Planning to adopt a dog?
There are 3 places you can find dogs available for adoption.
Regardless of where you get your dog it is crucial that you know your dog needs time to acclimate and adjust to their new life with you.
Most dogs typically require up to a week to decompress in a new environment - To just be and take it all in.
Another week or 2 after that to acclimate to schedules
And up to Several months to settle in to a level of comfort.
We often refer to this as the “honeymoon period” : This is when a family adopts a dog, the dog is darn near perfect for weeks even months and then “out of nowhere” behavior issues arise.
The honeymoon period is over and the dog is now comfortable and testing his/her boundaries to establish their role and responsibilities within their new pack.
TIP: Dogs thrive on leadership and structure. In their world someone has to be in control. If we don’t take that role they will even though the vast majority of dogs don’t want that level of responsibility on their shoulders.
Responsibility like: Deciding if new dogs or people are ok or not - etc.
Remember they don’t speak English as their 1st language. Saying “I’ts ok” means nothing to them if our body language and actions say - “You go 1st. Let me Know how it goes”
Creating and enforcing some basic rules and structure starting the day you bring your new BFF home will help ensure a smoother faster acclimation process and less chance for behavior problems after the “honeymoon period”
Adopting a dog from a shelter.
Dogs wind up in the shelter for a number of reasons and I think its valuable for you to know what mix of dogs are available and where they might have come from.
Owner Surrenders:
Strays
Forcible Surrenders
Sometimes the previous reasons are known when the dog arrives at the shelter and sometimes people don’t disclose the history. Even if the shelter knows the history they often don’t disclose it to the adopter. I’m sure it’s a privacy policy of some form.
So you could be getting the sweetest house dog that has been well cared for or a dog who’s lived outside its whole life and hasn’t had any socialization.
Dogs available for adoption through a shelter will have already passed a temperament test.
Before they leave to go home with you they will also have all primary state required vaccines and be spayed and neutered before they leave the shelter.
The cost for a dog in a shelter tends to range from Free - $100 (Most of the time is the most inexpensive place to find a dog)
As you step foot into the shelter you hear dogs barking, and smell the dank wet smell of a kennel environment as they do their best to hose out and clean the runs regularly.
As you begin to walk down the line of kennel runs you see some dogs jumping on the front of their gate to greet you, and others huddled in the back of their kennels.
You just want to hug and take them all home.
The most important thing for adopters to know is that many dogs get what is known as “Kennel Stress”
So what behavior you see as you walk down the line of dogs, may or may not be a good representation to who they really are when they are comfortable and feel safe without the daily frustrations of being trapped behind a barrier with little to no fulfillment in their day.
The barking dog lunging at the front with a little manners training and love and patience out of this environment might be a calm house dog.
The dog huddled in the back corner might really be a happy go lucky pup, or they might be more of a fearful dog who has the potential to nip when it’s in a different environment where it may have more freedoms.
You don’t really know until you have them home and they have time to settle and acclimate to a new life.
In my opinion adopting a dog from a shelter is the most rewarding but also the most unpredictable for what your dog’s personality is really going to be like.
That being said I have a 10 year old dog, I got at 4months of age from Sacramento City Shelter and he is THE BEST.
AND MANY MANY other people who have adopted from shelters will tell you the same.
But, being in the industry I’m in, I get to see and help the people who got a dog from the shelter wanting to help a homeless dog and instead of the fantasy of bringing a dog home and living happily ever after...
They got a dog that didn’t turn out to be what they thought and wound up having to give the dog back after it bites multiple people in the family including the children.
Or the dog has dog aggression or just reactivity on a leash and these things are often no fault of the shelters or anything that could have been predicted.
They do a temperament test - and thats based on a moment in time. It doesn’t cover everything or all potential situations.
And like I said earlier with many dogs having Kennel Stress you really don’t know who they really are until they have time to decompress.
For sure adopting a dog from a shelter is the most rewarding but by far the most unpredictable for bringing an animal into your home.
There are 3 places you can find dogs available for adoption.
- The Shelter
- A Rescue
- An Owner looking to rehome their dog through social media or craigslist.
Regardless of where you get your dog it is crucial that you know your dog needs time to acclimate and adjust to their new life with you.
Most dogs typically require up to a week to decompress in a new environment - To just be and take it all in.
Another week or 2 after that to acclimate to schedules
And up to Several months to settle in to a level of comfort.
We often refer to this as the “honeymoon period” : This is when a family adopts a dog, the dog is darn near perfect for weeks even months and then “out of nowhere” behavior issues arise.
The honeymoon period is over and the dog is now comfortable and testing his/her boundaries to establish their role and responsibilities within their new pack.
TIP: Dogs thrive on leadership and structure. In their world someone has to be in control. If we don’t take that role they will even though the vast majority of dogs don’t want that level of responsibility on their shoulders.
Responsibility like: Deciding if new dogs or people are ok or not - etc.
Remember they don’t speak English as their 1st language. Saying “I’ts ok” means nothing to them if our body language and actions say - “You go 1st. Let me Know how it goes”
Creating and enforcing some basic rules and structure starting the day you bring your new BFF home will help ensure a smoother faster acclimation process and less chance for behavior problems after the “honeymoon period”
Adopting a dog from a shelter.
Dogs wind up in the shelter for a number of reasons and I think its valuable for you to know what mix of dogs are available and where they might have come from.
Owner Surrenders:
- Someone couldn’t keep a family pet when they moved
- A vet bill came up that they couldn’t financially afford
- Behavioral Concerns (Often normal puppy behaviors like chewing or digging- but could be more serious)
- A family member dies and no one in the family wants their dog (Happens regularly with the elderly)
- Someone who chooses to have a litter of puppies and realizes how much work it is and surrenders all puppies OR when they get to be 4months and they haven’t been able to find homes or sell them they will dump them on the shelter.
Strays
- Most of these dogs weren’t born strays, they got out of their yard at one point and the owners didn’t care enough to go looking for them, or didn’t want to pay the fees to get them back.
- Could have been on the streets for a couple of hours or several weeks.
Forcible Surrenders
- Situations where Animal Control had to step in due to health and well being of dogs. Chained up without food and water. From hoarding situations etc.
Sometimes the previous reasons are known when the dog arrives at the shelter and sometimes people don’t disclose the history. Even if the shelter knows the history they often don’t disclose it to the adopter. I’m sure it’s a privacy policy of some form.
So you could be getting the sweetest house dog that has been well cared for or a dog who’s lived outside its whole life and hasn’t had any socialization.
Dogs available for adoption through a shelter will have already passed a temperament test.
Before they leave to go home with you they will also have all primary state required vaccines and be spayed and neutered before they leave the shelter.
The cost for a dog in a shelter tends to range from Free - $100 (Most of the time is the most inexpensive place to find a dog)
As you step foot into the shelter you hear dogs barking, and smell the dank wet smell of a kennel environment as they do their best to hose out and clean the runs regularly.
As you begin to walk down the line of kennel runs you see some dogs jumping on the front of their gate to greet you, and others huddled in the back of their kennels.
You just want to hug and take them all home.
The most important thing for adopters to know is that many dogs get what is known as “Kennel Stress”
So what behavior you see as you walk down the line of dogs, may or may not be a good representation to who they really are when they are comfortable and feel safe without the daily frustrations of being trapped behind a barrier with little to no fulfillment in their day.
The barking dog lunging at the front with a little manners training and love and patience out of this environment might be a calm house dog.
The dog huddled in the back corner might really be a happy go lucky pup, or they might be more of a fearful dog who has the potential to nip when it’s in a different environment where it may have more freedoms.
You don’t really know until you have them home and they have time to settle and acclimate to a new life.
In my opinion adopting a dog from a shelter is the most rewarding but also the most unpredictable for what your dog’s personality is really going to be like.
That being said I have a 10 year old dog, I got at 4months of age from Sacramento City Shelter and he is THE BEST.
AND MANY MANY other people who have adopted from shelters will tell you the same.
But, being in the industry I’m in, I get to see and help the people who got a dog from the shelter wanting to help a homeless dog and instead of the fantasy of bringing a dog home and living happily ever after...
They got a dog that didn’t turn out to be what they thought and wound up having to give the dog back after it bites multiple people in the family including the children.
Or the dog has dog aggression or just reactivity on a leash and these things are often no fault of the shelters or anything that could have been predicted.
They do a temperament test - and thats based on a moment in time. It doesn’t cover everything or all potential situations.
And like I said earlier with many dogs having Kennel Stress you really don’t know who they really are until they have time to decompress.
For sure adopting a dog from a shelter is the most rewarding but by far the most unpredictable for bringing an animal into your home.
RESCUE
Their are amazing Rescue groups out there, and then there are a few less than desirable ones.
So a few requirements for picking a good rescue:
Those are a few good rules to go by, when looking at rescues.
The real value of getting a dog from a rescue is their choice in the dogs they bring into their organization and that the dogs live in homes before you get them.
They hand pick the dogs they bring into their organization.
The dogs live in foster homes with families in a home environment so you have a much better idea of the dogs true personality when you adopt it.
Many of them even live with other dogs, cats & children so you know for sure if they will be a good fit for your home.
MANY rescues offer the option to Foster to Adopt. You can take the dog home for a week - month and see if its a good fit before making a full commitment.
When people ask me about Rescue - I always suggest they foster until they find the right dog.
I fostered for years its incredibly rewarding to have dogs come into your life that you really like but their not necessarily the right dog for YOU. But you get to help them on their journey and see the joy for both the dog and the people when they find the right home.
Each dog touched me and is forever in my heart but there have been a handful of them over the years that I hands down would have kept if I had been in the market for a dog.
I’m sure your perfect friend will come along and you could be helping out other dogs in the mean time ;)
Lastly is the option to Adopt a dog directly from an Owner trying to Surrender.
Again people surrender dogs for any number of reasons.
The main advantage and also the disadvantage of this route is they might have had the dog from a puppy and can tell you its history, where it came from and why they are rehoming him.
This information is only valuable to you if they are being honest.
If their sole goal is to get rid of the dog they may very well lie to you to get you to take the dog.
They should seem to be compassionate and broken up about having to rehome the dog regardless of the reason.
Their are many owners who get a dog and then realize the dogs not a good fit for their lifestyle, or they learn that a family member is allergic. Any number of things can come up.
I applaud owners who seek to rehome their dog especially when its in the dogs best interest but incredibly hard difficult decision to come to.
To choose to rehome the dog on their own INSTEAD of dumping the dog at the shelter or asking a rescue group to take it is a responsible decision.
How compassionate and broken up about rehoming their dog are they?
With an owner surrender the dog might not already be spayed and neutered, and might not be current on vaccines so keep those things in mind for potential expenses.
The dog in front of you
A dog acts and behaves based on a combination of the following...
We likely don't know the 1st piece (but you might have an idea based on the breeds that your dog appears to be mixed with) and have zero control over the 2nd piece. So the 3rd piece may tell you a decent amount about the dogs ability to cope with stress in a shelter if it seems happy go lucky in that environment.
YOU have ALOT of power as an owner when you adopt a dog to alter the dogs environment, help them feel safe, give them structure in their life through training and house rules and to create better experiences going forward to help them flourish and be GOOD & HAPPY companions.
If you feel like your dog would benefit from more help in these areas please hire a professional trainer - don't wait until problems get worse.
Their are amazing Rescue groups out there, and then there are a few less than desirable ones.
So a few requirements for picking a good rescue:
- 1st and foremost they want whats best for their dogs. So they will likely screen YOU and want to know about your life in making sure this is a good match between you and the dog your interested in.
- Many good rescues also require a home check to make sure your fencing is secure etc. (not all have the resources for this - but many do)
- Their dogs should be spayed and neutered and up to date on shots when you take them home. If they aren’t this should be a big red flag.
- They require in their contract that if anything ever happens - the dog comes back to them.
- Of course we hope you’ve planned ahead and are ready to fully commit to your new pup. But in the event you for any reason need to give the dog up they want to ensure the dog doesn’t wind up in the shelter.
Those are a few good rules to go by, when looking at rescues.
The real value of getting a dog from a rescue is their choice in the dogs they bring into their organization and that the dogs live in homes before you get them.
They hand pick the dogs they bring into their organization.
- Owner Surrenders (Like we discussed above in Shelters - but the difference is they can choose who to help - often times wont help the back yard breeder unless they agree to get both parents fixed)
- Pick dogs out of the Shelter environment
- Their are dogs at the shelter that are “RESCUE ONLY” Not available to the public because of…
- A medical condition (Mange is a common one -missing hair - needs meds - not contagious and heels with love and time) , emaciated etc.
- Behavioral Concerns (Didn’t pass Temperment Test )
- Challenging Breed (If an option they will put some dogs aside to get pulled by breed specific rescues before being put on the adoption floor, someone who goes looking for a specific breed in a rescue group is likely going to be more equipped or prepared for the challenges of that breed )
- Real Rescue - help with hoarding situations, help trap a loose dog etc.
The dogs live in foster homes with families in a home environment so you have a much better idea of the dogs true personality when you adopt it.
Many of them even live with other dogs, cats & children so you know for sure if they will be a good fit for your home.
MANY rescues offer the option to Foster to Adopt. You can take the dog home for a week - month and see if its a good fit before making a full commitment.
When people ask me about Rescue - I always suggest they foster until they find the right dog.
I fostered for years its incredibly rewarding to have dogs come into your life that you really like but their not necessarily the right dog for YOU. But you get to help them on their journey and see the joy for both the dog and the people when they find the right home.
Each dog touched me and is forever in my heart but there have been a handful of them over the years that I hands down would have kept if I had been in the market for a dog.
I’m sure your perfect friend will come along and you could be helping out other dogs in the mean time ;)
Lastly is the option to Adopt a dog directly from an Owner trying to Surrender.
Again people surrender dogs for any number of reasons.
The main advantage and also the disadvantage of this route is they might have had the dog from a puppy and can tell you its history, where it came from and why they are rehoming him.
This information is only valuable to you if they are being honest.
If their sole goal is to get rid of the dog they may very well lie to you to get you to take the dog.
They should seem to be compassionate and broken up about having to rehome the dog regardless of the reason.
Their are many owners who get a dog and then realize the dogs not a good fit for their lifestyle, or they learn that a family member is allergic. Any number of things can come up.
I applaud owners who seek to rehome their dog especially when its in the dogs best interest but incredibly hard difficult decision to come to.
To choose to rehome the dog on their own INSTEAD of dumping the dog at the shelter or asking a rescue group to take it is a responsible decision.
How compassionate and broken up about rehoming their dog are they?
With an owner surrender the dog might not already be spayed and neutered, and might not be current on vaccines so keep those things in mind for potential expenses.
The dog in front of you
A dog acts and behaves based on a combination of the following...
- Their genetics
- Their past experience
- Their current environment
We likely don't know the 1st piece (but you might have an idea based on the breeds that your dog appears to be mixed with) and have zero control over the 2nd piece. So the 3rd piece may tell you a decent amount about the dogs ability to cope with stress in a shelter if it seems happy go lucky in that environment.
YOU have ALOT of power as an owner when you adopt a dog to alter the dogs environment, help them feel safe, give them structure in their life through training and house rules and to create better experiences going forward to help them flourish and be GOOD & HAPPY companions.
If you feel like your dog would benefit from more help in these areas please hire a professional trainer - don't wait until problems get worse.