My doggy crew. This was last fall before we lost the Dalmatian to a tumor and the Golden to cancer. The latest is Andi, our Doberlab. All are rescues deemed 'unadoptable' and most have health/mental issues from abuse.

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I just looked back at my first post (#18) and it's sad to see how many we've lost in the last 2 years. That pic was taken when we first moved to the house in early 2013, and of the 9 pictured we only have 5 of those now. We lost Scrappy the wirehaired terrier mix in Sept 2014 to heart failure, and just had to put down Casino the bat-eared shorty Jack on 2/5/15. We added one rescue (Andi the Dobi/cur mix) late 2013 so we're currently at 6 dogs. Jetta, the Parson Russell, is now a house dog because she's the only little dog left, 12 pounds, 18+ years old, has seizures, and yet still tries to rule the other dogs. She's driving me insane, but loves sleeping in the house.
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This was taken last spring after Andi had joined the group and finally trusted us enough to come out of hiding.

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Yup, it's very hard and it never gets easier. I ran a rescue and lost quite a few that we got to too late to save, and was a vet tech and held many a very sick dog being put down... but losing your own is so much harder. We've lost 4 of our dogs in the past year and a half. You get numbed after some time, but the sadness never goes away. One day out of the blue you'll see something that reminds you of a dog you lost years ago and tear up.

Last week I had to send my youngest dog for eye removal surgery due to sudden severe glaucoma, and twice in the last week my 18 year old Jack Russel has had seizures at night. The other 4 are getting older with hip dysplasia, arthritis, losing eyesight, etc. We know it is very likely we won't have some of them at the end of this year, and it is heartbreaking. We love them and do the best that we can for them, and promise them that we'll never let them suffer. Then we just love them as long as we can, knowing they won't be around forever.

We don't have kids and some people I know are always asking when I'm going to get rid of my dogs and have a baby already, but I just shake my head and don't even try to explain because those kinds of people will never understand.

Yay Mugsy!!!

There's a dog that has been at the local humane society for 525 days and counting that reminds me of Mugsy. (They had to redo his intake day because it expired so many times.) Sadly, if I didn't already have 6 very needy 'damaged' dogs and was looking for a dog, Mugsy and Pretty Boy would be exactly the type I'd go for.

http://www.petango.com/webservices/adoptablesearch/wsAdoptableAnimalDetails.aspx?id=21627549&css=http://www.heschatt.com/css/styles.css&PopUp=true

This is our latest brat, Chloe. I call her a Shitalian... Shih Tzu/Italian Greyhound mix. I got her out of a high-kill shelter on 3/3 2 hours before she was to be put down for being overly aggressive, because she growled when cornered in a cage. I got her home, gave her a bath and got over 100 fleas off before I stopped counting, gave her some good food, and she immediately curled into my husband's lap and fell asleep. We found out she belonged to a family with 5 kids, and when dad left after the divorce the mom didn't want to deal with a dog and threw her outside, then took her to the pound after telling the dad the dog ran away. I was just going to foster her, but she fit in so well with our crazy crew that she became official pretty quick. They told me that she was 10 months when I got her, so we made today her 'birthday' and are having hot dogs and doggy ice cream for the 7 dogs tonight.

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Aww, thanks.

But if I really wanted to make you cry, all I'd have to do is tell you the backstories of my other dogs. Two of my current 7 were at the pound in a 3x5 pen for over 2.5 years, and those are the happiest stories.

I used to run a little rescue out of my house and rescued/adopted out 227 dogs/pups/critters within 1.5 years before we got a case of parvo that infected my house and I had to close it down. I kept 6 unadoptable dogs from that, fostered the long-timers/special cases from the pound (and kept a few,) somehow got up to 11 personal dogs and took a break for awhile, and now occasionally foster special cases from high-kill shelters. I've heard stories that will make you literally sick to your stomach, and am always amazed at how forgiving and loyal dogs are despite everything.

Go to the local shelter or private dog rescue, which usually have foster homes so they have more interaction with the dogs than a volunteer at a "dog jail" pound, and tell them what you are looking for. They can probably point you in the right direction. With kids and wanting something low maintenance, I'd automatically think you need an older dog. Puppies are a lot of trouble, and many breeds stay in the puppy stage for years. I've got a 1 year old Shih Tzu mix rescue that constantly runs around the house at full speed, wants to play rough with us and the other dogs to the point of biting hands and scratching my husband's face to the bleeding point this weekend, and throws fits when put in a crate when she's supposed to be sleeping.

There are lots of well trained good dogs (purebreds too) that had to be given up for some reason or another that need a great home. Lately I've been trying to find homes for 2 great dogs that were left behind when their owner passed away. If you're looking especially for low maintenance, I'd probably stay away from the terrier breeds. I love them and have had many, but low maintenance they are not. My 20+ year old Russell still tries to bully the big dogs, digs holes and destroys the yard while chasing bugs/lizards, climbs fences, etc. Hunting dogs (like beagles) can be great with kids, but they follow their noses and will need a fenced in yard and can make lots of noise while baying.

I personally always prefer mixed breeds to purebreds (way less health issues)... but I'm also one that walks into a shelter and asks for the most pitiful/longtimer to take home, and know that most people cannot do that. There are plenty of quizzes that may point you into the right general direction, but don't take mutts into account. Just search "dog breed quiz" and take a few. Here's the top one that popped up in my search, and may help get you started looking at least in a general direction. Good luck! http://dogtime.com/quiz/dog-breed-selector

My local city and county shelters are currently preparing to take in over 100 Texas dogs per facility. They're taking in dogs that were already in Texas shelters so that there is room for animals that may have owners looking for them. They're already at capacity but setting up temporary tent shelters, so I took a couple giant crates I had, treats, and supplies yesterday. Since they're also asking for fosters for the dogs they currently have to make more room, I somehow came home with a Piper. She's 12 and was turned in when her family didn't have the money to care for her after she got a tumor. She's 18 pounds and has a full belly of stitches from removal of the 6 pound tumor. She's doing well so far, other than growling at my dogs when they get too close because she feels like crap and doesn't want to deal with them. They are leaving her alone, and she's trying really hard to be a good girl. I've got her so she'll have a nice place to recuperate, but trying to find her a good home.

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