By Staff Writer Trevon Tucker
Multiple animal activist organizations including the American Humane Society and the ASPCA celebrate Adopt a Shelter Dog Month in October.
The celebration is intended to raise awareness of the importance of adopting dogs from shelters rather than from breeders and puppy mills. Rescues and shelters in Portales are often at capacity, and with winter quickly approaching, there are many dogs who need homes and families.
Adopting a shelter dog is very emotionally enriching and can create cherished memories which will last the rest of your life.
However, adoption is no small undertaking, and the decision should never be made lightly. It is important to ensure that one’s home, finances, and schedule can accommodate a dog well before one decides which dog to adopt. If you do not have a fenced yard available to let a dog run around in, you will need to make time to take your dog out on walks regularly. If your work schedule keeps you away from home for a large majority of your time and there will be no one at home to take care of them, it is likely preferable that you wait until your situation can comfortably accommodate a dog or consider taking in a shelter cat instead!
If you are mostly certain of your ability to adopt a pet but feel that you need a “test run” to be completely sure, some pet shelters offer the valuable option of a “shelter-break sleepover”. This lets a prospective pet owner take a pet home for a few days before returning them if the situation proves impractical or impossible. It also gives the animal at least some time away from the shelter. While this approach can help with making an educated decision on whether to permanently adopt a dog, it may be stressful and emotionally taxing. If you are particularly empathetic, it may instead be preferable to come up with a list of adoption candidates and take time to think on it.
Another option is reaching out to a rescue and asking about fostering to adopt. If the dog you’re fostering isn’t a good fit, they’ll go on to be adopted by another great family, but if you form a bond with your foster, you can pay the adoption fee and let them stay by your side in their forever home!
No matter what you choose, once you have taken a dog into your home, they will need time to decompress and get used to new surroundings. The Rule of 3 is an important aspect of this process to consider. It refers to three different milestones: three days, three weeks, and three months.
Within the first three days of owning a dog, they will usually be very shy and reserved. It is important to respect the dog’s boundaries and not rush it into getting used to its surroundings, but to also give them reassurance and affection when possible. A newly adopted dog will often treat its kennel as a safe space to retreat to when overwhelmed or scared. If you plan to have a room in your home which functions as “the pet room”, it is best to keep the kennel in there.
After the first three weeks, the dog should be getting used to its new home. It will still be curious about its surroundings and may not have picked up on all the rules yet, so it is important to be patient and try to support a mostly consistent routine. A significant disruption to routine before the three-month milestone, such as the addition of another pet to the home, may delay the decompression process or even permanently affect the dog’s
Three months is an important milestone of owning a dog as it will have gotten mostly or totally used to its home and family, provided that the situation has been relatively stable. The way your dog behaves at this point can usually be used as a baseline of what to expect from here onwards.
So, even though the month is coming to a close, adopting a shelter animal is a fulfilling way to find the perfect furry friend while also giving a dog in need a loving home of their own.