I picked my dog from a shelter, and he was super quiet and subdued there while the other dog were barking and jumping around. And it's gonna really fucking suck badly when I lose him, but it's about giving them the best life that you can while you have them.
Yeah, I got my dog from a shelter too. She seemed real passive when I brought her home. Two days later she started coughing up blood. She had distemper. I spent hundreds of dollars with a vet trying to keep her hydrated and just generally alive. I had to carry her up and down the stairs, all 60 pounds of her, so that she could do her stuff.
I sent a letter to the editor of our local paper about my newly adopted dog's health. The manager of the shelter responded and said that I should just bring her back so that they could put her down. The manager of that shelter ended up putting several hundred dollar bills into my hand on the condition that I would stop talking about this stuff. I stopped talking about it.
My dog eventually recovered. She is the brightest spot in my life. I love my boyfriend, but I love my dog. She's been with me for 11 years now, and she has not been passive since about six weeks after I adopted her. Once she recovered from her illness, she became the most aggressive animal that I have ever known. That's not a good thing, but I totally understand her motivation. I took care of her, and know she is very focused on taking care of me.
http://www.journalscene.com/article/20080826/SJ01/308269949/1041/