pair of dogs I drove to their forever home this week. They were foster #39 and #40 for me. Also consider fostering for a rescue, as you have first right to keep your foster should you fall in love.

Just for grins, I wanted to post one more pic of a basset that came into Basset Buddies last week. I think she's already adopted though.

I grew up around these dogs at my aunts house & I have never seen a basset sit up like that before !!!!That is to funny & I bet she is adopted doing tricks like that .How do you find their temperament to be if a family had young babies crawling around the house ?

bassets are known for being sweet and docile dogs once they get past the first few rambunctious puppy years. they are also known for being gentle. However, any breed dog that is provoked has the potential to react/snap/bite, so it's never advised that a dog be alone in a room with a small child, and young kids must be taught manners about never bothering a dog while it's eating or sleeping. From personal experiences, I got a basset hound when my daughter was 3 and no matter what my kid did to Mabel, she didn't snap or bite. But I can't make a blanket statement that bassets are good with toddlers because it just depends on the dog I guess.

@sammee
@sandmanI agree with @jpgurl 's comments about getting a dog you want to train for hunting. I don't have a problem with this as long as the dog is part of your family - sleeping inside, yearly checkups and given heartworm preventative. I have border collies so I know all about dogs needing a job. Even if they aren't full breed, working dogs are happiest doing something that is mentally and physically stimulating. Pleasing their master is a bonus. Please come out to our meet up on Saturday from 1-4 in the parking lot of Society of St Stephens 2307 Crystal Springs Dr, Kingwood, TX 77339.
(we meet the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month).@sandman
A dog we have now that might be good candidates for training is Shaggy (a shepherd mix). Also see Sally - we have her listed as a beagle mix but she is the size of a medium lab at 60 lbs. She has lived with cats and is fine with them. (did you say you have cats?).
Have you trained a dog to hunt before? Are you planning to enroll in an obedience class first? I'd recommend South Paw in Porter.@sammee
We don't currently have any dogs over 5 - I wish we did! They aren't the easiest to place but they make wonderful dogs!
If you don't mind a dog that needs regular grooming, see Madison's profile, a cocker mix. She is lovely, sweet, gentle. Bella is also a nice dog that loves kids and is obsessed with playing fetch.Talk to you all later! come see us on Saturday!All of our adoptions start with a 2 week trial period.
The adoptions are $200. Dogs are vaccinated, spay/neutered and on a heartworm preventative. All dogs are also microchipped.www.twyla.org

there are tons of rescues out there. the thing to do is figure out the breed that fits your family's lifestyle and then find the rescue for that breed. That being said, even though I do basset hound rescue, I personally believe that a small to medium sized mutt is just about the best dog you can get for many reasons, especially health wise. This is my mutt, Biscuit, that I rescued off the street 5 years ago. Spent $400 to vet him and cure his heart worms and he's better than new! Best $400 I've ever spent. He doesn't like green beans as you can see

What a cute dog !

1. Don't shop: adopt! The benefit to rescues is that the dogs are fostered in people's homes. These folks are are skilled at socializing the dogs, they know they temperament, and they are knowledgeable regarding the best placement for the dog. For example, a dog that would not be good with children, no stairs, etc. Shelters are great, but you never know what you're going to get. Plus if you're interested in a specific breed, then that particular rescue can talk to you about the breed and see if it's a good fit for you. Yes, the adoption fee is usually $250 or more. I can tell you from experience that doesn't even begin to cover the medical costs. When we bring in a new Pug (www.pughearts.com), we fully vet them and give them full medical care. Almost every rescue is heartworm positive, we bring them through treatment and ensure they are healthy before adoption. We have dogs that have cancer and are going through treatment, one that is in weekly rehabilitation at Gulf Coast Vet due to a stroke, some that are blind, but otherwise healthy, etc. Again, shelters are great too. They temperament test the dogs to ensure they don't have food aggression, etc. But just to show you the difference, my fosters are usually with me three months to a year. They live in our home, with our other dogs and family, etc. I know everything about that dog. Many times, I've potty trained them, socialized them, taught them not to be afraid, or nursed them back to health. Unfortunately, shelters can't do that. If you're indifferent regarding breed, and you're willing to potty train, socialize, etc. then a shelter is a good choice. By the way, most rescues pull their dogs from shelters, very few are owner surrender or "just found."