Adopting A Dog
What do you say when your children ask for a puppy. It is a request that many parents will have heard before. What is needed in adopting a puppy or dog to ensure the happiness of the dog and the possible chaos in your domestic surroundings?When the thought of including a pet dog into your family occurs, you could consider the adoption of your pet from a source such as an animal shelter or animal society.
By doing this there’s the feel good factor of doing something charitable as well as getting a loving pet and friend. Coming from organisations like animal shelters your pet will have been checked for disease as well as possibly gained some training.
It is not the fault of dogs that they end up in shelters, there are some lovely affectionate dogs just waiting for a second chance to join a loving family. Pet owners give up their pets when they feel that they can no longer be responsible for their care. Maybe it’s because they didn’t realise the commitment necessary for the care of a dog or maybe there has been drastic changes in the owners life and they feel the dog would have a better life with another owner, knowing that in the care of the shelters they will be looked after and given a chance to be adopted.
Normally in a shelter you will be able to find dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds, so if it’s a puppy you’re after you stand a good chance of finding one. On the other hand if you’re seeking an older dog it will be more likely to be house trained. For either an animal or humane shelter are the places to look.
When the dogs arrive at the shelters they are examined for any physical or behavioural inadequacies. The shelter will record any quirks and alongside specialists will attempt to negate any non-positive behaviour.
A lot of shelters employ adoption counsellors who hold interviews with prospective owners to gain knowledge of their requirements and home circumstances.
This is an informal affair where counsellors need to ensure that both parties, owner and dog, are right for each other.
This is the right time for you to enquire about available pets at the shelter and to ask questions, such as:
How did the dog end up in the shelter? Are there any problems with the dog’s behaviour? How does the dog interact with other dogs and small children? Are there any health problems you should be aware of? Does the dog need spaying or neutering? With the help of the shelter’s experts you will find it easier to choose your new pet.
Once you have chose your new dog it’s time to take it home but all this excitement could overwhelm the dog, so be affectionate and patient while you guide it around your house and garden to accustom it to it’s new surroundings.
Why are dogs in shelters? Lack of owner commitment.
Make sure you have the commitment.