Opening your home to a new furry family member is always exciting. There’s a lot of things to consider as well: is it a good idea to adopt a rescue dog, what do you need to do when adopting, how does a rescue dog adjust to your home, and do rescue dogs really remember their past?
These are all great questions! Let’s go over them so you would be ready to make your decision.
The difference between a shelter and a rescue
A shelter is an organization that has a physical location that you can visit and it’s not in someone’s home. Usually, shelters will have veterinarians on-hand as well to provide basic medical care and spay/neuter services to rescued animals.
It’s usually better to adopt a pet from a shelter because all the vet visits, vaccinations have been given before adoption and some of the shelters will give your rescue dog a chip with your information and a passport as well.
Animal rescues are often completely volunteer-run and they fund their work through donations from the community. Sometimes rescues are fostered in homes that create a network overseen by the rescue’s founders.
Many rescue groups are created by and run by volunteers. They take animals into their homes and care for them until a suitable permanent home can be found.
Animal shelters often work closely with rescue groups. Shelters that have difficulty placing otherwise healthy animals would usually rather have the animal placed in a home than be euthanized.
Is it a good idea to get a rescue dog
There’s a lot of benefits when adopting a rescue dog. You may have heard horror stories about rescued dogs eating the family couch or remote controls. Honestly, that can happen to anyone who brings a new dog to the house. There are ways to prevent that from happening through training.
Benefits of rescuing a dog:
- When you are adopting a rescue dog, you have so many options to choose from: age, color, breed, size, gender, personality.
- You can really find a match for your lifestyle when you go over the specific information the rescue center has written about that dog. The staff can also answer your questions about the personality.
- The rescue dogs have gone through veterinary exams and they have been fully vaccinated and spayed/neutered before you adopt. This is standard and if they don’t do these, you shouldn’t look past that.
- Adopting a rescue dog is a way to fight against Puppy Mills. If you would like to have a puppy, you can rescue a beautiful little puppy from the rescue center. The staff can give you an estimate of how big the dog will get. Dogs’ paws are usually the giveaway because they grow into them.
- When you adopt a rescue dog, you’re giving the dog another chance. A chance to live happily in a loving family, as your beloved family member. Dogs that don’t get adopted get euthanized when their time is up, some of them spend years in the shelter.
What to do when you adopt a rescue dog
You have found your perfect rescue dog match from the shelter and it’s time to get the new family member home. But is everything ready?
- Collar with an ID tag with your phone number and a leash.
- Water and food bowl
- Poop bags
- Food – ask this information from the shelter.
- Toys – safe and different kind.
- Puppy pads, if you adopted a rescue puppy, or you are not sure if the dog is housetrained.
- Puppy proofing. It’s a good idea to also store the carpets somewhere safe for a few months at least.
- A place to sleep. Consider a crate that gives your new dog a safe place to go. It functions as training equipment later. The crate has to be a safe place and never a place to lock the dog as a punishment.
How long does it take for a rescue dog to adjust
You should give your new rescue dog at least six months to adjust to his new home. This doesn’t mean you won’t see transformation before that.
With your calm and understanding behavior, you will notice little changes every week and every month when time goes by. They might be subtle things for you but means a lot for your rescue dog. Every situation is different. How long it takes for a dog to settle into a new home is also up to you.
You can help your rescue dog to adjust to a new home by slowly getting to know him, giving him a lot of time, and being calm around him. Introduce new people to one by one after the first weeks when you notice he is getting comfortable in your home. Dogs can really feel our emotions. According to a study, pets even yawn more in response to owners’ yawns than strangers’.
You can put the crate or dog bed in your bedroom at first. That way your dog will feel more secure. You might wake up a few times but it’s worth it for the long – you are building a bond. Put a few puppy pads near the bed because dogs don’t pee where they sleep. If your dog needs to go, there’s something nearby.
You might wonder do rescue dogs remember their past or how do you know if your rescue dog is happy. Dogs are able to recall facts and information from their past, both pleasant and negative. However, it is important to keep in mind that a dog’s memory doesn’t work like ours. This means that you may never know what exactly they remember from their past. Because of this, the present and future are more important.
Slowly get to know your rescue dog, his likes and dislikes, and give him the best forever home. With animals, your common language is trust.
The first days when you rescue a dog
Introduce the home street before going inside for the first time. This way your new rescue dog will get an idea of the new surroundings. They can burn some energy and you can introduce your dog’s new place to make a business from now on.
If you have another dog, you should let them meet outside to avoid any territorial issues. It’s important to do this part sloly. Don’t change the routines because that will be stressful for the current dog who is going through this transition too.
You can go for a walk as a pack and avoid forcing them to be friends right away. If you have more than one pet, you should let them meet one by one. If you have children make sure they also understand the importance of taking things slow.
Ease into a second day. If you have a few days of work, that’s great. It’s important that your rescue dog will get to know your routine early on, but it’s nice to ease your dog into it. This day is all about getting to know each other. Visitors can wait until next week.
Creating routines will help your dog feel safe so you should start some of them right away. Feeding times, going outside, playtime, and sleep time are a great start. Your dog might sleep a lot during the first days because everything is new and exciting so make sure there’s a minimum disturbance when your dog sleeps.
It’s normal if you are getting tired as well so take some naps if you can.
It’s okay if you don’t feel any bond or connection with your dog yet. It takes time. You are getting to know your dog and vice versa. Stick with routines and start a little training session like leaving your dog alone when you go to another room. If you hear crying, you are gone too long.
Wait until your dog settles before going back into the room and start over. This way your dog will learn that crying and barking doesn’t have any effect on you.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it so hard to adopt a rescue dog?
The rescue shelter needs to know whether the new owner can provide a safe, secure, and permanent home for the rescue dog. Responsible shelters, pounds, and rescue organizations refuse to supply pets to people whom they deem ineligible based on assessing their inability to supply the adopted animal with a suitable home.
Sometimes a new owner may face training or behavioral challenges with a pet who has been neglected, abused, or left untrained. In the vast majority of cases, patience, training, persistence, and consistency of care will help the pet overcome its past.
Is it normal to regret adopting a dog?
It’s very normal for new dog adopters to panic and wants to take the dog back. This is very common so don’t give in to panic. Every dog has its own personality and you simply have to create memories and give them a chance.
Before you return that rescue dog to the shelter, get to really know your new dog. It’s normal if you don’t feel any connection to your dog for the first few months. Build routines, trust, playtime, and keep going.
How long do the Puppy Blues last?
You may find that you are overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety, stress, you’re sleep-deprived, can’t get a moment alone and it feels like your life has completely changed. You might regret bringing home your puppy, no matter how experienced or prepared you were.
The puppy blues are 100% normal and nothing to be ashamed of. It can be hard to understand what it really feels like to be responsible for a dog until you actually own one, and there is always a period of adjustment. You feel this nervousness and anxiety because you are a good dog parent. Puppy blues can last a few days, a few weeks or a few months. Things will become easier as your puppy matures and you get to know each other better.