Wanter: Blue Heeler (ACD) Puppy

[JettaJayGLS]

A strange request, but I'm not part of any dog forum or anything.

My girlfriend wants a blue heeler (australian cattle dog). She REALLY wants to adopt one less than a year old. Like REALLY wants to adopt, and until recently has not even once considering buying from a breeder. Sadly, we both live in the city, puppy adoptions are super competitive, and its really hard to convince the adoption agencies that the dog will see a ton of outdoor time. That being said she keeps on getting rejected. If you know me and my chocolate lab you know that we never spend any time in the city, ever.

Because of all the rejections, she may need to go the route of purchasing from a breeder. I drove 7 hours to get my dog in Amish Country, PA but my girlfriend is looking for someone more local, if she eventually needs to go the breeder route.

Anyone have any input on local ACD breeders or local families with puppies? My search is coming up super empty...there really only appears to be 1 or 2 breeders in the area.

[Sheppo]

You need to check the various rescue shelters almost daily. Northeast Animal Shelter had one, I checked before I posted and the status is adopted.... Sorry I'll keep my eyes open for you.

[JettaJayGLS]

You need to check the various rescue shelters almost daily. Northeast Animal Shelter had one, I checked before I posted and the status is adopted.... Sorry I'll keep my eyes open for you.

Thanks Doug, never thought about that. Is there a consolidated list of them or anything, or am I going to have to go the old fashioned route?

[hondarider102]

have you tried petfinder.com

and its pretty messed up to me that they deny you a dog, they are in shelters and getting killed and then you have decent people trying to adopt one and they are to concerned with it getting outside enough? crazy if you ask me!

[JettaJayGLS]

have you tried petfinder.com

and its pretty messed up to me that they deny you a dog, they are in shelters and getting killed and then you have decent people trying to adopt one and they are to concerned with it getting outside enough? crazy if you ask me!

Yes, petfinder has been utilized to its max.

They deny because there are multiple applications for each dog, and I'm guessing not all live in the city as that is the most common reason for refusal.

[Sheppo]

Northeast Animal Shelter
Nashua Humane Society
Nevins Farm in Methuen
Lowell Humane Society

These are the 4 I was on every day until I found the rescue I wanted. I can't say enough good things about Nashua Humane Society. I visted Northeast Animal Shelter too but my dog and the rescue were not compatible. Yes, they ask you to bring your current dog along if you have one to make sure they get a long. If you google Humane Society or Animal Rescue in a specific area you will come up with options. I still look a couple times a week, who knows maybe there's a 3rd dog in my future...

[hondarider102]

Yes, petfinder has been utilized to its max.

They deny because there are multiple applications for each dog, and I'm guessing not all live in the city as that is the most common reason for refusal.

I have seen alot of dogs on there that have been on there for atleast the last 2 months, when they have someone willing to get it out of the shelter i just do not see a valid reason to deny them, i can understand they want good homes for the dogs but it sounds like your GF would be a good applicant especially if they talk with her and find out you have a healthy dog etc..

I'll be looking into one in the next few months after i close on my house and i hope they don't give me the run around.

[maxim_X]

Slightly off topic. I just addopted a 1.5 year old mutt on Saturday. It's my first dog and the beast is a bit crazy. Anyway, I was very surprised with the extensive process needed to adopt a dog. It took almost 3 weeks from when we found him until when we picked him up.

[nhbubba]

My ex and I went through this twice. We don't live in the city, but somehow didn't meet the shelters' idea of "proper" pet owners. We never got an explanation why. Once we even paid a non-refundable "application fee" and got nothing to show for it. Super frustrating.

In the end we felt compelled to get our 2 dogs from down south. Both cases had degrees of sketch-ness. We were not able to see or visit with the dogs before hand. And in the case of our mutt, she was not quite as advertised. Although she was a very healthy, very good dog. Just not the breed mix they thought she was. (She's grown to be about 2x as big as we thought she would. Suuuurprise!) I never would have done any of this. If you know me, you know I don't trust people that well. But my ex did. And it worked out. She was right, I was wrong.

I have the mutt now and she's healthy as can be-if not a big neurotic!-and an all around awesome dog.

Moral of this post is that traveling and/or dealing with a shelter from down south may be worth your effort. They have a different attitude about dogs than folks in the north east do. Far fewer dogs are fixed and there are way more strays. Supply and demand.

I found shelters here in the north east downright unreasonable when trying to adopt a dog. I could not believe it.

[nhbubba]

What also sucks about petfinder is we found a lot of the ads were outdated. The dog had been adopted like a week ago and no one bothered to update the ads.
I know those shelters are largely volunteer staffed. But it was such a frustrating process. My ex would get all excited and I'd watch her get deflated time and time again.
The adoption process just sucks. I don't understand the metrics they use and can't help but feel slighted that someone felt we were not suitable.

[OreoGaborio]

Jay, I saw a Facebook post a couple weeks ago for a 6mo old blue heel/border collie mix. Lemme know if you want me to find out if she's still available.

I wanted her myself so bad but, even though we have Jackie's dog over once in a while, we're not supposed to have a dog permanently here in our apartment.

[JettaJayGLS]

Jay, I saw a Facebook post a couple weeks ago for a 6mo old blue heel/border collie mix. Lemme know if you want me to find out if she's still available.

I wanted her myself so bad but, even though we have Jackie's dog over once in a while, we're not supposed to have a dog permanently here in our apartment.

Yep, if it isn't too much trouble, definitely. I'm willing to bet my girlfriend saw the same, as she's applied for a few via facebook and sends me them constantly.

[OreoGaborio]

Text inbound...

[Point37]

My ex and I went through this twice. We don't live in the city, but somehow didn't meet the shelters' idea of "proper" pet owners. We never got an explanation why. Once we even paid a non-refundable "application fee" and got nothing to show for it. Super frustrating.

In the end we felt compelled to get our 2 dogs from down south. Both cases had degrees of sketch-ness. We were not able to see or visit with the dogs before hand. And in the case of our mutt, she was not quite as advertised. Although she was a very healthy, very good dog. Just not the breed mix they thought she was. (She's grown to be about 2x as big as we thought she would. Suuuurprise!) I never would have done any of this. If you know me, you know I don't trust people that well. But my ex did. And it worked out. She was right, I was wrong.

I have the mutt now and she's healthy as can be-if not a big neurotic!-and an all around awesome dog.

Moral of this post is that traveling and/or dealing with a shelter from down south may be worth your effort. They have a different attitude about dogs than folks in the north east do. Far fewer dogs are fixed and there are way more strays. Supply and demand.

I found shelters here in the north east downright unreasonable when trying to adopt a dog. I could not believe it.

not sure about shelters but my wife and i just started fostering for a rescue so i'm still learning about the process but basically the rescue gets the application and the fosters review the applications and have final say where the dog goes cause we know the dog the best and we want what's best for the dog...but everyone is different so i can see how some fosters could be a little less reasonable about adopting out dogs...some fosters are a little nuts or they may have certain criteria that they want you to meet...1 requirement we have for the dog that we are fostering is that he goes to a home with a fenced in yard...this dog was crated for 23 hours a day for a good part of his life and now that we have him we see how happy he is in our fenced yard so he won't be adopted out to an owner without a yard...he deserves it

[nhbubba]

I think a fenced in yard is a ridiculous requirement for someone that lives on nearly 3 acres of woodland, adjacent to 500 acres of conservation land, on a rarely traveled, dead-end road, nowhere near a major highway.
"Must have a fenced yard" is exactly the kind of unreasonableness I was talking about. That-in my opinion-is not going to say anything meaningful about the people looking to adopt and how the dog is going to live. Maybe a metric, but not the "one rule".

I just don't get it.

[Falko]

I got our current dog through Jennyshoperescue.com. Sent an application, they called and said to come look. I took the family to look expecting to go through a long process, was there a half hour and brought the dog home. Adoption fee was reasonable.
The suggestion to go south is a good one. They have so many kill shelters down there. The dog I have now came from KY, was scheduled to go down the next day, but the rescue org got him first. He's been awesome.

[Sheppo]

My rescue came from Texas VIA Nashua Humane Society. He was 1.5 years old and a stray. Nashua interviewed my wife and I, Then I went home and got my other dog. They played in a controlled environment. I brought the pup home that same day. My dogs have the run of the house from 8am to 5pm and then go on an average 2.5 mile walk/swim EVERY day. The winter we obviously dont swim. Weekends the activity averages closer to 7 miles. They also get the play in the yard on a run when we are home.

[Stoneman]

More reasons I despise adoption centers/rescues...

None the less, I seem to remember Animals | Manchester Animal Shelter as having an ACD a short while ago. Not sure if it's still there or available, that part is up to you...

[Point37]

I think a fenced in yard is a ridiculous requirement for someone that lives on nearly 3 acres of woodland, adjacent to 500 acres of conservation land, on a rarely traveled, dead-end road, nowhere near a major highway.
"Must have a fenced yard" is exactly the kind of unreasonableness I was talking about. That-in my opinion-is not going to say anything meaningful about the people looking to adopt and how the dog is going to live. Maybe a metric, but not the "one rule".

I just don't get it.

i never said that it was a rule, i said it was a requirement for this dog...you have to understand that every dogs needs are different...this dog is high energy and needs/deserves space to stretch his legs...when we got him he didn't even know how to play with dog toys or other dogs...he didn't know how to walk on a leash...he barked for any and every reason...he didn't know any commands...it's like starting from square 1 with a 2 year old dog...we said he is not going to anyone living in an apartment or a house without a fenced in yard in a busy neighborhood...a wide open farm may be ok for some dogs but i don't think it would work well for this dog at this point in his development...i don't think that's unreasonable at all

[number9]

Here's some trivia, "blue heeler" is actually slang for a police offer in Australia. Back in the day they would use Blue Heelers as police dogs but they switched to German Shepherds a few decades ago.

[xsiliconkid]

never heard that growing up in OZ.....
These cattle dogs are Blue and nip the heels of cattle to get them moving....
BTW they are very high energy dogs....

[JettaJayGLS]

never heard that growing up in OZ.....
These cattle dogs are Blue and nip the heels of cattle to get them moving....
BTW they are very high energy dogs....

Coincidentally, we're a high energy couple.

[Sidavong]

this is the same breed that was the "street outlaws" episode with farmtruck.

[JettaJayGLS]

Red heelers are not out of the question either. Just looking for an ACD with preference for a blue heeler.

[number9]

never heard that growing up in OZ.....
These cattle dogs are Blue and nip the heels of cattle to get them moving....
BTW they are very high energy dogs....

Where did you grow up?