Muttropolitan Management

Finding the dog for you……

Rescue Shelter

Rescues are filled with thousands of dogs of all shapes, sizes and ages. Full breeds as well as mixed breeds, all desperately needing a home!!

A good rescue will not only spend time getting to know you and your lifestyle, your experience and the sort of dog you are wanting, but will also be able to offer advice to help you make the best choice! Staff, whom are usually volunteers, should spend time with you going over a detailed home check questionnaire. This will take into account how long the dog would be left alone daily, the exercise the dog will get, the home set up, garden set up (if you have one), if you are willing to put in training if needed, if you are able to cope with any settling in behaviour issues that may arise, and that financially, you can meet the dogs needs. They will also ask if there are any young children in the home or if there are visiting children. The rescue should also ask to see ID, and proof of your lease (if rented) that it allows for pets. A physical home check will also be done in addition to the form.

The dogs in the rescue will also have been assessed to find out what home would suit them best, and what type of human would suit them best. How they behave around other animals, how they are with food and toys etc. Dogs’ should also have had a veterinary health check, been given vaccinations and been wormed etc. If the dog is not already neutered, then a contract will be signed agreeing you will neuter the dog, usually within a specific time frame. The agreement between the rescue and you as the new adopter will also be signed to say that the dog must be returned to the rescue if there are any problems, and can’t be re-homed by you. The home, lifestyle and the humans in the home must suit the dogs needs as much as the humans want the dog to suit theirs!

If you are interested in adopting a specific breed, contact breed specific rescues. Contact many rescue shelters until you match with the right dog for you and what matters most, is you are the right match for the dog and his/her needs.

Dogs in rescue shelters are in there for many reasons, through no fault of their own but down to their owner’s circumstances changing, or their owner not anticipating how much work an adolescent dog is. The puppy stage is gone and the novelty wears off. Some are in the rescue shelter because their owner had an illness or passed away. Others are strays which have been abandoned or unclaimed.

The love and gratitude of a rescue dog is a truly wonderful feeling! Some work may need put in with regards to training and some will need a little time to settle. But giving a rescue dog a warm loving home will change his/her life!

Questions to ask at the rescue shelter……

• How long has the dog been with the rescue?
• Has the dog been in a foster home or kennel based?
• Do they know the background of the dog?
• Is the dog good with children and other animals?

Remember that some dogs will be stressed with living in the kennels if kennel based, but be a completely different dog once they are outside the kennel, so ask if they have an outside area you can spend some time with the dog to get to know him/her better.

This boy below was stressed in the kennel environment, mentally shutting down which started to affect his health physically. He lost a lot of weight while he waited on his forever humans coming along. This was him happy and enjoying life after his gotcha day! He loves life now and lives like a king! 

 

Don’t rush, if you feel the dog is not for you or you are not experienced enough to take on one that needs a little training or behaviour modification then please don’t take that dog on. Continue the search for the right dog for what you can offer!

Alexis