Adopting a dog can be a big undertaking for anyone. It doesn’t just bring an adorable furry friend that you can play with, but it also bequeaths a slew of responsibilities on you. Taking care of any dog is a job that needs to be done dutifully, but you have to put in a little bit of extra effort if you decide to take in a shelter dog.
Since shelter dogs, more often than not, have been through some form of trauma, they require more time to adjust to their new environment. Hence, when you adopt a rescue canine, you have to give them special care and attention. With that said, looking after a rescue dog is not as demanding as you might be making it out to be now. If you select your fluffy pal wisely and learn enough about their personality in advance, you can become an incredible dog-parent. However, there are still a few things that you must know about rescuing a shelter dog before you do it yourself.
Here are seven things that you should know before starting the process of rescuing a shelter dog.
Not all rescue dogs are troubled or have been abused in the past. Many people have this misconception that animals at shelters are not safe for adoption because they can be aggressive and unfit for home environments. While some rescue dogs may be problematic, most of them aren’t.
Dogs come to shelter homes for a whole bunch of reasons. Sometimes dog owners leave their furry babies because they have to move away, and their new place of residence is not suited for a dog. Other times people drop off their dogs at rescue centers because they can’t continue to take care of their fluffy friend due to other commitments in their life. So, you see, in many cases, it’s not a dog’s ‘troublesome behavior’ that brings it to a shelter home but the owner’s limitation to look after it. Therefore, when making your way towards a pet shelter, don’t let any preconceived notions cloud your judgment and make you believe that all the animals there would be stray or damaged.
When you get a rescue dog, give it time to get used to being around you. Most rescue dogs have some trauma that leaves them awkward and scared. Even if a dog wasn’t stray and was left at the shelter by its previous owners, it still has a painful past to get over. Therefore, you will find your dog being unsure and a bit lost around you. When that happens, instead of deeming your dog problematic, give it unconditional love and support to help it forget their painful past.
Learning about a dog is a time-consuming process; you can’t expect to know everything about a dog by just having a conversation with the shelter owner. When you bring your new fluffy friend home, take the time to learn about them and don’t leave them alone with children or other pets. You need to realize that your new dog is adjusting to a new life; therefore, it can be unpredictable. To help your canine familiarize itself with its new home, you will have to spend a lot of time with them and involve all other house members in the process as well so that your dog bonds with everyone and not just you.
Even if the dog you get was a home dog before coming to the shelter, it could have picked up on a few bad habits while being a rescue dog. Hence, you will have to train them and be patient while you do that. You cannot expect them to be obedient from the beginning. Moreover, you cannot start training your rescue puppy from their first day in your home. First, allow them to acclimatize to the changing environment, and once you notice that they are starting to loosen up a bit, then begin the training.
When a person gets a dog, their first instinct is to introduce it to friends and family. And while it seems like an innocuous wish, it can be a lot for your new dog, at least during the first few months. Since a dog typically takes up to 3 months to get completely used to a new place, you need to make sure you don’t give your fluffy pal that much time to adjust before introducing them to more strangers. With that said, if your canine is friendly and bonds with people easily, then perhaps you can invite friends and family to meet with it soon after its arrival.
Most pet owners can get a bit impatient after adopting a dog, wishing the dog would reciprocate their love right away. While a regular dog may be quick at learning to respond, a rescue can take some time. You need to understand that your furry baby was maybe abandoned or at an unpleasant place before, so it will need time to start to trust anyone new. It doesn’t have the mind of a human, so it can’t understand that you rescued. Your dog will learn that with time. So, don’t expect it to be appreciative of your kindness and show gratitude for your love from the very first day.
Animals require time to get used to one another in a domestic environment. When you get a rescue dog or even a regular dog, don’t leave it alone with your other pets, because it might hate them. And you never know, maybe your other pets hate your new dog. It’s pretty much like how children react to new siblings; they either fall in love with the baby or resent it.
So, make sure you don’t leave your new pet with your old pets alone. Always be on chaperoning duty or ask someone else to do it of you can’t do it yourself.
by Bobby J Davidson || You can’t buy love, but you can rescue it™ .
Facts About Animal Homelessness:
Here are a some adoptions for consideration: puccicafe.com/adoptions