We recently had a dog who had a potential adopter turn her down because of things she couldn't control. Although she had the personality they were looking for, they backed out after learning her age (which was a young adult) and where she came from.
I have always said that the dog I'll adopt will be over two years old, after maturity, so they already had a set temperament. Well, I just recently adopted a dog. He was 11 weeks old at the time, is missing his front right leg, and was recovering from a dog attack from the other dog in his last home. Will he outgrow his love of other dogs? Hopefully not, but he might. I adopted him because his personality is perfect for me, despite him not being my age or breed of preference and unable to compete in agility.
Some dogs are very resilient and can go through immense trauma and still be very happy-go-lucky dogs. These dogs can still be very people friendly, dog friendly, cat friendly, non-reactive, non-skittish, all around good dogs. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time or their mother was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Going through trauma does not necessarily mean a traumatized dog. Just as some people are prone to PTSD and others are not, dogs can be the same way.
I understand setting preferences for what you're looking for, this helps everyone speed up the process of finding a good match. I've talked before about looking at the dogs who aren't as 'pretty', now I'm asking you to consider the dogs who have had rough lives. The abused pups, the ex-fighters, the breeder dump dogs, the puppy mill dogs, the abandoned dogs, etc. all deserve homes just as much as the dogs who haven't suffered as much. If they have the perfect temperament and enjoy all the things you do and would make you happy, why should their background matter? Prioritize temperament, then address everything else.
well done Rachel! I’m proud of you.