Adopting Your First Dog

by Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue

Adopting a dog is one of the great joys of the dog world. As the name implies, adopting a dog is not what we do when we go to a reputable breeder and purchase a puppy from the person. Adopting a dog refers to bringing a dog into your home that has had a less then fortunate life, until they met you at least. 'Less then fortunate' can mean anything from removed from an abusive home by Animal Control to a dog requiring placement by a breed rescue group because the dog's wonderful but elderly owner passed away.

Why a dog is suddenly left homeless is inconsequential in many ways - the bottom line is they need a new home and are up for 'adoption' until that home is found.

Adoption Shelters and Rescue Organizations

There are thousands of groups and organizations in North America dedicated to rescuing, fostering, and re-homing pets. Most towns and cities have at least one shelter to control strays and pets that have been removed from inappropriate situations (abuse is only one such situation). Some larger towns and almost all cities will have at least one private shelter or rescue center of some sort set up to handle the overflow from the city kennel. These are often run out of a person's home and a list of foster parents who house one or two dogs at a time until a permanent or 'forever' home can be found.

For potential adopters who are looking for a specific breed of dog, there is always the option of contacting the national breed rescue organization. These organizations are usually a group of breeders of a specific breed of dog that make themselves available to shelters and all breed rescue agencies as well as owners of their specific breed who for whatever reason are no longer able to keep their dog.

They will 'put the word' out to other breeders and enthusiasts that there is a dog in need of a new home. The system works amazingly fast and although dogs may need to be shipped to their new home, they are placed in pre-approved homes that are already knowledgeable about the breed and the specific dog. These groups are most effective in the case of rare or lesser known breeds where the breed community is tight and work together for the betterment of the breed.

Picking a Dog to Adopt

Choosing which dog you are going to adopt is more difficult then it sounds. Most dog lovers that walk into a shelter are immediately overwhelmed with the desire to save all the dogs and it is next to impossible to stay objective. However, you are not helping the dogs if you bring them all home or even a few. And choosing a dog because of their story or circumstances may not serve either of you well as their problems may be more then you are capable of handling.

Adopted dogs come with baggage. If the best of circumstances, they were raised by caring owners who trained them to be well-mannered and happy members of the dog world. In the worst of circumstances, well, we all know how bad some people raise their pets so there is no need to dwell on the negatives. In the case of the well-trained, happy dog, the problems you face are going to be minimal but there will be a few just the same. Learning what the dog has already been trained to do, how they were raised and adjusting to their ways can have its moments.

Take the dog that has always had a backyard to use as his or her own private washroom and refuses to 'go' on a leash. What if someone who lives in an apartment and can only take their dog outside on a leash adopts that dog? Suddenly there is a problem that needs to be overcome, quickly for the sake of the dog. Because you do not know what you are getting when you adopt a dog, little problems like this can crop up now and again.

Dogs that have come from abusive or situations of neglect have an entire cartload of baggage. Often nervous around strangers and have difficulty trusting people, these dogs require a home where they will be exposed to new people and things in a positive and supportive way. Most shelters and rescues require experienced dog people to adopt these dogs to ensure that the poor animal is not in danger of needing to be re-homed again.

Bringing Your New Adopted Dog Home

There is nothing like knowing you helped rescue a dog in need. Being intelligent, sentient beings, dogs understand when someone has helped them and they return the favor in the best way they know how - tail wags and kisses.

Expect a speed bump or two along the way but remember that your new dog is trying to adjust to their new home just as much as you are trying to adjust to them. Patience, consistency and lots of long walks will help you both adjust to your situation. Enjoy your new companion and your new life together - he will!

David Beart is the owner of the PetYak. Our site covers pet related topics ranging from cats to dog trivia, birds and fish.

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More Animal Adoption Articles

Adopting A Dog

by Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue

You will discover a lot of ways that folks choose a brand new family puppy.

Some may perhaps research the newspaper for ads from breeders who are offering new puppies; other people find breeders via listings about the web, although still a lot more may nicely simply invest in a puppy from your community pet store. Possibly the top approach, on the other hand, in terms of becoming very helpful to society in standard would be to adopt a puppy from your community animal protection.

Adopting a canine brings a brand new friend into your existence. It also aids to decrease the quantity of unwanted and homeless puppies inside your area. Unless the protection is usually a "no kill" facility (and these are sadly couple of and far between), it's going to also save a dog's lifestyle. Animal lovers everywhere champion the adoption of dogs from shelters as opposed to any other approach of bringing house a brand new pet for this reason alone, but you can find other reasons to opt for the adoption alternative.

Adopted pets have had their shots
Shelters typically have particulars about a dog's temperament
Adopting a pet frees space from the protection for more puppies

When you adopt a dog you possibly can be sure that the staff in the protection has had the puppy examined by a vet for disorders and parasites and that the puppy has had its shots. This just isn't often correct of k-9s acquired by other indicates for instance youngsters giving away "free puppies" from the box in front on the community grocery retailer or PetsMart.

The puppies at a protection are not just strays and often are turned in on the protection by previous owners for different reasons. When this occurs, the protection collects as much data concerning the canine as you possibly can, including whether or not its incredibly good with children, how a great deal it barks, how playful or obedient it really is, no matter whether its housebroken, along with other critical particulars. Even though it is legitimate that this information is only as good as the honesty on the previous owner, most from the time it is usually fairly accurate.

Animal shelters present a beneficial service towards the community which they serve by retaining the streets as free of stray animals as you possibly can. Due to the fact numerous of them do this with tiny or no public funding or governmental assist, they're extremely restricted from the variety of canines they could have inside shelter at any provided time. The only way which they can provide in more stray animals is if they eliminate the ones they at this time have. This really is performed via adoption or euthanasia. Certainly they would favor to have the canines adopted instead of killed. Adopting a puppy could incredibly nicely spend less its life and will allow the shelter to bring in one more dog in its spot.

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Adopting Versus Purchasing Dogs

When you find it is time to add a dog to the family, you have several options. There are millions of pets that wind up in shelters across the country each year. All of these pets are in need of good homes, especially those in shelters who use euthanasia to control the population. You also have the option of purchasing purebred dogs from a breeder. Each has its pros and cons that you should consider carefully.

Adopted Pets

Saving an animal that has been abandoned or neglected is a wonderful thing to do. Shelters are always overwhelmed by the number of pets. You can find all kinds of dogs available for adoption including purebred dogs. Of course, there will be no paperwork as a rule and you will be expected to spay/neuter your new dog.

Pros:
• Feels great
• Mature pets are available
• Variety of dogs
• Shots and health generally checked
• Teach children empathy
• Most are well socialized

Cons:
• Dog may have some bad habits from previous owners
• Will take time to see how they are with children
• No papers on purebreds

Purchasing

Many people prefer to purchase a purebred dog from a breeder. You may find that you have a particular affinity for a specific breed and want a dog you can train from a very early age. If you deal with a reputable breeder this can be a very rewarding situation. Here are a few pros and cons:

Pros:
• Bloodline is well documented
• Choose a specific breed suitable for you
• Health should be guaranteed
• Meet the puppy parents and assess temperament
• Well socialized

Cons:
• Puppy mills- irresponsible breeding can result in all kinds of genetic defects
• Pure breeds are more susceptible to disease than mutts
• Some breeds are very expensive

Good Breeders

If you decide to purchase a purebred dog instead of adoption, it is important to find a reputable breeder.

This can be tricky but with a few basic questions, you can get a good indication of how responsible they are.

• Ask to see the dam, if the breeder hesitates move on
• Ask about breed specific defects and diseases, a reputable breeder will know
• Request references- specifically other customers
• What is the health guarantee and contract? Reputable breeders will guarantee the health of the dog for a specific amount of time and for most genetic defects. There may be a long list of requirements you must fulfill as well such as spay/neuter, home requirements and background check.

Conclusion

As you can see there is more than one-way to get the perfect dog for your family. Each method has pros and cons so consider every angle. You can also check your local paper for puppies being given away by local residents. These are many times "accidents" that occurred because a female pet had nighttime visitors or got away from the owner at just the right, or shall we say wrong time? Use a bit of common sense when adopting or purchasing and always set up a health check with your vet soon after acquiring a new dog.

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Of the eight million pets that enter animal shelters and rescue groups every year, approximately three million of these healthy and treatable pets are euthan...